WKRP in Cincinnati

2008-05-30T14:00:00.001-07:00

It took me forever to discover this, but somebody posted a list of changes that were made to the WKRP episodes on the season one DVD set. Here they are:

Pilot
“Queen of the Forest" by Ted Nugent replaced with generic music.

Pilot Part 2“That Old Time Rock n’ Roll” by Bob Seger replaced with generic music.

Les on a Ledge
Song at the beginning replaced.

Hoodlum Rock
The songs (by the band Detective) are intact, but the episode is a cut 22-minute syndication version. The original full-length version is available at the Museum of Television and Radio.

Hold-Up
All songs replaced.

Bailey’s Show
All but one song replaced. Footage is cut from two scenes.

Turkeys Away“Dogs” by Pink Floyd replaced. Much of the scene has been cut out entirely.

Love Returns
Rock songs replaced. Part of a scene has been cut.

Mama’s Review
The clip of Venus in the booth, which was the only "cutaway" clip taped especially for this episode (this is a clip show) is cut and replaced with a clip from the pilot.

A Date With Jennifer
“Hot Blooded” by Foreigner replaced. 22-minute cut syndication version.

The Contest Nobody Could Win
All songs replaced. Someone has re-dubbed the people calling in about the song identification contest, so that they're now identifying fake songs and groups.

Tornado
Elvis Costello song "Goon Squad" replaced. Some footage cut.

Goodbye, Johnny
“Surfin’ U.S.A.” by the Beach Boys replaced.

Johnny Comes Back
All songs replaced with generic music.

Never Leave Me, Lucille
“Everybody Rock n’ Roll the Place” by Eddie Money replaced, with some dialogue cut. The episode originally started with Les singing “Heartbreak Hotel”; that scene has been cut.

I Want to Keep My Baby
All songs replaced except one Bob Marley song. Some footage cut from several scenes.

A Commercial Break
All rock songs replaced. Johnny singing "So Long for a While" has been cut.

Who is Gordon Sims?
One song replaced.

I Do… I Do… For Now
Jennifer’s doorbell, which played “Fly Me to the Moon,” is replaced with a public-domain song.

Young Master Carlson
All songs replaced, even the theme from Patton, a Fox film. Some footage cut from one scene.

Fish Story
All songs replaced. A scene of Venus singing is cut.

Preacher
All songs replaced.

2008-05-13T07:42:00.001-07:00

Awright, folks, how long is it going to take before season two is available on DVD? I suspect that we'll have a long wait ahead.

Oh, and here's a semi-random thought. While Loni Anderson may have rocked the airwaves as receptionist Jennifer, it occured to me today that I would rather have a receptionist like TV's Robin from Donald Trump's TV show, The Apprentice. She's beautiful, but more coquettish rather than an outright bombshell like Jennifer Marlowe.

2008-02-02T11:04:00.000-08:00

There's a Family Feud All Stars DVD set that features an appearance by the WKRP cast. Gary Sandy and Jan Smithers were not included among the contestants, though.

No, I wasn't strongly tempted to buy the set. If it's ever offered on Netflix, I might decide to rent it instead.

2008-01-31T21:30:00.001-08:00

There's a dubious news report that's been spread around which alleges that Jan Smithers was involved in some bizarre nude car accident. I don't place any credence in this claim, though. It was reported by a tabloid, and the news spread. I have yet to see it reported in any credible outlets, though.

The Wikipedia editors apparently agree. Somebody added this report to Ms. Smithers' entry, but it was removed due to a lack of credibility. Good for them!

2008-01-06T18:57:00.000-08:00

Remember how TV audiences were all agog over the voluptuous Julie Newmar as Catwoman? I always thought that Lee Meriwether was much more appealing, possibly due to her classic beauty and felinesque appeal.

Somehow, both ladies make me think of Jennifer Marlowe. If they had to choose between Julie and Lee for this role, I suspect that most of America would have picked Julie. Personally though, my money would be on Ms. Meriwether.

2007-12-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

Saw some relatively recent photographs of Wendy Benson (now known as Wendy Landes) on the web. Wow. If these photos are any indications, she still looks incredible.

So what does she have to do with WKRP? I know, this will sound like a pointless rambling, and it is. I think she's kinda of Bailey-esque in her beauty, insofar as she's trim, willowy, and has a clean sort of beauty. Wendy also has a similar kind of sex appeal. The problem is that she doesn't exude that same sense of innocence and wholesomeness that Jan Smithers did.

Both of them have a truly impossible kind of beauty, though. Darn. Either one of them would reduce me to a stuttering fool.

2007-06-23T05:21:00.000-07:00

It's the big guy's son!

Remember the episode, Young Master Carlson? The actor Sparky Marcus, who played Arthur Carlson Jr., also appeared in an old Nancy Drew episode. His distinctive eyes kinda give him away.

This was a Christmas-themed episode with a typical 1970's Santa-styled ending. Sometimes I think that network TV was pretty much required to have this particular plot twist every December, way back then.

2007-06-18T20:33:00.001-07:00

There are some new pages on the web that are devoted to Jan Smithers as the beautiful and enchanting Ms. Bailey Quarters. These are some mighty nice vidcaps, and some of them do a good job of capturing her ethereal yet wholesome beauty. What a treasure she was.

2007-04-26T20:18:00.000-07:00

How time flies. The first season DVD set was released two days ago, and I completely forgot about it. It'll be nice to see the enchanting and painfully beautiful Bailey Quarters on TV again.

2007-04-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

I think that Debbe Dunning would be another interesting choice for playing Jennifer Marlowe. She just doesn't have the same comedic talent as Loni Anderson did, though.

Still, I'd rather look at Debbe than at Loni any day.

2007-04-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

Do you know who else would make for a good Jennifer Marlowe? Print model Joanna Krupa strikes me as a good choice.

Oh, sure. She doesn't have Loni's voluptuous curves either, but she's still a world-class model. What's more, she knows how to move like a model. Like many of these supermodel types, she knows how to walk in a way that exudes femininity and sensuality. I think this would provide an interesting new take on WKRP's legendary receptionist gal.

On an unrelated note... Was anyone else irked by the fact that Bailey was the one who always filled in for Jennifer at the receptionist's desk? Was this subtle sexism on the writers' part? Or was it simply that Bailey was a junior staff member, and that most of the other cast members were way too dysfunctional to be answering the phone or welcoming visitors?

Just wondering.

2007-04-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

Previously, I had talked about how Zooey Deschanel would be a good choice to play Bailey Quarters. It occurs to me that her sister, Emily Deschanel, might be an interesting choice to portray Jennifer Marlowe.

Oh, I know. She doesn't have Loni Anderson's voluptuous figure or raw sex appeal. She's also way too skinny. Nevertheless, she's extremely attractive -- the kind of woman whose face should be carved out of marble. I don't think she can fit the role exceptionally well, but it would be interesting to see her try. She does have the acting chops that are needed to pull of the raw sensuality needed, even though she's not quite the right physical type.

The sisters Deschanel. Two women, beautiful in their own different ways. I'd love to see them work together sometime.

2007-04-12T21:22:00.000-07:00

I'd kinda like to see Jennifer Dempster play Bailey Quarters. Oh, I know that they don't really look alike. They both have a certain down-home appeal, though.

Okay, there are major differences. Jan Smithers had a quiet, smoldering type of beauty about her -- the classic librarian-style beauty. Jennifer Dempster's facial features aren't as finely sculptured, but she's exceptionally fit and she's beautiful. I know that she doesn't really fit the Bailey Quarters mold, but it might be nice to see her try.

Yes, Bailey is still my favorite character. The upcoming WKRP season one DVD set will be worthwhile just to see her. Too bad she doesn't appear in every episode, at least not during the first season.

Man. I'd love to meet either one of these remarkable beauties sometime.

2007-04-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

The Season One WKRP DVD set is coming out soon. I'm looking forward to it.

It has received some nasty reviews, due to the amount of butchering that was needed to eliminate costly music royalties. Way back then, the producers had no way of anticipating that WKRP would be re-run into perpetuity, or that there would eventually be a VHS/DVD market for it. More's the pity.

I still plan on getting it, though. As far as I'm concerned, what really made the show was its humor, its character interactions, and of course, the luminously lovely Bailey Quarters. (Sigh.)

2006-08-05T21:46:00.000-07:00

Recasting WKRP

Suppose we had to recast WKRP in Cincinnati using contemporary actors. Who should we pick? I'd select the following:

If we were to recast WKRP today, who should assume the key roles? Here are my thoughts.

Venus Flytrap: We need someone who's smooth, intelligent and articulate, and who loves music. Of course, this person should also be black. I hereby nominate Wayne Brady.

Les Nessman: We need someone who's quirky and funny, and who does "socially awkward" well. Baldness is a plus, so Colin Mochrie is my choice.

Herb Tarlek: For sleaziness and for his chemistry with Colin Mochrie, I choose Ryan Stiles. Fred Willard has the right look—much moreso than Ryan—but I would rather see Ryan's comedic talents at work.

Andy Travis: Funny, good-looking, lean, clean-cut and in good physical shape. I think that Nathan Fillion would be perfect for this role. Failing that (and because I like to choose people from the Whose Line... crowd, I would pick Chip Esten.

Dr. Johnny Fever: Must be capable of doing both subtle humor and wacky comedy. I figure that either Diedrich Bader, Greg Proops or Brad Sherwood can fill this role.

The Big Guy: Drew Carey has just the right look, and the comedic talent as well.

Jennifer Marlowe: Unfortunately, nobody suitable comes to mind. Pamela Anderson has the right combination of physical stature and plasticness, but she's just not right for the role (and besides, I can't stand her). We want someone who's curvy and statuesque, but who still conveys elegance and intelligence. Rebecca Romjin, perhaps? Or maybe Scarlett Johannsen? Somehow, they just don't work for me, though.

Bailey Quarters: Jan Smithers is a very tough act to follow. We need someone who can blend into the background, but who still oozes with subtle, smouldering beauty and sex appeal. Some would suggest Alyson Hannigan, but I think that Zooey Deschanel would be just yummy in this role. Her eyes, her low-key yet burning hot beauty... Oh, my.

2006-08-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

Some choice quotes from WKRP in Cincinnati:

Smokin' hot Bailey Quarters: Have you noticed all the men in Landersville are going bald? I wonder if there's a nuclear power plant in the area.

Les: Bailey, you're his friend. What do you really know about Venus?
Bailey: You promise not to tell?
Les: I swear.
Bailey: Well, uh... you're gonna think this is a little crazy at first, but uh... I think he's black.

Les: Over my dead body.
Andy: All right. (Begins rolling his sleeves up)
Les: Wait a minute. What are you doing?
Andy: Stand still now, and don't squirm.

Herb: A. All-weather floral arrangements.
Venus: What does that mean?
Johnny: That's plastic flowers.
Herb: B. Maintenance-free artificial turf.
Johnny: Plastic grass.
Herb: C. They accept all major credit cards.
Johnny: That'd be your plastic money.

Andy: I been curious about one thing. There's a lot of rock and roll stations in Cincinnati, why'd you pick ours?
Ferryman: I checked around. I figured this station was just bad enough off to take my business. Now I'll have to find a station with even lower ratings than yours.
Andy: Well, good luck with that!

Les: What is Bailey, some sort of dollar-an-hour babysitter?
Andy: Of course not, don't be ridiculous. (Bailey enters) Bailey is your colleague.
Bailey: Andy, I've changed my mind, I want a dollar fifty.

Bailey: Just pretend you're talking to one person. A friend. Me.
Johnny: Okay.
Bailey: That's how you told me to do it. Now you do it.
Johnny: Okay, I'll give it a try.
Bailey: Just talk to me.
Johnny: This is, uh, your Doctor speaking. Hello, and good afternoon Cincinnati. I sure would like to take you home and kiss you all over in the dark.

Venus in an English accent: Ta ta! Well Miss Marlowe, my assistant Smedley and I have brought this frightfully heavy but charming piece of furniture all the way from the truck.
Jennifer: Thanks awfully, Reg.

Bailey: Well, he hasn't croaked yet, Herb, give him time.

Herb: Venus, listen. How do you get paint off a frog?
Venus: Oh I don't know, how do you get paint off a frog?

2006-07-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about who can possibly be recast in the original WKRP roles. This is a tough order, of course, as it's nearly impossible to recapture that kind of chemistry.

I would cast Debbe Dunning as Jennifer. (A younger Debbe would work better, but I suspect that she could pull this off in any event.)

I think that Traylor Howard would make a good Bailey Quarters. Perhaps even Karen Austin in her younger Night Court days.

I can't think of a single guy who could play Venus, as the current batch of black actors appears to be all too vulgar, making it difficult to judge how they'd fit the role. Perhaps Morgan Freeman could have done it in his younger days. I suppose that Wayne Brady would do well, and he'd lend some musical flair to it, too.

Andy Travis? Any number of pretty boy straightmen could do it. Les Nessman? A virtual unknown would probably be required, as this takes a certain level of quirkiness. Among the established actors though, I think that Colin Mochrie would be best.

Herb Tarlek? I dunno. I suspect that any number of sleazoids could play this role. I vote for Ryan Stiles.

What about the Big Guy? I vote for Drew Carey. Maybe George Wendt could do it too, although I think Carey would be more suitable. Or maybe Ving Rhames, if he can pull off comedy.

And Doctor Johnny Fever? I dunno; Howard Hesseman would be a tough act to follow. I vote for Diedrich Bader, though.

Hmmm... It's interesting how most of these choices come from the Drew Carey Show and Whose Line Is it Anyway? families.

2005-07-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

More pics and commentary from Jan Smither's role in Our Winning Season can be found here and in subsequent pages.

2004-10-26T04:53:00.000-07:00

A bunch of new Jan Smithers pics are up on the web now. These ones were from her first movie, Where the Lilies Bloom.

Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5

I remember that movie. I was surprised at how much I liked it. Mind you, I'm not saying that because of Bailey's beauty, as she hadn't truly (ahem) "bloomed" back then. In fact, she looked fairly ordinary. The movie itself was pretty riveting though, and I don't normally say that about these backwoods films.

2004-10-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd post a link to explanationGuide's entry on WKRP.

2004-10-17T17:54:00.000-07:00

These pictures of Michelle Nicastro made me realize that I could see her playing Loni Anderson's role.

Okay, so she wouldn't have the same spectacular (and IMO, less than appealing) curves, but she's still quite lovely.

2004-10-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

I've come across an awful lot of people on the 'net who keep ranting about Bailey Quarters. She is mentioned on this page of lovely ladies, for example.

Why weren't these people more vocal when WKRP was on the air? Perhaps if the Internet had been around back then, we would have heard from more of them.

2004-10-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

Tim "Venus Flytrap" Reid is now appearing on "That 70's Show." He seems to have had a better post-WKRP career than most of the other cast members.

2004-09-24T10:53:00.000-07:00

Bailey was mentioned on Wikipedia! So was Jan Smithers.

I also met a few guys who were lamenting the absence of a WKRP DVD set, due to the licensing problems involved with all the music played on that show. One guy admitted that he'd settle for a single disc filled entirely with Bailey scenes. Another fella said that Bailey was the main reason why he wanted a set.

2004-09-04T06:02:00.000-07:00

There was a recent discussion on an Internet group wherein women were asked to chooose between Andy, Venus, Johnny, Herb, Les and the Big Guy. Predictably, the women chose either Andy, Johnny or Venus.

One person piped up,

The Big Guy? Herb? Les???

You know, when people ask the Bailey or Jennifer question, no one ever
includes Mrs. Carlson as a choice.

2004-08-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

I had a debate with some guys recently about who was more desirable--Bailey from WKRP or Kaylee for Firefly.

This is a tough call, but I still vote for Bailey.

2004-08-11T12:16:00.000-07:00

I remember reading the script for "Venus Teaches the Atom" when I was a science-oriented freshman high school student. Boy, that really made me want to become a teacher. Of course, when I finally did start teaching for a while, I learned that classroom teaching can't always be so dynamic and creative. That's not to say that there wasn't plenty of room for being creative; it's just that Venus's atom-teaching incident was a bit unusual in that regard.

2004-07-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

The same site which has the Jan Smithers compendium also has some pages dedicated to Melinda Culea (or more accurately, to her character Amy Allen on The A-Team).

I think that Amy Allen and Bailey Quarters have some striking commonalities. Bailey was a subdued but striking beauty who was overshadowed by Jennifer Marlowe. For her part, Amy was later replaced by Tawnia Baker, who was supposed to be a radiant and sexy beauty; however, just as Bailey was more appealing than Jennifer, Amy was much more appealing than Tawnia.

They even have similar physical types. They both had trim, model-like figures, and a nice pair of legs. (Some of the photos on this page show that Melinda Culea had nice gams. Sadly, neither Jan nor Melinda captured much attention in the press for their looks. I don't understand why.)

2004-07-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I haven't updated this blog in a couple of months. In part, that's because I've been busy, and in part, it's because none of the stations that I get have been showing WKRP. TVLand did for a while, but then it pulled it from their lineup.

Life's not fair.

2004-04-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

I can kinda see Jennifer Dempster as Bailey Quarters. She may be a bit too fit and muscular, though.

2004-04-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

I came across some old pics of Mouseketeer Cheryl Holdridge. She reminded me of WKRP, insofar as her situation paralleled that of the Bailey/Jennifer situation. Cheryl was overshadowed by Annette Funnicello, even though I think most people actually consider Cheryl to be more attractive. This is rather like the way the public paid more attention to Loni Anderson, even though most men seem to find Jan Smithers more engaging.

Mmm... Jan...

2004-04-11T23:03:00.000-07:00

Why did Andy have such prominence on this show? He wasn't one of the more memorable characters, IMO. Much of the long-term storyline revolved around him, but frankly, he was largely overshadowed by the more comic characters.

2004-03-28T14:56:00.000-08:00

Thinking again about who could play Bailey, if WKRP were re-cast today.

The same site which had those Jan Smithers and Stacey Williams pics also had some of Courteney Cox in her younger years. I suppose she could have played Bailey, but only in her younger years, when she had a more innocent and wholesome air about her. One problem is that, like Stacey Williams, her looks were a bit too striking -- they immediately jumped out at you, whereas Bailey had a more subdued (but undeniable) type of beauty.

Mmmm... Bailey...

Where was I? Oh, yeah... Bailey Quarters. Perhaps a young Dawn Wells could have played Bailey, but that'd be too obvious, especially with the inevitable Ginger/Mary Ann and Jennifer/Bailey comparisons.

2004-03-20T21:24:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about who should be cast in the WKRP roles, if the sitcom were to be revived today. For the most part, I'm drawing a blank.

Pamela Anderson would be an obvious choice for Jennifer Marlowe; however, I don't know if she can give Jennifer the same sophistication that Loni Anderson did.

I'm drawing a big blank on most of the other guys. Most of the black comedians that come to mind have personas which are too vulgar for Venus. Well, except for Bill Cosby, and he's entirely wrong for that role.

I'm tempted to cast Stacey Williams as Bailey Quarters, but she's not right either. She's way too glamorous, whereas Bailey had a quiet, subtle appeal about her.

I'm sure that any number of pretty boys could play Andy Travis, but none come to mind right now.

2004-03-14T07:41:00.000-08:00

A few words about Venus...

Venus was an enigmatic character indeed. He could speak with a jivey style, yet was soft-spoken and highly articulate. His history was convoluted (but still plausible), having been a teacher, a DJ and a military deserter. On his first introduction, he seemed like some jive-talking street guy with the sartorial style of a pimp, yet his eloquence and intelligence shined through as the series progressed.

Not a stereotype. Indeed, an unusual and unique character, and a far cry from many of the black TV characters today.

2004-03-13T07:07:00.000-08:00

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"