Ep. 1 - Pilot (One)

November 3, 2014

Writer (and Creator): Hugh Wilson
Directed: Jay Sandrich
Original Air Date: September 18, 1978

***VERY IMPORTANT***


Okay, here we go! The introduction to everything!

One of the first things we see looks like the set up to a bad joke: a cowboy walks into a lobby and meets a beautiful blonde.

Watching now, I'm struck by how FAST the pacing is. Sales Manager Herb is introduced as a generally harmless scumbag in under 30 seconds.  Already, distinct character archetypes are being drawn. The beautiful blonde is not a ditz - she's already shown she's smarter than Herb and not about to be objectified.

Gordon Jump's portrayal of Arthur Carlson becomes much more nuanced as the season goes on. Here, he's still shrill and panicky. But he sets up what will be the central conflict of the entire series - the generation gap between the old-timers (Arthur, Les and Herb) and everyone else, as led by new Program Director Andy Travis.

Ah Andy, the urban cowboy, using charm, flattery and a 1000 watts smile to get all the things he wants by quickly discovering all the things everybody wants from the station and promising it to them IF they come aboard his Rock n' Roll ride. Mr. Carlson, you want to show what a good manager you are; Bailey, you want to be respected; Johnny, you want to go back to doing the only thing you ever wanted to do - play rock music on the radio; Les, you want a traffic helicopter! Just follow the charming cowboy and all your dreams can come true.

So here is Dr. Johnny Fever, perhaps the most iconic of all the archetypes WKRP produced. But to me, the appearance of Johnny always means we are going to get some huge chunk of exposition brought to us in a way that seems the most entertaining. Look what we learn from his time on Andy's couch in his very first scene: he used to be one of the top rock DJ's in the LA (so we can assume he'd be more than fine for Cincinnati), he explains what Les and Herb are up to, he explains just how far down this radio station is, he explains why he's always sleeping (this is 1978. You can't quite discuss recreational drug use on TV yet) and he shows how afraid everybody is of Mamma. All of this and it never feels like you're being spoon fed medicine.

Then at last we get the moment of the format change, from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing "You're Having My Baby" (one of the worst songs ever written even if the Mormon Tabernacle Choir isn't singing it) to Ted Nugent's "Queen of the Forest." Remember, The Nuge wasn't a bow-hunting crazy man yet. He was a Rock n' Roll crazy man - big difference. And we get to one of the most beloved and remembered moments in the show - Johnny scrapping the needle across the old record and cranking up the Rock, all while creating the Dr. Fever persona before our eyes. He is quite literally awoken by the power of Rock!

But all that follows a little more exposition. Johnny turns down the offer to DJ at first, telling Andy he's about 15 years too old to do it. And THAT's when Johnny Fever turns into the fulcrum of the show; the man who is as old as Herb but with the mindset of Venus Fly Trap. Johnny is the middle ground who often acts as a sort of translator of the old guard to the new. (Jennifer does the same thing in reverse).

Finally, we meet Mamma, who for the only time is played by the late Silvia Sidney (perhaps best remembered for her role in "Beetlejuice") and that fast pace from early now seems rushed. Carlson goes from firing Andy for making the format change to being prepared to sacrifice himself for Andy if Mamma carries out the firing. Note that this change of heart has nothing to do with the power of Rock, but everything to do with the power of money. The promise of breaking even this year and $800,000 the next is enough for Carlson to jump to Andy's defense. I shouldn't be too harsh - if they had fired Andy, it wouldn't have been much of a series, would it?

There are so many things to conclude from this episode, but it is probably enough to say that it does everything a pilot is suppose to do: introduce every main character, introduce the central conflict, introduce a great theme song and introduce the world to the skyline of Cincinnati Ohio.

Roy