Let's Talk Turkey (1939)

I was expecting a much funnier Pete Smith Specialty short, the kind that usually featured Dave O'Brien and his skillful stunts and comic timing.At least I was intrigued by the demonstration at the start of how to properly slice a Thanksgiving turkey, cutting it at the right angle and removing sections of bone that are in the way, etc. Fine and dandy.Then we view the comic aspects of such an undertaking but with little really laughable results. It's all too obvious, having a sour looking table of relatives watch while a man makes mince meat of a turkey by cutting and struggling with it in as messy a way as possible.The only real chuckles come from watching the expressions on the relative's faces as they accept the plates offered them, especially the bratty looking youngster who gets a piece of turkey skin on his face.But the script needed a real funny man like Dave O'Brien to show us the wrong way to carve a turkey. He'd probably add additional funny stunts to the script. Then at least we'd have some genuine chuckles.Instead, we have one of the weaker entries in the Pete Smith series.

Let's Talk Turkey (1939)** (out of 4) A rather bland Pete Smith short is pretty simple in terms of both execution and story. We have a "turkey carving expert" show us the correct way to carve a turkey so that not as much meat gets thrown away. We then see an average Joe asked by his wife to cut the turkey but of course everything goes wrong as he's nervous, doesn't know what he's doing and of course is given a dull knife. The Pete Smith series from MGM offered countless good films but sadly this here isn't one of them. There's really nothing funny here as the writing is just way too simple and constantly giving us the obvious gags, which the viewer will see coming from a mile away. When you do finally see them, since you expected them, they don't get a single laugh. The sad thing is that a pretty good looking turkey is wasted and not a single laugh comes from it. The first part of the film showing us the proper way to cut a turkey is mildly entertaining but in all my years on Earth I've yet to see anyone else cut a turkey like this.

How incredibly dull can you get when an entire MGM short is about the correct way to carve a turkey?!?! Well, believe it or not, that's pretty much the entire plot of this,..."turkey"! The film starts with the narrator introducing some guy who is an expert turkey carver (wow--imaging putting THAT on your resume!). He quickly dispatches the turkey--not that this is in any way interesting. Then, a boob is asked by his wife to carve the turkey and he completely over-exaggerates how "tough" this is by ripping the turkey to pieces and completely ruining the meal! The narrator makes some supposedly funny comments as this occurs and that's really about it! Even Laurel and Hardy or the Three Stooges weren't this stupid! And talk about beating a bad idea for a plot to death! Don't bother with this insipid film--there are so many better ones out there!

Pete Smith's shorts are usually amusing - occasionally they are really funny (particularly the ones starring Dave O'Brien - best remembered for being turned into a homicidal maniac in REEFER MADNESS). Smith's delivery is a little bit a trial after awhile - he had this nasal voice which made him sound like a wise-guy (a vocal habit that is shared by one newsman in the New York Metropolitan area at least). However, the situations are usually clever and fairly simple. Here it is how to properly cut a turkey at Thanksgiving or any other occasion.First we see an expert who does a lovely job at carving a turkey, turning it on it's side and then carefully, studiously, carving it in a scientific manner (for example, removing bones that are impediments to carving, and also shaving succulent slices off legs and wings). After five minutes of watching this, we watch a newlywed couple cooking and cutting a giant turkey for the wife's brother, sister-in-law, and nephew ("Little Otto" - played by "Butch" from the "Our Gang" comedies). It is obvious that the three in-laws have little use for the newlywed husband ("Mr. Foodlebean"), and are hostile just looking at him. All three watch as he wrecks the turkey, and the stuffing, and knocks bottles over - well you get the picture. He lives down to their expectations. If not as funny as the ones with O'Brien, this one certainly has some nice moments of growing frustrations (and one moment dealing with the stuffing and "Butch's" face that is priceless - for a change his nasty looking expressions are merited!) Certainly an amusing, trifling comedy.