February 23, 2017
Writer: Peter Torokvei and Steven Kampmann
Director: Rod Daniel
Original Air Date: January 14, 1980
^^^FAMOUSLY FUNNY^^^
And now a word about Bert Parks!
Bert Parks had been a game show host and announcer on radio and television since the late 1940's, but his greatest claim to fame was as the host of the Miss America pageant from 1955 to 1979. Upon crowning the winner, he would serenade her with "Here She Comes, Miss America." Today, beauty pageants are not that popular so it's difficult to think of the Miss America Pageant as being Must Watch annual viewing for the whole family. But it was! And Bert Park was the smiling host for 29 years. So when Parks first walks into the WKRP lobby and the audience roars with applause, there is a real reason for it. Parks was legitimately the biggest guest star WKRP had ever had to that time. (Yes, even more famous than Sparky Anderson or Michael DeBarres)
Add the fact that this fellow was famous for lightly flirting with beauty contestants made his casting as Herbert R. Tarlek SENIOR even more on-the nose.
And now a word about the "WKRP in Cincinnati Complete Series Boxset" on which this blog is based. For some reason I can't determine, the sound on this single episode is "unsweetened." I didn't know what that term meant until I tried to research this episode, but it means that there is no laugh track added after the recording. Because what was aired (and what actually went into syndication) was, and was always meant to be "sweetened," the audience was not mic'd. This is all a very long way of saying there is very little laughter or audience noise at all in the episode.
That's significant, because there are some depressing notes being played here and the lack of laughter actually makes the episode play more like a drama.
The silence is first very noticeable in the scene where Herb senior is selling Carlson fake Japanese indian jewelery. The audience should be laughing at the obvious hucksterism except we just sadly watch poor Mr. Carlson getting robbed. It comes across as mean rather than silly. Herb sr. meets the staff and slightly insults each of them while smiling, for example telling Les to seek professional help. Without the laugh track, we are insulted in behalf of the characters we know.
It is interesting to watch how the staff take to Herb senior. They tolerate him and respect him in a way they never do his son. He chums around with the DJs while playing Liars' Poker (a scene which has made this writer check the serial numbers on his dollar bills since I was 12 years old). Jennifer is charmed by the older man's advances (that just may be out of habit for her character). He even flirts with Bailey. As we learn more about Herb sr, the staff learns more about Herb jr. By the end of the episode, the DJs are hanging out a little bit with Herb, even if he ruins it by cheating at Liars' Poker.
Most importantly, we learn about Herb R. Taklek jr. The man who starts the episode arguing with Andy that "in advertising, tasteless sells" is revealed as someone who will go to great lengths for his family. We might laugh when he uses the line about being able to buy the little things for his family to explain away why he would raffle off his paycheque. On the other hand, he has made the decision to not go on the road selling. He goes home to that family every night, and most of that $1000 probably would have gone to the family. Not all, because this is still Herb, but most. In the bullpen scene, in which son confronts father, he says "When I remember you, I remember you were never home."
But very differently from a lot of kids who might have resented this in their father, Herb admires him. No, Herb idolizes him. He can't even bring himself to put his hands on his father's shoulders. He has tried to imitate his father almost every way; from the suits and fast talking to cutting deals on the side. I can't think of another show that did this, certainly in 1980. Remember this was an age when very basic psychology was being introduced as explicit motivations for TV characters (shows like M*A*S*H.) Fathers, if mentioned at all, were resented or hated. Herb truly loves his Dad and, at the very end, his Dad reveals he loves his son. The one thing Herb jr. is trying to improve upon his father his being home for his kids.
"Pop? I'm good. I can sell! I mean, me? I'm really pretty good!"
Something we realize in this episode is that Herb really can sell, if he's interested in selling. Selling Shady Hills to take his father back? He could do that, so much so that it impresses his father. Selling his paycheque, which in 1980 might have been $500 for two weeks work? He doubled his money. Selling airtime on a rock and roll station? Whatever.
Other Notes: Bert Parks would have been 67 years old when this was filmed. Herb notes that his father was suppose to pretend he was 70 for the Shady Hills people. There are a couple of scenes that were shortened in syndication, specifically when Les comes back to Jennifer's desk and she tells him she "likes a man of few words." We never hear about collecting salt and pepper shakers again. Regular story editors Torokvei and Kampmann were the writers on this episode.
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