Executscan Expected more

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

widsith-58602 In an era before cellphones, the internet or i-things, this was a little slice of heaven. The small, ensemble cast mesh wonderfully together. It takes a while for the angles and humour to work themselves out in the first few episodes, but like M*A*S*H or Friends, the cast stealthily grow on you until you catch yourself aping their mannerisms and quotes in daily life.The basic premise is a family-run classical music radio station that has to reinvent itself as a rock station to survive, for which they hire Gary Sandy as a new station director. He inherits a dysfunctional but enthusiastic set of individuals, including utterly self-possessed advertising salesman Frank Bonner, much loved but totally ineffectual office manager Gordon Jump, gorgeous secretary Loni Anderson and utterly gullible and forever earnest news presenter Richard Sanders.As a comedy it never makes the mistake of taking itself too seriously, but does have quiet fun having a crack at racism, sexism and gay issues occasionally. It's really a character driven affair, and one watches episode again and again for the pleasure of seeing how the crew of the station either wind each other up or manage to pull together when crises hit.In spite of finishing a third of a century ago, it still comes over as fresh, and a league above many far more plush and 'daring' comedies of recent times. It doesn't have the answer to life, the universe and everything in it, it is just plain, heart-warming fun.

SnoopyStyle Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) runs the failing radio station owned by his feared overbearing mother. He hires young program director Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) who promptly changes the format to Rock. This fun wacky group includes DJs Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) and Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid), clueless newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders), sleazy ads salesman Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner), shy Bailey Quarters (Jan Smithers), and hot blonde Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson) receptionist.They are a great group of lovable characters. That's the charm of this show. They had some of the funniest bits in TV history. Who else could come up with flying turkeys? The only disappointment is that it only lasted 4 seasons. It's a great part of my TV childhood.

calvinnme Running only four short seasons from 1978-1982, this was one of the most perfect shows of its time, and a near dead on commentary on small media outlets.The story is supposed to be about Andy Travis (Gary Sandy), as he leaves the Southwest to become program director of small station WKRP. When he arrives it is playing elevator music and nothing works well, which is how station owner Mama Carleson wants it - it is later revealed that WKRP is supposed to operate as a tax write-off and that's why she's put her rather incompetent son (Gordon Jump as Arthur Carleson) in charge of the station. The whole show is really about the comic conflict between "the jeans" and "the suits". Andy, Bailey, and DJs Venus Flytrap and Doctor Johnny Fever are "the jeans". "The suits" are Arthur Carleson, sales manager Herb Tarlek, and news director Les Nessman. The whole show is just a comic take on the younger characters trying to right the station in spite of the hang-ups and incompetence of the older ones. By "young" and "old" I'm really talking young at heart versus old at heart. Chronologically, Dr. Johnny Fever is probably older than Herb Tarlek, but they are definitely on different sides of the establishment/anti-establishment demarcation line. Although that doesn't mean that the younger characters are not without their comic quirks. In the middle, never really taking sides, is secretary Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson) who knows many wealthy men, lives way beyond the means of a secretary, and who is a good soul and a woman whose private life is shrouded in mystery.Don't think that these guys are adversaries though. When they have to they can work together, and everybody honors Les' fake walls - marked by tape on the floor - regardless of what they think of his abilities. WKRP was a refreshing little show during a time when many of the sitcoms were taking on serious tones. Its writers understood the comedy part of situation-comedy. Although I was sad when it was canceled, the fact that it was on just four seasons meant that it never really had to change its format and in retrospect probably had a perfect show life. All the actors were hilarious and they complemented each other extremely well. One of the reasons WKRP remains popular and beloved today is because it didn't wear out its welcome. Three's Company is a perfect example of a sitcom that made that mistake. It was just as hilarious, but it just hung around way too long.The sad thing is this show in its entirety will remain only in our memories unless you had an early VHS recorder and had the foresight to record episodes. That is because the music, so integral to the show, had no legal provisions for release to home video in any form. In 1978 such an idea was just a concept not a reality. Someone who worked at CBS and should be in the know said that the masters of the film containing the music were destroyed years ago. That's one reason the only season ever released on DVD lacked the original music and was a complete failure.

DKosty123 This show was the maturing of a 1960's failed sitcom known as GOOD MORNING WORLD. It took the idea of Morning DJ's with a crazy manager & a wife, & expanded it out to include an entirely loony station loaded with many crazy characters. This show smartly moved all the action into the station while it's ancient relative tried to do the Dick Van Dyke style home life too. Losing that is what made WKRP better.I can mention dueling blonde's as 2 of the best were on these shows. Goldie Hawn versus Loni Anderson would be a great battle. Thing is Goldie was a young developing chick when on the first show, while Loni was a fully matured woman when WKRP started. The difference of dumb playing Goldie versus smart Loni shows the difference. Careerwise, Goldie has more talent than Loni, but in this comparison, Loni & WKRP win. Now imagine a king size problem, walking into a room with each of these ladies on each of your arms. What would you do? Station Managers - Gordon Jump versus Billy De Wolfe. What a match, as Jumps understated big guy got better writing than De Wolfe, but De Wolfe wins the talent battle hands down.Ronnie Schell & Jodie Baker as DJ's versus Howard Hessman & Tim Reid. No doubt, WKRP wins this one. But they also got better scripts so the match is really not fair. In the final analysis, no doubt that WKRP wins, but it owes it's roots to the other show. Both of these were CBS, & while the first one failed fast, WKRP even kept going without CBS later.