Dialogue & Drumsticks: Movie Quotes About Thanksgiving

 by Michael Lyons

Placed next to the number of movies that are about or take place at Christmas, the number of movies about Thanksgiving is so small they wouldn't even serve as a side dish for dinner.

But there are a number of them out there, and as we head into Thanksgiving week, grateful for all we have and ready to bust our belts from the turkey to the pumpkin pie, here are just some quotes from movies about or taking place at Thanksgiving.

 

"What he wanted was to spend Thanksgiving with his family. What he got was three days with the turkey." - movie poster tag line for Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987).

"Eat us! Hey, its Thanksgiving Day! Eat us, we make a nice buffet! We lost the race with Farmer Ed, eat us 'cause we're good and dead. White man or red man from east, north or south, chop off our legs, and put 'em in your mouth!

Eat me!

Sautéed or barbecued!

Eat me!

We once were pets but now we're food! We won't stay fresh for very long! So eat us before we finish this song! Eat us before we finish this song!" - Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) and the camp kids singing in Addams Family Values (1993)

“It's not yet Thanksgiving and we're enjoying our lovely fall weather.” - the meteorologist reporting on a snow storm in Grumpy Old Men (1993).

"Every weapon he's using is straight off a Thanksgiving table." - Deputy Labelle (Jeff Teravainen) in the horror movie, Thanksgiving (2023).

"We go on Snoopy." - Josh (Ben Stiller), let his team know which Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will serve as their signal in Tower Heist (2011).

"You cut the turkey without me?!?" - Gabriel (Lou Jacobi), Avalon (1990)

"I'm giving thanks that we don't have to go through this for another year." - Adelle (Anne Bancroft), Home for the Holidays (1995).

"Black Friday's coming, so my dance card's gonna be pretty full." - Paul Bart (Kevin James), Paul Bart: Mall Cop (2009).

"You're going to be in Chicago in less than three hours, around there, if we don't hit traffic, and I don't think we should...it's Thanksgiving." - Del Griffith (John Candy), Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987).

There they are - most may not make for an inspirational quote as your family says grace before dinner, but all these movies would be a perfectly balanced diet of binge-watching for a Happy Thanksgiving!

For more of my articles, blog and for more on my books - head over to Words From Lyons !

And, there is a Black Friday sale on both of my books, from Wednesday, November 27 through Tuesday, December 3, use promo code MAGIC20 to receive 20% off.

Would You Like Some Fievel with Your Fries?: Family Films & Holiday Fast Food Promotions of the 80s and 90s

 by Michael Lyons

November. The month that brings us the kick-off to the Holiday Season, or for the many who have already put up and decorated their Christmas tree, it is the Holiday Season.

A Hollywood tradition that began forty or so years ago, was the release of a big studio family film, usually animated, just before Thanksgiving weekend. In the 80s and 90s, these films came with a tremendous amount of marketing behind them so that no one (especially kids) would forget that they were "coming soon to a theater near you!"

A big part of this hype machine was a partnership with some of the biggest names in the fast food industry.

These once publicity props that were a "bonus" to a meal are now so fondly remembered by generations who search for these once discarded pieces of their childhood on e-Bay, garage sales, and collector shows to rekindle the flame of warm nostalgia. 

Here are just a few of these fast-food memories:

Many of these family films coinciding with the Christmas season allowed for some appropriately themed holiday offerings-

In 1985, McDonald's helped promote the super-hero-like origin story, Santa Claus: The Movie with Happy Meals that offered storybooks and reindeer ornaments that were free with the purchase of McDonald's gift certificates. The film itself also included an extended sequence that took place in a McDonald's during a not-so-subtle moment of product placement. 

One year later, Steven Spielberg and Don Bluth's hit animated film An American Tail also partnered with McDonald's for stocking featuring the film's main character, Fievel, the mouse, as a giveaway with the purchase of McDonald's gift certificates.

McDonald's gift certificates continued from 1987 through 1990, with a partnership with Disney that saw ornaments as a gift with the purchase of the certificates.  There was...

...Jaq and Gus, when Cinderella was re-issued in 1987...

...Oliver and Dodger from 1988's Oliver & Company...

...Flounder and Sebastian from 1989's The Little Mermaid...

...and Bernard and Bianca from 1990's The Rescuers Down Under.

The timing was perfect for the now holiday classic The Nightmare Before Christmas, from Disney and Tim Burton, and these watches which were offered at Burger King in 1993. 

There were also plenty of others not connected with the holiday seasons, providing creative promotions unlike any others

In 1992, Burger King offered Aladdin cups that would change the image when a cold beverage was poured into them.

Back at McDonald's in 1996, Disney offered no less than 101 Happy Meal toys to promote the live-action re-make of 101 Dalmatians...

...and "connectible" Space Jam toys in '96, as well!

There were also plenty of creative toys with meals during the 90s, thanks to Disney, such as these Burger King Beauty and the Beast Kids Meal toys from 1991.

Disney's fast-food promotional model was also followed by a number of other studios who released animated films to compete during the renaissance of the 1990's, such as...

All Dogs Go to Heaven toys at Wendy's in 1989...

...The Pagemaster at Pizza Hut in 1994...

...also in 1994, The Swan Princess at Sizzler...

...and Balto, at Hardee's in 1995 (yes, that image of the Hardee's sign like the Northern Lights on the Horizon is from the TV commercial).

And so, there is a quick "drive-thru" down fast food holiday promotion memory lane. All from a time when movies, and eating habits, were much different, but there are no calories in memories...so enjoy!

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