So when I was a kid the local movie theater, in lieu of cartoons, would show short documentary type shows. These 3-7 minute shorts might be on skatboarding, mountian climbing or any old thing (some were new, some were old). The one I’ll always remember is about the annual Swiss Spaghetti Harvest, they show how they harvest the spaghetti trees and lay it out to dry. You can watch a low quality version (in RealPlayer) and you’ll get the idea of it.
Update: I noticed the direct link (click the image) was broken. So I’m moving this back up towards the top so you can take a gander if you missed it the first time.
I knew it was a joke but it was totally deadpan. It wasn’t until years later I learned it was part of a (normally serious) BBC show they showed on April 1st, 1957. Here’s some more info and background. Why am I bringing this up today? Because the link hasn’t worked for ages and it’s working today so I thought I’d add a smile to your day. It’s believed to be one of the first times television was used for a April Fools Joke. Here’s a little more info from the Museum of Hoaxes.
August 1st or April 1st, any day is good for a joke.
Does anyone have access or know where I can get (purchase) a higher quality version of this?!?
you do know that the ‘spaghetti harvest’ footage was a hoax and that spaghetti is made buy hand and doesn’t grow on trees – forgive me if ive taken your blog out of context
Ive just read the bit that says ‘I knew that this was a joke’ – i’ll go back to sleep now!
I’m still looking for a copy of this video. Anyone know where I can get it (VHS or DVD or digital file)?
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It appears as though the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest is the property of the BBC, who have not authorized its’ sale.
If you are aware of a change in this status, I would also love to have a quality copy, on DVD.
Spaghetti Harvest Video
So I’ve been looking for some high quality footage of the Spaghetti Harvest footage for years, this still isn’t that great but it’s completely watchable (previously all I could find was some really crummy footage on the BBC site). I saw it as a child, …