Saturday, March 13, 2004
This blog is dedicated to one of the most classic sitcoms of all time WKRP in Cincinnati. This show was a bitingly clever ensemble show, with great characters and bitingly clever humor. What's more, despite Loni Anderson's obvious attributes, they kept the humor relatively clean, which is a far cry from today's "Must See TV"-type shows.
We know all the characters by now --
Arthur "The Big Guy" Carlson, the putative boss
Andy Travis, tight-panted station director
Jennifer Marlowe, curvy receptionist and their most highly paid employee
Gordon Sims, the enigmatic DJ who went by the name of Venus Flytrap
Herb Tarlek, sleazy salesguy with the white belts and the eyesore outfits
Les Nessman, neurotic and incompetent news anchor
Bailey Quarters, traffic controller, newscaster and all-around girl-next-door
Many would say that Bailey was the least memorable of these characters; in fact, her name wasn't even listed on the cover of the WKRP VHS set that came out a few years ago. However, I think I speak for a great many red-blooded men when I say that she was one of the very best things about that show. Her gentle demeanor, her porcelain features, her slender figure and all-around sweetness... why in the world did Loni Anderson get so much of the attention, when Jan Smithers was vastly more appealing? Bailey was truly their resident beauty.
There are a number of Jan Smithers pages on the 'net, but many of them merely sell WKRP merchandise, or which claim to have nude pictures of Ms. Smithers. I'm pretty certain that these claims are false, since I'm sure that she's never posed nude. I don't (and won't!) actually visit these sites, so I can't really debunk those claims.
There is a new set of Jan Smithers pages out there, which could probably use some publicity. You can get to them from IMDB's entry on Jan, or you can look them up here:
Jan Smithers on "Battle of the Network Stars"
Jan Smithers on "Battle...", part two
Jan Smithers in "Mr. Nice Guy"
Commentary on "Mr. Nice Guy"
A rare find! Jan on teenage marriage
More of Jan on teenage marriage
The future Bailey Quarters in "Starsky and Hutch"
Second page of Bailey on "Starsky and Hutch"
Third page of Jan Smithers, "Starsky and Hutch"
We know all the characters by now --
Arthur "The Big Guy" Carlson, the putative boss
Andy Travis, tight-panted station director
Jennifer Marlowe, curvy receptionist and their most highly paid employee
Gordon Sims, the enigmatic DJ who went by the name of Venus Flytrap
Herb Tarlek, sleazy salesguy with the white belts and the eyesore outfits
Les Nessman, neurotic and incompetent news anchor
Bailey Quarters, traffic controller, newscaster and all-around girl-next-door
Many would say that Bailey was the least memorable of these characters; in fact, her name wasn't even listed on the cover of the WKRP VHS set that came out a few years ago. However, I think I speak for a great many red-blooded men when I say that she was one of the very best things about that show. Her gentle demeanor, her porcelain features, her slender figure and all-around sweetness... why in the world did Loni Anderson get so much of the attention, when Jan Smithers was vastly more appealing? Bailey was truly their resident beauty.
There are a number of Jan Smithers pages on the 'net, but many of them merely sell WKRP merchandise, or which claim to have nude pictures of Ms. Smithers. I'm pretty certain that these claims are false, since I'm sure that she's never posed nude. I don't (and won't!) actually visit these sites, so I can't really debunk those claims.
There is a new set of Jan Smithers pages out there, which could probably use some publicity. You can get to them from IMDB's entry on Jan, or you can look them up here:
Jan Smithers on "Battle of the Network Stars"
Jan Smithers on "Battle...", part two
Jan Smithers in "Mr. Nice Guy"
Commentary on "Mr. Nice Guy"
A rare find! Jan on teenage marriage
More of Jan on teenage marriage
The future Bailey Quarters in "Starsky and Hutch"
Second page of Bailey on "Starsky and Hutch"
Third page of Jan Smithers, "Starsky and Hutch"
