By Lee Pfeiffer
MGM's burn-to-order DVD service has released another worthy film, the 1971 comedy Cold Turkey. Written and directed by Norman Lear, the fanciful plot is set in Eagle Rock, Iowa, a struggling small town of 4600 residents in Iowa that has fallen on hard times. The town is on the verge of financial catastrophe with most of the once-thriving businesses having moved away when a local air force base was closed. Potential salvation comes in the form of a contest sponsored by a major tobacco company to award $25 million to any town that can give up smoking for a period of 30 days. In fact, the offer is a mere ploy by a cynical tobacco executive, Merwyn Wren (Bob Newhart), who assures his bosses that the contest will improve the industry's reputation without ever incurring the prospect of having to pay off. That's because every person in the town would have to sign a pledge to not smoke for 30 days. A single offense would result in disqualification for the prize. What Wren doesn't count on is the determination of Eagle Rock minister Clayton Brooks (Dick Van Dyke), a disillusioned and depressed reverend who finds renewed vigor in his determination to see his town win the contest and revitalized itself with the prize money. Brooks goes on a one-man crusade to persuade the town's population to sign the petition- not an easy task because seemingly everyone has turned to smoking in order to cope with the stress of their financial hardships.
The film bares a resemblance to Norman Jewison's The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming! in that it centers on an a diverse number of small town eccentrics, all wonderfully played by a sterling cast of great character actors: Vincent Gardenia, Tom Poston, Jean Stapleton, Graham Jarvis and Judith Lowry among them. (The latter is as hilarious as ever, playing her typical ancient, foul-mouthed great granny character). There are also appearances by Edward Everett Horton as the senile tobacco company owner and the great team of Bob and Ray as thinly-veiled impersonations of legendary network anchors Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley who come to Eagle Rock when the town becomes the center of national news stories. Pippa Scott is very amusing as Van Dyke's long-suffering wife, who barely gets a word in due to the benevolent dictatorship he has established in their marriage. When the Reverend turns to sex as a substitute for smoking, Scott accommodates him with a bored demeanor and a pained look on her face. While most films that depict a rural population tend to go overboard in portraying them as cute and kind, Lear's film takes a more sarcastic tone. Initially, everyone gets along fine, but as pressure builds to meet the challenge, the townspeople turn on each other. The local doctor (Barnard Hughes) is especially targeted for attention due to his weak will and hopeless addiction to smoking. Graham Jarvis delivers a very funny performance as the nerdy local leader of a Tea Party-like political group that typically disdains "big government" until they decide "big government" can be profitable for them. Even the once-modest reverend gets swept up in his new-found fame as Eagle Rock swarms with tourists, many of whom are wearing masks of his likeness. As the town nears the final hours until the deadline, Merwin and the tobacco company brass invoke every dirty trick imaginable to ensure the prize money doesn't have to be paid. The madcap finale finds the town awash with a variety of individuals seeking to capitalize on the town's quest. Even President Nixon gets into the spotlight!
Cold Turkey is a gentle comedy with an occasional sharp edge. It evokes memories of The Andy Griffith Show, but manages to make a statement about human traits that can be found everywhere: greed, deceit and selfishness. Van Dyke is excellent in the lead role and he benefits from a terrific supporting cast and a typically addictive title song by Randy Newman. I found the film itself to be quite addictive.
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