I didn’t dream up the helicopter. My memory is Jerry said a helicopter.

November 21, 2012 5:59 PM

It may be the most notorious Thanksgiving promotion of all time. It is the 40th best television episode of all time. It's available in (semi-)entirety on HULU. And the classic TV blog offers an oral history. Happy thanksgiving, and, as God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.
posted by Bunny Ultramod (100 comments total)

TV guide is responsible for declaring it the 40th best.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 6:00 PM on November 21, 2012

I still crack up at that. Classic TV goodness.
posted by Renoroc at 6:00 PM on November 21, 2012

I've just discovered WKRP and love it. Andy reminds me of Nathan Fillion but in skin tight jeans and shirts. And the turkey episode is hilarious.
posted by HMSSM at 6:06 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Wonderful! Thanks for the heads up! One of my favorite episodes!
posted by HuronBob at 6:08 PM on November 21, 2012

It's a helicopter, and it's coming this way. It's flying something behind it, I can't quite make it out, it's a large banner and it says, uh...Happy...

...Thanks...

...Giving...

...From...

...W...

...K...
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 6:10 PM on November 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

...R...

...P...
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 6:10 PM on November 21, 2012 [5 favorites]

i love this episode. few other shows fucked over by rights management issues make me more upset. it's basically unwatchable in its current form.
posted by nadawi at 6:11 PM on November 21, 2012 [8 favorites]

Interesting to read the behind the scenes of that episode. I loved that show so much.
But yeah, I can't even watch WKRP now because it's edited to pieces and filled with the shittiest, blandest TV stock music instead of the real songs, (which I remember vividly.)
posted by chococat at 6:16 PM on November 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

bags of wet cement
posted by Sticherbeast at 6:24 PM on November 21, 2012 [4 favorites]

Ah, a shining moment of curation! Thanks. I love WKRP. Had the flu last winter and watched the entire series on Hulu. Still good.
posted by Miko at 6:26 PM on November 21, 2012

> Andy reminds me of Nathan Fillion but in skin tight jeans and shirts

I never made that connection, but now that you say it... oh, such a crush I had on Andy.
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:33 PM on November 21, 2012 [6 favorites]

When I think Gordon Jump, I think two things; WKRP (and this episode in particular) and the episode of Different Strokes when he tries to molest Arnold and Dudley.
posted by stifford at 6:34 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Andy reminds me of Nathan Fillion but in skin tight jeans

Captain tight-jeans?
posted by flaterik at 6:35 PM on November 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

Also, my crush on Andy Travis still has not gone away.
posted by Miko at 6:36 PM on November 21, 2012 [4 favorites]

My crush was on Bailey Quarters.
posted by Greg_Ace at 6:41 PM on November 21, 2012 [33 favorites]

I was always a Bailey guy, too.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:41 PM on November 21, 2012

I was a Mrs. Carlson guy.
posted by Bunny Ultramod at 6:43 PM on November 21, 2012 [4 favorites]

But yeah, I can't even watch WKRP now because it's edited to pieces and filled with the shittiest, blandest TV stock music instead of the real songs, (which I remember vividly.)

Yeah, I showed my boyfriend the "Tiny Dancer" episode and he was pretty much all "... er?.." The clincher was that they took out the Elton John tune and replaced it with mush. Such a great show, and it's been completely de-fanged. I wonder if proper originals exist anywhere. It's weird to think that only if you watched the original episodes and their first time through syndication (or whatever, I know I saw them more than once, back in the day) you may not ever have that chance again.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:44 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

This year, I am thankful for WKRP, Astro Zombies, Washington state's relaxed liquor laws, the Reverend Jim Beam, and my true love, Bailey Quarters.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 6:51 PM on November 21, 2012 [7 favorites]

The "Tiny Dancer" episode even has dialogue changed. The would-be defector tries to freak Les out by leaning in close and murmuring, "Hold me closer, tiny dancer." At least he did this in 1979 or so. In repeats now, he mutters, "Hold my order, terrible dresser."

That is comedy gold. Of course, the studio audience still bellows laughter at this marvellous turn!
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:58 PM on November 21, 2012 [7 favorites]

Bailey.
posted by parki at 7:03 PM on November 21, 2012

item, I feel like I should thank you, but I can't possibly imagine for what.
posted by Zonker at 7:05 PM on November 21, 2012 [8 favorites]

The perfect and largely unsung moment in the turkeys episode, in the midst of Les' remote piece just after he has speculated that they are skydivers, is his puzzled, mildly concerned, "No parachutes yet." Richard Sanders is not a titan of the acting world, but he sells that line perfectly.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:11 PM on November 21, 2012 [12 favorites]

And as for you, oneirodynia, well I also don't know anything at all about an uncut version of the episode that features Tiny Dancer.

Woohoo! Thanks, Item! I'm glad you don't know anything.
posted by oneirodynia at 7:11 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

As God is my witness, Mrs. Fnarf pulled up this very episode while I was reading this post.

Oh, and Bailey, Bailey, Bailey [low throaty noise].
posted by Fnarf at 7:17 PM on November 21, 2012

"Hold my order, terrible dresser."

This phrase is going to just sit in my brain, for years - decades, if need be - until I encounter a situation I can reference it in. Nobody will get it but me, and I won't even care as I collapse to the floor in helpless gales of laughter.
posted by Greg_Ace at 7:18 PM on November 21, 2012 [12 favorites]

I'll just be grateful for my memories of the original show, which was genius. Sad that, because music was the central theme of the show, music rights disputes have eviscerated the experience. My dad videotaped a bunch of the original shows, so maybe I can relive some of it that way, along with 1985 H.H. Gregg commercials. I'll be seeing him tomorrow.
posted by JimInLoganSquare at 7:29 PM on November 21, 2012

My crush was on Bailey Quarters

That's how I picked my name- I identified with her somehow, I guess. Much more so than with Jennifer Malone and her humongous apartment and many many gifted appliances.

(Yes, I spent many after school afternoons watching WKRP. The second best episode is the WKRP (W-Karp?) baseball team playing WPIG. The third best episode is when Herb was followed by TV cameras.)
posted by bquarters at 7:35 PM on November 21, 2012 [12 favorites]

I was a Johnny Fever girl.

I'm still kind of a sucker for mirrored aviators, tbh.
posted by catlet at 7:36 PM on November 21, 2012 [4 favorites]

Feeeee-VER!!
posted by SweetTeaAndABiscuit at 7:38 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

If this is the official U.S. Thanksgiving thread I'll just put this right here.
posted by maggieb at 7:40 PM on November 21, 2012 [4 favorites]

There are a couple of WKRP lines burned into my brain: the line about turkeys and The place was crawling with phone cops!
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 7:41 PM on November 21, 2012 [6 favorites]

In the late 1980's I worked in a dinner theatre. We featured a steady stream of 3 act comedies starring actors made popular in television series. I got to meet Gary Sandy and Gordon Jump (as well as members of the casts of M*A*S*H, Three's Company, Gilligan's Island, Family Ties, Taxi and Laverne and Shirley). Gary Sandy (Andy Travis) was a down-to-earth guy who played baseball with the staff and came to our parties. He also found a good agent for one of his co-stars in the production at our theatre; a young actor who had formerly been one of our bus boys. That guy went on to enjoy a reasonable amount of success in television and film himself as a result of Sandy's help. Unfortunately for me, I never did get to meet Howard Hesseman (on whom I had a tremendous crush at one time). Much love for the WKRP.
posted by alltomorrowsparties at 7:43 PM on November 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

Obligatory:
Sorry, currently our video library can only be watched from within the United States

Thanks. Thanks a bunch.

I did have no idea "as God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" was from WKRP, so, that's nice.
posted by Mezentian at 7:44 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

My favorite eps were "Scum of the Earth" and the one with Clean Up Radio Broadcasting.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:44 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Phone cops!

And little old ladies sitting in church basements playing rock records slower...and slower....and slower...
posted by Miko at 7:47 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

If this is the official U.S. Thanksgiving thread I'll just put this right here.

This year, as every year, the Thanksgiving Prayer will be led by Uncle Bill.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:48 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

For those of you who heard "as God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" in some other context, what the heck was the context? I didn't know it had become an idiom.
posted by Miko at 7:49 PM on November 21, 2012

One of my all time favorite shows. From the same episode
posted by evilcolonel at 7:49 PM on November 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

I have seen "as God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly" around forever on the Internet.
Did The Simpsons do it as well (or riff off it?).
posted by Mezentian at 7:51 PM on November 21, 2012

Yeah, I'm just having trouble imagining what it's supposed to mean, divorced from the show context.
posted by Miko at 7:52 PM on November 21, 2012

I have always taken it to mean "I did a thing, it seemed obvious, and it failed, because it came from an honest place, but a place of mis-understanding."
posted by Mezentian at 7:57 PM on November 21, 2012 [3 favorites]

Don't get me started on that Cincinnati thingy now, I cannot coherently describe Herb Tarlek explaining human sexual behavior to Les Nessman.
posted by ovvl at 8:18 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

It is the 40th best television episode of all time.

The 40th best television episode of all time is Twilight Zone - Time Enough to Last
OR
The 40th best televsion episode of all time is The West Wing – Two Cathedrals
OR
The 40th best television episode of all time is ER - Love's Labor Lost
OR
The 40th best television episode of all time is Andy Griffith - Bargain Day
OR...

Lists are fun.
posted by twoleftfeet at 8:19 PM on November 21, 2012

Yeah, I'm just having trouble imagining what it's supposed to mean, divorced from the show context.

I always knew it's from WKRP, but the phrase by itself creates a pretty self-explanatory scenario in your head. You wouldn't know helicopters and radio station promo stunts are involved, but the basic idea is pretty obvious.

"As God is my witness, I thought babies could swim!"
posted by straight at 8:31 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

I don't know what you want, but you should know I've killed a lot of old people in my time, and I'm not above doing it again!
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 8:32 PM on November 21, 2012 [6 favorites]

I was a Mrs. Carlson guy.

Those scenes between Mrs. Carlson and Andy Travis?

Hawt, hawt stuff. Srsly.
posted by Capt. Renault at 8:33 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

I wrote a fan letter and got an autographed picture of the whole cast when I was ten!

Dad and I liked it for the music, but then in '81, my father (who's part Polish) noticed that Howard Hessman traded in Johnny Fever's rock t-shirts for a Solidarnosc shirt in his costume and was quite touched. No one ever called attention to it that I could tell, he just started wearing them.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:43 PM on November 21, 2012 [10 favorites]

I have no idea where I heard the line before — this is definitely the first I'd actually watched this episode.

For a minute I thought it was because Bloom County had dropped a reference to it ages ago, but now I think I'm misremembering a Gone With The Wind spoof ("As God is my witness I'll never go hungry again!").
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:51 PM on November 21, 2012

Sadly, I think a lot of the original music used in WKRP was re-dubbed for syndication. Still, this is one of the better episodes of the series. (I had such a crush on Bailey Quarters...)
posted by Catblack at 8:58 PM on November 21, 2012

The 40th best televsion episode of all time is The West Wing – Two Cathedrals
OR
The 40th best television episode of all time is ER - Love's Labor Lost

...both with Bradley Whitford in a major role. "Love's Labor Lost" is still one of my top 5 ER episodes. I can very clearly picture the ending w/ Mark Greene standing silently starting into the trauma room wondering what went wrong. Awesome TV.
posted by Bluecoat93 at 8:58 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

"As God is my witness, I thought babies could swim!"

They can't? Next you'll be telling me you can't fish for them with money.
posted by Mezentian at 9:00 PM on November 21, 2012

As god is my witness, I thought it was spelled "Tarlick."

Tar-lick. Herb. Tarlick.

Herb Tarlick. Greatest TV name ever.

except maybe "Jim Ignatowski"
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:05 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

"As God is my witness I thought people would want to see a movie based on Battleship without the iconic line 'You Sunk My Battleship', but with ALIENS!".

Spoiler: people did.
posted by Mezentian at 9:09 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

"Herbert Ruggles Tarlek, Jr."

heh.
posted by merelyglib at 9:11 PM on November 21, 2012

Total Johnny Fever gal here. I met him once in a bar and was a complete idiot, but still cherish the memory.
posted by Isadorady at 9:27 PM on November 21, 2012

A man and his two children tried to kill me. After the turkeys hit the pavement, the crowd kind of scattered but, some of them tried to attack me! I had to jam myself into a phone booth!

Then Mr. Carlson had the helicopter land in the middle of the parking lot. I guess he thought he could save the day by turning the rest of the turkeys loose.

It gets pretty strange after that.
posted by mrgrimm at 9:33 PM on November 21, 2012 [12 favorites]

Slarty Bartfast: except maybe "Jim Ignatowski"

Iggy!! (80's TV DERAIL) My favorite bit of dialog from that show was when burnout Ignatowski got a letter from his estranged (well-off) dad:

Louie: Wait a minute - Iggy, you got a father??
Ignatowski (searching whatever brain he's got left for the correct answer): Uhh...yeah, boss.
Louie: There goes my "spore" theory...
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:34 PM on November 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

Mr Carlson: Well, nobody's perfect. You're not perfect, I'm not perfect... Jennifer, maybe.
posted by blue_beetle at 9:42 PM on November 21, 2012

Sooooo, along with all the other porn parodies over the past few years, one was "WKRP in Cincinnati: A XXX Parody." A friend of mine says that it's pitch-perfect, especially Herb. For those of you who feel the need to filth up this perfectly respectable thread with your base human needs Baily forever I would suggest you seek it out.
posted by lekvar at 10:02 PM on November 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

"I almost forgot, fellow babies...booger."
posted by kirkaracha at 10:11 PM on November 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

I liked the one where God wanted Johnny Fever to become a golf pro.
posted by Meatbomb at 10:14 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

"Want to go check out some Carly Simon album covers?"
posted by kirkaracha at 10:15 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

I grew up with an "uncle" who worked for a local radio station, and thanks to him I still have somewhere in my parents attic, a treasured row of Betamax tapes with a few WKRP episodes. In addition I'd like to think that woodgrain Betamax player still works. (It does, we watched the Blue Thunder pilot episode a couple of months ago.(Yeah, those months were in 2006.))

Unfortunately, I'm terrified of letting them get anywhere near the public because I'd always believed I'd get sued into a place where I'd honestly have to put down masking tape to illustrate an office.

Not like it's anything like that now without the awesome soundtrack and the incredibly approachable gorgeous ladies. Having worked in radio, nobody is that hot. Men or women. Especially the men, holy crap there were some ugly as hell dudes in rock and roll in the 1980's. There's a reason "You have a face for radio" is such a staple.

/Bailey, always Bailey.
posted by Sphinx at 10:39 PM on November 21, 2012

kirkaracha: "Want to go check out some Carly Simon album covers?"

Oh no you did NOT leave out this one!
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:45 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

I've never seen Cincinatti WKRP, since it predates me by a fair amount, but I'm watching this episode now.

TVTorrents has VHS rips of the entire show WITH original music that are shockingly decent quality.

I have exactly two invites to TVT. MeMail if you'd like one, first come, first serve, in the spirit of Thanksgiving.
posted by disillusioned at 11:16 PM on November 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

Okay, I'm OUT! That was fast! But not so fast that I was still in the edit window!
posted by disillusioned at 11:23 PM on November 21, 2012

Man, watching this episode minutes after trying on Hulu and reading that there was a discrepancy, it's crazy how much they hacked the show up. There's already been a scene with Pink Floyd that was just butchered and the fill-in "muzak" is just horrible.
posted by disillusioned at 11:28 PM on November 21, 2012

I used to be on the Board of a community radio station in Peterborough Ontario in the 1980s and, as God is my witness, we actually took management tips from WKRP.

And one of the bands we played a lot was The Rheostatics, who did this with Herb Tarlek. Frank Bonner did the cameo in that video.
posted by salishsea at 11:30 PM on November 21, 2012 [6 favorites]

Of course, the flying abilities of turkeys is still a matter of some debate.
posted by ckape at 11:36 PM on November 21, 2012

You can test your Turkey Drop knowledge here. (Oh, the humanity!)
posted by Oriole Adams at 1:06 AM on November 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

a treasured row of Betamax tapes with a few WKRP episodes

I've been hoping forever that the public would be able to scrape up the run of original WKRP episodes and distribute by torrent. I, too, have some strong memories connected to particular moments in the series matched to particular songs. It would be a huge underground hit if it could be done.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 2:42 AM on November 22, 2012

Just the turkey scene for those w/o access to Hulu.

Happy Thanksgiving!
posted by chavenet at 3:16 AM on November 22, 2012 [3 favorites]

That's how I picked my name-

I have two friends named Bailey, both in their 20s, whose parents picked their names the same way.

I wasn't around for WKRP the first time around, but I was a late night TV junkie throughout the 90s and thoroughly enjoyed the (apparently cut to all hell) syndicated reruns. Its reasons like these that despite the illegality, I support things like BitTorrent- WKRP and Daria and the like aren't exactly high culture, but they're worth preserving.
posted by maus at 7:46 AM on November 22, 2012

I am pleased to admit that during the 90s when I was a photo editor at a small newspaper I had, much like Les, taped the floor around my desk where the walls to my office should have been.

What a great show that was.
posted by cccorlew at 7:54 AM on November 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

*thunder rumbles*

Jennifer: Ignore it.

The Christmas episode, where Carlson's door opens and Jennifer is stood in a white dress... I actually gasped.

"Somewhere, a Volkswagon is missing its seat covers"

"... porn parodies over the past few years, one was "WKRP in Cincinnati: A XXX Parody." A friend of mine says that it's pitch-perfect, especially Herb...I would suggest you seek it out.

DO NOT DO THIS. Trust me. 5 minute and it went off. Jeez, it was hideous, garish and bright and terrible.

Interesting that one of the guys in the Scum of the Earth episode is also the interpreter in the "latka's wedding" episode of Taxi. Also, Howard Hesseman is in one of the really early episodes of Taxi, I think he plays a Hollywood producer or something like that.

Also re: solidarity T-Shirt - this is surely one of the most left-leaning and liberal tv shows ever. The things that are on there are amazing, and some episodes are so funny and yet so poignant they bring a tear to my eye. The general seating episode is unbelievably sad, and kudos to the makers for both covering it and handling it so well.

"I've been hoping forever that the public would be able to scrape up the run of original WKRP episodes and distribute by torrent."

They have. It is somewhere in Sweden ;)
posted by marienbad at 8:07 AM on November 22, 2012

I'm wondering how they get around so many episodes that featured specific songs as integral to the story or jokes. The impossible song-montage contest that Johnny/Andy cut together, thinking no one will be able to guess? The Who concert episode? The whole scene with Mr. Carlson asking about the Pink Floyd album that Johnny is playing?
My memories of the show are so wrapped up with the music--Earth, Wind, and Fire playing in Venus' overnight shift; Jennifer strutting around the lobby to Steely Dan's "Peg" during that Real Families* episode ("Herb is a hard worker, loyal husband and all-around fine person.")--that I just can't stomach it all fake and homogenized.

* I think that might be my favourite episode. Perhaps tied with the one where Mrs. Carlson hires a consultant (the guy who's on Mad Men now) to observe the WKRP staff and they all pretend to have completely different personalities: Bailey is a stoner, Les is a competent newsman, Venus is robbing Johnny at knifepoint, etc.
posted by chococat at 8:09 AM on November 22, 2012

"Let's trade hats!"
posted by ob1quixote at 9:16 AM on November 22, 2012

Watch the Palin Turkey Massacre Again, Because ‘Tradition’
posted by homunculus at 12:13 PM on November 22, 2012

Man, I watched this show religiously as a kid. I love the turkey episode, but every time I see it brought up I wish I could get the whole series with the original music, which seems darn near impossible, unless you count downloaded episodes of horrible quality. I also had a thing for Johnny Fever, never Travis.
posted by routergirl at 12:44 PM on November 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

I'm wondering how they get around so many episodes that featured specific songs as integral to the story or jokes.

That's why there haven't been any DVD releases or syndication. The licensing deals they cut were only good for ten years.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:57 PM on November 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

This usually comes up, but I still like the Jan Smithers cover of Newsweek.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:14 PM on November 22, 2012 [1 favorite]

In Which Thanks Are Given
posted by homunculus at 11:35 PM on November 22, 2012

Oh, wow, I just watched the one with the real music. Mr. Carlson is clearly inspired to his crazy scheme, probably unconsciously, by seeing the song name "Pigs on the Wing" when looking at the album cover for Animals. This really underlines how essential the original music was -- at least in certain episodes -- to the show.
posted by dhartung at 11:52 PM on November 22, 2012

Okay, this isn't about the turkey episode but it's been bugging me for nearly 30 years now -

In the episode where there's a bomb threat on the station and they seen Johnny and Venus to broadcast from the transmitter, there's a subplot in which Johnny is trying to get inside a locked toolbox. There's a moment when he is leaning on it as it sits on a table, and he hits it in frustration - and then we go to a commercial break.

However - I swear that when they first broadcast that episode, the bit was a little longer, and involved Johnny hitting it a couple more times, then starting to play it like the bongos while he sang a filk of "The Banana Boat Song," with lyrics that went "Daylight come, and me wanna throw up!"

I swear I remember this, but every time I've seen that episode - even on the first rerun - they cut to commercial after the first whack against the box. Does anyone remember that longer cut?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:19 AM on November 23, 2012

Oh yeah, I absolutely remember it. Does the additional bongo-toolkit and song come after the break, though? That's how I remember it.

The great thing about that 2-parter is the camera closing in on the toolbox at the end of part 1, leaving no question whatsoever about what's inside.

SCUM of the Earth, Venus teaching atomic theory, the break-in, the daydream episode... so many greats.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:27 AM on November 23, 2012

No, wait. I think he drums on the toolbox and sings that ditty with a quick fade to commercial, and he's still playing on it when they return from the break.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 10:07 AM on November 23, 2012

Interview With a Turkey
posted by homunculus at 1:28 PM on November 23, 2012

I've made the comment before, but TPB I'm sure has a torrent of the first five seasons with real music. I won't search it or link it, but it's out there. ...

My favorite ever I think was the two-part episode with the bomb threat ... it's in the remote transmitter!!! ditto (third?) on the PHONE COPS!!!

No, wait. I think he drums on the toolbox and sings that ditty with a quick fade to commercial, and he's still playing on it when they return from the break.

Either you guys are suffering from collective delusion or are cooler than I am. My has the short cut.
posted by mrgrimm at 12:58 PM on November 24, 2012

That "daylight come and me wanna throw up" is burned into memory from who knows how many viewings; I can hear it in my head. Other mental-aural snippets at will: Charles Winchester: "I don't need your 'hep'"; Jim Ignatowski: "What does a yellow light mean?" (SLOW DOWN), etc etc etc.

I probably should have read more.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 2:03 PM on November 24, 2012

No, wait. I think he drums on the toolbox and sings that ditty with a quick fade to commercial, and he's still playing on it when they return from the break.

Yes! I remember it as the last little bit as the credits are rolling, he's singing "day O!" and drumming on the toolbox...TO BE CONTINUED and fade to the MTM logo. And then when it's revealed in the next episode that the bomb was in the toolbox, he freaks out because he'd been beating the shit out of it and drumming on it.
posted by chococat at 2:39 PM on November 24, 2012 [1 favorite]

Oh, you've totally got it, chococat. That's it. Well done.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 2:52 PM on November 24, 2012

Nnnnno, chococat, the "day-o" is earlier. He is drumming on the toolbox before the "to be continued", but it's just a rhythmic and repeated tapping as the camera moves in on a closeup on the box....and then you realize that the tapping sort of sounds like a ticking clock...and then you hear the whole audience gasp when they realize WHOA SHIT IT'S IN THE TOOLBOX! But I swear the "daylight come and me wanna throw up" was earlier.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:54 PM on November 24, 2012

(That's it - I'm watching the whole of episode one over here to confirm this for myself.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:56 PM on November 24, 2012

Uh oh. Did you find it? It kinda looks to me like it's about to happen here (part 2) at 9:26. But then... it fades out. That despite original music.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 6:22 PM on November 24, 2012

He is drumming on the toolbox before the "to be continued", but it's just a rhythmic and repeated tapping as the camera moves in on a closeup on the box....and then you realize that the tapping sort of sounds like a ticking clock
Damn, I think you might be right. I thought the "day o" part came after that tapping shot, though. Like a little end bit tacked on at the very end of the show before the final MTM logo.
Any luck with watching it from that link? I watched the "Real Families" episode from that site the other day and it was all cut to hell. So disappointing.
posted by chococat at 7:29 PM on November 24, 2012

It kinda looks to me like it's about to happen here (part 2) at 9:26. But then... it fades out.

That is precisely where I remember it happening the first time through. And then in the summer when it was in reruns, there was the fadeout.

*pout* I KNOW I saw it! I know I know I KNOW!

Although rewatching did remind me of the throwaway lines here and there, like the joke about the race horse "Terminal Disease".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:52 PM on November 24, 2012

A smattering of just a half dozen or so hits on the web for that exact phrase. If assassins show up at your door, it will confirm the plot to erase this moment in television once and for all.

Next up on Shared Delusions: witch hunts. Did your garden fail this year? I know mine did.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 8:01 PM on November 24, 2012

It's in part 2. Check out 10:09 here.
posted by chococat at 8:22 PM on November 24, 2012 [2 favorites]

CHOCOCAT IS KING OF CINCINNATI

CINCINNATI IS REALLY HARD TO SPELL
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:35 AM on November 25, 2012