Cold Turkey (1971): Cast & Plot
Cold Turkey is a 1971 comedy starring Dick Van Dyke as Rev. Clayton Brooks, Bob Newhart and Woodrow Parfrey. It runs 1 hour 39 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 39m (99 min)
- Genre
- Comedy
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- TANDEM Productions
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Cold Turkey About?
The premise of Cold Turkey without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Reverend Brooks rallies his tiny Iowa community to quit smoking for a full month, entering a national “Cold Turkey” contest. As they struggle, scheming tobacco executives deploy every trick to tempt them back into nicotine. The townsfolk must resist cravings and keep their tempers in check to claim the sizable prize.
Cold Turkey Themes & Keywords
· 44 tags- satire comedy
- dark comedy
- minister
- running gag
- middle america
- religion
- television production as subject
- reverend
- coercion
- iowa
- contest
- publicity
+32 more Show fewer
- breaking the fourth wall
- slapstick comedy
- insanity
- madcap comedy
- talking to the camera
- urination
- stray dog
- no cast of characters credits
- coughing
- animal abuse
- heartland
- media circus
- greed
- surgery
- surgeon
- quitting smoking
- tourist attraction
- preacher
- smokestack
- anti communist
- helicopter
- massage parlor
- small town
- crabbiness
- gun shaped lighter
- cold turkey
- cigarette smoking
- military
- church
- air base
- gunshot wound
- based on novel
Cold Turkey Cast & Characters
Dick Van Dyke leads the cast as Rev. Clayton Brooks, with Bob Newhart as Merwin Wren and Woodrow Parfrey as Tobacco Executive.
-
Dick Van Dyke as Rev. Clayton Brooks -
Bob Newhart as Merwin Wren -
Woodrow Parfrey as Tobacco Executive - Pippa Scott as Natalie Brooks
Also Starring in Cold Turkey
· 43 more- Barnard Hughes Dr. Proctor
- Peggy Rea Mrs. Proctor
- Judith Lowry Odie Turman
- Ronald Reagan Themselves
- M. Emmet Walsh Art
- Richard Nixon Themselves
- Edward Everett Horton Hiram C. Grayson
- Vincent Gardenia Mayor Wappler
- Walter Sande Tobacco Executive
- Graham Jarvis Amos Bush
- Maureen McCormick Talking Doll (voice) (uncredited)
- Simon Scott Mr. Kandiss
- Norman Lear Crying Man (uncredited)
- Louis Zorich Douglas Truesdale (uncredited)
- Jean Stapleton Mrs. Wappler
- Paul Benedict Zen Buddhist
Show all 47 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Harvey Jason Hypnotist
- Ted Knight Mr. Slick (uncredited)
- Sudie Bond Cissy
- Tom Poston Mr. Stopworth
- Robert Christopher Television Director (uncredited)
- Gloria LeRoy The Hooker
- Charles White Senator Sildge (uncredited)
- Bob Elliott Hugh Upson / David Chetley / Sandy Van Andy
- Eric Boles Dennis
- Pat Nixon Themselves
- George Mann Bishop Manley
- Helen Page Camp Mrs. Watson
- Hubert H. Humphrey Themselves
- Michael Cornelison Protester (uncredited)
- Stan Gottlieb Man on Operating Table (uncredited)
- Ray Goulding Walter Chronic / Paul Hardly / Arthur Lordly (uncredited)
- Barbara Cason Letitia Hornsby
- Spiro Agnew Themselves
- Jack Grimes TV Stage Manager
- Charles Pinney Col. Galloway
- Raymond Kark Homer Watson
- Glenn Yarbrough Working Stiff (uncredited)
- Jerry Whittington Wilber Scott (uncredited)
- Murray Cline Milkman (uncredited)
- Lynn Guthrie Townsman (uncredited)
- Burt Prelutsky Tourist Asking for Directions (uncredited)
- Mrs. Burt Prelutsky Tourist's Wife (uncredited)
Cold Turkey Plot Summary
What happens in Cold Turkey from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In this sharp, tongue-in-cheek drama about public image and moral high ground, a suave advertising executive sets a flamboyant game plan that could redefine corporate philanthropy and public health. Merwin Wren, Bob Newhart, pitches a bold wager for Valiant Tobacco: offer a tax-free check for $25,000,000 (about $214.4 million today) to any American town that can quit smoking for thirty days. The catch is simple and daunting—the town must demonstrate a complete, cold-turkey commitment to staying smoke-free, turning a private vice into a nationwide spectacle. The stunt is framed as a humanitarian gesture, a dramatic contrast to the grim realities of Big Tobacco, but the clock starts ticking with the world watching.
Full summary
The whole story of Cold Turkey, scene by scene
Cold Turkey Trailers & Videos
The trailer of Cold Turkey.
How Well Do You Know Cold Turkey?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Which actor portrays the advertising executive Merwin Wren?
Cars in Cold Turkey
51 cars on screen, including the 1969 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 and the 1969 Dodge Coronet.
-
1969 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Important role -
1969 Dodge Coronet Important role -
1969 Imperial LeBaron Important role -
1964 Buick Electra 225 Minor role
Cold Turkey Also Known As
9 alternative titles, including “Un mes de abstinencia” and “Uma Cidade Contra o Vício”.
- Also known as
-
- Un mes de abstinencia
- Uma Cidade Contra o Vício
- 이글록의 30일
- 戒烟奇谈
- Ломка
- Elvonási tünetek
- Der 25 Millionen Dollar Preis
- Un mes d’abstinència
- 戒煙奇談
Seen Cold Turkey?
Movies Like Cold Turkey
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Cold Turkey, Cold Turkey and Jerky Turkey.
Cold Turkey FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, cast and post-credit scenes of Cold Turkey, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Cold Turkey?
Cold Turkey runs 1 hour 39 minutes (99 minutes).
When was Cold Turkey released?
Cold Turkey was released on February 19, 1971.
Who is in the cast of Cold Turkey?
Cold Turkey stars Dick Van Dyke as Rev. Clayton Brooks, Bob Newhart as Merwin Wren and Woodrow Parfrey as Tobacco Executive, among 47 credited actors.
Does Cold Turkey have a post-credit scene?
No. Cold Turkey has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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