Some bad movies just die peacefully, but others, like Hudson Hawk, lay an egg that hatches a full-fledged gobbler. Here, a brief evolutionary history of Hollywood turkeys through the years.
1934
When A Turkey Was Just A Turkey
Nana
Though the movie flopped, Anna Sten, Samuel Goldwyn's Russian
import, was the real bomb. His hoped-for next Garbo was soon dubbed
Anna Stench and has gone down in film history as Goldwyn's Edsel.
1945
Turkey Famous Because It's A Turkey
The Horn Blows At Midnight
The movie, in which Jack Benny plays an angel sent to trumpet in
Judgment Day, was more dog than turkey. But it sank to the level of
famous fowl as the butt of Benny's jokes for the rest of his career.
1956
Box Office Turkey As Cultural Icon
The Wizard of Oz
In 1939, it failed to break even. But since it first aired on TV
in 1956, it has become beloved and profitable, to the tune of
''Somewhere Over 35 Million Dollars.''
1984
Born-Again Turkey
Eddie and the Cruisers
By the early '80s, cable TV and VCRs were giving films that died
in theaters a second life. Eddie's unexpectedly strong debut on HBO
in 1984 led to many repeated airings and made the soundtrack a hit.
1986
Overstuffed Turkeys
Howard the Duck
Since Howard's megafailure, we've come to expect a big-name,
big-budget, hype-heavy flop just about every year. Ten years ago, a
Heaven's Gate was a rarity, but Howard ushered in such superturkeys
as Ishtar (1987), The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990), and Hudson
Hawk.
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