Ep. 79 - Changes

November 11, 2019

Writer: Peter Torokvei
Director: Will MacKenzie
Original Air Date: January 27, 1982

So now we have to talk about Tom Dressen.

In 1982, most audiences would know him as one of Johnny Carson's favourite guest comedians on "The Tonight Show." He made dozens of appearances. He also was Frank Sinatra's opening acting - a job be did for 14 years. But he got his start as one half of the first black/white comedy team in America. The team was called "Tim and Tom" and the Tim was our very own Tim Reid! It was as a comedy team that both of them got into show business. Starting in 1968, the team had cutting-edge comedy about race relations at a time in America when that issue had boiled to the surface. But this caused the pair to never really succeed and, after five years, the two broke up.

Then, almost 10 years later, on one of the most explicitly racial episode of "WKRP in Cincinnati," the pair were back together.

The episode begins with Venus and Herb arguing about fashion and style. It seems like a throwaway conversation, like the one between Bailey and Les earlier, but it's really the premise of the entire episode: The image we present is important. We are judged by that image, whether through fashion or accent - changing it will change what people think about you. But what is real, and what is just the image? And which is really important?  That is definitely not a throwaway idea!

Exploring those ideas through the two most fashion conscience characters is a good idea.

Starting with Herb, his change is played more for laughs. Herb takes Jennifer out for a "Mercy Lunch" to his favourite restaurant. He is so excited that everyone can see him out with her, he spills red wine on his lap. That's enough to humble him and admit to Jennifer that, lately, he feels people have been laughing about his clothes behind his back. Jennifer sees this as her opportunity to "redo [Herb] like I redid the lobby" giving him a whole new image.

Immediately after the commercial break, she introduces the "brand new Herbert R. Tarlek jr." to the bullpen - he is in a grey three-piece suit with pocket watch. Everyone is very impressed - Bailey gets the vapours! Now Herb is ready to sign his new client from Run 'n Sun Tanning.

EXCEPT his new potential client is a guy just like the old Herb. "I'm a slime bucket. I'm tasteless! I like it!" In just the previous episode, Herb told Andy "I keep telling you... tasteless sells!" Now Herb is acting too classy and refined to get new clients! The perfect Jennifer has to admit that... she is wrong. This leads to one of the MANY great quotes that come out of this episode: "I want you to go down to the parking garage, pick out your favourite car seats and wear them home."

Venus's story revolves around an interview he's going to give to Black Life Magazine and Herb advises that the media always comes in with preconceived notions "Remember that TV interview I did last year? They tried to kill me!" which is a wonderful callback to the "Real Families" episode from last season. Venus starts getting into his own head... Is he "black enough" for the readers of Black Life magazine?

Going through the album library with Johnny, Venus even says "I don't want to pass for black. I want to BE black!" then realizes what he's said. "What the hell am I saying?" Then, in the most incongruent moment in the history of WKRP in Cincinnati, Mr. Carlson steps out of the shadows to give Venus some good advice: "You're worrying too much about colour and forgetting the most important thing... That you're a fine person with an interesting job." I leave it to you to determine why Carlson would have been in the shadows in the first place.

Immediately after the new Herb comes into the bullpen, here comes the "old" Venus. We haven't seen him in one of these disco club outfits in a while and Jennifer delivers the line most commonly remembered when TV fans describe the character Venus Fly Trap: "Are you Earth, Wind or Fire?" He has boned up on "being black" and is ready for whatever this reporter is going to do.

Enter the aforementioned Tom Dressen as Rick Jesperson, the only white employee of Black Life magazine. What follows is something only a five year partnership can bring together. The initial dead-pan conversation between Rick and Venus is wonderful! If you watch it on the box set, replay this minute a couple of times. There is no breaking up, no variance in the tone. It's great!

Maybe even greater is Rick confessions to Venus. This is WKRP writing at it's sharpest. "I'm the only person of another colour at the magazine. Do you have any idea what it's like to be THAT MUCH in the minority?" These are things Venus would never have said out loud, not even to his closest friends like Andy or Johnny. They have faced larger racial tensions in the past (Venus dating Andy's sister comes to mind) but it's the everyday occurrences Rick brings up that Venus would have to deal with alone. "I have to be careful around the girls (at the magazine)," Rick says. "I mean, I even feel funny putting my hand on their shoulder!"

To bring the comedy of their mutual situation to light, Rick describes a working environment so much like WKRP, Venus steals it word for word for the interview "We're still small in the market... somewhere around the middle. It's run by a great, kind-hearted guy... we're all loyal to him. Well, actually his mother owns the place."

Rick Jesperson responses back to Herb's earlier idea that everyone is pretending to be something they are not in his summation: "It's a cliche, but people are people... you link yourself to people you love no matter what you are or what they are."

That's what Herb should read on a T-shirt.

Roy

Other Notes - Wanna feel old? Les congratulates "the Royal Couple" (that would be Charles and Diana) on their forthcoming first baby (that would be William). Think how much has happened to the royal family since that joke! Jan Smithers does two accents in this episode: first as a jive talkin' black dude and the second as a southern belle