Andy Travis joins the WKRP staff as program director and institutes sudden changes that most of the eccentric staff and the station's cantankerous owner don't immediately like.Andy Travis joins the WKRP staff as program director and institutes sudden changes that most of the eccentric staff and the station's cantankerous owner don't immediately like.Andy Travis joins the WKRP staff as program director and institutes sudden changes that most of the eccentric staff and the station's cantankerous owner don't immediately like.
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen Johnny is sitting on the couch in Andy's office, he refers to "WKRP in Pit-," cuts himself off, then says "Cincinnati." One of the cities under consideration for the series was Pittsburgh, PA (which would have made it WKRP in Pittsburgh, PA). The then-current mayor decided against giving permission for the studio to use Pittsburgh for the series.
- GoofsWhen Johnny plays the first Rock and Roll record, he spins the turn table emphatically to start it up. He then gets into character as Johnny Fever and announces the format change. When we cut back to the long shot, we can clearly see that the needle on the record that is playing was knocked when Johnny spun the turn table. It is now resting up against the spindle. Yet the music is still playing fine.
- Quotes
Johnny Caravella: [about changing the format of the station] Ah, listen, you, you do mean *now*?
Andy Travis: [as he leaves the control booth] Yes. And... you can say "booger" if you want to.
Johnny Caravella: [gleefully flinging an old record off a turntable] Well, it's good-bye to the elevator music!
[Johnny laughs sinisterly as he carefully places a different record on the turntable]
Johnny Caravella: [with a sinister grin slowly emerging on his face] Do it!
Johnny Caravella: [making the needles scratching the record sound effect, as he begins to speak on the air excitedly] All right, Cincinnati, it is time for this town to get *down*! Now, you got Johnny...
Dr. Johnny Fever: ...Dr. Johnny Fever, and I am burnin' up in here! Whoo! Whoo! We all in critical condition, babies, but you can tell me where it hurts, because I got the healing prescription here from the big 'KRP musical medicine cabinet. Now I am talking about your fifty thousand watt intensive care unit, babies! So just sit right down, relax, open your ears real wide and say, "Give it to me straight, Doctor, I can take it!"
[Johnny starts Ted Nugent's "Queen of the Forest" on the record, flails his arms in the air in excitement, then sits in his chair grabbing the mic]
Dr. Johnny Fever: [putting on his sunglasses] I almost forgot, fellow babies: "booger!"
- Alternate versions"Queen of the Forest" by Ted Nugent (the very first rock song Johnny Fever plays on WKRP) is replaced with generic music on the 90's redistribution package and 2007 DVD release. Interestingly, though, except on the 2007 DVD release, the Nugent song is intact when the scene is repeated in two other episodes, which proves nothing except that the process of licensing music for this package was pretty haphazard. At least that's Howard Hesseman's real voice saying "booger". In the tag, the song Venus plays, "Dance, Dance, Dance" by Chic, has been replaced. (Both songs have been restored on the 2014 DVD.)
- ConnectionsFeatured in WKRP in Cincinnati: Mama's Review (1979)
- SoundtracksWKRP In Cincinnati Main Theme
(uncredited)
Composed by Tom Wells
Lyrics by Hugh Wilson
Performed by Steve Carlisle
[Series main theme song played during the opening title card and credits]
Problem was, doing research, everything on Wikipedia pointed to Bailey being totally mousy, and a downloaded bit illustrated this very well, and, yes, I remembered that Bailey wasn't as va- va-voom as her counterpart...
Fortunately, I took the plunge, and started out with the first two seasons. Began watching tonight. You know, I saw this stuff back in the day, and some of it even comes back to me just as it starts to unfold.
But the nicest surprise was Bailey Quarters. Yes, Jan has the smallest part, but she is the innocently charming girl as opposed to Loni Anderson's overly confident and mega- voluptuous Jennifer.
But Jennifer hasn't stood the test of time. Her hairstyle seems like a sprayed wig that looks frozen solid. And while being full of figure OBVIOUSLY appealed to galleries of salivating men, Bailey is clearly the far cuter one.
Unfortunately, Loni Anderson's Jennifer isn't even really va-va-voom, certainly not by today's standards, but not even by Eighties standards.
Which is why I was never ga-ga about her.
Okay, as for the episode itself: Travis has intentions of turning a dreary old radio station into a rock & roll beacon. Take a listen to those commercials. The clients were, well, basically one step away from being funeral homes. The new appointment threatens the old order of things. There's sleepy Dr. Johnny Fever who can't give a damn, but then there's ol' Herb Tarlek, the self-important sales manager buffoon (with his dismal preferences in leisure suits) and nerdy, no, King of the Nerds, aptly-named Les Nessman (wordplay on "less" and "newsman"), the insecure whiny little dude who fakes helicopter traffic reports by imitating rotor blades with his hands slapping his chest... aw you will have to watch yourself, you can't do this old classic justice by retelling it in mere words, these guys do magnificent character acting...
Has the show itself stood the test of time? I doubt it will win favor in the eyes of new generations. Very unlikely. But if you were a fan back then, this one is a must. Definitely.
- RavenGlamDVDCollector
- Sep 11, 2017