WKRIP
January 30, 2022 12:45 PM Subscribe
The actor and comedian Howard Hesseman, perhaps best known for playing disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati (and its subsequent syndicated sequel series The New WKRP in Cincinnati) and history teacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class, has died. He was 81.
Hesseman's longtime friend Michael McKean had this to say on Twitter: "Impossible to overstate Howard Hesseman’s influence on his and subsequent generations of improvisors." The two appeared together in the films This Is Spinal Tap and Clue.
Notices:
Rolling Stone | NBC News | AP | Hollywood Reporter
Is D.J. of ‘WKRP’ Bound for Cultdom? (NYT, 1979)
TV Reviews: Hessemen in 'Head of the Class' (NYT, 1986)
Notices:
Rolling Stone | NBC News | AP | Hollywood Reporter
Is D.J. of ‘WKRP’ Bound for Cultdom? (NYT, 1979)
TV Reviews: Hessemen in 'Head of the Class' (NYT, 1986)
“I almost forgot, fellow babies: BOOGER!!”
posted by kirkaracha at 12:55 PM on January 30, 2022 [26 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 12:55 PM on January 30, 2022 [26 favorites]
Was I the only one who really liked Head of the Class??
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posted by Melismata at 12:56 PM on January 30, 2022 [27 favorites]
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posted by Melismata at 12:56 PM on January 30, 2022 [27 favorites]
Oh man, he was great, and so iconic as DJ Fever.
posted by Liquidwolf at 12:58 PM on January 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Liquidwolf at 12:58 PM on January 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
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posted by whatevernot at 12:59 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by whatevernot at 12:59 PM on January 30, 2022
I loved Head of the Class too. No idea if it stands up but I identified with it at the time.
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posted by rednikki at 1:01 PM on January 30, 2022
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posted by rednikki at 1:01 PM on January 30, 2022
@Melismata: no, you were not the only one.
Hesseman committed to the bit, no matter what bit it was. Don't see that so often these days. I miss it, and I miss him.
posted by humbug at 1:25 PM on January 30, 2022 [6 favorites]
Hesseman committed to the bit, no matter what bit it was. Don't see that so often these days. I miss it, and I miss him.
posted by humbug at 1:25 PM on January 30, 2022 [6 favorites]
I loved WKRP. I even bought the first season on DVD, but they apparently can't use all the great rock music, and it's just not the same experience at all. So there's really no way for younger viewers to get a sense of how great that show was.
Howard Hesseman was wonderful as Dr. Johnny Fever in that show. I also knew I was getting old watching his career, first as a totally bland character on One Day at a Time, then as an elderly patient on House. (I managed to miss Head of the Class, probably because it overlapped with my single-mom-in-grad-school years.)
So sad that he's gone.
posted by FencingGal at 1:28 PM on January 30, 2022 [10 favorites]
Howard Hesseman was wonderful as Dr. Johnny Fever in that show. I also knew I was getting old watching his career, first as a totally bland character on One Day at a Time, then as an elderly patient on House. (I managed to miss Head of the Class, probably because it overlapped with my single-mom-in-grad-school years.)
So sad that he's gone.
posted by FencingGal at 1:28 PM on January 30, 2022 [10 favorites]
Man, this scene...
"Do I hear dogs barking on that thing?"
"I do."
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posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:29 PM on January 30, 2022 [20 favorites]
"Do I hear dogs barking on that thing?"
"I do."
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posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:29 PM on January 30, 2022 [20 favorites]
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posted by dannyboybell at 1:34 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by dannyboybell at 1:34 PM on January 30, 2022
As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.
posted by MorgansAmoebas at 1:55 PM on January 30, 2022 [17 favorites]
posted by MorgansAmoebas at 1:55 PM on January 30, 2022 [17 favorites]
As a teen, when there were so many rifts between myself and my mother, we were still able to bond over WKRP in Cincinnati. Johnny Fever was pitch perfect.
Thank you, dear man. Rest in peace.
posted by Silvery Fish at 2:03 PM on January 30, 2022 [6 favorites]
Thank you, dear man. Rest in peace.
posted by Silvery Fish at 2:03 PM on January 30, 2022 [6 favorites]
I even bought the first season on DVD, but they apparently can't use all the great rock music
FWIW, The Shout! Factory DVD release managed to get about 85% of the original music.
Of course, there are other means of watching the show.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 2:07 PM on January 30, 2022 [10 favorites]
FWIW, The Shout! Factory DVD release managed to get about 85% of the original music.
Of course, there are other means of watching the show.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 2:07 PM on January 30, 2022 [10 favorites]
What the fuck, I was just talking about him yesterday.
Hesseman was a titular character in my favorite dumb buddy comedy, "Rubin and Ed".
He plays a desperate real estate seminar huckster who drives to the middle of the desert in Utah to bury Crispin Glovers frozen cat.
Also, he was the actual bad guy in Doctor Detroit and that episode of Psych.
I still know the WKRP song by heart and sang it to my wife just a few days ago.
RIP buddy, was a fan my whole life.
posted by lkc at 2:28 PM on January 30, 2022 [8 favorites]
Hesseman was a titular character in my favorite dumb buddy comedy, "Rubin and Ed".
He plays a desperate real estate seminar huckster who drives to the middle of the desert in Utah to bury Crispin Glovers frozen cat.
Also, he was the actual bad guy in Doctor Detroit and that episode of Psych.
I still know the WKRP song by heart and sang it to my wife just a few days ago.
RIP buddy, was a fan my whole life.
posted by lkc at 2:28 PM on January 30, 2022 [8 favorites]
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posted by praemunire at 2:30 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by praemunire at 2:30 PM on January 30, 2022
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"This is Johnny Fever at WKRP, bringing you more music and Les Nessman."
Due to my age I got familiar with him first in Head of the Class. Which I still have fond memories of and I hope holds up. But WKRP is a tier higher on great shows.
posted by mark k at 2:34 PM on January 30, 2022 [13 favorites]
"This is Johnny Fever at WKRP, bringing you more music and Les Nessman."
Due to my age I got familiar with him first in Head of the Class. Which I still have fond memories of and I hope holds up. But WKRP is a tier higher on great shows.
posted by mark k at 2:34 PM on January 30, 2022 [13 favorites]
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posted by cooker girl at 2:38 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by cooker girl at 2:38 PM on January 30, 2022
Oh man, he was so great. WKRP was such a formative influence on me. And I still laugh to myself every time I think of the bit mentioned above about the dogs barking. The episode where Johnny Fever and Venus Flytrap get stuck at the transmission tower is comedy gold, and he was brilliant.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 2:45 PM on January 30, 2022 [10 favorites]
posted by kitten kaboodle at 2:45 PM on January 30, 2022 [10 favorites]
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posted by May Kasahara at 2:54 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by May Kasahara at 2:54 PM on January 30, 2022
"Wake up, sucker! This is the phone company we're talking about!"
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:56 PM on January 30, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:56 PM on January 30, 2022 [6 favorites]
Between him as Johnny Fever and Mr Moore it seems a large chunk of my youth had him somewhere in the mix.
I see he liked to indulge in chemical recreation, niiiice. Here's one for you.
posted by symbioid at 3:07 PM on January 30, 2022
I see he liked to indulge in chemical recreation, niiiice. Here's one for you.
posted by symbioid at 3:07 PM on January 30, 2022
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posted by JoeXIII007 at 3:09 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by JoeXIII007 at 3:09 PM on January 30, 2022
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posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 3:11 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 3:11 PM on January 30, 2022
Booger.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:11 PM on January 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:11 PM on January 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
That Gay Episode: ‘The Bob Newhart Show’ Shows Straight People How to Stand Up for Gay People (Decider)
"The Bob Newhart Show broke ground in another way: it was, as far as I can tell, the first sitcom to have a pre-existing character come out of the closet.
Howard Hesseman, later known as the charismatic Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati, first appeared as struggling screenwriter Craig Plager in the Season 2 episode “The Jobless Corps.” He came back for two episodes in Season 3, again in Season 4, came out in this Season 5 episode, and then returned for a post-coming-out episode in Season 6. In a decade of here and gone gays, Craig Plager was one of a handful that actually stuck around."
posted by indexy at 3:21 PM on January 30, 2022 [21 favorites]
"The Bob Newhart Show broke ground in another way: it was, as far as I can tell, the first sitcom to have a pre-existing character come out of the closet.
Howard Hesseman, later known as the charismatic Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati, first appeared as struggling screenwriter Craig Plager in the Season 2 episode “The Jobless Corps.” He came back for two episodes in Season 3, again in Season 4, came out in this Season 5 episode, and then returned for a post-coming-out episode in Season 6. In a decade of here and gone gays, Craig Plager was one of a handful that actually stuck around."
posted by indexy at 3:21 PM on January 30, 2022 [21 favorites]
Matt Baume made a great video about that Bob Newhart episode in his series on the history of LGBT+ representation on TV.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:35 PM on January 30, 2022 [14 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:35 PM on January 30, 2022 [14 favorites]
I found out from Laraine Newman on Twitter: RIP Howard Hessman. What great times we had. Great laughs and fun going to see Etta James in Manhattan Beach and Joe Tex at The Parisian Room. Staying at your beautiful house in Ramatuellle. Oh god this hurts.
Loved Johnny Fever, loved Head of the Class, and he sounds like he was a wonderful friend as well.
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posted by ceejaytee at 3:37 PM on January 30, 2022 [8 favorites]
Loved Johnny Fever, loved Head of the Class, and he sounds like he was a wonderful friend as well.
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posted by ceejaytee at 3:37 PM on January 30, 2022 [8 favorites]
Man, this scene... yt
"Do I hear dogs barking on that thing?"
"I do."
Having never seen the altered versions, It makes me wonder how a scene like that was handled in the DVD release when Pink Floyd had to be replaced.
But I digress. I, too, have good memories of Head of the Class and great memories of WKRP. To sum up:
"I don't what you want but you should know I've killed a lot of old people in my time."
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 3:38 PM on January 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
"Do I hear dogs barking on that thing?"
"I do."
Having never seen the altered versions, It makes me wonder how a scene like that was handled in the DVD release when Pink Floyd had to be replaced.
But I digress. I, too, have good memories of Head of the Class and great memories of WKRP. To sum up:
"I don't what you want but you should know I've killed a lot of old people in my time."
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 3:38 PM on January 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
Hesseman was great as Fever and in so many other roles. He always kicked the fun up a notch.
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posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:45 PM on January 30, 2022
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posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:45 PM on January 30, 2022
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posted by Tailkinker to-Ennien at 4:09 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by Tailkinker to-Ennien at 4:09 PM on January 30, 2022
He was so good on WKRP (the automatic acronym decoder reading Metafilter has forced into my all unwilling brain gives me sudden new and decades late insight into those call letters).
Would you ever have guessed he would live to be 91?
Edit:oops! 81.
posted by jamjam at 4:21 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Would you ever have guessed he would live to be 91?
Edit:oops! 81.
posted by jamjam at 4:21 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
I was born in '81. WKRP has to be some of my earliest TV memories. To me, Johnny represented the hippies who were, as Don McLean eloquently put it, "lost in space with no time left to start again."
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posted by Stuka at 4:23 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by Stuka at 4:23 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Never watched WKRP but I adored Head of the Class and quit that show when Hesseman left. RIP, Mr. Moore.
I want to give Michael McKean a big hug, because I feel like all I see him doing now is making statements about his friends and colleagues who've passed.
posted by kimberussell at 4:35 PM on January 30, 2022 [11 favorites]
I want to give Michael McKean a big hug, because I feel like all I see him doing now is making statements about his friends and colleagues who've passed.
posted by kimberussell at 4:35 PM on January 30, 2022 [11 favorites]
For the last couple years of WKRP, my (half-Polish) father got a big kick out of the fact that Hessman swapped out the concert t-shirts in his regular costume for a couple of shirts with the Solidarnosc logo, in what I can only assume was a show of support for the Polish workers. I always really appreciated that as well.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:37 PM on January 30, 2022 [13 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:37 PM on January 30, 2022 [13 favorites]
It was the Phone Cops.
posted by Capt. Renault at 4:56 PM on January 30, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by Capt. Renault at 4:56 PM on January 30, 2022 [8 favorites]
I still know the WKRP song by heart and sang it to my wife just a few days ago.
The closing credits is Remembering TV Theme Songs set to “Challenge Level.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:07 PM on January 30, 2022 [7 favorites]
The closing credits is Remembering TV Theme Songs set to “Challenge Level.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:07 PM on January 30, 2022 [7 favorites]
It was the Phone Cops.
My sister and I still always invoke the Phone Cops whenever conspiracy theories come up in conversation.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:11 PM on January 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
My sister and I still always invoke the Phone Cops whenever conspiracy theories come up in conversation.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 5:11 PM on January 30, 2022 [4 favorites]
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posted by Joey Michaels at 5:23 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by Joey Michaels at 5:23 PM on January 30, 2022
☎️
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:27 PM on January 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:27 PM on January 30, 2022 [3 favorites]
THEY MOVED THE WALLS!
posted by Mister Moofoo at 5:45 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by Mister Moofoo at 5:45 PM on January 30, 2022
So many great lines in WKRP. That Herb was trying to prove Nietzche right by wearing polyester; they had to get management's hob nailed boot off the throats of the workers; when they were helping Jennifer move, "her lavender princess phone exploded this morning" and that he'd had enough of physical activity and "What about the life of the mind?"
He also played Mary Hartman's doctor/psychiatrist in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
posted by philfromhavelock at 5:55 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
He also played Mary Hartman's doctor/psychiatrist in Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
posted by philfromhavelock at 5:55 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
I had such a crush on Johnny Fever when I was, like, 12. Sorry to see him go.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:59 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 5:59 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
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posted by NoThisIsPatrick at 6:10 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by NoThisIsPatrick at 6:10 PM on January 30, 2022
WKRP was hugely formative for me as a kid. I desperately wanted to grow up to be Dr. Johnny Fever when I was in single digits. Never quite grew out of that, got a chance to work as a DJ while in college. Yes, I did say "booger" at the first opportunity.
Turns out I missed the detail about Johnny always being broke. I worked in a tiny market and moved on to other things, but if I'm being honest I loved that job more than any other.
I re-re-re-re-rewatched WKRP start to finish in 2019. Still held up well, mostly, and still loved Johnny most of all.
He was great in everything I've ever seen him in. Instantly recognizable, always fun.
Hang in there, fellow babies.
posted by jzb at 6:42 PM on January 30, 2022 [15 favorites]
Turns out I missed the detail about Johnny always being broke. I worked in a tiny market and moved on to other things, but if I'm being honest I loved that job more than any other.
I re-re-re-re-rewatched WKRP start to finish in 2019. Still held up well, mostly, and still loved Johnny most of all.
He was great in everything I've ever seen him in. Instantly recognizable, always fun.
Hang in there, fellow babies.
posted by jzb at 6:42 PM on January 30, 2022 [15 favorites]
What's kinda funny to me, is that whenever his name was mentioned, my mind always went to the really goofy scene he was in (along with a slew of improv group peers, The Committee) from Billy Jack that was oddly cringe-y (among the many parts of the movie without him that were oddly cringe-y), doing a sort of Cheech and Chong style skit. Along with an episode of Dragnet he was in that somehow reminds me a lot of the Billy Jack scene, and is equally cring-y. RIP, dude.
posted by 2N2222 at 7:09 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by 2N2222 at 7:09 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Committee was the San Francisco home of Fred Willard, Larry Hankin, Peter Bonerz, and other classic character actors at one time or another in the late 60s, and yeah, I've never been able to figure out how exploitative they were, but it was also an era where improv was still finding its legs. Del Close was there for a while and he was not yet working as the genius he would later become, which I think says something about the sophistication of the form at the time.
Here's the very of-the-time "Soul Lessons" with him and Mel Stewart, whom you've maybe seen before. This was about as long after the founding of the Compass Players (Nichols & May, Shelley Berman) as it was from the first episode of Seinfeld to the first episode of The Office (US).
But Dr. Johnny Fever is as huge legacy as any, and it was never sullied with the future. No jumping the shark, no Ted McGinley, and I didn't see a lot of Head of the Class, but as far as I could tell he was more of a Gabe Kotter to Billy Connolly's Ben Chang, which I think of as a good thing.
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posted by rhizome at 7:24 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
Here's the very of-the-time "Soul Lessons" with him and Mel Stewart, whom you've maybe seen before. This was about as long after the founding of the Compass Players (Nichols & May, Shelley Berman) as it was from the first episode of Seinfeld to the first episode of The Office (US).
But Dr. Johnny Fever is as huge legacy as any, and it was never sullied with the future. No jumping the shark, no Ted McGinley, and I didn't see a lot of Head of the Class, but as far as I could tell he was more of a Gabe Kotter to Billy Connolly's Ben Chang, which I think of as a good thing.
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posted by rhizome at 7:24 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
He was 81. Good grief we’re all getting so old now. Excuse me while I go and bemoan my own mortality.
posted by interogative mood at 7:45 PM on January 30, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 7:45 PM on January 30, 2022 [6 favorites]
When I was a kid, Johnny Fever on WKRP was the funniest and coolest character on TV, even though I probably didn't understand most of the jokes.
Don't know if it's on Netflix (it's probably not), but I remember a quirky comedy from the early 90s was Hesseman and Crispin Glover in Rubin and Ed. Oddball buddy road movie. I remember thinking it pretty good, wonder if it still holds up.
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posted by zardoz at 8:00 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
Don't know if it's on Netflix (it's probably not), but I remember a quirky comedy from the early 90s was Hesseman and Crispin Glover in Rubin and Ed. Oddball buddy road movie. I remember thinking it pretty good, wonder if it still holds up.
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posted by zardoz at 8:00 PM on January 30, 2022 [1 favorite]
And count me as another fan of Head of the Class. It was kind of a more lighthearted counterpart to Square Pegs and the John Hughes high school angst movies. I was just the right age and demographic, which is probably why I had trouble connecting with the recent reboot.
It was one of the many things that made me want to be a teacher when I was young. It didn’t work out that way, and in retrospect it was probably for the best. But if anybody else was inspired to go out there and be like Mr. Moore and managed to do it, I think that’s a pretty good legacy.
I also loved the annual “school play” episodes, although I only have clear memories of when they did Grease and Little Shop of Horrors. Our high school drama teacher had a streak of Mr. Moore in him, even though we were out in the middle of a cornfield instead of Manhattan.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:56 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
It was one of the many things that made me want to be a teacher when I was young. It didn’t work out that way, and in retrospect it was probably for the best. But if anybody else was inspired to go out there and be like Mr. Moore and managed to do it, I think that’s a pretty good legacy.
I also loved the annual “school play” episodes, although I only have clear memories of when they did Grease and Little Shop of Horrors. Our high school drama teacher had a streak of Mr. Moore in him, even though we were out in the middle of a cornfield instead of Manhattan.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:56 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
"You got fired?"
"Oh, Johnny- you didn't say Booger again, did you?"
"No, you can say Booger on the air, now."
"So what happened?"
"Well, apparently you can't say ██████ ████ ██ █████████!"
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:20 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
"Oh, Johnny- you didn't say Booger again, did you?"
"No, you can say Booger on the air, now."
"So what happened?"
"Well, apparently you can't say ██████ ████ ██ █████████!"
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 9:20 PM on January 30, 2022 [2 favorites]
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posted by LobsterMitten at 9:36 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:36 PM on January 30, 2022
my mind always went to the really goofy scene he was in (along with a slew of improv group peers, The Committee) from Billy Jack ... doing a sort of Cheech and Chong style skit.
A classic.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:06 PM on January 30, 2022
A classic.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 10:06 PM on January 30, 2022
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posted by Silverstone at 11:26 PM on January 30, 2022
posted by Silverstone at 11:26 PM on January 30, 2022
I'm late to this thread because I had professional obligations (although I managed to sneak in a tiny mention of his passing while covering Cincinnati's improbable AFC Championship Game win for The Guardian, which felt like kismet). First of all, Howard Hesseman was way more than Dr. Johnny Fever. He was one of those actors that every single time you saw him, you knew he was going to be great. I think my favorite non-"WKRP" role was probably on "Soap" but there are so many others.
However, Dr. Johnny Fever was such a particularly iconic character. I always wondered whether he was a riff on Martin Mull's character in "FM," but it didn't really matter since the lasting memory of that movie is a really kickass Steely Dan song and "WKRP" is one of the most beloved sitcoms of the era. I joked on Twitter that I was born a Les Nessman but always wanted to grow up to be a Dr. Johnny Fever.
Yes, yes, yes there were plenty of other non-fictional DJs that I admired, but he just sort of was the platonic ideal of what it was like to be a somewhat out-of-time rock and roll lifer. In a lesser actor's hands, he could have been a complete caricature, but he felt like a real person. Sometimes he told the jokes, sometimes he was the butt of the joke and every once in a while, he could be the most serious person in the room. He grew old but he never truly grew up and yet it was admirable rather than sad.
At least that was my take on the character. I'm biased.
posted by HunterFelt at 11:45 PM on January 30, 2022 [15 favorites]
However, Dr. Johnny Fever was such a particularly iconic character. I always wondered whether he was a riff on Martin Mull's character in "FM," but it didn't really matter since the lasting memory of that movie is a really kickass Steely Dan song and "WKRP" is one of the most beloved sitcoms of the era. I joked on Twitter that I was born a Les Nessman but always wanted to grow up to be a Dr. Johnny Fever.
Yes, yes, yes there were plenty of other non-fictional DJs that I admired, but he just sort of was the platonic ideal of what it was like to be a somewhat out-of-time rock and roll lifer. In a lesser actor's hands, he could have been a complete caricature, but he felt like a real person. Sometimes he told the jokes, sometimes he was the butt of the joke and every once in a while, he could be the most serious person in the room. He grew old but he never truly grew up and yet it was admirable rather than sad.
At least that was my take on the character. I'm biased.
posted by HunterFelt at 11:45 PM on January 30, 2022 [15 favorites]
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I watched so much WKRP when I was a kid. He was a perfect character in a set of near perfect characters. The thing that made the show work for me was that it truly was a situation comedy. They took well-defined (damaged) characters, created an event and then they acted exactly how they should.
In 1984, I was channel surfing and came across a live production of Mister Roberts with Robert Hays (Airplane) which was...OK, but I stayed on the channel because Hesseman played Doc and it was worth it for that alone (NYT article).
posted by plinth at 6:46 AM on January 31, 2022
I watched so much WKRP when I was a kid. He was a perfect character in a set of near perfect characters. The thing that made the show work for me was that it truly was a situation comedy. They took well-defined (damaged) characters, created an event and then they acted exactly how they should.
In 1984, I was channel surfing and came across a live production of Mister Roberts with Robert Hays (Airplane) which was...OK, but I stayed on the channel because Hesseman played Doc and it was worth it for that alone (NYT article).
posted by plinth at 6:46 AM on January 31, 2022
I loved this show (and loved Head of the Class) - one of the great ensemble cast shows where every member was amazing. I mostly watched for Loni Anderson (there were so few women on TV then who were allowed to be pretty and smart - to have someone who was glamorous and smart AND funny - and especially at the expense of people who continually underestimated her - adolescent me was taking notes). But no question Hesseman was the star. I really hope that they'll get the music rights squared away so they can release these as god intended. If it could happen for the Muppet Show, I'll hold out hope.
posted by Mchelly at 7:05 AM on January 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Mchelly at 7:05 AM on January 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
My favorite Johnny Fever line is when they're on the elevator, and he pops the control panel box open.
"Yeah, we had 'em like this in 'Nam."
I'm old enough now, that when I use that line when doing anything mechanical, the kids I work with look at me with a new kind of appreciation, regardless of the fact that I was like 2 years old when 'Nam was a thing.
posted by valkane at 7:08 AM on January 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
"Yeah, we had 'em like this in 'Nam."
I'm old enough now, that when I use that line when doing anything mechanical, the kids I work with look at me with a new kind of appreciation, regardless of the fact that I was like 2 years old when 'Nam was a thing.
posted by valkane at 7:08 AM on January 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
"Howard Hesseman was a sensation as Dr. Johnny Fever, but let’s not forget about his appearance on Dragnet."
-- Alison Martino
"...or The Rockford Files."
-- Mark Mandel
posted by valkane at 7:17 AM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
-- Alison Martino
"...or The Rockford Files."
-- Mark Mandel
posted by valkane at 7:17 AM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
In 1982 I was at loose ends after a divorce. One night after watching WKRP with my parents (and laughing an awful lot), my Dad turned to me and said, "You have a deep voice. You know a lot about music. You could be a radio DJ." The next day I got a job doing that and stayed with it 24 years. I left radio a long time ago, but now my inspiration is gone, and it seems like the end of an era personally.
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posted by Miss Cellania at 7:21 AM on January 31, 2022 [29 favorites]
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posted by Miss Cellania at 7:21 AM on January 31, 2022 [29 favorites]
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posted by SonInLawOfSam at 8:38 AM on January 31, 2022
posted by SonInLawOfSam at 8:38 AM on January 31, 2022
<3.
posted by Don Pepino at 8:46 AM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Don Pepino at 8:46 AM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
(there were so few women on TV then who were allowed to be pretty and smart - to have someone who was glamorous and smart AND funny - and especially at the expense of people who continually underestimated her - adolescent me was taking notes)
And that the two female characters, while being different "types," were positioned from the very beginning to be mutually supportive friends instead of rivals!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:53 AM on January 31, 2022 [9 favorites]
And that the two female characters, while being different "types," were positioned from the very beginning to be mutually supportive friends instead of rivals!
posted by The Underpants Monster at 8:53 AM on January 31, 2022 [9 favorites]
I remember commandeering the TV when home from college so I could watch WKRP. My dad was a reluctant viewer. It was the episode with the drunk driving test. Dad ended up laughing so hard he couldn't breathe.
And that the two female characters, while being different "types," were positioned from the very beginning to be mutually supportive friends instead of rivals!
Yeah. I don't know if Jan and Loni got along IRL, but their partnership was unique for TV in that era.
RIP Mr. Hesseman
posted by Ber at 9:12 AM on January 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
And that the two female characters, while being different "types," were positioned from the very beginning to be mutually supportive friends instead of rivals!
Yeah. I don't know if Jan and Loni got along IRL, but their partnership was unique for TV in that era.
RIP Mr. Hesseman
posted by Ber at 9:12 AM on January 31, 2022 [5 favorites]
Aww, jeez. So long, farewell, and Thank You.
posted by winesong at 10:11 AM on January 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by winesong at 10:11 AM on January 31, 2022 [2 favorites]
Kudos on that title, because I completely recognized it without reading another word.
First view of what DJs do.
RIP Mr. Hesseman.
posted by filtergik at 12:11 PM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
First view of what DJs do.
RIP Mr. Hesseman.
posted by filtergik at 12:11 PM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
Creator Hugh Wilson based WKRP on his experiences and co-workers at Atlanta's Top 40 WQXI in the sixties and early 70s. Here's an oral history of the origin of the Turkey's Away episode. I grew up listening to WQXI, "Quixie in Dixie."
Thanks, Howard.
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posted by conscious matter at 12:11 PM on January 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
Thanks, Howard.
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posted by conscious matter at 12:11 PM on January 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
The first thing that popped into my mind when I heard the news was 'Phone Cops!'.
So thanks for that, and all the other great moments Mr Hesseman.
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posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 12:36 PM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
So thanks for that, and all the other great moments Mr Hesseman.
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posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 12:36 PM on January 31, 2022 [1 favorite]
I was a kid watching the show in rural Nova Scotia, my friend's older brother became a sort of Johnny Fever surrogate for me.. it was his piles of vinyl we heard as kids and his judgements we heeded, lolling on a beat-up couch during Video Hits.. Then he got his license and (much to his mother's dismay) commandeered the family Chevette and cruised the backroads on a couple of bucks worth of gas with his buddy Disco (unsure of his birth name, everyone called him Disco). Hesseman's WKRP character and my friend's brother kind of blurred into one entity for a brief period there. Like losing a friend.
posted by elkevelvet at 1:52 PM on January 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by elkevelvet at 1:52 PM on January 31, 2022 [4 favorites]
For the last couple years of WKRP, my (half-Polish) father got a big kick out of the fact that Hessman swapped out the concert t-shirts in his regular costume for a couple of shirts with the Solidarnosc logo, in what I can only assume was a show of support for the Polish workers. I always really appreciated that as well.
Was Hesseman Polish? It would be funny if he was. In the 1968 movie Petulia (lots of great San Francisco detail), there's a scene where George C. Scott is in a neighborhood in Daly City looking for the parents of Mexican boy who had been brought into his hospital. He crosses paths with two hippies, both uncredited. One's a black guy that I can't identify & the other is Howard Hesseman. When George C. Scott asks if either of them know Spanish, the black hippie says, "Nah, I'm on this Polish trip."
Hesseman was a great improviser and comic actor, regardless of how many "rent-a-hippie" roles you put him in.
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posted by jonp72 at 8:49 PM on January 31, 2022
Was Hesseman Polish? It would be funny if he was. In the 1968 movie Petulia (lots of great San Francisco detail), there's a scene where George C. Scott is in a neighborhood in Daly City looking for the parents of Mexican boy who had been brought into his hospital. He crosses paths with two hippies, both uncredited. One's a black guy that I can't identify & the other is Howard Hesseman. When George C. Scott asks if either of them know Spanish, the black hippie says, "Nah, I'm on this Polish trip."
Hesseman was a great improviser and comic actor, regardless of how many "rent-a-hippie" roles you put him in.
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posted by jonp72 at 8:49 PM on January 31, 2022
Was Hesseman Polish? It would be funny if he was.
I don't believe he was - but news of the Solidarnosc movement got a lot of play in the West because it was during the Cold War, and it was seen as A Sign of A Crack In The Iron Curtain. So there was a lot of general supportiveness; it'd be like if he swapped the concert T's out for a Black Lives Matter t-shirt or a Remember Breona Taylor t-shirt today.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:48 AM on February 1, 2022 [4 favorites]
I don't believe he was - but news of the Solidarnosc movement got a lot of play in the West because it was during the Cold War, and it was seen as A Sign of A Crack In The Iron Curtain. So there was a lot of general supportiveness; it'd be like if he swapped the concert T's out for a Black Lives Matter t-shirt or a Remember Breona Taylor t-shirt today.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:48 AM on February 1, 2022 [4 favorites]
Yes, coming in to second the Solidarnosc! t-shirt; all of my lefty friends in high school had them. Plus the Lou Reed-Lech Walesa connection made it a natural.
My Republican parents loved WKRP as much as I did, but I think I had the moral high ground. And from then on I spotted Howard in everything he did, and he was always awesome.
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posted by allthinky at 9:43 AM on February 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
My Republican parents loved WKRP as much as I did, but I think I had the moral high ground. And from then on I spotted Howard in everything he did, and he was always awesome.
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posted by allthinky at 9:43 AM on February 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
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I just watched Rubin and Ed last night and it was freakin' brilliant.
Co-starring a whole ton of Utah landscape!
Hap says check it out!
posted by hap_hazard at 11:15 AM on February 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
I just watched Rubin and Ed last night and it was freakin' brilliant.
Co-starring a whole ton of Utah landscape!
Hap says check it out!
posted by hap_hazard at 11:15 AM on February 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
There weren't many shows I watched every week -- I was in college during WKRP's first run, and there were always other things to do -- but I think I almost always caught it. It wasn't just Howard -- the whole cast had this kind of magic.
posted by morspin at 9:50 PM on February 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by morspin at 9:50 PM on February 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
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A few years back, when I was trying to cut down on my cursing:
Me: "Aw... booger!"
Cubicle Mate: "Are you making a Dr. Johnny Fever reference?"
Me: "Yes, I actually am."
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 8:23 AM on February 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
A few years back, when I was trying to cut down on my cursing:
Me: "Aw... booger!"
Cubicle Mate: "Are you making a Dr. Johnny Fever reference?"
Me: "Yes, I actually am."
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 8:23 AM on February 2, 2022 [4 favorites]
I was just thinking last night that WKRP is kind of like the American equivalent of Fawlty Towers. Every actor perfectly cast, no throwaway episodes or fillers, even the tiniest joke lands, writers at the top of their game through the whole run.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:15 AM on February 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:15 AM on February 2, 2022 [3 favorites]
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posted by jim in austin at 12:55 PM on January 30, 2022