"As God is my witness...I thought turkeys could fly." - Arthur Carlson (Gordon Jump) trying to explain his failed Thanksgiving promotion
WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete First Season DVD Review
By Casey Richards
Remember the time before large conglomerates began buying up radio stations, programming each with canned shows and bland DJs who have the personalities of robots? Don't strain yourself. We can barely remember those days either. Now, with the release of WKRP in Cincinnati: The Complete First Season on DVD, we can revisit a time when local radio was truly local, and unique, idiosyncratic, personalities ruled the airwaves.
If Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) had known about Cincinnati's WKRP when he was offered the job of program director, he just might have kept his former job in New Mexico. WKRP's station manager, Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson (Gordon Jump), spends most of his time playing with toys in his office. The Big Guy objects when Andy wants to change the station's format from extremely easy listening to rock 'n' roll, mostly because his domineering mother owns the station and probably won't approve of such a radical move. The change from the Tabernacle Choir to KISS doesn't go over well with angry listeners, either. They stage a protest, insisting that the station go back to its original format and issue an on-air apology to Lawrence Welk.
Andy's plan to raise the station's ratings from the dumpster isn't exactly aided by WKRP's semi-incompetent staff. Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman, Head of the Class) is the burnout host of the morning show who was once fired from a station for using the word "booger" on the air. Bailey Quarters (Jan Smithers) is a bright but inexperienced intern who is moved into promotions and contests by Andy. Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) is in charge of the station's news, traffic, weather, and farm reports. A five-time winner of the Buckeye Newshawk Award, he is also prone to believing in conspiracy theories. Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson) is Mr. Carlson's secretary who possesses more sex appeal than secretarial skills. She doesn't take dictation or fetch coffee because "you have to draw a line somewhere." Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner) is in charge of selling advertising but spends most of his time unsuccessfully selling himself to Jennifer. Venus Flytrap (Tim Reid, Simon & Simon) is the superfly new nighttime DJ imported by Andy from a station in New Orleans.
The first season features several episodes that are considered comedy classics. In "Turkeys Away," Mr. Carlson comes up with a secret Thanksgiving promotion involving twenty live turkeys, a helicopter, and the hard concrete of a shopping center parking lot. In "Fish Story," Johnny and Venus attempt to show the negative effects of drinking by becoming drunk on the air, Herb heads to a local college campus while dressed as the station's mascot (the WKRP carp) and ends up in a tussle with the WPIG pig, Bailey gets caught in the men's bathroom, and the office gets repainted by a lecherous contractor - all while Andy tries to show the station in a good light while being interviewed by a reporter for a local magazine.
The series is also unafraid to explore slightly serious topics. Venus turns out to be a deserter from the Army ("Who is Gordon Sims?"). Johnny becomes emotionally attached to a baby abandoned at the station ("I Want to Keep My Baby"). Luckily, WKRP manages to avoid becoming maudlin even when it turns serious.
A perfect example of the series' ability to walk the line between humor and heartbreak is "Les on a Ledge." When a misunderstanding during a locker room interview leaves a ballplayer with the impression that Les is gay, he has the sportscaster banned from the stadium. Fearing that his career is over, an inconsolable Les climbs onto the ledge outside of Mr. Carlson's window, starts reciting Shakespeare, and threatens to kill himself. In the meantime, Johnny attempts to relieve Jennifer of Herb's advances by telling him that Jennifer is actually a man. These two plots mesh perfectly and lead to a touchingly funny ending. That this episode begins with the sportscaster's hilarious mispronunciation of golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez's name, one of the series' most memorable gags, also helps to make "Les on a Ledge" a classic.
Sanders, who also co-wrote the season one episode "A Commercial Break," is frequently hilarious, whether trying on a Mr. Macho wig or insisting that his co-workers respect his office "walls" (which are really just pieces of tape outlining his workspace). But the series is a true ensemble, with each actor contributing his or her distinct comic edge.
You may recognize a few of season one's guest stars, including Sylvia Sidney (Beetlejuice), Richard Stahl (It's a Living), Nedra Volz (Diff'rent Strokes), Ned Wertimer (The Jeffersons), Michael Des Barres (The New WKRP in Cincinnati), Vincent Schiavelli (Ghost), Tracey Walter (Best of the West), Rene Enriquez (Hill Street Blues), Jeff Altman (Pink Lady...and Jeff), Philip Charles MacKenzie (Brothers), Fred Stuthman (Hello, Larry), Hoyt Axton (Gremlins), Sparky Marcus (The Pinballs), Lee Bergere (Dynasty), and Jerry Hardin (The X-Files).
There is a lot of controversy surrounding this release because much of the music has been replaced due to the high cost of securing the rights to include the original songs on the DVD. We generally believe that DVDs of TV shows should contain the episodes as they were originally broadcast without edits or music substitutions. In the case of WKRP, we're willing to lower our standards a little. The fact is that most casual fans won't really miss the songs that have been replaced. Sure, we might realize that the generic rock song we're hearing on the DVD was probably Pink Floyd, KISS, or some other late '70s band during the show's initial run. Ultimately, though, it doesn't matter. Most of these songs play for just a few seconds when the DJs turn on a record and are not integral to the plot, the jokes, or the sense of time and place. In some instances, scenes may have been pruned because a featured song actually was integrated into the action. Is this a perfect situation? No. But the series is still funny, and the fact is that just a few years ago it was a virtual guarantee that WKRP probably wouldn't ever be released on DVD because of music clearance issues.
Even though it was originally announced that WKRP would be released on double-sided discs, the twenty-two episodes that make up the first season are actually divided onto three single-sided, dual layer discs. One slim, black keepcase holds two discs while a second keepcase holds a single disc. The front of each case features bland stock photos - a microphone on the first case and headphones on the second case. The back of each case features a listing of episode titles, airdates, and brief synopses, as well as postage stamp-sized photos that look like low-quality screen captures. Didn't the cast ever take publicity photos? They must have taken at least one, because the cases slide into a cardboard outer sleeve which features a group photo of the show's stars.
The menus are simple and functional. Viewers can choose to play all of a disc's episodes or choose an individual one. The episodes are divided into chapters, but there are no scene selection menus.
