WKRP In Cincinnati – The Complete First Season
Picture: C Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Episodes: B
When Mary
Tyler Moore’s production company was in full swing, it was best-known for her
huge hit, its spin-offs and respectable dramas, the company wanted to go into
additional directions. Based on their
success, CBS picked up a sitcom that would be the first MTM program shot on
videotape and the tale of a bottom-rated radio station trying to become popular
did not have high hopes at the network.
However, when WKRP In Cincinnati
debuted in 1978, it was a surprise hit.
One of
the reasons it worked is that it was not in the world of Mary Richards, so
people did not feel like they were getting a continuation of those
characters. Like the best sitcoms at the
time, it was not afraid to deal with issues of mature, adult importance, yet
still be hilarious. Most important, ABC
was overtaking CBS with what then was considered more youth-oriented
programming and the show was as fresh and openly sexual like Three’s Company.
The Complete First Season is finally arriving on DVD after
many years of no sign it was on the way.
Continuously a very popular show, it has been off of TV and not on home
video because of its extensive use of hit records and the issue of royalty
payments no one could have imagined in 1978 has kept it off the shelves and
airwaves. Only a diehard fan is going to
know what is or is not missing from the original broadcast copies, but this
critic was surprised how well this held up and the music that remains is still
not pretty good and includes some familiar hits. Of course, the beginning and end theme are
here, which is a plus.
The show
was lucky to have a fine cast, including Gordon Jump as the head of the failed
station Arthur Carlson and son of its owner.
Playing old, tired music, they are in the ratings heap bin. Mr. Carlson hires Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) to
help out, but when his answer is to do the Rock Music format, everyone is
apprehensive, including fallen a fallen Rock DJ (Howard Hesseman) who was fired
for getting too wild at a previous job in his previous glory. Andy intends to resurrect “Dr, Johnny Fever”
and shake the place up to put it back on top.
Sylvia Sydney plays Mrs. Carlson initially, then is succeeded by Carol
Bruce by the Mama’s Review episode.
Of
course, it is an AM station which now makes the show even funnier in this age
of satellite and digital radio, MP3s and endless gadgets. However, the show is about people and the
rest of the cast is a classic gathering of fine actors in the great roles. Tim Reid is Venus Flytrap, who Andy brings in
to back Johnny, Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) is the very serious newsman/nerd
who is more than an egghead, Frank Bonner is Herb Tarlek who does sales but
cannot sell himself to Jennifer Marlowe.
That role is played by Loni Anderson, whose sex appeal made her iconic
of her time and of TV, though more men than many acknowledge tuned in to see
Jan Smithers as Bailey.
Creator
Hugh Wilson had scored a winning show that was more than just an infantilized
laugh fest. It was part of a true golden
age of TV comedy that died in the 1980s and never came back; even when WKRP had an early 1990s syndicated
revival that did not work. These are the
first 22 shows of 90 over four seasons that the show was on top. It also inadvertently reminds us of how great
music and the commercial music industry used to be before high CD prices and
“non-music fans” and “non-music lovers” running the major labels ran the
industry into the ground.
1)
Pilot (in two parts)*
2)
Les On A Ledge
3)
Hoodlum Rock (guest stars Ned Wertimer and
Michael Des Barres)
4)
Hold Up
5)
Bailey's Show
6)
Turkeys Away*
7)
Love Returns (guest stars Barrie Youngfellow)
8)
Mama's Review
9)
A Date With Jennifer (guest stars the voice of Brad
Crandall)
10) The Contest Nobody Could Win (guest stars Vincent Schiavelli)
11) Tornado
12) Goodbye Johnny (guest stars Edie McClurg)
13) Johnny Comes Back (guest stars Jeff Altman)
14) Never Leave Me, Lucille (guest stars Edie McClurg)
15) I Want to Keep My Baby
16) Commercial Break
17) Who Is Gordon Sims?
18) I Do, I Do... for Now (guest stars Hoyt Axton)
19) Young Master Carlson
20) Fish Story (guest stars Lee Bergere)
21) Preacher
If you
like the show or have never seen it, you’ll want this DVD set. It is as long overdue as just about any
series we can think of.
The 1.33
X 1 image was shot on old professional NTSC analog video, the reel-to-reel
kind, and shows a little more softness than expected, but that is the age of
the tape because these are nice transfers in color and cleanness. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono holds up even
better, though as it was the case back in 1978, you always wished it was
stereo. Extras audio commentary by various
cast members and creator Wilson on the two shows marked * above and Don't Touch That Dial - The Making Of WKRP in two parts.
- Nicholas Sheffo
