Promises, Promises, “Turkey Lurkey Time”

The Broadway smash song "Turkey Lurkey Time" is one of the stupidest songs ever recorded, and it serves just as an excuse for a production piece set at an office Christmas party. What a number, though! The song, which features three office workers wishing their coworkers "a snowy, blowy Christmas/A mistletoe-y Christmas," is so unimportant that it allows choreographer Michael Bennett to focus solely on the theme of escalating enthusiasm in his dance.

One of the greatest show dancers of all time and Bennett's lifelong muse, Donna McKechnie, is in the heart of the celebration wearing a bright red dress while making head movements that redefine the word "rubbernecking." It's difficult to look away from her, but it's worth it to see how Bennett incorporates the rest of the chorus and builds the song to a magnificently frantic conclusion to match the pounding brass and drums of Burt Bacharach's music (at least on a second or third viewing).

Year: 1969