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(This page is a continuation
of
TURKS IN THE GENERAL AMERICAN MEDIA)
Turkey and the Turks are fairly invisible from the American small screen,
unless in the form of anti-Turkish feature film presentations (see link at
bottom) or documentaries where Turks almost always come across as history’s
villains… notably from America’s Public Broadcasting network, PBS (The
only “Pro-Turk” program which I have ever seen was ISLAM: EMPIRE OF FAITH,
where the accent was not directly on Turkey. However, it was an excellent,
rare, open-minded show, and PBS is to be commended for not being its typically
prejudiced, anti-Turkish self) … in such vehicles as THE GREAT WAR, ARMENIA: SURVIVAL OF A NATION,
THE FORGOTTEN GENOCIDE and AN ARMENIAN’S JOURNEY.
PBS is far from the “non-fiction”
interloper… programs such as CBS’s 60 MINUTES has been known to set its
sights on the favorite whipping boy nation covering topics from Kurds to Human
Rights… and NBC-TV has engaged in what appears to be a systematic campaign
over the years to make Turkey look as bad as possible… all the way down to
blatantly and deliberately hiding Turkish athletes during certain years of the
network’s Olympic coverage.
However, the idea of this page
is to show examples of fictional depictions of Turks on American television. I
will provide three examples; one from years back, one from relatively current
times, and lastly…
THE ONLY TRULY “FAIR” AND
NON-HOSTILE “FICTIONAL” DEPICTION OF TURKS EVER, IN (PROBABLY) THE HISTORY
OF AMERICAN TELEVISION
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| “A BERSERK TURK” |
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The
now-classic television series
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The 1970s television series MASH is deservedly recognized
as one of the finest examples of quality offerings ever to grace the screen of the
American boob tube. MASH is one of the only examples of a TV series perhaps going on to
outdo the original film the series was based upon (1970’s M*A*S*H, directed by Robert
Altman). The reason why the series excelled was not only for its great cerebral wit, but
because the show (co-produced and often written by comic “genius” Larry Gelbart) was
headed by a team of crack writers who succeeded in touching the nerve center of humanity
and compassion, underneath the yuk-yuks. (Along with Gelbart, the writers for the third
season of the show included Laurence Marks, Jim Fritzell, Everett Greenbaum, Sid Dorfman
and Simon Muntner.)
Which is why it is so heartbreaking that a program noted for its great intelligence and
sensitivity still succumbed to the anti-Turkish stereotype… in ways not only huge, but
ironic as well.
I remember as a kid noticing the television magazine (TV Guide) blurb for the episode
aired on December 3, 1974, entitled “A Full Rich Day”… three hectic happenings were
described for this full rich day, headed by… “A BERSERK TURK.”
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What
would a Turk be without a knife?
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On this episode …which is the one where we learned how
“Hawkeye” Pierce (Alan Alda) got his nickname (from "The Last Of The Mohicans",
the only book his father ever read), Hawkeye dictates a letter to his dad, describing the
events that took place yesterday. A heavily sedated Turkish soldier (Sirri Murad) arrives
at the medical compound, but is still awake… in that “Frankenstein”-like inhuman
tough way Turks are known for… and even Klinger thinks the Turk is demented.
("Turkish soldier, sir; I'm pretty nuts, but this guy could open a crazy
school.") The Turk slashes his way through the stretcher lying on top of him, and the
MASH unit gets another arrival, a wounded man in the back of the jeep whose friend (Lt.
Smith) orders Frank to take care of, at gunpoint.
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It's
alive... ALIVE!!
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Hawkeye tries to explain to Smith that one man isn't as
much as a priority as is a man who is more severely wounded (which I guess would be the
Turk, so we learn Hawkeye regards the Turk as a human being, much to Hawkeye’s credit;
on the other hand, he could have been talking about another soldier, since the Turk didn’t
appear that badly wounded…so scratch that credit). Smith says he understands but then
orders Hawkeye inside, or else.
Meanwhile the Turkish soldier, who was getting restrained, refuses to go under, and Col.
Blake mistakenly gets injected by the needle instead, twirling as he falls to the ground.
The Turkish soldier escapes (the “Frankenstein” parallel, again) and the camp gets
searched.
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Henry
Blake confronts the mad Turk
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Radar finds the Turkish soldier held up in the kitchen, but
we all know Radar would not be able to handle the tough loon, and so he summons Hawkeye
… who tries to reason with the Turk in English, as all Americans do with people who don’t
speak English. The Berserk Turk swings his menacing butcher knife around, yelling in
Turkish.
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The
ideal "Turk" depiction, in the West
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Radar shows how much smarter he is than Hawkeye (maybe the
little guy didn’t need to fetch Hawkeye in the first place, for all the good Hawkeye was
able to do, so far) by looking up what the Turk is saying in a Turkish-English dictionary
that must have been standard issue in all MASH compounds. The Turk has been saying, “Chinese,”
which really makes Radar out to be a Mensa member, as how he knew to spell the Turkish
word for “Chinese” (which begins with the weird “Ç” symbol) isn’t elaborated
on.
Hawkeye figures it out… the Turkish soldier doesn’t care about whatever wounds he has
that got him brought into the hospital to be tended to… ALL HE WANTS IS TO GO BACK OUT
INTO THE FRONT TO KILL MORE CHINESE! It… it’s just like Henry “Holier-than-Thou”
Morgenthau has been telling us; Turks ARE bloodthirsty savages!
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Hawkeye
proves just what a cut-up he can be
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Hawkeye puts his agile mind to good use at this point (the
kind that allows him to effortlessly banter with Trapper John; example from this episode:
a Luxembourg soldier thought to be dead gets a memorial service, but he joins the mourners
by saluting his own dead self. Hawkeye says to Trapper, "I thought you said he was
dead?" to which Trapper replies, "He got better"; the Luxembourg soldiers,
by the way, are depicted with the utmost dignity), and decides on speaking to the beast in
his own primitive language. He does this by GRABBING ANOTHER KNIFE and SWINGING IT AROUND,
acting JUST AS MURDEROUSLY. The Turk recognizes a fellow savage when he sees one, and this
soothes his wild nature momentarily… he puts his own knife down and calls Hawkeye
"A damn good Joe." (Click HERE to listen
to the dialogue.)
As a MASH fan site describes it, “Hawkeye makes Radar get out of his uniform so the Turk
can have it and go back to the front. In celebration, the three have a drink, and has
Radar put something in the Turk’s drink that will make him fall asleep. Radar and the
Turk get in a jeep and drive off, and Hawkeye tells Radar to turn around when the Turk
falls asleep.”
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Hawkeye
tries to talk turkey
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Alas, Hawkeye notices soon the plan went awry when the Turk
drives Radar back, as it is Radar who has fallen asleep. (Mighty nice of the savage to
have taken the trouble to drive Radar back.) When Hawkeye tries to get the Turk out of the
jeep, the Turk puts his palm upon Hawkeye’s head, and pushes the man twice his size
(down to the ground… which might give evidence that Alan Alda truly was the feminized,
“weak” man that was his image during these years of the raging Feminist Movement),
calling Hawkeye a “damn good Joe”
again… before driving off.
This script, written by John D. Hess, perpetuated the brutality of the Turk… even
though, once again, MASH was the product of the most humane, understanding, compassionate,
sensitive writers Hollywood had to offer.
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The
MASH unit was at one with adorable Greeks
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To top it off, one episode later, entitled “Private
Charles Lamb” and aired on December 31, 1974, the story concerned Greek soldiers who
came across as true, noble good guys, when Radar stole the lamb they were preparing for a
feast, unable to bear the animal’s destruction (“Thus, Hawkeye and Trapper invent the
famed Spam Lamb!”). The message once again: Greek=good, Turk=bad.
What if it were a Greek swinging that knife acting like an out-of-control madman, and it
was the Turks preparing the lamb feast? Are you kidding? Even the possibility of such a
role reversal would have been inconceivable.
The irony is, this was no typical example of Turk-bashing. Regarding the Korean War: not
that other allied nations did not contribute to the war effort, but none of them saved a
U.S. division from total destruction; no other nation's soldiers suffered higher
casualties, none gave hope to a "demoralized American nation," and I doubt any
of these other nations received obvious heartfelt praise by American major players (such
as President Dwight Eisenhower and General Douglas MacArthur) words to the effect of the
Turks being the “Bravest of the Brave” and the “Hero of Heroes.”
Although the Turks’ heroism has never been publicized, as the rule in American media is
nothing positive about Turkey must be allowed to slip out, I suppose there were still four
or five Americans who were aware of what an ugly black eye the MASH program represented,
and made their voices heard. This is probably why the same Turkish-American performer was
brought back to act in an episode entitled “Captains Outrageous” (aired four years
later, December 10, 1979), regarding a brawl in a bar that required the doctors to run the
saloon. Sirri Murad (whom I understand was sorry to have taken on the previous role) had a
“nothing” background role, but just to be on the safe side… since his Turkish
character was now actually “human”… the producers decided to feature a “good”
GREEK soldier, too!
Please visit TAT’s Korean War page; toward the
bottom are two interesting accounts relevant to the action of this episode: How the
Chinese and the Turks got along, and how American doctors were really affected when they
treated Turkish wounded.
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THE
FEREY MÜHTAR
TALK SHOW
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For a more current treatment of Turk-treatment on
American television, we can turn to the long-running late night comedy institution, Saturday
Night Live.
Some years back, I wrote a letter to “SNL” when I noticed the Turk they had
dressed in a photograph, for a bit on their “weekly news” segment, had appeared
in a fez, sunglasses and long cloak… since most Americans believe Arabs and Turks
are indistinguishable. I told them it’s okay to make fun of Turks (after all, it
is a satirical type of show, and everyone is open game), but I wished they would
base their attacks on reality.
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SNL's
spin on Turkish Talk Shows
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Perhaps the letter had an effect
(although I’d doubt it), but for the latest round of Turk-ridiculing, at least
somebody did their homework. There is now a parody of a Turkish TV show, and the
names and costumes for the characters in this “program” are at least not off the
mark. Although all the characters are loutish and unsophisticated, cheap
gold-chain-wearing, chain-smoking subhumans, at least some effort was made to come
closer to reality…. And that cheap gold-chain-wearing, chain-smoking stereotype
does exist in the mid-to-lower classes of the Mediterranean nations (and people of
other nations, like East Europeans, and South Americans). So I can’t criticize
Saturday Night Live too much… however, the unfairness here (even in the area of a
satirical program, where anything goes) is that out of all the ethnic types to make
fun of, it is once again the maligned Turk who gets picked on. Ah, well. At least,
even though the Turkish characterizations are all of the same mold, that of rude,
stupid, bad-taste simpletons… there are tiny, tiny nuances of “humanity” that
slip out, and it’s these little crumbs that make such a portrayal bearable. (In
other words… in an environment of near-total hostility against Turks… anything
short of total monstrousness, Turks should be grateful for? Exactly what am I
pathetically suggesting..?)
I’m not a regular viewer of SNL, but I did catch two episodes with the Turkish TV
host character, so it’s obviously not a one-shot idea. The first go-round (aired
March 16, 2002) featured frail Briton Ian McLellan as a macho Turkish idiot,
qualities at the opposite end of the actor’s persona. (The excellent actor was
wonderful in OF GODS AND MONSTERS, but as the powerful supervillain “Magneto” in
X-MEN…. hoo-boy!) The second of this recurring series I happened to catch aired on
November 9, 2002, when the Greek-American star of MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, Nia
Vardalos, played host.
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Nia
Vardalos Nose this is her golden chance to stick it in
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Granted, her character certainly had
to fit in line with the established “low-class” humans that formed the very
essence of the theme. This is why even though her role was that of a beautiful
Turkish celebrity, complete with eyebrows that connected, a la “Bluto,” the big,
bully guard of MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, I could accept it; even the most beautiful Turkish
woman had to appear as if she resembled an animal, within this established context.
However, when Ms. Vardalos chose to lovingly pick her nose at one point, like the
low-class defense lawyer in MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, I thought she was rubbing her
advantage in a bit too much.
I may not have felt as strongly if the actress weren’t Greek. However, it just
seemed like Nia Vardalos relished the opportunity to do a number on the Turks. It’s
okay when Greeks exercise their ugly displays of Turkish hatred amongst themselves,
but the way she handled herself was particularly insensitive, given the animosity
that exists between the two peoples. I believe almost any Turkish actor, when given
the opportunity to make a Greek look lousy in front of others’ eyes, would not
have gone anywhere near as overboard, and more likely would have made sure to inject
positive values into the character… so as not to take unfair advantage of the
situation. I’d think a Turkish actor wouldn’t act much differently even on
Turkish television, when portraying a Greek.
One can summarize by saying the two qualities in short supply here, at least on the
part of the actress, were 1) Fairness and 2) Class. As far as on the part of the
show… Fairness and Class are incongruent to the nature of the program, so SNL is
mostly off the hook. I’d say what they’re in short supply of is the quality of
“courage.” During the show’s beginnings, when it was a hot property, Steve
Martin and Dan Aykroyd played two “Czechoslovakian” brothers who thought they
were great lovers but, in fact, were totally clueless. As “stupid” as they were,
at least they were “lovable” and the choice of ethnicity then was a safe one,
since Czechs and Slovaks were unknown entities in America (save for a couple of
one-time tennis superstars). Besides, the viewer understood these silly characters
were not meant to represent all Czechs/Slovaks. The point of this “talk show,”
though, is that all Turks are represented as below average on the evolutionary
scale. If SNL decided to “go to town” on an ethnic group, it was much easier to
pick on a group already established as an open season target. It would have been
much more interesting – and gutsy – to focus on a group with power… not
excluding Nia Vardalos’ ethnic kind. (Although that would have entailed the
short-circuiting of SNL’s switchboard.)
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ADDENDUM:
"24," and others |
Yes, I know above I wrote only three
examples of Turks in American television would be provided. However, it is now
January 2005... late in the phase of Western Turcophobia, where one would think
producers would tread carefully before portraying Turks as the typical villains.
After all, there are so many other ethnic groups waiting their turn.
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Bad
Turk
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Really
bad Turk
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A caveat here must be added; I'm
jumping the gun and providing this write-up based on the first two episodes of the
fourth season of this excellent program, "24," starring Kiefer Sutherland.
Perhaps later in the story, there will be Turkish characters to counter-balance the
heartless villains that were offered thus far. For example, in the second season,
the writers made sure to cast suspicion on an Arab character who later turned out to
be a "good guy." Thus, the audience was taught the invaluable lesson not
to judge a book by its cover, in the wake of the anti-Muslim hysteria brought about
by 9/11. (Only the teen-age son of the terrorist masterminds, Behrooz, appears to be
a sympathetic Turkish character, in these initial episodes.)
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Behrooz,
portrayed by Iranian-American
Jonathan Ahdout
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Granted, the Muslims are the "bad
guys" in the West, in fuller force these days. But... of all the Muslims in the
world, what possessed the producers to pick on the Turks? (Okay, they've already
done "Arab," so it was time to focus on another bunch of ethnic Muslims.
For example, there's traditional enemy and member of President Bush's so-called
"Axis of Evil," Iran. Why focus on the one ethnic group that has more than
paid its dues, in Western movies and television, as the acceptable villain?
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Mama is Iranian actress
Shohreh Aghdashloo, of "The
House of Sand and Fog"
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For example, if one is to do a story
on terrorism, how about the Greeks? Didn't Athens have a reputation regarding the
healthy relationship with terrorist groups, from the PKK to the PLO, for many years?
And what about the Armenians, who wrote the book on terrorism with the Ottoman Bank
takeover in 1896, creating a model for future
terrorists to follow? Didn't the U.S. Department of Justice include the
terrorist state of Armenia among those to watch for in 2002, until the Armenian
uproar clamped a mysterious lid on the move? (Who
knows why the U.S. government has allowed Armenia's terrorist organization, The
Armenian Revolutionary Federation ["A.R.F."], to be headquartered in
America's own soil of Boston.) In addition, wasn't Turkey the one![Armenian Revolutionary Federation ["A.R.F."] emblem](pics/ARF-symbol-.JPG) nation that warned
the world against the plague of international terrorism, years before the world
sat up and took notice? How ironic to single Turks out as terrorists... but we all
know the repercussions would be red-hot if an untraditional group for screen
villainy, as Armenians and Greeks, would be selected as the bad guys.
I knew we were in trouble when a
hacker discovers code meant to spell disaster for the world's computer systems. Not
all of it is in English, he tells his friend at American intelligence. No, some of
it looked Middle Eastern... like Arabic... or... Turkish!!
For the love of Mary! Don't the
writers believe in conducting at least some basic research? A Latin alphabet
replaced that old Middle Eastern hieroglyphics some three-quarters of a century ago.
And here we have a depiction of the
terrorists wearing Arab-style head-coverings against Arab-style lettering. Straight
out of today's headlines featuring the barbaric no-goodniks who perform the
beheadings and such. Only... these characters are meant to be Turkish.
Just what the American public
needed... further confirmation of how evil the Turks are, after the centuries long
imprinting of racist imagery. It plain ain't fair.
ADDENDUM: After
watching a few more episodes until mid-February, no further clues have been
presented as to the "ethnic identity" of the villains. The bald baddie
(pic on top) was identified as a Turkish national operating from Ankara, so we're
still left with the impression this "Osama bin Laden" bunch are Turks.
Even though the names of the characters aren't Turkish; the name of the son (of
Iranian ancestry, also appearing in "House of Sand and Fog"), for example
is the Persian "Behrooz" instead of what I thought I had heard,
"Firuz."
[Here is a protest letter from a retired
American military officer.]
"To: Fox Network Executives,
Affiliated Fox Network Stations, Keifer Sutherland, Writers, Producers and
Creators of the "24" Program
Re: Sunday, 1/9/2005, airing of the
two hour, new season premiere of 24
Your depiction of The Republic of
Turkey as a "Middle East" terrorist supporting nation was one of the
most irresponsible and reprehensible story plots I have ever witnessed! I have
never seen such a blatant attempt to bring discredit on a nation and its people.
Turkey is an ally and NATO member, as well as a potential EU member, and has been
fighting against this kind of terrorism, long before the US public was aware of
its existence. I am speaking as one who has lived and worked in Turkey for 11
years.
Here are a few facts which you
should have caught in the proofing of your script:
1. A scene in the show depicted the
writing of a computer program to be either: "Middle Eastern" or
"Turkish". Good students with a sixth grade education today know that
there isn't a language called "Middle Eastern". The Turkish alphabet is
totally different than those languages in Middle Eastern countries, it is Latin
based, not Arabic. Therefore the confusion between Arabic and Turkish is not
remotely possible.
2. The show also indicated that a
terrorist communication "chatter" was detected coming from Ankara,
Turkey, was an underhanded way to say that the Turkish government was supporting
the terrorist cell depicted in the show. Again, anyone with a little geographic
knowledge of the region knows that Ankara is the capitol of Turkey and the seat of
their democratic form of government.
This is the type of government
which the Bush Administration is working so hard to see installed in Iraq.
3. The Turkish governments' support
for a democratic Iraq and Afghanistan has also been marked with the spilling of
Turkish blood and sacrifice in both countries. There can be no doubt that Turkey
is a strong supporter of democracy and the freedoms which are enjoyed in a
democracy.
The message in your show did not
recognize these facts and only served to bring down the image of Turkey in the
minds and perceptions of uninformed viewers.
During the time I lived in Turkey,
being in the US military and later involved in business, I observed a nation which
suffered countless terrorist suicide bombing attacks, yes-very similar to what we
see daily in Iraq, on it's military, police and civilian targets. These atrocities
were not recognized by the US media because of special interest groups in the US
which worked hard to blind the eyes of the US government against the Turkish
government and it's people. In last night's show of 24, I saw the same type of
mindset which wants to pollute the man-on-the-street with prejudiced perceptions.
My hope is you will find a way to
reverse the destructive perceptions which were aired in your 24 program regarding
Turkey. I am not naive to say that there can't be bad people in Turkey-there are
and they are in every nation. However, what I do know is the Turkish government
has been at the forefront to help its NATO allies and Israel to fight against
terrorism and drug trafficking.
I hope the above-mentioned mistakes
were an oversight, not because of the interests of some political interest groups.
Sincerely,
Alan M. Brown
Maj, Ret, USAF"
[Close]
DISHONORABLE MENTION
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Alan Alda, Bradley Whitford
and Jimmy Smits,
of "The West Wing."
NBC Universal Photo: Mitch Haddad
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It seems to be "Open
Season" on Turks in early 2005. "The West Wing" made the
secular nation out to a "Taliban" state, on its Jan. 26 broadcast. As
"King Corn" reports, a CNN "newscaster starts talking about a woman in Turkey who was
apparently convicted of adultery and condemned to death after having sex with a
co-worker." Funny
thing is, the CNN itself had reported that Turkey had abolished the death penalty in 2002,
the last execution having taken place in 1984. There are also no laws criminalizing
adultery.
Tom Schantz, Turkey Peace Corps
1966-1968, wrote: "We will be mobilizing former Turkey Peace Corps volunteers
to point out the dangers that an ignorant scriptwriter can create." (Thanks to
JFK's fine program for
allowing at least a few Americans to have learned the real scoop on Turkey..!)
Prof. Christian Christensen reflected
on the episode, in an essay entitled "Turks on NBC's 'The West Wing':
Head-Chopping Lunatics," in Common Dreams.
Looks like NBC-TV
is still continuing its anti-Turkish perspective, ongoing for many years.
ON THE LIGHT SIDE
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"The Simpsons" on
the deck of a Turkish freighter
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When it rains... Early 2005 is sure giving Americans a taste
of Turks! I accidentally caught the end of an episode of "The Simpsons"
where the kids find themselves aboard a Turkish freighter, and Homer and Marge
engage the captain in a conversation, from the dock. Homer asked something like
whether the kids will still remain Christian, bringing up the idea of forced
conversion we've seen countless times in anti-Turkish propaganda. The captain
answers, "Coptic Christian?" Homer yells something to the effect that the
Turks are "Cyprus Stealers." Finally, all is well and the Simpsons are on
board, eating, playing soccer and music. Marge seems drunk and the Turks beside
Homer ask if they should mellow her out by offering hashish. Then Marge asks this pertinent question. (Which
you can also listen to by clicking on the above picture; she obviously has never
been to the relevant page on the TAT
site.) Naturally, the program made references to some stereotypes, but you can tell
the producers had knowledge of real Turkish ways and were not approaching the
subject from a perspective of animosity. While I rarely watch the show, "The
Simpsons" deserves its long run, representing true quality television.
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| THE RARE “PRO-TURK” DEPICTION |
Allow me to clarify: when I use the term “Pro-Turk,” I
don’t mean the makers of the program I’m about to discuss happened to be in love with
Turks… since it’s the extremely rare Westerner who loves Turks, being barraged by
anti-Turkish messages as Westerners are… any more than Admiral Mark Bristol loved Turks,
or historians Justin McCarthy and Heath Lowry love Turks. Since the prevailing rule in
each of these cases is that Turks are only around to have mud slung at them, the moment
someone steps in and treats Turks in an even-handed and open-minded manner… they must be
labeled as “pro-Turk,” or have some sort of weird ulterior motives. “Pro-Turk” is
the unfairly recognized term for trying to be fair and truthful.
When George Lucas’s THE YOUNG INDIANA JONES CHRONICLES ran on television back in 1992, I
tried not to miss an episode. This program was television at its greatest. George Lucas
had the financial muscle and access to up-to-date technology (behind his “Industrial
Light and Magic”) to come up with a program that obviously was a labor of love… even
though the program was a ratings bust, since it did not follow the action packed formula
of the Indiana Jones movies.
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The
show's logo
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Denholm
Elliott and John Rhys-Davies in the
third and last Indiana Jones film adventure.
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Young Indiana Jones was first introduced in the third and final film
in the series, INDIANA JONES AND THE LOST CRUSADE, played by the late River
Phoenix. The depiction (below) of 1938 Iskenderun (a Turkish port city near the
Syrian border) was disappointing, as the men in a crowd scene were mostly seen wearing
fezes (outlawed circa 1925) and all the women were dressed in the familiar head-to-toe
covering Moslem wear. (By then, the first female Supreme Court justice had been appointed
some six years prior, beating the United States' doing the same by generations; here's a
1923 note on suffrage) So either
someone didn't do their homework, or took a little poetic license... since the
"gag" for the scene was Indiana's family friend-sidekick needing to stick out in
an exotic setting. Of course, a true-to-life exotic setting could have been selected, so
somebody didn't do their homework... as usual, when it comes to things Turkish.
Consequently, Mr. Lucas' record was spotty, as far as sticking to authenticity.
ADDENDUM: Well, Holdwater is a
monkey's uncle! As it turns out, it was I who didn't have the facts straight... as
reader N. Kartal Toker points out: "Indy3 takes place in 1938, when
Iskenderun was not a part of Turkey. Iskenderun and Antakya (Antioch) voted for
joining Turkey in 1939. Therefore during the time of Indy3, the modern dress-code
laws of Turkey were not in effect in Iskenderun."
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Boy, did he make up for it.
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The
actor was well cast for the role
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At first, the humorously cerebral TV-show simultaneously
featured Indy as a young boy, which was soon dropped in favor for the second part of Indy’s
depiction…. that of a young man, played capably by Sean Patrick Flanery. A reviewer
called each of the handful of episodes made “a cinematic production in its own right,
light-years better than your typical movie-of-the-week or mini-series.” Very true words.
Moreover, the show presented principle personalities of the early 20th Century, including
Albert Schweitzer, Charles de Gaulle, Mata Hari… as Indy found himself in the midst of
the skirmishes of WWI. (I vaguely remember an exciting episode where Indy and a German
officer were reluctantly partnered in a balloon.)
I recognized this show to be the brilliant production it happened to be… a program that
made an effort to be conscientiously authentic within a fictional format. I wrote George
Lucas a letter, telling him that he had the opportunity to tell the tale of the Ottoman
Turks from the vantage point we Americans never get to hear: the side of truth.
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George
Lucas
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Mr. Lucas probably never received or read that letter;
regardless, I was overjoyed when finally… FINALLY… an American movie or television
production tackled this subject from the rare, “Other Side”… using Professor
Stanford Shaw as their consultant.
Thank you, George Lucas, for your courage and integrity.
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1918
Istanbul
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Istanbul: always good for a
flavor of mysterious espionage
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The Ottoman Empire was explored in two
hour-long episodes. Indy pretends to be a fake journalist (perhaps the
fictionalized Emile Hilderbrand,
said to have interviewed Atatürk in a phony June 22, 1926 interview for The Los
Angeles Herald Examiner?) who is first shown cavorting with Halide Edip (Zuhal Olcay;  ),
the renowned novelist who became one of the heroes of the national independence
movement. He asks to get an interview with Atatürk, which Ms. Edip is reluctant to
arrange.
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Next
stop: Meeting with Ataturk
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There are many twists and turns of
intrigue that follow, and here is the gist of the goings-on: Indy does get a chance
to meet the uncertain-of-himself but kindly Sultan (Nüvit Özdogru), while Enver
Pasha (I presume, played by Ali Taygun, not a very “Young" Turk) rants in the
back. (Click on the Sultan to hear his words.)
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The
Sultan feels his nation doesn't get a fair shake in the West |
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The
most Turkish "Turk" from "Midnight Express"
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Then there is an Armenian agent
working to undercut his nation (WHOA! That’s an unheard-of concept), and he is
played by Kevork Malikyan… the Armenian-American actor who spoke the only
decipherable Turkish in MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, as the prosecutor! (This is the great
thing about the Indiana Jones TV program…their attention to detail. Not only did
they seem to spare no expense to shoot on location, they made an effort to match the
ethnicity of the actor with the character they were playing).The Armenian succeeds
in wounding our hero, from the shadows.
Indy has a fateful meeting with Atatürk (Ahmet Levendoglu), where French terms for
peace are heartily rejected. (Click on “Atatürk”s
picture below, to hear the words.) Is this the only time Atatürk has
been portrayed in an American/Western film or TV show? Unbelievably, it probably is.
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"Atatürk"
doesn't mince words
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One
of these men, among others, is a backstabber. (Gasp.)
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Indy, wounded, must protect papers in
his possession, but he suspects someone in his nest of spies is working as a double
agent. There is a whole hodgepodge of ethnic representations within this group…
including a Bulgarian, a Jew (I believe), and a Russian. The production hired
Russian actor Boris Isarov to play Vasily, who is deliciously sinister. The main
actor the production seems to have failed in matching the ethnicity of is the Greek,
Nico. He is played by the Turkish actor, Huseyin Katircioglu, which must have been a
FIRST in American/Western cinema…. A Turk playing a Greek, instead of the
always-expected other way around. (For the record, Mr. Katircioglu does not have
Nico picking his nose. Quite the contrary, Nico comes across as a handsome, robust,
dashing sort.)
It appears the Lucas company re-edited some of the show’s episodes and put them
out as direct video release movies. A variation of the segment I’ve described is
part of what is now called THE MASKS OF EVIL (1999), which apparently has been
combined with another episode regarding Indy’s meeting with… Dracula?
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