Writers: Michael Fairman and Richard Sanders
Director: Rod Daniel
Original Air Date: March 31, 1980
Welcome to Season Three of "WKRP in Cincinnati" which begins in, of all places... Cincinnati!
You may also have noticed this episode aired a full seven months since season two ended. Both of these things happened as a results of a Actors' Strike in Hollywood in the summer of 1980. Actors' wanted a piece of the newly emerging "videocassette" revenue stream, among other things. All TV and movie production went into hiatus. Actors were not allowed to work by their union.
But writers and film crews could still work. So Richard Sanders, who played Les Nesman, and his writing partner Michael Fairman (who is also an actor - he played the shopkeeper in the "Turkey's Away" episode as well as Buddy) got special permission to film their scenes for this episode in Cincinnati because they were also the writers. That also explains why the rest of the cast is filmed in just two sets (bullpen and control room) tightly and quickly. The strike ended October 25 and this episode was on the air on November 1st!
Oddly, the final episode of season two was also written by Sanders and Fairman and both episodes place a certain focus on needing therapy. I counted six separate occasions in this episode in which psychological therapy is either suggested for Les, or he is outright called crazy. When I look back at episodes written by Richard Sanders, I can't really tell how he feels about his own character. I think he thinks Les needs help and that he could do something "crazy" at any moment.
I see Les more as a frustrated "doer." He wants to get things done and solve problems. He sees WPIG getting ahead of WKRP in traffic reporting and he wants to DO something about it. He's frustrated management hasn't gotten him the helicopter they promised him two years ago. So he solves the problem by getting a crop duster to fly him over the city. Problem solved, right?
It's strange and random to see where Les applies this "talent." He's prepared to stand up against his bosses to put his career and life in danger. But he can't stand up to pilot Buddy over paying for a cup of coffee.
Buddy is kinda crazy too, and not just because he threatens to take Les and himself down in a murder/suicide pact. On one hand, he criticizes the government, saying "the President's plan of a controlled recession seems to have gotten out of hand" (which is a great line to just drop into conversation) but on the other hand he is fiercely patriotic and proud of the role he played in the war.
One of the most impressive shots ever filmed on this show is from Les' point of view, in which, as Les approaches the airplane on Veteran's Day, he is wiping his glasses. Then we see as he puts them back on, the airplane, with Buddy in full dress uniform, come into focus. It literally refocuses Buddy from a greedy crop duster to a war hero, literally in Les' eyes. That must have been a stage direction in the script as Rod Daniel, in the many WKRP episode he has directed, has never made another shot like that.
The bulk of the show is taken up with the fact that Buddy is upset nobody is remembering Veteran's Day (and it is "Veteran's Day" in November in the US) and his efforts to remind the people of Cincinnati. He takes off to the tune of The Who's "Had Enough" featuring the line "I've had enough of being nice." As he is buzzing the city, we take in a lot of the sites in Cincinnati, including Riverfront Stadium and Fountain Square. This will be the most we ever see of the city outside of the title sequence, but from what I've been able to learn, the producers had been hoping to show more of the city at a later time because Cincinnati had been so supportive of the show.
The rest of the WRKP staff comes together to help Buddy (and save Les' life) when Johnny calls them all in to plan a parade. What's most interesting here for us is a glimpse into what the staff does on a day off of work just by what they're wearing. Andy was playing football for the Baptists. Jennifer was horseback riding. Bailey was jogging, maybe? Herb was barbecuing with his family in his Kiss the Cook apron (which will get a surprising amount of play in upcoming episodes). Venus is a Boy Scout leader and Mr. Carlson is just in a casual sweater. Johnny is of course working.
The episode ends with Mr. Carlson commenting on a city that blew their car horns to save a crazy newsman and honour its veterans, and that would breed a group of people like the WKRP staff... "Strange town, Cincinnati."
Roy
Other Notes: The show makes a lot of fun that the name has changed to Veteran's Day from Armistice Day, but that happened back in 1954. Armed Forces Day is in May. Because of the Actor's Strike, it was difficult to find anybody to go up in the plane who looked like Les, so all of those stunts actually do feature Richard Sanders flying over the city! Interesting the producers were willing to feature a Who song so prominently less than a year after the concert tragedy. At one point it is said that WKRP has "2000 listeners, tops." The population of Cincinnati in 1980 was 385,000. That is less that 1/2 of 1%!
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