Ep. 19 - I Do, I Do... For Now

March 4, 2015

Writer: Tom Chehak
Director: Will MacKenzie
Original Air Date: April 23, 1979

When I started this blog, I didn't expect to use WKRP as an exploration where media and the entertainment industry have gone from 1979 to today. I thought I'd be writing about Johnny Fever quips. Well with this episode, I get to do both.

Meet Hoyt Axton. He is a successful singer-songwriter most famous for writing Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World" and right now he is playing guitar in the lobby of a fictional Cincinnati rock radio station. The only reason for him to do this would be to promote his upcoming album. But it seems to me that his being there is a huge missed opportunity.

Hoyt Axton is... T.J. Watkins

Remember, this show exists only three years after "Star Wars" taught the entertainment industry that kids will buy toys based on their favourite movies - something we all now take for granted. At the time of this writing is three years after the cast of "Glee" has had a dozen Top 40 hits releasing songs they sang on their show. Other shows like "Nashville" release musical tie-in albums. So I look back and wonder how did CBS or MTM Productions not think to release an album of songs showcased on "WKRP in Cincinnati:" the Linda Taylor ballad, the Ferryman Funeral Home jingle... and "Della and the Dealer."

To be fair, "Della and the Dealer" was released on a 1979 Hoyt Axton album called "Rusty Old Halo." It went to number 17 on the US country chart. But the producers obviously have some rights to the song because it has always been part of the show in syndication. If you bought this box set of DVDs, wouldn't you also be likely to buy a compilation album of songs from the show? Shout! Factory? Get on this! This could be the break Detective (the real band from "Hoodlum Rock") have been waiting for for 30 years.

With the previous episode we learned a bit about Venus' background; this time we learn about Jennifer's. Jennifer seems so worldly and beautiful, why would she be in Cincinnati? But when you think of her a little Jennifer Elizabeth from Rock Throw West Virginia, a big city like Cincinnati must have seemed like going to the moon! Loni Anderson even plays up a West Virginian accent when talking with T.J. (I looked it up - Anderson is from St. Paul, Minnesota. See? Acting!)

Now she lives such a fairy tale life, even her doorbell chimes "Fly Me to the Moon" (which is a wonderful recurring joke). Her apartment is massive, even by TV standards, and we've already seen the relatively modest apartments for Andy and Johnny. It's stuffed with a "warehouse" worth of gifts from her many "friends." So the thought of her losing all of this to marry T.J. Watkins and go back to West Virginia must have been so terrifying Jennifer understandably would do anything to keep her life.

Very Happy!

Cue Johnny's entrance. Kissing Johnny and lying that they are married seems a pretty simple solution that just gets away from her. As much as this is Jennifer's episode, Howard Hesseman performs some great physical comedy, starting with his delayed over-reaction to that kiss. I particular like how he continues to miss steps in Jennifer's apartment. He doesn't telegraph it coming, so the straight-legged fall is as jarring to the audience as it is to Johnny.

Tom Chehak, who just wrote the very serious Venus Fly Trap episode last week, now writes this very funny, very tight episode with a lot of nice lines for Johnny, like "Wait... I'm the chips!" followed later by the frightened "Chips are falling!"

In an episode full of great performances, I also want to mention Frank Bonner, whose Herb claims "squatter's rights" on Jennifer over Johnny. What a perfect phrase! Follow that with Herb's clear discomfort of having to listen to T.J. play, or obliviousness that it would be rude to drink two of the six beers you brought as a present to a party. That may only be topped by the loungey preparation he takes in entering Jennifer's bedroom for the first time.

I don't want to finish without talking about the scene at the elevator where Jennifer and T.J. come clean to each other. The very simple inclusion of one guy standing there waiting for them to be through with their argument injects all the humour in what could have been a very flat reading of exposition. That guy is Buzz Sapien, who was the stage manager of the show.

Other notes - um, this is a show about a ROCK radio station and this is clearly a COUNTRY artist singing a COUNTRY song? Why is Les so excited about Johnny and Jennifer being married? He sees conspiracy in everything, but this he doesn't question?

If you've liked these blog posts, or you have anything to say about them, please feel free to leave a comment. Let me know you're out there!

Roy