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WKRP in Cincinnati Turkey Drop - Video, Audio, and the Real Event it's Based On

Highlights from a Classic WKRP in Cincinnati Television Episode

By , About.com Guide

WKRP in Cincinnati Cast Photo

WKRP in Cincinnati Cast Photo

WKRP in Cincinnati Cast Photo
A 1978 episode of sitcom, WKRP in Cincinnati, became an instant classic when the fictional radio station decided to drum up some publicity by dropping live turkeys from a helicopter.

Too bad nobody told them turkeys can't fly! See the video, or listen to the audio.

SEE IT: You can view this classic WKRP episode HERE.

HEAR IT: To hear the Turkey Drop Audio (in RealAudio), Click HERE.

Based on Reality

Oddly enough, this famous WKRP episode was loosely based on a real event! Back in 1946 (some sources say 1945), Yellville, Arkansas inaugurated the "Turkey Trot Festival" which included a wild turkey calling contest, a turkey target shoot, a Miss Drumsticks Pageant and oh yeah: a live turkey release from the roof of the courthouse.

After a few years, someone thought it might be fun to actually toss the poor gobblers out of a low-flying airplane for the event. This repeated for a number of years until 1989 when a national animal-rights protest cast the event in a bad light and the "National Enquirer" splashed a photo of the event across the nation forcing promoters to abandon the turkey drop.

Sometimes, real life is funnier - or plain stranger - than anything you can make up.

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