TV shows traditionally greet holidays with a hug, but not WKRP which celebrated Thanks Giving in true black comedy style. In “Turkeys Away,” which was based on a true story, station manager Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) announces plans to unveil a secret promotional event, and newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) shows up at the local mall to cover it live.
A helicopter comes into view. Mr. Carlson is aboard. So are 20 live turkeys — which, to Les’s horror, are hurled to their deaths.
“Oh, the humanity,” Les wails, evoking the Hindenberg while fowl balls plummet to the parking lot. Mr. Carlson is shocked. “As God is my witness,” he says, “I thought turkeys could fly.”
“Richard had tapes of the Hindenberg disaster,” says Loni Anderson, who played Mr. Carlson’s secretary, “and practiced his broadcast to sound real. He was a perfectionist.”
Original Airdate: October 30, 1978
