You know, WKRP was a great show. There was something about those 70's t.v. comedies that were just so damn endearing. What a good actor Howard Hesseman was. In this scene especially he portrays comedic brilliance and pathos at the same time. It just flashes across his face. I heard that the actors on WKRP really loved each other and it shows. This was considered mad-cap comedy in its time, but I see a calmness, a kind of measured dignity in these people. Maybe that's the difference between now and then- universal crassness.
I loved the episode where Jonny Fever and Venus Flytrap drink to show just how alcohol impairs your reflexes. But as Johnny drank more his reflexes improved. So finally the State Trooper who was testing him gave up and downed a big brink of whiskey himself. You just can’t beat that kind of comedy.
My fav episode was when Fever thought the phone cops were after him. He said something along the lines of: Everybody is out to get you--so paranoia is just good thinking.
Yes! This is my favorite episode too, and I'm surprised at how few recognize it when I describe the on-air reflex test. This, and the Hoyt Axton episode, where Johnny exclaims to Jennifer that "THE CHIPS ARE FALLING! CHIPS ARE FALLING!!" Most say the Thanksgiving episode is their favorite, because it seems to be the only one they really remember... a classic for sure, but not the only episode on their pinnacle
I know everyone remembers the crazy Thanksgiving episode, but this show was full of great comedy and, like MASH, a number of thoughtful moments, too. One of the best shows ever.
Less Nessmen was on scene reporting on it, (o the humanity) but I think Arthur Carlton actually said "as God as my witness I thought turkeys could fly"
My high school was the one of the few with an on campus radio station. This was 1978. I was a lunch time DJ which was fifty minutes with no commercials. Every girl in the school had a favorite song so I was pretty popular then! I was cool with every gang because if you wanted your jam played you had be cool with the DJs! Our radio teacher mr Yates would let us watch WKRP in class and then we would talk about what took place on the show. All the stuff we learned like cueing up records is all obsolete now. It was an awesome class. Great experience and lots of kids from that class went on to work at local stations. Mr Yates was a legend.
I was a high school DJ, too. My big break was when I segued a pair of songs in front of my program director. I got two nights, while other kids didn't even rate one. That world no longer exists.
She is, she is. I remember how Jennifer described her when she was defending everyone at the station: And Bailey; the beautiful, beautiful shy sister with the brains.
I remember when they would play whole album sides during the day! And they played them in their entirety overnights. Also miss shows like the King Biscuit Flour Hour where you could hear live music.
Watching this show as a boy led me to a career as a radio DJ, and just like Dr. Johnny Fever, the day I got the hell out of a "lite FM" station and began hosting my own classic rock show on a rival station, IT WAS GLORIOUS!
After this first show, I was hooked. Never befor or since, did I ever religiously watch a show. Just brilliant. From actors to writters to producers. Magic.
Not that I have reason to doubt you in particular but man, if everybody who says they religiously watched WKRP did, it would have lasted 10 seasons. ;)
@@katherineberger6329 I’m more so a fan of it from syndication (I was born in 1982). I first watched it when I was 8 years old when I didn’t know what it was. I got to appreciate it more as an adult seeing how great of a show it was. It’s easy to see why did well in syndication.
RIP Howard Hesseman. Although I saw the show for the first time years ago on MeTV, Howard was the perfect actor to play Dr. Johnny Fever. Rest in peace.
I went to college for a "communications media" degree because I wanted to be Dr. Johnny Fever. As soon as I found out that all the music was pre programmed crap, I dropped out. Reagan cutting off the JTPA funding that was helping me pay for it was also a big factor.
Been there too. Worked at an AM daytime beautiful music station, back in the day. I put the first track of a LP one morning, put my head down, then looking up, I saw the last track was fading out. Played straight through network news, weather and sports. Tried to save face by coming on and saying the last half hour was brought to you by me... beautiful music for beautiful people. The boss didn't buy it.
It looks like Johnny is gonna spin some Cat Stevens as his second song in this clip. I'm guessing he would have played either 'Can't Keep it In' or 'Ready' or maybe 'Another Saturday Night' - all three of which were on the album he grabbed. Interested to know which of Cat's songs you radio guys think he would have picked.
@@Mozart1220 Yet another gem Reagan left behind. He also killed the music programs across the US with the 81-82 tax cuts. Ronnie is burning in hell, hopefully right now.
To think, when they offered him a role to audition for, it was for Herb. But Hesseman saw the character of Johnny in the script they provided, and he liked it.
You know the story behind that? Shooting the first episode, the actor got a real boo-boo somehow and they just put a Bandaid on it, no big deal. They decided to make it an Easter egg in every episode after that.
Surely you don't remember the episode where Les gets set up with a lovely escort by Herb? And SHE calls Les not long after the date. And also, before Jennifer and Les sit down and J explains things. He was so cute.
RIP DJF. You were one of those few human beings that should never grow old. Now if we could only get the original music back for scenes like this classic.
At the time this TV show came out I was living & listening to what was credited as being the second-ever free-form, underground FM radio station. As one of their "disc jerkies" said next day on the air day after the first show, "whoever wrote this obviously had some knowledge about the inner workings of a radio station". WKRP was wild & crazy then, still wild & crazy all these years later.😎
The late, great Hugh Wilson was a sales exec at WQXI in Atlanta. He based a lot of WKRP on his experiences there. Johnny was based on "Skinny" Bobby Harper, a long time DJ in Atlanta.
@@syvyn11 when I got involved in college radio in the mid 2000s playing death and black metal, it was a problem even then. I was all about the radio being a free speech and expression zone for anything, metal, live reggae, acapela, talk, whatever. So long as it came from the heart. But the "student Government" kept wanting to cut funding and make us play top 40, you know the crap you can hear anywhere, and that I didn't know anyone who actually liked it.
Joe Stephan This is just my opinion. The same building that they filmed WKRP in was the same building that The greatest rock and roll radio station Ever The Mighty Met KMET 94.7 was broadcasting out of. I always thought that one of them was copying the other. There are several videos here on you tube about KMET you should check them out. And as they used to say on KMET WWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This has been edited, the original song was "Queen of the Forest" by Ted Nugent. WKRP played real songs by real bands but all the record labels don't allow that anymore unless they get outrageous money. This is why WKRP is rarely seen in reruns and when it is the music is edited.
And that totally sucked......the original music was extremely important to the show, and in several cases the song was handpicked to go along with a specific scene (ie Les Nessman's date preparation)......instead they used the "generic rock" sounds and more or less ruined it. The show itself (cast and writing) is still great....but losing the original music was a shame.
The DVD set has almost all of the original songs on them. "Queen of the Forest" does play on the DVD, in the US anyway... I've watched all of them and except for a few changes (The Eagles "The Long Run" for one) they are there.
If you look at the turntable at the end right after he says Booger, the needle is literally on the paper center of the record. It's not playing anything but noise. They reshot that scene or something.
I "found" the complete season somewhere on video tape. Not the best quality, but ORIGINAL music. That's what upset me with the reruns...the music was CRAP.
My Dad didn't like the series much, but loved that show. He was a part-time police officer and a pair of local judges, Pike and Bierce, had a similar exhibition for area law enforcement. They chose Dad to be the heaviest drinker, since he had been on the wagon for about a decade. Unlike Johnny, he didn't get faster, but after drinking all the booze alotted to him, he didn't get loose. The breathalyzer showed that he should have been sloppy drunk. Judge Pike said it was because Dad had been a Marine and their natural state is intoxicated.
Yup, noticed it too, and also noticed that Johnny Fever noticed when he looked right at it... kudos to him for staying in character! You'll also notice the tone arm sort of slides around on the record when he first put it down, so I think there might have been a problem with the needle or cartridge.
Rest in peace Doctor! He will always be a great memory and a part of my young life. Every thanksgiving we watch the Great Turkey drop, such a gift. .......Thank you Howard..... Peace from California
RIP Dr Johnny Fever. I will always remember watching syndicated reruns of WKRP as an infant and a child in the 80s (born in Dec 1982). I know he says "hello fellow babies" upon arrival in Heaven. Now together with Mr Carlson and Herb Tarlek. Say hello to Jimi Hendrix for us.
What's interesting about the casting of Howard Hesseman as Dr. Johnny Fever for this show was that he really was a DJ on the old hippie KSAN-FM in San Francisco in 1967 before he went to Hollywood and broke into TV and movies. You may remember him in a few episodes of the late 60s "Dragnet." His stage name in those days was Don Sturdy.
Singer-songwriter Tom Russell, who has had a bunch of hits, was a "disc jerky" on that waco Santa Cruz station KPIG when his career hit a "dip". Passing thru the area years later he dropped in and did a couple of his songs live on the air. He was going at "Who's gonna build your wall?" with so much gusto a clock fell off the wall and hit him on the head! With KPIG-FM being one of the very last free form stations on the air, it fit so perfectly!!!
i remember him in 'dragnet' playing a hippie intellectual type in an episode that was supposed to be a talk show debate with the police. one of my favourite episodes.
I've seen this first part in real life. I used to write commercials, so I'd go to various radio stations, just to get the tones of their DJs, listen to their shows, and so forth. I met one jock who was a Top 40 DJ working in a country and western station. I went on one day of their format change. The jock's whole personality and personal morale changed because the new management decided to change the format after the Noon news. (I'd never heard of it. Most format changes I'd experienced happened at midnight or something.) It's as if the jock came back to life when he flipped the switch after the news guy outro'ed. I'd never seen a guy so happy.
I remember my grandmother driving me to school one morning in the late 1970s, and "her" easy listening station changed to a disco format at 8AM. She wasn't pleased...
@@hankkingsley2976 maybe it's just me, but I never liked "exciting" Country DJs. It just doesn't fit well with Loretta Lynn singing "Coal Miner's Daughter" or Charlie Rich singing "The Most Beautiful Girl".
Howard Hesseman as Dr Johnny Fever, Jan Smithers as Bailey Quarters, Tim Reid as Venus Flytrap, Loni Anderson as Jennifer Marlowe, Richard Sanders as Les Nessman, Frank Bonner as Herb Tarlek, Gordon Jump as Arthur Carlson & Gary Sandy as Andy Travis were all just perfect on "WKRP In Cincinnati" 👍
They were all great, including the brilliant Tim Reid as Gordon Sims/Venus Flytrap and the criminally underrated Richard Sanders as Les Nessman. Some of the best scenes are those featuring Johnny, Venus, and Les.
@@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co Tim Reid as Gordon Simms / Venus Flytrap had mixed feelings at first, but he actually came to like his character on "WKRP In Cincinnati" because of his friendship with series creator Hugh Wilson.
I absolutely 💖LOVED💖 this show. I believe I seen every episode at least 3 times. The cast played every character perfect to create excellent, clean comedy. It's a shame how Father Time takes his toll on us all. I still like to watch the full episodes on You~Tube and find on many occasions watching a few episodes of a morning can turn those drag~ass, hum~drum days into more brighter and productive days. May Arthur Carlson, Herb Tarlek, and Doctor Johnny Fever always rest in peace and thank them all for all the years of laughter and brighter days!!!
God Bless you Dr.Johnny Fever ....you kept me laughing during those late 70s and early 80s. I enjoyed WKRP so much and you kept us Rocking ....smile . May God keep you in his Love ,Grace ,and Compassion....Keep on Rocking ...You are Missed ...
My son and I have some great memories from watching this show. I was working in Cincinnati when this show was popular. There were so many great shows that I can't pick a favorite. RI Power Howard and keep on spinning those records.
So sad that he passed away. I watched the show all the time, mainly for Loni Anderson but all the characters on the show made it great. RIP Dr. Johnny Fever, we will miss you.
All us fellow babies miss you Doctor Fever!! You’ve given us rock n roll that soothes a soul!! Btw the original music is edited out in this! The actual song playing was Queen of the Forest by Ted Nugent!! THE NUGGEEE!!!
Up here in Canada, 11 year old me would come home from school and pour a big bowl of corn flakes and turn on the CBC to learn about life with Dr Johnny Fever. Thanks for the memories! RIP
Absolutely brilliant!!!!!! Amazing cast and scripts!! I will always appreciate the laughs and happiness Howard and Frank (with the rest of the cast) brought to me and my family. They are dearly missed! Thoughts and prayers to the Hesseman and Bonner family.
Lost a hero this weekend. --- I credit TWO television characters with RADICALLY IMPACTING my life. The 1st was Hawkeye Pierce of M*A*S*H, for the humor he brought, his empathy, and the way he championed the underdog. The 2nd was Dr. Johnny Fever of WKRP in Cincinnati. When I was 10 years old, that show made me want to be on the radio. 14 years later, I did it. Still am...all around the world. Since then, my life has been a consistent infusion of both of these characters. Which brings me great joy. 10 years on the radio. 7 years stand-up comedy. 17 years (so far) as a humorous, positivity speaker 28 years as an event DJ 2 recording studios Thank you, Howard Hesseman, for the life you breathed into Dr. Johnny Fever. This scene ranks among my favorite televised moments, ever. As you pass through the Pearly Gates to gather your wings, I hope you will lean back to St. Peter and say... "BOOGER!"
I drive a semi, and I do most of my shopping at night (well, I did back when the Wal-Marts were 24 hours). And at 2-3am the Walmarts are sometimes "interesting". That's when the crazies are scheduled to clean the floors and stock the shelves, lol.
Often, we see things on tv, and have no concept of how that moment will impact our lives forever. I grew up in KY, 60 miles from Cincinnati. Everyone looked up to Cincinnati as the BIG CITY that was closest to us. As a kid, when WKRP in Cincinnati came on, even though it was filmed in LA, it was SET in Cincinnati, and that seemed like the coolest thing in the world to me. It showed me, that we could have Show business..HERE ..where we lived. So I got into Radio, thinking I would spend my whole career in KY. I got fired from my first radio job for playing a burp sound effect on the air. Much like Johnny Fever got fired in LA, for saying “Booger” on the air. So, just as Johnny says “Booger” at his new job, I in turn , would play a burp sound effect on the air, First thing, at every new job I got. Including on air in LA and New York City. I eventually worked at a station in Cincinnati, 102.7 WEBN. And everytime I would drive across the Ohio River bridge to work there, I would sing , loudly the WKRP theme song. This moment of the show is where Andy Travis just told Johnny Carevello, to change the format from Elevator Music, to Rock n Roll. Johnny hesitates, AFRAID. Then he says “Do it!” And let’s it rip! MANY times in my life, I jumped ahead of the game, by JUST DOING IT ANYWAY! I got my first radio job by YELLING at a radio float in a Parade. I got jobs at WKQQ, and WQMF by showing up at appearances the Program Directors were doing and asking them for a job. I got a job at KGB San Diego by driving all the way across the country and showing up to say HI. I got a job as a Board-op at KLSX ..Los Angeles ...and worked my way on air, to have my own show. I did that, when a Host didn’t come to work, so instead of playing a tape like I was SUPPOSED to do, I just said “Do it!” And went on the air MYSELF with a partner and we hosted our own show...in LA...without permission. Luckily, we were really funny, so management liked it, and put us on regularly. Later, Skibba my partner and I, traveled to New York to be on Sirius Satelite Radio, and then crash the Howard Stern Show as guests. We had NO PERMISSION. We just did it. We crashed Howards’ Show. Sirius. And then later that day we marched into CBS Radio’s Corporate headquarters and asked to speak to the Boss. And WE DID!! That stunt put us on their radar, and over a year later, they brought us to New York, and we were on the air there. What a jump!!! From board op in LA, to On-Air Host in New York City!!! So, in this VERY INFLUENTIAL clip, you see the moment Johnny creates his new persona...DOCTOR JOHNNY FEVER. But more than just HIS character was born....MY character was being born....Dangerous Dick. I just didn’t know it at the time.
This is an amazing story. I started out at my local radio station when I was 14. And loved every minute of it. I DJ'd all the way through high school and college, and then got back into it many years later. I was there when my local station automated. I was a computer nerd, so I was stoked to be able to help them install the ESP 1 automation system. It was an old mechanical system with carousels for the cart machines, and four 11 inch reel to reel decks for music. After that all I got to do was program the damn thing and watch. Until one Saturday when I'd had enough. I'd been playing with it, and figured out how to run the remote control in the booth, and how the songs were laid out on the tapes. The owner/GM turned it on to find, instead of the voice guy who tracked it on air, his 17 year old DJ, going to town. I was going from reel to reel to a spot set on the carts, to my voice and back to a reel for music, all manually. Needless to say he was NOT happy. He did however understand. and he gave me Saturday evenings to air live. That would never, ever happen today.
@@JimDean002 Both of your stories are so cool. This show inspired me as well, (but, to be behind the scenes, like Andy or Bailey). My ambitions ultimately took me in a different direction. Yet I have always wondered... and, happily it sounds, like it really _would have_ been great to have been there in those days.
I got an unpaid gig at a radio station (I won't mention which) and got canned because I ordered a pizza on the air. I was pretty much alone late at night, a friend worked at Godfathers and I asked him to bring me a pizza in return for a couple records they were giving away because they were going from vinyl to CD. Apparently I violated some FCC rule...they never really explained in detail.
Love WEBN and WQMF still listen when I can pick them up in Southern Indiana. In 1995 a station in Louisville had just changed formats to Rock. Right in the middle of "Hotel California" when the song pauses, the DJ inserted the longest belch I'd ever heard! I was laughing so hard, I had to pull over my pickup truck.
You, sir, have lived my dream life. When I was a teenager, I knew that whatever I did with my life, I just wanted to make people smile and I didn't want to use anything I'd ever learned in HS. Unfortunately I graduated in the mid-90s, the start of slow corporate seepage into local radio markets. I realized that the days, or nights rather, of one man with a pot of coffee, a stack of wax, and a lone microphone were on the way out. But I do have a radio voice I put to good use whenever someone calls me at work: "K-105 request line! Whaddya wanna hear?"
As soon as I heard he passed away, I went outside and screamed "Booger!" in his memory.
I love that…wish I’d thought of it. 💖😇
Boooogah!
RIP Howard Hesseman. You and WKRP were huge influences on me getting into college radio in the 80s. Thank you.
NO WAY!
2022 SUCKS SO FAR
@@ekop1778 What a Minute. Is this Comment how you're Hearing about His Death???
F*** 2022!
That sucks he just died yesterday!
Rip Howard
Boooooooger!
RIP - the Doctor is out...way out...and will remain hilarious forever. God speed Dr. Fever.
Spinnin' platters in the Great Hereafter.
BOOGER!!!!!
I miss this show , I want to go back to the 80s
You know, WKRP was a great show. There was something about those 70's t.v. comedies that were just so damn endearing. What a good actor Howard Hesseman was. In this scene especially he portrays comedic brilliance and pathos at the same time. It just flashes across his face. I heard that the actors on WKRP really loved each other and it shows. This was considered mad-cap comedy in its time, but I see a calmness, a kind of measured dignity in these people. Maybe that's the difference between now and then- universal crassness.
@@davidfuller4110 well that's not going to happen so find things in the present to enjoy.
I will never not LOVE that scene. The point where Johnny has that evil chuckle while setting up the record always gets me. Hessman's a genius.
I loved the episode where Jonny Fever and Venus Flytrap drink to show just how alcohol impairs your reflexes. But as Johnny drank more his reflexes improved. So finally the State Trooper who was testing him gave up and downed a big brink of whiskey himself. You just can’t beat that kind of comedy.
My favorite vignette from this all too short-lived show. Always wondered how that episode went over in the law enforcement ranks.
My favorite episode.
Loved that episode!
My fav episode was when Fever thought the phone cops were after him. He said something along the lines of: Everybody is out to get you--so paranoia is just good thinking.
Yes! This is my favorite episode too, and I'm surprised at how few recognize it when I describe the on-air reflex test. This, and the Hoyt Axton episode, where Johnny exclaims to Jennifer that "THE CHIPS ARE FALLING! CHIPS ARE FALLING!!"
Most say the Thanksgiving episode is their favorite, because it seems to be the only one they really remember... a classic for sure, but not the only episode on their pinnacle
I know everyone remembers the crazy Thanksgiving episode, but this show was full of great comedy and, like MASH, a number of thoughtful moments, too. One of the best shows ever.
It didn’t run enough seasons.
Oh, the humanity!!!!!
"God as my witness I thought turkeys could fly !"
The other great one was the 2 part episode that dealt with a bomb scare and Johnny thinking that the phone police were after him.
The two best episodes.
Rest In Peace, Dr. Johnny Fever and Howard Hesseman.
RIP Dr. Johnny Fever. I can't count how many great moments this show had. You'll be missed.
He has to look at his coffee cup to figure out what his name is in that market. That gets me every time.
"As God is my witness.....I thought turkeys could fly."
Greatest moment in TV history.
Ah, yes, Les Nessman....
Wild turkeys actually can, at least for short distances.
Always remember you get more with less... Nessman that is...
And taken from a real life incident involving Alice Cooper and a chicken.
Less Nessmen was on scene reporting on it, (o the humanity) but I think Arthur Carlton actually said "as God as my witness I thought turkeys could fly"
My high school was the one of the few with an on campus radio station. This was 1978. I was a lunch time DJ which was fifty minutes with no commercials. Every girl in the school had a favorite song so I was pretty popular then! I was cool with every gang because if you wanted your jam played you had be cool with the DJs! Our radio teacher mr Yates would let us watch WKRP in class and then we would talk about what took place on the show. All the stuff we learned like cueing up records is all obsolete now. It was an awesome class. Great experience and lots of kids from that class went on to work at local stations. Mr Yates was a legend.
I was a high school DJ, too. My big break was when I segued a pair of songs in front of my program director. I got two nights, while other kids didn't even rate one.
That world no longer exists.
Baily is outstandingly beautiful.
She is, she is. I remember how Jennifer described her when she was defending everyone at the station: And Bailey; the beautiful, beautiful shy sister with the brains.
I was just out of my teens, and Bailey was my favorite. I identified with her. Jennifer had all the pretty clothes, but hey.
@@sealyoness Bailey is the reason why I cannot turn my head away from slim brunettes with big glasses and long bangs.
I had it for her even before I hit puberty.
Loni Anderson was hot, but if I'd been forced to make a choice, Bailey all day long. Jan Smithers was just gorgeous.
"give it to me straight Dr. I can take it", one of the best lines. I say it all the time.
Watching Dr. Fever makes me miss what radio used to be, and hate what it's become.
Now it's dirty jokes, and stupid commentary.
And the same 10-15 sings on various orders...
@@caronstout354 Probably all RAP, too
I remember when they would play whole album sides during the day! And they played them in their entirety overnights.
Also miss shows like the King Biscuit Flour Hour where you could hear live music.
There could be too much talk back then. WCOZ used to brag "where we don't talk over your rock".
Dr. Johnny Fever signing off..Rest in Peace Howard.
A nd Amen
Watching this show as a boy led me to a career as a radio DJ, and just like Dr. Johnny Fever, the day I got the hell out of a "lite FM" station and began hosting my own classic rock show on a rival station, IT WAS GLORIOUS!
did you say Booogeeee
@@supersevenn *Booo-ger
Music that's safe for the whole family. Snore.
I wish he could awake from the dead. He was so funny
BOOGER!!!!!
Him and Betty white and the full house dad
I so agree, I miss him; before he became that grumpy military guy. He did an amazing job in Jericho, though so.
Police Academy 2!!!😄
@@toms4442 Yeah baby!
After this first show, I was hooked. Never befor or since, did I ever religiously watch a show. Just brilliant. From actors to writters to producers. Magic.
Yes.!
I have all the seasons on DVD
CBS change time and day of WKRP 11 times .
Not that I have reason to doubt you in particular but man, if everybody who says they religiously watched WKRP did, it would have lasted 10 seasons. ;)
@@katherineberger6329 I’m more so a fan of it from syndication (I was born in 1982). I first watched it when I was 8 years old when I didn’t know what it was. I got to appreciate it more as an adult seeing how great of a show it was. It’s easy to see why did well in syndication.
The way Hessman says “Bailey you’ve come to feed me.” Always cracks me up... : )
Reminds me of " Little Shop of Horrors" 😂😂😂
Right after the Shady Rest Home ad asks “What will happen to me when I can no longer feed myself?”
Rest in peace Howard, you gave us more than we deserved. thanks for everything Doc.
The bit where Johnny mouths the line from the choir piece..."right now" is just brilliant...
RIP Howard...this was my favorite show when I was younger...the Turkey Drop and the Sobriety Test are classics!
Never forget: the Phone Cops, man!
RIP, Howard Hesseman. And thanks for the great memories.
RIP Howard Hesseman. Although I saw the show for the first time years ago on MeTV, Howard was the perfect actor to play Dr. Johnny Fever. Rest in peace.
RIP Howard. I read he was a DJ long before WKRP. It sure shows. So talented. Missed by millions.
It still pulls at my heartstrings when Johnny says "you need somebody younger. About 15 years younger."
Travis knows a sure bet when he sees it!
RIP Howard Hesseman, who improvised the bulk of his 'on-air" patter. BOOGER!!
I was 12 when this show came out (I never missed an episode)... now I'm as old as Mr. Carlson was at the time of filming. Still love WKRP, though! :)
Once in awhile a cast is pure genius.
I worked in radio. And this is all very accurate. I have laid my head on the console many times.
I went to college for a "communications media" degree because I wanted to be Dr. Johnny Fever. As soon as I found out that all the music was pre programmed crap, I dropped out.
Reagan cutting off the JTPA funding that was helping me pay for it was also a big factor.
Been there too. Worked at an AM daytime beautiful music station, back in the day. I put the first track of a LP one morning, put my head down, then looking up, I saw the last track was fading out. Played straight through network news, weather and sports. Tried to save face by coming on and saying the last half hour was brought to you by me... beautiful music for beautiful people. The boss didn't buy it.
It looks like Johnny is gonna spin some Cat Stevens as his second song in this clip. I'm guessing he would have played either 'Can't Keep it In' or 'Ready' or maybe 'Another Saturday Night' - all three of which were on the album he grabbed. Interested to know which of Cat's songs you radio guys think he would have picked.
...with the small exception that he's playing the label. Very accurate as I've done that too!!!
@@Mozart1220 Yet another gem Reagan left behind. He also killed the music programs across the US with the 81-82 tax cuts. Ronnie is burning in hell, hopefully right now.
WKRP had an outstanding, true ensemble cast across the board -- but that said, Johnny/Howard Hesseman was really the key to the whole thing.
@J Harkenreader yup the best episode, #2 for me though was the bomb scare at WKRP's transmission tower when a few of them did a show from there !
To think, when they offered him a role to audition for, it was for Herb. But Hesseman saw the character of Johnny in the script they provided, and he liked it.
Howard was brilliant in his role of Johnny Fever!
@J Harkenreader I really thought the best line was, As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly
@@MrManfly "the phone cops"!
And that folks......is what radio is all about.
One of the best shows ever
RIP Dr. Johnny Fever! He truly will be missed!
Rest In Peace Howard Hesseman, thank you for the laughter!!!! 💗
Les Nessman's slow descent into madness over the course of the show was hilarious. Remember the random Bandaid somewhere on him every day?
You know the story behind that? Shooting the first episode, the actor got a real boo-boo somehow and they just put a Bandaid on it, no big deal. They decided to make it an Easter egg in every episode after that.
Always waited to see where the band aid would appear next.
@@PowellPhD The producers considered the band aid a good luck charm of sorts.
@@PowellPhD Now that you mention it, there IS a bandage involved...
Surely you don't remember the episode where Les gets set up with a lovely escort by Herb? And SHE calls Les not long after the date. And also, before Jennifer and Les sit down and J explains things. He was so cute.
RIP DJF. You were one of those few human beings that should never grow old. Now if we could only get the original music back for scenes like this classic.
This show was a real gem. Great writing, funny lines and the perfect cast to deliver them.
RIP Doctor. You were the king.
RIP, Fever. Thank you for the great memories!
Loved the show-I was a senior in high school when it debuted. It was our un-official "homework" assignment in our mass media class to watch WKRP
At the time this TV show came out I was living & listening to what was credited as being the second-ever free-form, underground FM radio station. As one of their "disc jerkies" said next day on the air day after the first show, "whoever wrote this obviously had some knowledge about the inner workings of a radio station". WKRP was wild & crazy then, still wild & crazy all these years later.😎
The late, great Hugh Wilson was a sales exec at WQXI in Atlanta. He based a lot of WKRP on his experiences there. Johnny was based on "Skinny" Bobby Harper, a long time DJ in Atlanta.
Too bad the radio industry is now sooooo automated. Thanks IHeart for driving the soul out of radio.
@@syvyn11
The days of KZAP radio will live forever.
@@syvyn11 when I got involved in college radio in the mid 2000s playing death and black metal, it was a problem even then. I was all about the radio being a free speech and expression zone for anything, metal, live reggae, acapela, talk, whatever. So long as it came from the heart. But the "student Government" kept wanting to cut funding and make us play top 40, you know the crap you can hear anywhere, and that I didn't know anyone who actually liked it.
Joe Stephan This is just my opinion. The same building that they filmed WKRP in was the same building that The greatest rock and roll radio station Ever The Mighty Met KMET 94.7 was broadcasting out of. I always thought that one of them was copying the other. There are several videos here on you tube about KMET you should check them out. And as they used to say on KMET WWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RIP, Johnny Fever! I love WKRP as much now as I did when I was a kid in the late 70's and early 80's. Love you, brother. Rock in Peace.
This has been edited, the original song was "Queen of the Forest" by Ted Nugent. WKRP played real songs by real bands but all the record labels don't allow that anymore unless they get outrageous money. This is why WKRP is rarely seen in reruns and when it is the music is edited.
And that totally sucked......the original music was extremely important to the show, and in several cases the song was handpicked to go along with a specific scene (ie Les Nessman's date preparation)......instead they used the "generic rock" sounds and more or less ruined it. The show itself (cast and writing) is still great....but losing the original music was a shame.
The DVD set has almost all of the original songs on them. "Queen of the Forest" does play on the DVD, in the US anyway... I've watched all of them and except for a few changes (The Eagles "The Long Run" for one) they are there.
If you look at the turntable at the end right after he says Booger, the needle is literally on the paper center of the record. It's not playing anything but noise. They reshot that scene or something.
Yeah, they don’t have the rights to all of that music.
I "found" the complete season somewhere on video tape. Not the best quality, but ORIGINAL music. That's what upset me with the reruns...the music was CRAP.
The most iconic scene in sitcom history that no one remembers. RIP, Doctor..
I always love the ep were they make him drink alcohol to prove how drinking is bad bad he just gets more focused
Fish Story, Season One. The episode was an outlier for them, but it was still a funny episode.
My Dad didn't like the series much, but loved that show. He was a part-time police officer and a pair of local judges, Pike and Bierce, had a similar exhibition for area law enforcement. They chose Dad to be the heaviest drinker, since he had been on the wagon for about a decade. Unlike Johnny, he didn't get faster, but after drinking all the booze alotted to him, he didn't get loose. The breathalyzer showed that he should have been sloppy drunk. Judge Pike said it was because Dad had been a Marine and their natural state is intoxicated.
"Cop's got a hat, I want a hat'
-Venus
it's useless to do the alphabet backwards on my friend cause he's only able to do it accurately when he's drunk🤔🤔😳😳😁😁🇺🇸🦅🇺🇸
@@demoor69 Thanks for the lid, Art. (after Carlson gave him a fishing hat)
After all these years, I just noticed today that the record he switched to, after he qued it up was actually playing the label in the middle!
Same here! I'm guessing they didn't want to reshoot that, he did such an awesome job.
I saw the same thing a searched the comments to see who else noticed.
Yup, noticed it too, and also noticed that Johnny Fever noticed when he looked right at it... kudos to him for staying in character! You'll also notice the tone arm sort of slides around on the record when he first put it down, so I think there might have been a problem with the needle or cartridge.
My all-time favorite TV character. So many laughs. R. I. P.
I was in high school when this was on tv. Loved all the characters, but especially Johnny Fever. He was cool without trying.
RIP Howard Hesseman ❤️
loved this show, especially Dr Johnny Fever! RIP
Rest in peace Doctor! He will always be a great memory and a part of my young life. Every thanksgiving we watch the Great Turkey drop, such a gift.
.......Thank you Howard.....
Peace from California
I remember watching this live, what a show, never missed an episode.. Inspiring fantastic comedy, too bad its gone.
A beautiful soul inside out. Rest Well Legend. Your works never die. #Johnny
RIP Dr Johnny Fever. I will always remember watching syndicated reruns of WKRP as an infant and a child in the 80s (born in Dec 1982). I know he says "hello fellow babies" upon arrival in Heaven. Now together with Mr Carlson and Herb Tarlek. Say hello to Jimi Hendrix for us.
What's interesting about the casting of Howard Hesseman as Dr. Johnny Fever for this show was that he really was a DJ on the old hippie KSAN-FM in San Francisco in 1967 before he went to Hollywood and broke into TV and movies. You may remember him in a few episodes of the late 60s "Dragnet." His stage name in those days was Don Sturdy.
He was also in Billy Jack.
He was also a teacher in Head of the Class and was Captain Lassard in Police Academy 2
Singer-songwriter Tom Russell, who has had a bunch of hits, was a "disc jerky" on that waco Santa Cruz station KPIG when his career hit a "dip". Passing thru the area years later he dropped in and did a couple of his songs live on the air. He was going at "Who's gonna build your wall?" with so much gusto a clock fell off the wall and hit him on the head! With KPIG-FM being one of the very last free form stations on the air, it fit so perfectly!!!
@@289cobra9 I was going to mention that.
i remember him in 'dragnet' playing a hippie intellectual type in an episode that was supposed to be a talk show debate with the police. one of my favourite episodes.
Let's face it dr johnny fever made this show great
he was great in all his movies as well as WKRP. He is missed
I've seen this first part in real life. I used to write commercials, so I'd go to various radio stations, just to get the tones of their DJs, listen to their shows, and so forth. I met one jock who was a Top 40 DJ working in a country and western station. I went on one day of their format change. The jock's whole personality and personal morale changed because the new management decided to change the format after the Noon news. (I'd never heard of it. Most format changes I'd experienced happened at midnight or something.) It's as if the jock came back to life when he flipped the switch after the news guy outro'ed. I'd never seen a guy so happy.
I remember my grandmother driving me to school one morning in the late 1970s, and "her" easy listening station changed to a disco format at 8AM. She wasn't pleased...
@@RonJohn63 That's funny! XD
God help you if you got stereotyped into doing country boring
@@hankkingsley2976 maybe it's just me, but I never liked "exciting" Country DJs. It just doesn't fit well with Loretta Lynn singing "Coal Miner's Daughter" or Charlie Rich singing "The Most Beautiful Girl".
Great story!
RIP Dr. Johnny Fever, We Will Never Forget You.
Such a classic. Watching thw opening scenery shows how much Cincinnati skyline has changed!! Love Johnny Fever and Venus!!
Howard Hesseman as Dr Johnny Fever, Jan Smithers as Bailey Quarters, Tim Reid as Venus Flytrap, Loni Anderson as Jennifer Marlowe, Richard Sanders as Les Nessman, Frank Bonner as Herb Tarlek, Gordon Jump as Arthur Carlson & Gary Sandy as Andy Travis were all just perfect on "WKRP In Cincinnati" 👍
They were all great, including the brilliant Tim Reid as Gordon Sims/Venus Flytrap and the criminally underrated Richard Sanders as Les Nessman. Some of the best scenes are those featuring Johnny, Venus, and Les.
@@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co Tim Reid as Gordon Simms / Venus Flytrap had mixed feelings at first, but he actually came to like his character on "WKRP In Cincinnati" because of his friendship with series creator Hugh Wilson.
Please, don't forget the contributions of the criminally underrated Frank Bonner as Herb Tarlek.
And the work of the always brilliant Edie McLurg, "Uhuh, uhuh!"
You forgot Jennifer Marlowe (Loni Anderson). She was one of my favorite characters on the sitcom...
One of my favorite scenes from WKRP. RIP Howard....
One of my favorite shows of all time.This show was very well written and absolutely hilarious. God i miss the 70's and 80's !
Ok boomer
Thanks for the laughs Mr. Howard. U made my days so much more merrier during some very hard times. RIP Sir!!!
Thanks for all the smiles and gut busting laughs through the years. You will be fondly remembered.
I absolutely 💖LOVED💖 this show. I believe I seen every episode at least 3 times. The cast played every character perfect to create excellent, clean comedy. It's a shame how Father Time takes his toll on us all. I still like to watch the full episodes on You~Tube and find on many occasions watching a few episodes of a morning can turn those drag~ass, hum~drum days into more brighter and productive days. May Arthur Carlson, Herb Tarlek, and Doctor Johnny Fever always rest in peace and thank them all for all the years of laughter and brighter days!!!
The Doctor passed away today, but he will always live forever in my mind. 🤟
I grew up in Cinci, LOVED & love this show! This was an outstanding scene!
God Bless you Dr.Johnny Fever ....you kept me laughing during those late 70s and early 80s. I enjoyed WKRP so much and you kept us Rocking ....smile . May God keep you in his Love ,Grace ,and Compassion....Keep on Rocking ...You are Missed ...
I still remember watching this episode as it premiered. Loved it immediately and still do.
Howard Hesseman was one of a kind. R.I.P Dr Johnny Fever. You will not be forgotten. 🤘
My son and I have some great memories from watching this show. I was working in Cincinnati when this show was popular. There were so many great shows that I can't pick a favorite. RI Power Howard and keep on spinning those records.
I was rarely into sitcoms, but I loved MASH and WKRP in Cincinnati.
The TWO shows which most radically impacted my life, because of amazing writing...and two very special characters.
that was monster lineup, Mash, followed by WKRP, followed by Lou Grant
Brilliantly written show with a superb cast. It should have gone 10+ seasons
I worked in radio for 10 years. This is EXACTLY how a station is run.
Thank you Johnny Fever for all the laughter . Bless You - Rest In Peace. ✌️
Missing the old days more than ever.
😢❤️RIP, Johnny Fever!
Thank you Hesseman for all the laughs and great memories!
The turntable didn't work, and yet somehow that made it even more charming.
Their Thanksgiving episode remains a must-watch every year.
RIP Johnny
So sad that he passed away. I watched the show all the time, mainly for Loni Anderson but all the characters on the show made it great. RIP Dr. Johnny Fever, we will miss you.
All hail Dr. Johnny Fever! The greatest DJ ever!!!!!
All us fellow babies miss you Doctor Fever!! You’ve given us rock n roll that soothes a soul!! Btw the original music is edited out in this! The actual song playing was Queen of the Forest by Ted Nugent!! THE NUGGEEE!!!
Up here in Canada, 11 year old me would come home from school and pour a big bowl of corn flakes and turn on the CBC to learn about life with Dr Johnny Fever. Thanks for the memories! RIP
Absolutely brilliant!!!!!!
Amazing cast and scripts!!
I will always appreciate the laughs and happiness Howard and Frank (with the rest of the cast) brought to me and my family.
They are dearly missed!
Thoughts and prayers to the Hesseman and Bonner family.
When I was a kid, I remember that exact day watching that episode in that scene. Actually gave me shivers. Now I feel old
One of the best moments in television history.
RIP Howard Hesseman. And I've watched this episode countless times and JUST realized where the needle was on the album, when he intros the new format!
Love me some Dr. Johnny Fever 🥵 You will always be rockin' in our hearts
"How can I miss you if you won't go away" XD
I wish he could awaken from the dead for real. He was quite a character. RIP, Howard Hesseman, the real Dr. Johnny Fever!
Love how the tone arm on the turntable is floating across the record label as the music plays! RIP Howard, we miss you!
Lost a hero this weekend.
---
I credit TWO television characters with RADICALLY IMPACTING my life.
The 1st was Hawkeye Pierce of M*A*S*H, for the humor he brought, his empathy, and the way he championed the underdog.
The 2nd was Dr. Johnny Fever of WKRP in Cincinnati. When I was 10 years old, that show made me want to be on the radio. 14 years later, I did it.
Still am...all around the world.
Since then, my life has been a consistent infusion of both of these characters.
Which brings me great joy.
10 years on the radio.
7 years stand-up comedy.
17 years (so far) as a humorous, positivity speaker
28 years as an event DJ
2 recording studios
Thank you, Howard Hesseman, for the life you breathed into Dr. Johnny Fever.
This scene ranks among my favorite televised moments, ever.
As you pass through the Pearly Gates to gather your wings, I hope you will lean back to St. Peter and say...
"BOOGER!"
I consider myself the Dr Johnny Fever of my office an probably the same goes for a writing group I belong to.
Rest in peace Howard Hesseman AKA Dr. Johnny Fever you will be missed
Like a phenix rising from the ashes, rock in Peace Doctor Johnny Fever!!! BOOGER!!!!!
I always loved this show, I work for food lion in Raleigh and I do my Johnny fever routine every time I make the announcements
John Wilder You mean they let you say BBBOOOOOGGGGEEERRRR.?
For real? Which Food Lion? I normally shop at the Harris Teeter in Cary, but I'd ride across town for that.
Hey Clint I work at the food lion on Durant road
Lol I'm the only one who does the announcements at work
I drive a semi, and I do most of my shopping at night (well, I did back when the Wal-Marts were 24 hours). And at 2-3am the Walmarts are sometimes "interesting". That's when the crazies are scheduled to clean the floors and stock the shelves, lol.
RIP Howard Hesseman!!!...Funny talented and very unique talent in a very unique show!!!!
He's the reason why I became a radio announcer back in the days... RIP Dr. Fever 😪😪😪
Often, we see things on tv, and have no concept of how that moment will impact our lives forever.
I grew up in KY, 60 miles from Cincinnati. Everyone looked up to Cincinnati as the BIG CITY that was closest to us.
As a kid, when WKRP in Cincinnati came on, even though it was filmed in LA, it was SET in Cincinnati, and that seemed like the coolest thing in the world to me.
It showed me, that we could have Show business..HERE ..where we lived. So I got into Radio, thinking I would spend my whole career in KY. I got fired from my first radio job for playing a burp sound effect on the air. Much like Johnny Fever got fired in LA, for saying “Booger” on the air. So, just as Johnny says “Booger” at his new job, I in turn , would play a burp sound effect on the air, First thing, at every new job I got. Including on air in LA and New York City.
I eventually worked at a station in Cincinnati, 102.7 WEBN. And everytime I would drive across the Ohio River bridge to work there, I would sing , loudly the WKRP theme song.
This moment of the show is where Andy Travis just told Johnny Carevello, to change the format from Elevator Music, to Rock n Roll. Johnny hesitates, AFRAID. Then he says “Do it!” And let’s it rip!
MANY times in my life, I jumped ahead of the game, by JUST DOING IT ANYWAY!
I got my first radio job by YELLING at a radio float in a Parade.
I got jobs at WKQQ, and WQMF by showing up at appearances the Program Directors were doing and asking them for a job.
I got a job at KGB San Diego by driving all the way across the country and showing up to say HI.
I got a job as a Board-op at KLSX ..Los Angeles ...and worked my way on air, to have my own show. I did that, when a Host didn’t come to work, so instead of playing a tape like I was SUPPOSED to do, I just said “Do it!” And went on the air MYSELF with a partner and we hosted our own show...in LA...without permission.
Luckily, we were really funny, so management liked it, and put us on regularly.
Later, Skibba my partner and I, traveled to New York to be on Sirius Satelite Radio, and then crash the Howard Stern Show as guests. We had NO PERMISSION. We just did it. We crashed Howards’ Show. Sirius. And then later that day we marched into CBS Radio’s Corporate headquarters and asked to speak to the Boss. And WE DID!!
That stunt put us on their radar, and over a year later, they brought us to New York, and we were on the air there. What a jump!!! From board op in LA, to On-Air Host in New York City!!!
So, in this VERY INFLUENTIAL clip, you see the moment Johnny creates his new persona...DOCTOR JOHNNY FEVER. But more than just HIS character was born....MY character was being born....Dangerous Dick. I just didn’t know it at the time.
This is an amazing story. I started out at my local radio station when I was 14. And loved every minute of it. I DJ'd all the way through high school and college, and then got back into it many years later.
I was there when my local station automated. I was a computer nerd, so I was stoked to be able to help them install the ESP 1 automation system. It was an old mechanical system with carousels for the cart machines, and four 11 inch reel to reel decks for music. After that all I got to do was program the damn thing and watch.
Until one Saturday when I'd had enough. I'd been playing with it, and figured out how to run the remote control in the booth, and how the songs were laid out on the tapes. The owner/GM turned it on to find, instead of the voice guy who tracked it on air, his 17 year old DJ, going to town. I was going from reel to reel to a spot set on the carts, to my voice and back to a reel for music, all manually. Needless to say he was NOT happy. He did however understand. and he gave me Saturday evenings to air live. That would never, ever happen today.
@@JimDean002 Both of your stories are so cool. This show inspired me as well, (but, to be behind the scenes, like Andy or Bailey). My ambitions ultimately took me in a different direction. Yet I have always wondered... and, happily it sounds, like it really _would have_ been great to have been there in those days.
I got an unpaid gig at a radio station (I won't mention which) and got canned because I ordered a pizza on the air. I was pretty much alone late at night, a friend worked at Godfathers and I asked him to bring me a pizza in return for a couple records they were giving away because they were going from vinyl to CD.
Apparently I violated some FCC rule...they never really explained in detail.
Love WEBN and WQMF still listen when I can pick them up in Southern Indiana. In 1995 a station in Louisville had just changed formats to Rock. Right in the middle of "Hotel California" when the song pauses, the DJ inserted the longest belch I'd ever heard! I was laughing so hard, I had to pull over my pickup truck.
You, sir, have lived my dream life. When I was a teenager, I knew that whatever I did with my life, I just wanted to make people smile and I didn't want to use anything I'd ever learned in HS. Unfortunately I graduated in the mid-90s, the start of slow corporate seepage into local radio markets. I realized that the days, or nights rather, of one man with a pot of coffee, a stack of wax, and a lone microphone were on the way out. But I do have a radio voice I put to good use whenever someone calls me at work: "K-105 request line! Whaddya wanna hear?"
My father laughed so hard at this scene. He loved this show and its cast of characters. Thank you Dr. Fever for your healing power! 🤣
RIP Howard Hesseman. Thank you for entertaining me my whole life.