OH Businesses Plan to Re-Create ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ Turkey Drop
It is my all-time favorite series, bar none. But if you ask the casual observer to name an episode--or even a SCENE--from WKRP in Cincinnati, you will most likely only get the Thanksgiving episode as a response.
The Most Famous Thanksgiving TV Episode of All-Time
I discovered the series--about a Cincinnati radio station populated with a variety of characters, most of whom wouldn't ever be able to hold down a real radio job--when I was a teenager. It was in syndication. I fell in love and, to this day, am still impressed the level of writing and acting on the show.
It was very detailed about how it presented a radio station, utilizing authentic shop jargon in the dialogue. So esoteric were the scripts, at times, that I wondered later--after I got into the business--if some viewers even knew what the actors were talking about.
Well, they certainly did in the season one episode called "Turkeys Away" in which WKRP's hapless station manager, buffoonish sales manager, and always-befuddled news director joined forces for a promotion in which the station would give away turkeys live on the air. That everything went horribly wrong is why this episode is an all-time classic. (There's even merchandise.)
Despite Mr. Carlson's classic line, turkeys actually CAN fly, but that's never made anyone turn their nose up at this timeless slice of TV history.
Ohio Businesses Will Safely Re-Create the WKRP Episode for Charity
In fact, it's become so ingrained into our Thanksgiving celebrations that a couple of southern Ohio businesses plan to re-create the episode. However, the Causal Pint Hamilton and Municipal Brew Works will be using rubber ducks instead of live turkeys.
That sounds like a blast, and the fact that it's all for charity just makes it even better. But these two businesses aren't the first to re-create the iconic scene.
There's even a LEGO version.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, and make sure you ONLY drop turkey onto your plate this year. Or any year, I guess.
[SOURCE: WCPO-Cincinnati]