College students filmed a 15-minute documentary on the marker, which appeared on Showtime. By the mid-1990s, the site averaged two visitors a day. Tourism would get a boost when Oquawka would host a yearly fest to honor Norma Jean, with an elephant walk, white elephant sale and a bake sale featuring elephant ears. Meloan, Norma Jean’s biggest supporter, died in 2004.
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When he emerges from the water, he notices a hot dog cart that used to be his. Ned gets into a spat with the homeowner, who claims to have bought it at a white elephant sale. Ned shows up at the backyard pool of Shirley Abbott, a stage actress with whom he had an affair several years earlier. His warm memories of their time together contrast with her own experience of being "the other woman".
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The term "white elephant" refers to an extravagant but burdensome gift that cannot be easily disposed of, based on the legend of the King of Siam gifting rare albino elephants to courtiers who had displeased him, that they might be ruined by the animals' upkeep costs. A "white elephant sale" sells items that retain some value but have no intrinsic use; items are often referred to as white elephants. Such items may still find buyers but their resale value is hard to estimate.
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White elephant sales are typically organized by non-profit organizations such as churches and schools to raise money for a charity cause or a special occasion like Easter or Mother's Day. They operate in a manner similar to many non-profit thrift shops. Members or friends of the organization holding the white elephant sale will donate old items which they no longer use, or otherwise no longer care to own. After items have been collected, a sale will be held, usually lasting more than one day in a public fête style.
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Matriarch elephants, in particular, hold a store of social knowledge that their families can scarcely do without, according to research conducted on elephants at Amboseli National Park in Kenya. "Seeing the Elephant" is a 19th-century Americanism denoting a world-weary experience; often used by soldiers, pioneers and adventurers to qualify new and exciting adventures such as the Civil War, the Oregon Trail and the California Gold Rush. A "white elephant" has become a term referring to an expensive burden, particularly when much has been invested with false expectations. The term 'white elephant sale' was sometimes used in Australia as a synonym for jumble sale.
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However, the true meaning of the title does not become fully known until the topic of getting an abortion is revealed between the couple, as the man states, it's an "awfully simple question... not really an operation at all... just to let the air in". It is then understood that the use of the term "white elephants" may in fact be a reference to the White elephant sale. It's a sale put together through the donation of unwanted gifts, making the reader believe that this may be correlating with the act of getting an abortion. It could also mean the literal translation of elephant in the room meaning something painfully obvious that is not to be spoken about or referenced.
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The narrative of the audioplay is framed by the Doctor and Peri aboard the TARDIS, recounting the events of the last few days as the Doctor fears he has lost some of his memories. Two days prior, the Doctor and Peri arrive in the English countryside via TARDIS and take traditional forms of transportation to reach the village of Hollowdean, where the Doctor plans to meet with an old friend, Foxwell, a former researcher in artificial intelligence for a government laboratory, but now has retired as reverend of the local church. They arrive during a festival, and meet Professor Stream, his assistant Jane, and his chauffeur whom the Doctor nicknames Steel Specs. As they look for Foxwell, Peri encounters the young Simon, who claims to have seen a sand monster, while the Doctor's curiosity is piqued by a glowing object being sold in a white elephant sale.
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