The Golden Turkey Awards
Encyclopedia
The Golden Turkey Awards is a 1980 book by film critic Michael Medved
and his brother Harry Medved.
The book awards the fictional "Golden Turkey Awards" to film
s judged by the authors as poor in quality, and to directors
and actors judged to have created a chronically inept body of work. The book features many low-budget obscurities and exploitation films such as Rat Pfink a Boo Boo
, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
, and the apparently lost Him
. Other categories include expensive, big studio failures like The Swarm and popular films such as Jesus Christ Superstar
.
In the introduction the authors admit that "we know our choices will not please everyone—least of all the actors, producers, writers and directors who are honored in the pages that follow. We further recognize that the number of bad films is so enormous and the competition for the very worst is so intense, that all decisions reached here are subject to considerable second-guessing. Nevertheless, we have researched the subject thoroughly—sitting through more than 2,000 wretched films in the last few years—and we believe that our nominees and award winners can stand the test of time."
The Medveds had previously celebrated bad cinema in The Fifty Worst Films of All Time
, many of which were also featured in the various Golden Turkey Awards categories. Subsequently, they turned their attention to box office bomb
s in The Hollywood Hall of Shame
. They also published a sequel to The Golden Turkey Awards, Son of Golden Turkey Awards, in 1986. They declared that Son of Golden Turkey Awards "is our last word...we hereby solemnly pledge that the years ahead will produce no further Golden Turkey publications by the Medved Brothers...we now pass the torch to whichever brave souls feel ready to take up the challenge." Son of Golden Turkey Awards also listed a "Who's Who in the World of Bad Movies" at the end of its awards presentations.
The Golden Turkey Awards formed the basis of a 1983 television series The Worst of Hollywood
hosted by Michael Medved.
by Edward D. Wood, Jr.
Wood is also awarded the title of Worst Director of All Time, judged by the authors.
Raquel Welch
is judged the Worst Actress of All Time over nominees including Candice Bergen
and Mamie van Doren
.
Richard Burton
is judged as the Worst Actor of All Time over nominees John Agar
, Tony Curtis
and Victor Mature
. While conceding he is sometimes good, the authors claim Burton's "occasional triumphs only serve to highlight the pathetic waste in most of his films; for every Equus
in which he appears there are at least a half-dozen Cleopatra
s or Boom!
s. The authors state that "when he is bad ... well, he's just the pits" and list several "bad" films he has appeared in: The Sandpiper
, Hammersmith Is Out
, The Voyage
, The Medusa Touch
and The Assassination of Trotsky
. Another Burton film, Exorcist II: The Heretic
, is the book's first runner up in the Worst Film of All Time award based on reader response.
No formal clarification of the hoax film was provided by the subsequent release, The Hollywood Hall of Shame. That book again features the same dog pictured with the authors. In reference to the dish barbecued dog in The Hollywood Hall of Shame, the authors explain that it was "a snack which produced a mixed reaction among the representatives of an industry that had given the world Lassie
, Rin Tin Tin
, Benji
, Phyllis Diller
, and Muki the Wonder Hound."
Michael Medved
Michael Medved is an American radio host, author, political commentator and film critic. His Seattle, Washington-based nationally syndicated talk show, The Michael Medved Show, airs throughout the U.S...
and his brother Harry Medved.
The book awards the fictional "Golden Turkey Awards" to film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s judged by the authors as poor in quality, and to directors
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and actors judged to have created a chronically inept body of work. The book features many low-budget obscurities and exploitation films such as Rat Pfink a Boo Boo
Rat Pfink a Boo Boo
Rat Pfink a Boo Boo is a 1966 film directed by Ray Dennis Steckler. Starring Ron Haydock and Carolyn Brandt.Perhaps the most striking feature of the film—beyond the low production values—is a sudden switch in tone and plot that comes roughly forty minutes into the movie...
, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is a 1958 American science fiction feature film produced by Bernard Woolner for Allied Artists Pictures. It was directed by Nathan H. Juran from a screenplay by Mark Hanna, and starred Allison Hayes, William Hudson and Yvette Vickers. The original music score was...
, and the apparently lost Him
Him (film)
Him was a pornographic feature film produced for gay audiences. The film focused on a young gay man who developed an erotic fixation with the life of Jesus Christ...
. Other categories include expensive, big studio failures like The Swarm and popular films such as Jesus Christ Superstar
Jesus Christ Superstar (film)
Jesus Christ Superstar is a 1973 American film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice rock opera of the same name. Directed by Norman Jewison, the film centers on the conflict between Judas and Jesus during the last weeks before the crucifixion of Jesus...
.
In the introduction the authors admit that "we know our choices will not please everyone—least of all the actors, producers, writers and directors who are honored in the pages that follow. We further recognize that the number of bad films is so enormous and the competition for the very worst is so intense, that all decisions reached here are subject to considerable second-guessing. Nevertheless, we have researched the subject thoroughly—sitting through more than 2,000 wretched films in the last few years—and we believe that our nominees and award winners can stand the test of time."
The Medveds had previously celebrated bad cinema in The Fifty Worst Films of All Time
The Fifty Worst Films of All Time
The Fifty Worst Films of All Time is a 1978 book by Harry Medved, with Randy Dreyfuss and Michael Medved. This book represents choices for the 50 worst sound films ever made, in alphabetical order...
, many of which were also featured in the various Golden Turkey Awards categories. Subsequently, they turned their attention to box office bomb
Box office bomb
The phrase box office bomb refers to a film for which the production and marketing costs greatly exceeded the revenue regained by the movie studio. This should not be confused with Hollywood accounting when official figures show large losses, yet the movie is a financial success.A film's financial...
s in The Hollywood Hall of Shame
The Hollywood Hall of Shame
The Hollywood Hall of Shame is a 1984 book by brothers Harry Medved and Michael Medved. The authors had previously written or been involved in the creation of similar books exploring "bad movies" or "cinematic mistakes": The Fifty Worst Films of All Time, and The Golden Turkey Awards.While those...
. They also published a sequel to The Golden Turkey Awards, Son of Golden Turkey Awards, in 1986. They declared that Son of Golden Turkey Awards "is our last word...we hereby solemnly pledge that the years ahead will produce no further Golden Turkey publications by the Medved Brothers...we now pass the torch to whichever brave souls feel ready to take up the challenge." Son of Golden Turkey Awards also listed a "Who's Who in the World of Bad Movies" at the end of its awards presentations.
The Golden Turkey Awards formed the basis of a 1983 television series The Worst of Hollywood
The Worst of Hollywood
The Worst of Hollywood was a 1983 television series presented by Michael Medved and screened on Channel 4.-Overview:Following the success of his Golden Turkey Awards books Medved had become a popular guest on British TV chat shows. The series screened late on a Friday night in what became...
hosted by Michael Medved.
Awards given
In the book The Fifty Worst Films of All Time the authors invited readers to write in nominating their favorite "worst films". More than 3,000 ballots were received. Based on these votes, the Worst Film of All Time award was given to Plan 9 from Outer SpacePlan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
by Edward D. Wood, Jr.
Wood is also awarded the title of Worst Director of All Time, judged by the authors.
Raquel Welch
Raquel Welch
Jo Raquel Tejada , better known as Raquel Welch, is an American actress, author and sex symbol. Welch came to attention as a "new-star" on the 20th Century-Fox lot in the mid-1960s. She posed iconically in a animal skin bikini for the British-release One Million Years B.C. , for which she may be...
is judged the Worst Actress of All Time over nominees including Candice Bergen
Candice Bergen
Candice Patricia Bergen is an American actress and former fashion model.She is known for starring in two TV series, as the title character on the situation comedy Murphy Brown , for which she won five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards; and as Shirley Schmidt on the comedy-drama Boston Legal...
and Mamie van Doren
Mamie Van Doren
Mamie Van Doren is an American actress and singer; who rose to popularity as Universal Pictures's version of 20th Century Fox's Marilyn Monroe....
.
Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
is judged as the Worst Actor of All Time over nominees John Agar
John Agar
John George Agar was an American actor. He starred alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but was later relegated to B movies, such as Tarantula, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Flesh and the Spur, and Hand of Death...
, Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis was an American film actor whose career spanned six decades, but had his greatest popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. He acted in over 100 films in roles covering a wide range of genres, from light comedy to serious drama...
and Victor Mature
Victor Mature
Victor John Mature was an American stage, film and television actor.-Early life:Mature was born in Louisville, Kentucky to an Italian-speaking father from the town Pinzolo, in the Italian part of the former County of Tyrol , Marcello Gelindo Maturi, later Marcellus George Mature, a cutler,...
. While conceding he is sometimes good, the authors claim Burton's "occasional triumphs only serve to highlight the pathetic waste in most of his films; for every Equus
Equus (film)
Equus is a 1977 British-American drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Richard Burton. Peter Shaffer wrote the screenplay based on his play Equus...
in which he appears there are at least a half-dozen Cleopatra
Cleopatra (1963 film)
Cleopatra is a 1963 British-American-Swiss epic drama film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. The screenplay was adapted by Sidney Buchman, Ben Hecht, Ranald MacDougall, and Mankiewicz from a book by Carlo Maria Franzero. The film starred Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy...
s or Boom!
Boom! (1968 film)
Boom! is a 1968 British drama film starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Noël Coward. It was directed by Joseph Losey and adapted from Tennessee Williams' play The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore.-Plot:...
s. The authors state that "when he is bad ... well, he's just the pits" and list several "bad" films he has appeared in: The Sandpiper
The Sandpiper
The Sandpiper is a 1965 film starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, directed by Vincente Minnelli.-Plot:Laura Reynolds is a free-spirited, unwed single mother living with her young son Danny in an isolated California beach house...
, Hammersmith Is Out
Hammersmith Is Out
Hammersmith Is Out is a 1972 comedy film based on the legend of Faust. It is directed by Peter Ustinov, who starred in the film alongside Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Beau Bridges, Leon Ames, and George Raft.-Plot:...
, The Voyage
The Voyage
The Voyage is an opera in three acts by the American composer Philip Glass . The libretto was written by David Henry Hwang....
, The Medusa Touch
The Medusa Touch
The Medusa Touch is a 1973 novel by Peter Van Greenaway, which was adapted fairly faithfully into a feature film in 1978.The novel tells the story of a radically disenchanted novelist with highly destructive telekinetic powers. Its dialogue was described in Kim Newman's book Nightmare Movies as...
and The Assassination of Trotsky
The Assassination of Trotsky
The Assassination of Trotsky is a 1972 British film directed by Joseph Losey with a screenplay by Nicholas Mosley. It starred Richard Burton as Leon Trotsky, as well as Romy Schneider and Alain Delon.-Plot:...
. Another Burton film, Exorcist II: The Heretic
Exorcist II: The Heretic
Exorcist II: The Heretic is a 1977 American horror film and the sequel to The Exorcist , directed by John Boorman from a screenplay by William Goodhart and starring Linda Blair, Richard Burton, Louise Fletcher, Max von Sydow, James Earl Jones, Ned Beatty and Kitty Winn...
, is the book's first runner up in the Worst Film of All Time award based on reader response.
Hoax film
One of the films nominated in the book was in fact an invention of the authors, and readers were challenged to figure out which film was actually fake. The fake film was Dog of Norway featuring "Muki the Wonder Hound". This film was illustrated using a photo of a co-author's dog. The giveaway was that the same dog was in the photo of the authors at the front of the book.No formal clarification of the hoax film was provided by the subsequent release, The Hollywood Hall of Shame. That book again features the same dog pictured with the authors. In reference to the dish barbecued dog in The Hollywood Hall of Shame, the authors explain that it was "a snack which produced a mixed reaction among the representatives of an industry that had given the world Lassie
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home. Published in 1940, the novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six...
, Rin Tin Tin
Rin Tin Tin
Rin Tin Tin was the name given to a dog adopted from a WWI battlefield that went on to star in twenty-three Hollywood films. The name was subsequently given to several related German Shepherd dogs featured in fictional stories on film, radio and television.-Origins:The first of the line Rin Tin...
, Benji
Benji
Benji is the name of a fictional dog who has been the focus of several movies from 1974 through the 2000s. It is also the title of the first film in the Benji series....
, Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller
Phyllis Diller is an American actress and comedian. She created a stage persona of a wild-haired, eccentrically dressed housewife who makes jokes about a husband named "Fang" while pretending to smoke from a long cigarette holder...
, and Muki the Wonder Hound."