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S30 Ep4

My Life as a Turkey

Premiere: 11/16/2011 | 00:00:30 | NR

Experience the true story of writer and naturalist Joe Hutto (portrayed by Jeff Palmer) as he raises a family of turkey chicks.

About the Episode

“Had I known what was in store—the difficult nature of the study and the time I was about to invest—I would have been hard pressed to justify such an intense involvement. But, fortunately, I naively allowed myself to blunder into a two-year commitment that was at once exhausting, often overwhelming, enlightening, and one of the most inspiring and satisfying experiences of my life.”

–Joe Hutto, Illumination in the Flatwoods

 

After a local farmer left a bowl of eggs on Joe Hutto’s front porch, his life was forever changed. Hutto, possessing a broad background in the natural sciences and an interest in imprinting young animals, incubated the eggs and waited for them to hatch. As the chicks emerged from their shells, they locked eyes with an unusual but dedicated mother.

Deep in the wilds of Florida’s Flatlands, Hutto spent each day living as a turkey mother, taking on the full-time job of raising sixteen turkey chicks. Hutto dutifully cared for his family around the clock, roosting with them, taking them foraging, and immersing himself in their world. In the process, they revealed their charming curiosity and surprising intellect. There was little he could teach them that they did not already know, but he showed them the lay of the land and protected them from the dangers of the forest as best he could. In return, they taught him how to see the world through their eyes.

Based on his true story, My Life as a Turkey chronicles Hutto’s remarkable and moving experience of raising a group of wild turkey hatchlings to adulthood.

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PRODUCTION CREDITS

BASED ON THE BOOK
Illumination in the Flatwoods
By JOE HUTTO

PRESENTED AND NARRATED BY
JOE HUTTO

APPEARING AS JOE HUTTO IN THE RECREATIONS
JEFF PALMER

PRODUCED BY
DAVID ALLEN

PHOTOGRAPHY
MARK SMITH
DAVID ALLEN

ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
JEFF PALMER

FILM EDITOR
DARREN FLAXSTONE

ORIGINAL MUSIC
ROB DUNSTONE

DUBBING EDITOR
JONNY CREW

DUBBING MIXER
MATT SKILTON

GRAPHICS
ANITA CORCORAN

SCIENTIFIC ADVISERS
LOVETTE WILLIAMS
DAVID NICHOLSON

FIELD ASSISTANT
STEPHANIE WINKLER

ASSISTANT PRODUCERS
JEFF PALMER
GABY BASTYRA

PRODUCTION MANAGER
GEORGE CHIGNELL

SKETCHES BY
JOE HUTTO
From Illumination in the Flatwoods

SPECIAL THANKS
DANIEL PARKER
DAVID AUSTIN
THE CLARK FAMILY
WILDLIFE FOUNDATION OF FLORIDA, INC
FLORIDA FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION COMMISSION
SUE MARTIN

EXECUTIVE FOR PASSION PICTURES
ANDREW RUHEMANN

FOR NATURE

SERIES EDITOR
JANET HESS

SUPERVISING PRODUCER
JANICE YOUNG

SENIOR PRODUCER
LAURA METZGER

PRODUCTION MANAGER
JULIE SCHAPIRO THORMAN

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
JAYNE JUN

ADDITIONAL VOICEOVER
JEFF BOTTOMS

RE-RECORDING MIXER
ED CAMPBELL

ONLINE EDITOR
PATRICK KRASS

SERIES PRODUCER
BILL MURPHY

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
FRED KAUFMAN

A Production of Passion Pictures, THIRTEEN and the BBC in association with WNET New York Public Media

This program was produced by THIRTEEN, which is solely responsible for its content

© 2011 THIRTEEN and Passion Pictures
All rights reserved

WEB CREDITS

PRODUCER
KATE FULTON

ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
CHIE WITT

DESIGNER
JOY WEEENG

PAGEBUILDING
BRIAN SANTALONE

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
BRIAN LEE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR
NICK MILLER

SENIOR DIRECTOR
DANIEL B. GREENBERG

WRITERS

for “Who’s Your Mama? The Science of Imprinting”
LYNNE HOPPE

for “The Making of a Turkey”
RACHAEL TEEL

 
 
MUSIC CREDITS

Eels
“Blinking Lights (For You)”
Blinking Lights and Other Revelations

Sylvester Weaver
“Guitar Rag”
The Slide Guitar: You Can’t Get That Stuff No More

Bob Dylan
“Main Title Theme (Billy)”
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid

The Be Good Tanyas
“The Littlest Birds”
Blue Horse

Sonny Terry
“Sonny’s Squall”
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee

Faithless
“A Kind of Peace”
To All New Arrivals

Bob Dylan
“Cantina Theme”
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid

Jill Barber
“Legacy”
For All Time

Original music by Rob Dunstone

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