# Turkish Prison? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 13, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804 "2007-01-13T04:47:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/1 "2007-01-13T04:47:15Z")
Whence the quote “you ever been in a Turkish Prison?” What, specifically, was it referring to in context. Of course, it’s funny in its own right, and I can guess what supposedly goes on in a “Turkish Prison,” but was there an original context for this? ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/2 "2007-01-13T04:55:28Z")
It was in the classic comedy film **Airplane** , but I’m not sure if it was the original use of the device. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/3 "2007-01-13T04:57:13Z")
_Airplane_, where pilot Leslie Neilsen is coming on to young Billy during his tour of the cockpit with such hints as “Have you ever seen a grown man naked?”, “Do you like movies with gladiators in them?”, and, yep, “Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?”. Billy is about 10, which makes it even funnier. The “Turkish prison” itself probably references the earlier movie _Midnight Express_, which depicts exactly what attentions a young man can expect in such a facility. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/4 "2007-01-13T06:33:43Z")
[QUOTE=Scissorjack] _Airplane_, where pilot **Leslie Neilsen** is coming on to young Billy…(clip) [/QUOTE] That was Peter Graves. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/5 "2007-01-13T06:41:24Z")
[Here is a YouTube clip from Airplane showing Peter Graves as the pilot.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D74xjNAv7j8) ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/6 "2007-01-13T06:41:37Z")
[QUOTE=Scissorjack] The “Turkish prison” itself probably references the earlier movie _Midnight Express_, which depicts exactly what attentions a young man can expect in such a facility. [/QUOTE] Excellent film. Always thought Brad Davis was an excellent actor, RIP. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/7 "2007-01-13T09:17:29Z")
[QUOTE=Scissorjack] The “Turkish prison” itself probably references the earlier movie _Midnight Express_, which depicts exactly what attentions a young man can expect in such a facility. [/QUOTE] Ding! We have a winnuh! In the book, there’s a _lot_ more to the shower scene than made it into the movie. Oliver Stone, in an interview in _Harper’s_, IIRC, said that he’d originally made the script match the book in that scene, said that the studio vetoed it, so he had to cut it out. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/8 "2007-01-13T10:43:07Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] In the book, there’s a _lot_ more to the shower scene than made it into the movie. Oliver Stone, in an interview in _Harper’s_, IIRC, said that he’d originally made the script match the book in that scene, said that the studio vetoed it, so he had to cut it out. [/QUOTE] It’s not just the shower scene. Hayes had a sexual relationship with another prisoner that lasted years. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/9 "2007-01-13T10:50:59Z")
[QUOTE=Priceguy] It’s not just the shower scene. Hayes had a sexual relationship with another prisoner that lasted years. [/QUOTE] I briefly met Brad Davis while he was in Germany doing the film Querelle and he was living the part in real life. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2007, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/10 "2007-01-13T15:14:43Z")
Thanks all, it sounded like it was Leslie Nielsen (since I’ve heard the clip,) and thought it might have been airplane, but was perplexed by any backstory for the quote. Even if I knew it was Airplane I still woulda been a bit confused 🙂 but now I know what it might also reference to! ---
**Author:** ![tyciol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@tyciol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tyciol)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/11 "2012-11-06T17:54:34Z")
> [@Rysdad](#): > > [Here is a YouTube clip from Airplane showing Peter Graves as the pilot.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D74xjNAv7j8) This video was removed, but there are versions which haven’t been removed. Here is one with the ‘Turkish Prison’ comment: https://www.youtube.com/embed/8Oeb8nhNJOU?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque > [@Scissorjack](#): > > _Airplane_, where pilot Leslie Neilsen is coming on to young Billy during his tour of the cockpit with such hints as “Have you ever seen a grown man naked?”, “Do you like movies with gladiators in them?”, and, yep, “Have you ever been in a Turkish prison?”. Billy is about 10, which makes it even funnier. > > The “Turkish prison” itself probably references the earlier movie _Midnight Express_, which depicts exactly what attentions a young man can expect in such a facility. Out of curiosity I looked some of these up: > [@](#): > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfgO90yGusI](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfgO90yGusI) > Captain Oveur: You ever been in a cockpit before? > Joey: No sir, I’ve never been up in a plane before. > Captain Oveur: You ever seen a grown man naked? > > - (with some overlap) > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rdbhMtsq28](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rdbhMtsq28) > “You ever hang around in a gymnasium?” I can’t find the comment about gladiators though. Props to anyone who can locate that clip. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/12 "2012-11-06T19:20:47Z")
Here: [ItemFix - Social Video Factory](http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=42f_1190589017&o=1) Relevant quote at the very end. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/13 "2012-11-06T19:25:45Z")
> [@tyciol](#): > > This video was removed… After 5 years? What’s their hurry? ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turkish-prison/387804/14 "2012-11-06T19:49:57Z")
Like many of the jokes in _Airplane!_, it takes the lines from _Zero Hour!_ and pushes them to make it even funnier. This [marked up transcript of _Zero Hour!_](http://www.rogermwilcox.com/zero_hour.html) has the scene where little Joey chats with the captain. The line, “You ever been in a cockpit before?” is from the original.