Archive Watch

Let's Talk Turkey (1951)

1951 · Ephemeral film · 21 min

Synopsis

Tells of the 'JUNIOR' turkey which can be used yearround by the small and average-size family. Shows the Marie Gifford Kitchens where turkey dishes, such as roast turkey, casseroles and pinwheels are prepared.

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time
21 minutes
Collection
Prelinger Archives

Reviews on the Internet Archive

★★★★★ · Outstanding · Mark January · 2010-02-20

Well, this was really exceptional. Great to see a whole film on turkeys from back when buying a frozen breast for dinner was a novel concept. Other reviewers are correct about the recipes being dated. Still, that's something that I like about them. I especially liked the idea of slathering your bird in melted fat before roasting. If the results are anything like what this film depicts, it would seem to produce a very nice deep brown colour. With that said, the thawing times are much too short. Maybe turkeys weren't as deeply frozen back then? Roasting times and temperatures are fine, but…

★★★★ · Okay.. Gobble gobble · Spuzz · 2003-11-16

This interesting film, made when turkeys were starting to be sold at the store, and you didn't have to buy the bird at a butcher (and chop off the head and feet yourself (which was sort of gross!)), Let's Talk Turkey of course implies that you can buy turkey now 365 days per year. Yay! This film tells you how to properly dress a bird, including how to make giblet stuffing. It also tells us how to make salads, casseroles, and other oddball uses for one big bird. It even implies that it's a great summertime patio treat to share with your friends. Yeah right. Reccomended!

★★★★ · Hen or Tom? · JayKay49 · 2012-01-10

Back in the day people were adamant about which was better....a hen or a tom. I know we always got a tom. Today I dont recall seeing any such designation on the frozen grocery turkeys. I know I dont pay any attention to it and neither does anybody I know. The Marie Gifford kitchen stove has both gas burners and electric elements. Wow! Dual fuel. How could such a long film with so many turkey leftover recipes not even mention turkey pot pie? That's what we do with ours. Classic camp movie from mid century.

★★★ · What Happened to Those 6 - 10 Pounders? · JSBejma · 2012-03-25

These days try to find a small turkey as discussed in this film. Certainly not stocked in November at 60 some cents a pound. I guess somewhere along the line they figured there wasn't enough profit in those small birds. And, for that matter, today, there's apparently not enough profit in anything that isn't a supersized "lifetime supply" of something. And profits aside, hormones have rendered those small birds extinct.

★★ · Easier Ways Now · ERD · 2005-12-23

Let's Talk Turkey shows a style of cooking that is not as healthy as today's methods. Certainly the film is dated in many concepts. There are faster and more convenient ways to prepare and roast a turkey and accessories. However as an historical film, it may be is curious for some. I found it rather dull and long.