July 9, 2024 • 77 mins
Send a note to Allen & Donna…WELCOME BACK!!
This is it, Fellow Babies. Welcome to the FINAL network first-run airing of WKRP. This episode, "The Impossible Dream" had been shelved by the network in the spring of 1982. Now, with a breakout hit on their hands, the network decided to play this never-before-seen episode well into the fall season...the season AFTER WKRP had been cancelled.
It's Les's birthday. The passing of another year has spurred the News Beacon of the Ohio Valley to strive for more in his career. That, and his mother is in town. Les suddenly starts pulling awards off the wall and announces he's headed to New York to take Dan Rather's news-chair.
Jennifer reacts to the birthday and mother-visit news with the same answer: Party Time! She plans a surprise birthday party for Les. For some reason, the guest of honor shows up way early. He's there before any of the other guests! He arrives without his mother and tells Jennifer he hates it for anyone to know about his birthday.
Ms. Marlowe could not be having a worse day. Triple vodkas all around!!
At the party, Les debuts his on-camera demo tape. It's beyond bad. Les realizes he's made a fool of himself and runs out.
Will Les go to New York? Will we meet Les's mother? Will we shudder just a little bit at the overwhelming cringiness of the final three minutes? Spoilers!! The answers would be: no, yes and yes.
Let's join Lester in tilting at some windmills during this FINAL WKRP episode!! Moo-goo, anyone??
WATCH ALONG DETAILS...
[Want to watch along with us? It's a blast!! We highly recommend the 'Shout Factory' boxed DVD set of the entire WKRP series. For reasons you'll have to listen to in the "Prolog" episode, all streaming versions of the original "WKRP in Cincinnati" have had the original music cues removed. Generic music beds and stings were used in place of the original music for the syndicated version of the series. 'Shout Factory' has been able to restore an estimated 85% of all WKRP music cues to the original "as-aired" content for their DVD release. They've also restored scenes that had been cut to shorten episodes for syndication. The original eps ran 25 minutes. The syndication eps were shortened to 22 minutes. Over 88 episodes that's more than four hours of lost content, including the performance by "Detective" at the end of "Hoodlum Rock." Get the COMPLETE series...get the Shout Factory DVDs. The Shout Factory complete series box has a release date of 2014. All individual seasons of Shout Factory disks were released starting in 2015.]
The WKRP-Cast is a weekly re-watch podcast spending time with the original "WKRP in Cincinnati" which aired from 1978-82. New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Hey Fellow Babies!! We talked to Gary Sandy. Don't miss our exclusive interview with Andy Travis now available from the WKRP-Cast. Wherever you get your podcasts.
THE WKRP-CAST IS IN RE-RUNS!!
If you are new to the WKRP-Cast, welcome and thanks for listening. You might be thinking, "hey, aren't they missing some shows?" It does look that way but rest assured, there is a WKRP-Cast episode for EVERY SINGLE EPISODE of WKRP.
Some episodes may currently be unpublished because we are in re-runs. They will all be coming back in the next few weeks. Subscribe in your favorite Podcast Player and you'll get updates when they are re-released.
This is it, Fellow Babies. Welcome to the FINAL network first-run airing of WKRP. This episode, "The Impossible Dream" had been shelved by the network in the spring of 1982. Now, with a breakout hit on their hands, the network decided to play this never-before-seen episode well into the fall season...the season AFTER WKRP had been cancelled.
It's Les's birthday. The passing of another year has spurred the News Beacon of the Ohio Valley to strive for more in his career. That, and his mother is in town. Les suddenly starts pulling awards off the wall and announces he's headed to New York to take Dan Rather's news-chair.
Jennifer reacts to the birthday and mother-visit news with the same answer: Party Time! She plans a surprise birthday party for Les. For some reason, the guest of honor shows up way early. He's there before any of the other guests! He arrives without his mother and tells Jennifer he hates it for anyone to know about his birthday.
Ms. Marlowe could not be having a worse day. Triple vodkas all around!!
At the party, Les debuts his on-camera demo tape. It's beyond bad. Les realizes he's made a fool of himself and runs out.
Will Les go to New York? Will we meet Les's mother? Will we shudder just a little bit at the overwhelming cringiness of the final three minutes? Spoilers!! The answers would be: no, yes and yes.
Let's join Lester in tilting at some windmills during this FINAL WKRP episode!! Moo-goo, anyone??
WATCH ALONG DETAILS...
[Want to watch along with us? It's a blast!! We highly recommend the 'Shout Factory' boxed DVD set of the entire WKRP series. For reasons you'll have to listen to in the "Prolog" episode, all streaming versions of the original "WKRP in Cincinnati" have had the original music cues removed. Generic music beds and stings were used in place of the original music for the syndicated version of the series. 'Shout Factory' has been able to restore an estimated 85% of all WKRP music cues to the original "as-aired" content for their DVD release. They've also restored scenes that had been cut to shorten episodes for syndication. The original eps ran 25 minutes. The syndication eps were shortened to 22 minutes. Over 88 episodes that's more than four hours of lost content, including the performance by "Detective" at the end of "Hoodlum Rock." Get the COMPLETE series...get the Shout Factory DVDs. The Shout Factory complete series box has a release date of 2014. All individual seasons of Shout Factory disks were released starting in 2015.]
The WKRP-Cast is a weekly re-watch podcast spending time with the original "WKRP in Cincinnati" which aired from 1978-82. New episodes every Tuesday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Hey Fellow Babies!! We talked to Gary Sandy. Don't miss our exclusive interview with Andy Travis now available from the WKRP-Cast. Wherever you get your podcasts.
THE WKRP-CAST IS IN RE-RUNS!!
If you are new to the WKRP-Cast, welcome and thanks for listening. You might be thinking, "hey, aren't they missing some shows?" It does look that way but rest assured, there is a WKRP-Cast episode for EVERY SINGLE EPISODE of WKRP.
Some episodes may currently be unpublished because we are in re-runs. They will all be coming back in the next few weeks. Subscribe in your favorite Podcast Player and you'll get updates when they are re-released.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, everybody, This is very sandy, and thank you very
much for listening to the wuk Rpcast.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
So just sit right down, relax, open your ears real wide,
and say.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Weather today in the greater Cincinnati area.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Are you awake? Are you awake now?
Speaker 4 (00:19):
But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could
not explain his nudity.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Same what Dear God, She's gonna kill us all.
Speaker 5 (00:27):
Welcome to the WKRP Cast. My name is Alan Stairs.
Speaker 6 (00:31):
And I'm Donna Stair. This is the fourth and final
season of our week by week, episode by episode.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
Rewatch join us for this final season as we're getting
into the music, the.
Speaker 6 (00:42):
Trivia, and the fun of WKRP.
Speaker 5 (00:45):
So fellow babies, stay tuned and stay cool. It's time
for the WKRP Cast.
Speaker 6 (00:50):
I'm a WKRP and Simpson.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
Welcome back to another WKRP cast. Ask Donna what is
our episode this week?
Speaker 6 (01:02):
We are ready to discuss the Impossible Dream. The air
date was September twentieth, nineteen eighty two, written by Richard
Sanders and Michael Fairman, story consultant Lisa eleven, directed by
Nicholas Stamos. It's Less's birthday and his mother's visiting Less
Suddenly struck with a sense of urgency about his life,
(01:23):
he decides he needs to advance his career, and he
needs to do it now. Les plans to follow a
lifelong dream and apply for a job at the CBS
Evening News.
Speaker 5 (01:35):
This is truly it the final first run episode of WKRP.
For the first time ever this year twenty twenty two,
we know the actual date of the fortieth anniversary of
the final first run episode is September twentieth. No, this
was not the episode Hugh Wilson envisioned as the season kapper.
(01:56):
It's only the final episode because of air date changes
made on the fly last spring. The intended final episode
of the season was pretty obviously supposed to be Up
and Down the Dial.
Speaker 6 (02:08):
If you've been following along, you know this is the
second of two episodes that had been shelved last spring.
They'd have probably never aired. Only now WKRP is a
hit to air. As Human was number four during the
first week of August. Reruns since then were the creation
of Venus, I'll Take Romance, and Fire. All three finished
(02:33):
top twenty and I'll Take Romance was ranked number seven
for the week it aired.
Speaker 5 (02:39):
Even though this episode is considered by many fans to
be one of the worst in the series, it did
manage to take the series out in a blaze of glory.
Airing at eight thirty on Monday Night after a rerun
of Mash, Impossible Dream finishes the week as the numbers
seven program overall. It goes head to head with both
A New That's Incredible and a rerun of Little House
(03:02):
on the Prairie. It defeats both easily. This episode doesn't
go directly head to head with Monday Night Football, but
it does beat the ABC Powerhouse overall for the week.
Speaker 6 (03:15):
It's possible. The syndicated episodes of WKRP were helping to
power the popularity of the first run episodes. WKRP came
out of the syndication gate strong in the fall of
nineteen eighty two. The reruns were on every weeknight in
almost every market in the country. It was being hyped
(03:37):
with high profile promo campaigns and some solid viewership numbers.
Wkrp's era of its greatest popularity, the two decades after
it went off the air was just beginning.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
The title of this episode, The Impossible Dream, was lifted
directly from the song of the same name subtitled The Quest,
first appeared in the nineteen sixty five Broadway musical The
Man of La Mancha. There have been dozens of versions
of the song recorded since nineteen sixty five. The only
one to crack the top forty was by Jack Jones
(04:12):
in nineteen sixty six.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
To Dream the Impossible Dream two five the Unbeatable Phone
to Bed with Unbearable Sorrow.
Speaker 5 (04:30):
Jones version changed the lyrics slightly to make it more
single friendly. His take on the tune peaked at number
thirty five on the Hot one hundred, but it does
go to number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Speaker 6 (04:44):
Cast note for this one, we discovered Tim Reid busy
working on his post WKRP career. An article from February
of nineteen eighty two mentions Tim would be hosting a
nationally syndicated radio countdown show called sound Off. The press
release said the show would spotlight top black oriented hits.
(05:06):
A notice in Billboard said Reid was a producer and
owned eighty percent of the show. Sound Off also created
a spinoff. Six months after sound Off premiered, a second
syndicated radio show was launched featuring Daphney Maxwell as the host.
She'd been appearing alongside Tim on sound Off.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
Let's get into the episode. We start out in the bullpen,
where Bailey and Johnny are talking. Johnny has one foot
propped up on the DJ desk, the other on a
drawer that's been pulled out. He's sorting through a stack
of albums. Bailey is sitting on the desk.
Speaker 6 (05:42):
We've seen him wear them before, but this is about
the best look we've ever gotten at Johnny's shoes. Johnny
is wearing possibly the most iconic basketball shoe ever made,
the high Top Chuck Taylor Converse All Stars, known as
Chucks CON's All Stars, Chucky Tea's and more. These are
(06:03):
the Granddaddy of all sports shoes. Converse made the very
first shoe designed specifically for basketball back in nineteen seventeen.
In nineteen twenty two, they completely redesigned their shoes based
on the input of a basketball player and shoe salesman
named Chuck Taylor.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
Taylor was only twenty one when he was hired to
work as a salesman for the Converse rubber company. Body
was also playing basketball semi professionally. He'd been wearing Converse
basketball shoes since they were introduced while he was still
in high school. Taylor told Converse what was wrong with
their shoes. He said they needed more support in the
(06:45):
sole and more stability around the ankle.
Speaker 6 (06:48):
Using Taylor's suggestions, Converse redesigned their shoe. The new version
of high top basketball shoe they introduced in nineteen twenty
two would become an icon of the twentieth century. Converse
added the circular all Star logo and Taylor's signature to
the ankle badging. Taylor hit the road, holding basketball clinics
(07:11):
and promoting the shoes throughout the country. By the nineteen fifties,
Chucks were the standard among basketball players at all skill levels.
In the nineteen sixties, Converse controlled more than eighty percent
of the sports shoe market and more than ninety percent
of all college and professional basketball players wore a pair
(07:34):
of Chuck Taylor All Stars.
Speaker 5 (07:36):
Converse dominated the sports shoe segment from the nineteen twenties
through the seventies. Competition and more advanced competitive products caused
sales to slow in the mid to late seventies. Tree
rollins of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks is said to be
the last professional to wear canvas chucks during the seventy
(07:57):
nine eighty season. Through the eighties and nineties, struggled against
new and very stiff competition, namely Nike. Converse continued to
produce new All Star designs, but they also tried to
recapture the glory days with reruns of classic designs. After
they'd filed for bankruptcy multiple times, Nike bought Converse in
(08:18):
two thousand and three. If you like the look, Nike
does still produce a pretty extensive line of Chuck Taylor
All Stars.
Speaker 6 (08:27):
Jennifer enters the bullpen with news you know what you two.
Speaker 7 (08:30):
Less's mother is in town. She flew in from deep.
Speaker 6 (08:33):
Bailey looks up at Jennifer and recalls Less said his
mother was shrinking. Jennifer says, what, Yeah.
Speaker 8 (08:40):
He said he felt bad about leaving her all alone
in that house in Dayton, but with mother getting smaller
and smaller all the time.
Speaker 6 (08:47):
Jennifer and Bailey laugh. Jennifer says it sounds like Less.
Speaker 7 (08:51):
I'd like to meet her, wouldn't you done?
Speaker 4 (08:53):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Yeah, sure, golly cheep, gotch boil.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
That would be really neat.
Speaker 6 (09:00):
Johnny sets the albums on the DJ desk, and heads
to the coffee machine. Les did mention his mother was
shrinking in the episode The Painting. He'd just been to
Dayton for a visit. Oh well, that's nice.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
How is she even smaller? I'm afraid.
Speaker 8 (09:20):
Well, I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
We had lunch together. You know, it's very disconcerting to
have those two little eyes peering up at you from
table level.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
Jennifer says she likes meeting people's parents.
Speaker 7 (09:32):
To get to see what they look like, how they act.
Maybe I'll throw a little party for Less while she's here.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
Bailey perks up.
Speaker 8 (09:38):
Today is Less's birthday.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
Jennifer says she'll make it a surprise party. Johnny holds
up his hand, trying to put a stop to this Jennifer.
Jennifer asks him, why not.
Speaker 8 (09:48):
Don't you like putting on a stupid looking hat and
hiding behind furniture and generally stripping yourself of every shred
of human dignity.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Bailey smiles, Johnny.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
Now that you mentioned I do like that.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
He sits back down at the DJ's desk.
Speaker 6 (10:02):
Somehow this scene has become all about Johnny's wardrobe. Did
you get a look at his T shirt? Normally we
only see Johnny in either his rock and Roll Fermee
or Black Death Mault Liquor T shirts. Today he's wearing
a blue T shirt with a red logo across the front.
It's a word that looks like solid darnosk with some umlats.
(10:25):
It's actually the word solidarity written in Polish. This is
the logo of the Polish independent, self governing trade union
who called themselves Solidarity.
Speaker 5 (10:36):
Solidarity was formed in the Lenin shipyard in Gadansk, Poland,
in August of nineteen eighty. It was the first trade
union to ever be recognized by the state. By September
of nineteen eighty one, the membership had topped ten million.
Solidarity had moved beyond a simple trade union to become
a broad anti authoritarian social movement. Lake Wallessa, the leader
(11:00):
of Solidarity, became an internationally known figure and the face
of the movement in the early eighties. He would win
the Nobel Peace Prize in nineteen eighty three. Solidarity is
widely recognized as playing a central role in ending communist
rule in Poland.
Speaker 6 (11:18):
Jennifer excitedly tells Johnny and Bailey to spread the word
about the party for less. They should all be at
her place at seven.
Speaker 7 (11:25):
And I'll invite Lesson his mother to come at eight.
Speaker 6 (11:27):
Bailey says less may not accept. Jennifer confidently tells her
you'll accept. Herb enters the bullpen just as Jennifer is
heading out.
Speaker 7 (11:35):
Kirb, what are you doing tonight?
Speaker 6 (11:36):
Herbs squints his eyes, tilts his head.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Thinking, actually, I'm pretty free.
Speaker 6 (11:41):
Jennifer tells Herb to be at her place at seven.
Speaker 7 (11:45):
I'm throwing a surprise birthday party for Lesson his mom.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
Herb snaps his fingers and claps his hands and says, ah,
you vet. He walks to his desk and sits.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Aw, that's nice Lessen his mom having birthdays on the
same day.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
HERP is so clueless. He has Bailey and Johnny if
they're going. They say they are.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
We love debasing ourselves.
Speaker 5 (12:04):
Says Jennifer. Was going to give him a party once,
a big one.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
But then I decided not to quit. It just kind
of got called off.
Speaker 5 (12:12):
This might have been during the episode Venus Rising. You
remember Herb claimed he was going to be taking an
offer from a local TV station. The offer wasn't real,
and Herb never left. Oh and as Herb is sitting
at his desk. It looks like it's Herb darligation alert.
Speaker 6 (12:33):
Herb is wearing a solid brown coat, which isn't bad
until you check the highlights. There are light brown strips
on each shoulder and over the front of each of
the large pockets. He selected a white shirt with a
criss crossing multi colored pattern of lines on it and
a brown and tan striped tie. We caught a glimpse
(12:54):
of his white belt when he walked in. We're not
sure about the shoes.
Speaker 5 (12:58):
Andy walks into the bullpen wearing a red and blue
striped shirt and a short blue and white parka. He's
carrying a pair of skis over his shoulder and a
pair of ski poles and boots in his other hand.
He's very excited.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Wait his stuff. Huh this expensive stuff?
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Boy?
Speaker 1 (13:13):
There's an eight foot base with a two foot powder
at aspen.
Speaker 5 (13:15):
Bailey hops up from the desk.
Speaker 7 (13:17):
Hey, ski talk, I love it, and he.
Speaker 5 (13:19):
Gives Bailey a serious look.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Hey you want ski talk? How do you do ski talk?
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Mogul, ski lift, slalom girls drunk.
Speaker 6 (13:30):
And we were hip to Andy's ski terminology except for
one thing. What the heck is an eight foot base
with a two foot powder. We don't even know if
Andy's sure what he's saying. According to website ski chatter
dot com, the bass is the term for packed down snow.
You can ski on powder or pow is freshly fallen
(13:53):
snow that isn't packed down. Even if he doesn't know
what he's saying, Andy is right to be excited. A
layer of fresh powder over a solid base is supposed
to provide ideal skiing conditions.
Speaker 5 (14:06):
Less enters the bullpen from the studio hallway door.
Speaker 9 (14:09):
And now a special look at this episode's bandage placement
for the five time Buckeye Newshawk Award winner less Nessman.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
This is the less Nessman bandage Report.
Speaker 9 (14:19):
Now here's Donna Stair with her report about less ness Men.
Speaker 6 (14:25):
Right pointer finger.
Speaker 9 (14:26):
This has been a look at the bandage placement boys
Silvery Soal and Copper Cobb Award winning journalist less Nessman.
Speaker 5 (14:35):
Less walks up beside Johnny looking at his watch, and
he says, very matter of factly.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
He earned exactly twelve seconds. The air will be dead.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
I thought you were just going to.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Murder the news.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
Johnny tosses the albums on the desk and leaves quickly,
Lets tells Bailey he's going out of town tonight for
a short vacation.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Please take over for him.
Speaker 5 (14:54):
Andy is still into his ski talk as he leans
towards Bailey.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Denny sloop Feldge Girl.
Speaker 6 (15:01):
Less looks at Herb.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Herb, I could use your assistance over here.
Speaker 6 (15:05):
Less begins walking to his office, but he's blocked by
Andy snowskis. Less roughly moves the skis out of the way.
He is in a no nonsense, don't mess with me
kind of mood.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
Andy, I wish you wouldn't bring your toys to the office.
Speaker 6 (15:19):
Less tosses a piece of paper on his desk and
begins taking his Buckeye Newshawk awards off the wall. Herb
has a shocked look on his face. He asks Less
what he's doing. Less is both condescending and sarcastic as
he replies.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
I'm taking down my trophies and packing them in my suitcase.
Speaker 6 (15:39):
Andy and Herb ask him why.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Because I'm going to New York City tonight.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
Why it seems sudden. Herb looks at Less with concern.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
What about the party?
Speaker 3 (15:48):
What party?
Speaker 5 (15:50):
I don't know, Yeah, that would be the surprise party.
Jennifer came up with three minutes ago. Less, he is
wrapping his awards in hand, tells Bailey.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
You'll be in charge of the news for two full
weeks and I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job.
Speaker 5 (16:03):
Bailey thanks, Less then looks at Andy.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
Can you do that?
Speaker 5 (16:06):
Andy is in panic mode.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
No, No, absolutely not. Wess, what do you think you're doing.
You can't take your vacation now. I've had my vacation
plan for months. You know the rules.
Speaker 5 (16:15):
Andy's looking at Less in disbelief.
Speaker 6 (16:18):
As Andy and Less are facing off, we need to
talk for a minute about the flyer behind Less. You
can very clearly see a brochure for the International Pig
Trade Show pinned to the corner of Less's bulletin board.
Remember when we mentioned Watt Publishing. They were the publishers
of the Pig American magazine Less was reading in the
(16:38):
episode Nothing to Fear. But they were also the organizers, hosts,
and primary sponsors of this annual international celebration of all
things pig.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
The International Pig Trade Show used to happen each December
in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a pretty big deal. We
even found a Pewter belt buckle commemorating the nineteen eighty
two event. The nineteen eighty two IPTS was scheduled in
the Atlanta Civic Center from December second through the fifth.
More than five thousand hog producers from as far away
(17:13):
as Germany attended the annual show. In later years, the
International Pig Trade Show would be eclipsed by another pork event.
The National Pork Producer Council's event called World Pork Expo,
was launched in nineteen eighty eight. It overtook the International
Pig Trade Show, and it is now the International Pig
(17:36):
Producer's annual gathering of choice.
Speaker 6 (17:38):
I like the name International Pig Trade Show better than.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
Pork expos Yeah, pig is more fun than hog or
pork in the.
Speaker 6 (17:47):
Name, especially International Pigs.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
Well, yes, we wee.
Speaker 6 (17:51):
Less Last looks up from wrapping an award.
Speaker 4 (17:55):
Andy. For the first time in my life, I'm doing
something it's more important to me than following rules. Now,
please notify mister Carlson that I'm leaving tonight.
Speaker 6 (18:05):
Andy leans closer to Less and Glaire's at him.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
You're not leaving tonight, I'm leaving tomorrow.
Speaker 6 (18:10):
Less throws a handtowel down on his desk.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Can we better go see mister Carlson and straighten this
out right now?
Speaker 6 (18:15):
Less comes out of his office while giving Herb instructions.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Herb finished wrapping up those trophies.
Speaker 6 (18:21):
Second as less as walking toward Herb's desk, Andy turns
and accidentally hits Less in the hip with his ski poles.
Less does a little skip hop in.
Speaker 5 (18:30):
The air now and Andy hit Less with those poles.
I think that might have been an ad lib, like
he did that accidentally, or do you?
Speaker 6 (18:37):
I don't know. It looked intentional to me.
Speaker 5 (18:39):
Scripted event rather than an accident. Yes, just getting hit
and staying in character would have been tough.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
Well, I don't know, but I think Richard Sanders could
have done it.
Speaker 5 (18:47):
Yeah, he would have done it if anybody, if something
weird had happened, he'd have reacted to it in character more.
Speaker 6 (18:54):
Than let's say it was an accident and he did
pull it off, and then that makes up for the
rest of the episode that I I'm not happy with
him for.
Speaker 5 (19:03):
Except for the whole rest of the episode.
Speaker 6 (19:06):
Especially the last Like his last a few minutes of it,
Less is in no mood to be trifled with.
Speaker 5 (19:12):
He whirls around, giving Andy a stern look.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
Be careful.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
As regains his composure and continues barking out orders.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Have Jennifer confirmed my reservations? Bailey, you get to work
on the news, Andy, come with me.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
Less is fired up. His confidence level is like what
we were seeing during the episode Date with Jennifer, which
was also a Fairman Sanders script, but there he was
getting his confidence from a two pay even without a
two pay. Less confidently strides out of the bullpen, headed
for Art's office.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
Andy, Bailey and Herb are all silent for a moment,
not quite sure what they just witnessed. Andy picks up
his skis, trying to put a positive spin on being
ordered around by Less. I'll go with him, Andy quickly
he leaves the bullpen as Herb and Bailey watch, not
saying a word as Andy in Less head for Carlson's office.
(20:08):
We head into our theme UKRG Senson.
Speaker 5 (20:17):
We come back from commercial in Arts office. Carlson's on
the phone with Jennifer.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
Jennifer said, nessman in here immediately.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
This sets up a great visual gag. The door to
his office immediately flies open unless comes in, mister Carlson
Carlson still has the phone to his ear. He watches
Les take a seat on the couch.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
I'll Travis, I'd like to see him too.
Speaker 5 (20:37):
Wow, it looks like Jennifer had them waiting right outside
the door. Andy immediately comes in, still carrying his armload
of ski equipment. Carlson's expression is so hilarious. He doesn't
question it, but you can tell he's trying to figure
out what's going on. Thanks Jennifer, he hangs up the phone.
Speaker 6 (20:55):
Jennifer is just that good.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
She is had him right there ready to go.
Speaker 6 (20:58):
Andy begins speaking right away.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Mister Carlson, Less here has decided to take his vacation
starting tonight.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Didn't he do that?
Speaker 1 (21:06):
No, it is scheduled for August. Mine is scheduled for tomorrow.
Speaker 6 (21:10):
Mister Carlson turns to face Less.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Unless you can't do that, Let's.
Speaker 6 (21:14):
Tells mister Carlson, he's got to go now.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
Now or never. I'm running out of time.
Speaker 6 (21:18):
Mister Carlson looks at Less and asks him what's up.
Let's tells mister Carlson his mother is in town and
they were talking. Mister Carlson wasn't aware Less his mother
was in town. Less tells Carlson she doesn't come to
Cincinnati often because his apartment is so small.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
And actually she doesn't like the way I keep it dusted.
Speaker 5 (21:40):
Let us say, as if he can sit down, He
goes to the couch.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
No, this isn't easy for me. I don't usually spill
my guts, as they say.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Puts his hand to his forehead. No, let's begin talking
about the conversation he had with his mother.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
Ever since I was a little boy, my mother and
I have had this dream.
Speaker 5 (21:59):
We see and he roll his eyes. He's now leaning
on his snow skis our.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Special dream that someday I would grow up and then
I would go to New York and that I would
get a job on the Times.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
The New York Times.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (22:22):
You think that's crazy, don't you.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Oh no, no, no, no, Less just I thought, you know,
first you might try the post.
Speaker 5 (22:30):
Life tells him he doesn't plan to try either one
of them.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Newspapers have had it.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Mother says, this is the electronic age. So that's why
I've decided to go into network news.
Speaker 5 (22:42):
Carlson's trying hard to understand what Less is saying, like CBS.
Less says, uh huh, excitedly as he nods his head.
Speaker 6 (22:50):
The New York Times is sometimes called the old Gray Lady.
She's the newspaper of record for everything that goes on
in the United States, to be if it wasn't published
in the Times, it didn't happen. The New York Times
was first published in eighteen fifty one. Since eighteen ninety six,
the paper's slogan has been all the news that's fit
(23:13):
to print. Although print and ink publishing is going away,
The New York Times pivoted to digital content with great
success in nineteen ninety six when they launched ny Times
dot Com. Currently, The Times has nine point one million subscribers.
Of that number, eight point three million are digital only.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
Art referenced the Post. The New York Post is NYC's
other major newspaper. Although older than The Times, the Post
has never had the gravitas of the Times. The Post
was founded as The New York Evening Post by federalists
and founding father Alexander Hamilton in eighteen oh one.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
Same man Alexander Hamilton.
Speaker 5 (24:00):
In the mid nineteen hundreds, the paper was owned by
Dorothy Schiff, devoted liberal shift developed the paper's current tabloid
format In nineteen seventy six, the Post was acquired by
News Corp Mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Speaker 6 (24:15):
The Post is lighter than The Times. They're known for
pun based headlines or an outrageous front page picture. The
post's average print circulation in twenty twenty two is one
hundred and forty six thousand. They don't list digital subscribers.
Art might be right. If Les was still looking at print,
(24:35):
he probably would have a better shot getting on with
The Post than the Times.
Speaker 5 (24:40):
Andy looks like he's about to pass out.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Mister Carlson.
Speaker 5 (24:44):
There is an eight foot base with a two foot
powdered asp. Carlson turns and looks at Andy Davis.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
Don't be a baby.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
I'm not being a baby on what my vacation.
Speaker 5 (24:55):
Less turns to Andy, Andy.
Speaker 4 (24:57):
Be reasonable, reasonable, reasonable, But what are you doing? Let's
passed up a job with New York Times for what
to replace Dan rather?
Speaker 5 (25:06):
Maybe Andy's eyes are wide and his voice is getting
higher and higher.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Maybe, and you're asking me to be reasonable.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
Dan Ruther had only been at the Big Desk for
about a year. He'd taken over from Walter Cronkite in
March of nineteen eighty one, and it looked like he
was planning to stay for a while.
Speaker 6 (25:25):
Mister Carlson turns to Andy, hands on his hips and
not playing. Less moves closer to mister Carlson and puts
the palms of his hands together.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
Mister Carlson, I'm begging you for two weeks, and less
nessman never begs, does he?
Speaker 3 (25:40):
No? No, he doesn't.
Speaker 6 (25:42):
Let's crosses his arms in front of his chest. Andy,
with a poudy face, begins loudly putting his ski equipment
against the wall.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Can a ball this equipment? I can't ski.
Speaker 6 (25:57):
Less is shocked by what he sees as Andy's selfishness.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
You're concerned about snow when a man's destiny is at stake.
Speaker 5 (26:05):
Andy's had enough. He walks over to Art's desk and
holds the phone out to Less.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
I'll tell you what least you call him? Go ahead,
call him call CBS News New York. Say hello, I'm
out here in Cincinnati. How's wonderf you had any network
news anchorman jobs? Open?
Speaker 5 (26:21):
This tells Andy No.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
I want to go in person. I just want to try.
That's all, just try.
Speaker 5 (26:29):
Andy gives Less a look. You can see how Less
His face has softened just a bit. We think it
was Less's birthday spurring him to action today, but this
is something he's been thinking about for a while.
Speaker 6 (26:42):
Les looks at mister Carlson.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
You know what I'm saying, don't you, mister Carlson, Yes, Less, I.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
Think I do.
Speaker 6 (26:50):
Another eye roll from Andy.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
No.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
I had a dream once Less one day becoming general
manager of WKRP, and I work hard at that, and
one day mother gave me the job. Oh, don't tell me,
dreams don't come true.
Speaker 6 (27:06):
Jennifer enters mister Carlson's office with a small notepad in
her hand.
Speaker 7 (27:11):
Excuse me, I have Less his travel arrangements.
Speaker 6 (27:13):
Less turns to mister Carlson a pleading look on his face.
Speaker 4 (27:17):
Can I go, Carlson?
Speaker 5 (27:18):
Heart turns to Andy.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
Andy okay.
Speaker 5 (27:23):
Andy has his hands in his pants pockets. He swung
back and forth with a really sad look on his face.
Art tells them to just trade off their vacations. He
asks Less when he's scheduled, Less says August. Art turns
to look at Andy.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
August would be perfect.
Speaker 5 (27:39):
Andy's teeth are clenched. Less thanks them both.
Speaker 6 (27:42):
Jennifer tells Less she's confirmed his first class flight Less
claps his hands as he tells them.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
All, I'm going first class.
Speaker 6 (27:50):
All the work, Jennifer continues, and they do have a
room at the Y. Less is smiling ear to ear.
The door to the office opens and Herb sticks his
head in.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
YO, excuse me, I guess the party's off.
Speaker 6 (28:04):
Jennifer looks at Herb, her eyes wide.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
What party?
Speaker 4 (28:07):
I don't know?
Speaker 7 (28:08):
Neither do I I don't know either.
Speaker 6 (28:10):
Herb quickly leaves and shuts the door.
Speaker 5 (28:13):
I just mentioned staying at the Why he was referring
to the YMCA, which is not just the title of
a disco hit. It's an acronym for Young Men's Christian Association.
The YMCA was formed all the way back in eighteen
forty four in London, where the focus on the young
Christian males quote body, mind and spirit. This is why
(28:36):
you find Jim's pools and athletic programs at the Y.
The international headquarters of the YMCA is located in Sweden,
first day of Clarenty Birstking First Group. The US headquarters
is in Chicago. In some places you can still get
a room at the Y. One of their outreach programs
(28:56):
early on was to provide budget travel accommodation, acting as
a youth hostel for budget minded travelers.
Speaker 6 (29:04):
YMCA accommodations are basic and cheap, but they're also known
to be clean and safe. It's not universal, but most
YMCAs that have rooms don't provide in room facilities. Bathrooms
and showers are usually communal. In the nineteen seventies, this
community shower room set up led to rumors about gay
(29:27):
men who would cruise the showers at the Y. This
may have been true in a few YMCA locations, but
it was not a nationwide occurrence. The YMCA locations in
New York did have a reputation within the gay community
as a hookup spot. This is what the village people
were talking about.
Speaker 5 (29:56):
You can still get a room at the Y and
several major cities. Make sure to call ahead reserve a spot. Overnight.
Rooms at the Downtown Y in Chicago were still going
for as little as thirty dollars in the twenty teens,
but as of this recording, we couldn't find any currently
being offered. The West Side YMCA in New York is
listed on expedia dot com. A single bunk with a
(30:19):
shared bathroom at the West Side Wy, located just a
half a block from Central Park West, goes for one
hundred and twenty nine dollars a night.
Speaker 6 (30:29):
Oh and by the way, Cincinnati is right around six
hundred and forty miles from New York. Flying out of Covington,
you can be there in just under four and a
half hours, landing at either LaGuardia or JFK. These days,
a one way ticket should run about one hundred and
fifty dollars. If you don't want to fly, there is
(30:49):
a bus option, but we don't know why anyone would
choose it. A bus from Cincy to New York takes
about sixteen and a half hours, and it will also
cost you about one hundred and fifty dollars.
Speaker 5 (31:01):
So for the same money, I can fly for four
and a half hours or sit on a bus for
sixteen hours.
Speaker 6 (31:09):
You'd have to have a very serious fear of flying
to take the.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
Bus busn't it, Jennifer looks at less.
Speaker 7 (31:16):
Yes, Would you and your mother like to come over
to my apartment around eight o'clock tonight?
Speaker 5 (31:20):
Let's tell Jennifer he has a lot of things to do.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
Well.
Speaker 7 (31:23):
Your flight doesn't leave until three oh six am.
Speaker 5 (31:26):
It sounds like Les got his tickets from Herb's guy again.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
Think nine words.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Jimmy the gent Tartagliano's Bone Voyage House of Travel.
Speaker 5 (31:36):
Last tells Jennifer. Okay, he thanks mister.
Speaker 4 (31:39):
Carlson, and thank you to Andy.
Speaker 5 (31:41):
He then leaves the office. Andy's seething as he looks
at the closed door. He walks towards Art's desk.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
New York's gonna eat him alive.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
Well, at least he's willing to take a chance. Most
of us just settled for what's.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
Coch Are you kidding? I'm gonna shipping back in a
body bag.
Speaker 6 (31:57):
Mister Carlson tells Andy. If a man's got courage enough
to try and change his life, then they should support.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Him, and that what you say, jen.
Speaker 6 (32:05):
Jennifer agrees with mister Carlson. She then reminds them about
the party be.
Speaker 7 (32:09):
At my apartment at seven o'clock. We'll talk about all
this nonsense.
Speaker 6 (32:12):
Then Jennifer leaves the office.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
We transition to a Bob Gerding exterior of Jennifer's apartment building.
We dissolve into her apartment where Jennifer is arranging flowers
in a large vase on the grand piano. The doorbell
rangs and we get to hear fly Me to the
Moon again. Jennifer seems a bit surprised. She asks who
(32:36):
it is that's mess mom Less Jennifer opens the door.
She wants to know what he's doing here so early.
Looking around, she asks where's his mother? But she doesn't
wait for an answer.
Speaker 7 (32:45):
You weren't supposed to be here until eight o'clock, I know,
but it's not even seven yet.
Speaker 4 (32:50):
Well should I go away and come back later?
Speaker 5 (32:51):
Jennifer tells Leus no and invites him in.
Speaker 7 (32:54):
Where is she?
Speaker 4 (32:55):
Who?
Speaker 7 (32:56):
Your mother?
Speaker 5 (32:56):
Plus tells Jennifer his mother is at his house because
she doesn't like to go out at night.
Speaker 4 (33:02):
It's a new rule of hers.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 6 (33:04):
Less and Jennifer stand awkwardly, not quite sure what to
say or do. We see Less is holding a large
tape case. Suddenly, Jennifer spreads her arms wide. Looking at Less,
she says loudly, happy birthday.
Speaker 5 (33:19):
Less.
Speaker 6 (33:19):
Jennifer is smiling a big smile. Less looks distressed. He
asks her how did she know it was his birthday?
Speaker 4 (33:27):
I hate having birthdays. Oh, please don't tell anyone it's
my birthday, Jennifer promise me you'll keep it a secret.
Speaker 6 (33:34):
Jennifer is staring at Less. This is not going the
way she had hoped. She opens her mouth, but nothing
comes out. Let's ask Jennifer if she's all right. She
tells him she suddenly has a headache, and then offers
him some peanuts.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Plice walks over by the couch. That's what I've got,
Jennifer says, she doesn't know it's.
Speaker 4 (33:55):
A videotape audition sample reel of me doing the news
on TV.
Speaker 5 (33:58):
Letus tells her he just had it made. As he
opens the front cover.
Speaker 4 (34:02):
Which I had someplace to see it, Less picks.
Speaker 5 (34:04):
Up the silver bowl of peanuts and begins eating a few.
He sets the bowl in the open front half of
the tape case.
Speaker 7 (34:13):
Well, I have five tape machines.
Speaker 5 (34:17):
Less drops the nut dish because putting it in the
tape case was not a great idea. Peanuts scatter all
over the floor. Less apologizes as he squats down to
pick them up.
Speaker 4 (34:26):
I'm nervous about going to New York, I understand.
Speaker 5 (34:28):
Let's ask Jennifer if she's ever been to New York.
Speaker 7 (34:32):
Not since last weekend?
Speaker 6 (34:33):
So do you think Jennifer has all of those tape
machines as gifts from all.
Speaker 5 (34:37):
Of her Rosen suitors. Yeah, I don't think she bought
one of them.
Speaker 6 (34:40):
Those along with the TVs and vacuum cleaners and.
Speaker 5 (34:44):
One of her small kitchen appliances.
Speaker 6 (34:46):
The doorbell rings again. Jennifer answers it as less as
on all fours. Picking up peanuts, she opens the door
to find Andy and mister Carlson. They come into the
apartment talking as they go listen.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
Andy and I.
Speaker 4 (34:59):
Were talking, Yeah, and we were thinking maybe what I
just go ahead and tell us what we really think.
Speaker 6 (35:03):
This is why Les had to drop those nuts. They
couldn't see him. He raises up from the floor.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
What you really think about?
Speaker 4 (35:09):
What?
Speaker 6 (35:09):
Jennifer lean's close to Carlson and Andy. In a low voice,
she says, no birthday, Well.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
What we you know? What we really think about that
body bag thing?
Speaker 6 (35:22):
Mister Carlson looks at Travis for help. Less wants to
know more about the body bag thing.
Speaker 5 (35:29):
Andy speaks up, Less, I think what mister Carlton here's
trying to say is that.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
New York isn't your bag?
Speaker 5 (35:36):
Less won't have it. He holds up to sample videotape
and asks if they'd like to see it. Andy tells
us sure. Andy and Art decide to get a drink first.
The doorbell rings again. As Jennifer heads to the door,
you can see the wind has completely gone out of
her sails. She has lost all enthusiasm for this party.
(35:56):
Jennifer opens the door to find Johnny and Bailey wearing
color her full pointy party hat. Johnny's carrying a brown
paper bag.
Speaker 7 (36:05):
Can we look ridiculous?
Speaker 5 (36:06):
Jennifer turns to Les and throws her arms in the air,
And yes, they look ridiculous, and everybody's gonna look ridiculous
and it makes it hilarious. Well, there's no hiding the
party hats.
Speaker 7 (36:17):
Less, they know it's your birthday.
Speaker 5 (36:19):
Oh that's all right, Less, chuckles Jennifer, who seems to
be getting whipped back and forth all of a sudden,
gives Less an exasperated look.
Speaker 6 (36:31):
Johnny hands Jennifer a pointy hat of her own and
tells her to put it on.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Just strip yourself of every shred of human dignity, anything
else that you can think of.
Speaker 6 (36:40):
Johnny pulls out a piece of crape paper, holds one
end as he tosses it into the air.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
Look at this everybody Serpentina.
Speaker 6 (36:49):
Crape paper shoots into the air like a firework. Less
is laughing.
Speaker 4 (36:54):
Johnny really knows how to party, doesn't know.
Speaker 6 (36:57):
Johnny tells Less it's great to see him.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
We don't have to hide behind the furniture.
Speaker 6 (37:01):
Jennifer is not smiling. The evening is not going how
she had planned.
Speaker 5 (37:06):
Bailey starts to pass out party hats to everyone. She
puts a hat on art. She makes mention of poor
missing Venus and how he really gets into hats. We
hate it Venus can't make the party, but this does
set up some great scenes for later. Back at the station,
Bailey tries to give a party hat to Andy. He
tells her, no, are you kidding with that hair? Bailey
(37:29):
doesn't even try a second time.
Speaker 7 (37:31):
Jennifer nickens went on a hat.
Speaker 5 (37:34):
Jennifer takes the hat from Bailey and walks over to Andy.
No Jennifer really, which brings us to the line of
the episode.
Speaker 7 (37:42):
Put on the damn hat.
Speaker 6 (37:45):
Jennifer can wear a hat with her hair.
Speaker 5 (37:48):
And hat on over that hair.
Speaker 6 (37:50):
Jennifer's hair doesn't move at all, so it just kind
of sits up there on the top of her hair.
Jennifer is done with this party stuff. We faked commercial break.
When we come back from commercial, the action continues at
the same spot and he puts on his hat. As
the doorbell rings again, Jennifer goes to answer it. Herb's
(38:11):
head pops through the front door.
Speaker 5 (38:14):
Jinny.
Speaker 6 (38:14):
Herb looks around and he sees, Oh, everybody's already there.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
I thought it was seven o'clock.
Speaker 7 (38:20):
It is seven o'clock. Get a hat and stand over there.
Speaker 5 (38:23):
Herb comes on and Less hands him the dish of peanuts.
Johnny hits him with a serpentina, and Bailey puts a
headband with feathers on it on his head. It looks
like a kid's Indian headpiece. Herb beats a peanut, then
makes a disgusted face as he pulls fuzz or a
hair or something out of his mouth. These are the
peanuts that were on the floor. Johnny reacts to Herb's
(38:45):
head dress.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
As it's time to waite pin the tail on the jackass.
Speaker 5 (38:50):
Herbs in, but he wants to drink first. He smiles
at Johnny. Then he pulls more fuzz or whatever that
was out of his mouth. As Les puts on his
party hat, he addresses the grips.
Speaker 4 (39:00):
You know, this is really a great sind off for
New York. I want to thank you all, and I
want you all to know that I'm gonna do my darnedest.
Speaker 6 (39:06):
Andy asks Les to have a seat on the couch.
He's curious if Less has any good contacts in New York.
Well Less tells him not really, I.
Speaker 4 (39:15):
Don't mind knocking on a few doors. Besides, I'm taking
along all my awards so people will be impressed with
my background.
Speaker 6 (39:22):
Jennifer pinches the top of her nose. She realizes how
far a Buckeye Newshawk award will get you in New York.
Jennifer announces she thinks she's gonna go cry now. She
steps into the kitchen. Everyone else is sitting in the
living room. The party hats are making the scene a
touch surreal.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Along with your silver sow and all this other stuff.
Are you gonna take some air checks so the network
brass has a chance to hear your style.
Speaker 6 (39:50):
Everyone in the room except Less, gets what Johnny means
about Les's style.
Speaker 5 (39:55):
Wellus claps his hands and he tells Johnny He's got
something better. Less holler's for Jennifer. She comes back from
the kitchen looking frazzled. Less wants to show his TV
audition sample reel to everyone. Jennifer tries to tell Less
this is not a good time.
Speaker 7 (40:12):
You know, I've been so blue lately.
Speaker 5 (40:14):
He tells her it's perfect. He wants everyone's opinions.
Speaker 7 (40:18):
Johnny, the TV is in the bedroom.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
I'll get it.
Speaker 5 (40:21):
Herb quickly leaves the room. Johnny asks Less where he
shot this reel.
Speaker 4 (40:25):
At a place called Twilight Video Arts. Herb knew the
guy low budget films for private use, mostly informational programs.
Speaker 5 (40:36):
I can based on our past experiences with Herb's connections,
this should be anything but good.
Speaker 4 (40:43):
You want something cheap.
Speaker 5 (40:44):
Johnny nods his head and takes the tape from Less.
Less wants to know if he's got the plug.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
Yeah, it's in the wall socket Less.
Speaker 4 (40:51):
Oh go ahead.
Speaker 6 (40:52):
Well, let's talk for a minute about this tape that
Les has. It's the same kind of tape they were
using in the episode Jennifer and the Will. This was
right at the point in the evolution of home video
where VHS and BETA were just starting to battle for
the affections of US media consumers. Before either of those
(41:12):
formats hit the scene we had this. What less has
in that oversized library case is called a three quarter
inch umatic tape.
Speaker 5 (41:23):
The three quarter inch humatic format was invented by Sony.
Three quarter refers to the width of the tape. Pro
Eumatic units were being used professionally in smaller TV markets
in the nineteen seventies. Larger formats like one inch or
two inch video tape had a better picture, but the
tape came on reels. You had to thread the tape
(41:46):
through large and very expensive tape machines. Even the half
inch home formats which were introduced in the sixties required threading.
Umatic decks were smaller and cheaper than those large pro formats,
plus huge leap forward. The tapes came in a cassette,
which Sony introduced in nineteen seventy two. The cassette for
(42:10):
videotape was a game changer. No more hand threading. All
you had to do was push a umatic cassette into
the machine and the tape would thread itself automatically. You
could also take one out without having to completely rewind it.
Speaker 6 (42:27):
In the mid seventies, Sony created in home consumer versions
of umatic tape machines like what Jennifer has They weighed
about seventy five pounds and cost about as much as
a new car. Basically, Sony added wood grain panels to
the pro units. Movie and TV execs had them in
their homes so they could review programs from work. Most
(42:50):
consumers didn't have the budget for a umatic system. Umatic
decks also did not include a TV tuner. There was
no way to record it anything off air. With a
umatic deck, you could only play what you shot or
pre purchased movies, and then only if you could find them.
As soon as half inch VHS cassettes and consumer grade
(43:13):
beta decks with lower prices and built in tuners hit
the market, consumer grade umatic went away.
Speaker 5 (43:21):
Herb rolls the TV into the living room, Less as
if anyone knows how to work this machine. Somehow, Johnny
steps up with knowledge about expensive videotape machines. He inserts
the tape. Less tells everyone there may be a few
rough edges.
Speaker 4 (43:36):
In fact, I haven't seen the final edit yet myself,
but I think this will give everyone a pretty good
idea of my ability.
Speaker 5 (43:42):
Once everything's plugged in, Less excitedly says he runs to
have a seat on the couch.
Speaker 6 (43:47):
The video opens with credits calling this the less Nessman
Demonstration videotape. We see less Nessman is director, and of
course it's a less Nessman production. Michael Scott on the
office will go for the same laugh with his great
Scott productions more than thirty years later. The screen then
says all rites reserved, which makes Johnny laugh. He realizes
(44:12):
he laughed out loud, and to cover he begins clearing
his throat. As the tape opens, we're hearing a constant
teletype sound effect. Typewriters or a teletype was the go
to sound effect in the seventies when you wanted to
get across newsroom.
Speaker 5 (44:29):
We cut to the video. A very nervous Less is
sitting behind a news desk, looking into the camera. Very seriously.
Speaker 4 (44:38):
Good evening. This is the evening news with less Nessman.
Today in Washington, the President, Missus Reagan, our meeting behind
closed doors, still worried about their expensive dishes, which were
bought with private money, not government money, even though poor
people still resent it. We go now to our correspondentent
(45:00):
Washington for that story.
Speaker 5 (45:01):
Less is also the correspondent. We cut to Less standing
in front of a chroma key screen with a picture
of the White House in the background. He's wearing his
winter coat and holding a mic with gloved hands. There's
fake snow falling on Lass as he speaks into the camera.
The chroma is not good. We can see blue lines
all around his body.
Speaker 4 (45:22):
On this raw, lusty day. As you can see, the
doors of the White House are closed. A source close
to the White House said the President may be inside.
Speaker 5 (45:34):
What's motions to the White House. With his hand, he
accidentally hits the back wall, causing a loud knocking sound.
Speaker 6 (45:43):
Let's talk for a minute about Less's special effects. As
a media savvy watcher of DVD extras, you may have
come across the term green screen for background special effects
in film or video. So why does Less seem to
be over a blue? Taking a color out of a
video shot so you can replace it with other content
(46:05):
is called a chroma key. You can chroma any primary
or secondary color, not just green.
Speaker 5 (46:13):
Red, green, and blue are the three colors in a
color TV pixel, so they're the easiest to chroma. Blue
and green are the most popular colors to chroma because
red tends to bleed into skin tones. Red chromas can
cause weird holes in a person's face. Green screens have
more luminance than blue, Otherwise the effect is about the same.
(46:36):
In the past forty years or so, green screens have
become the preferred chroma option for one simple reason. Nobody
wears that much green clothing.
Speaker 6 (46:45):
Blue clothes are a lot more common and harder to police.
The weather guy might forget and wear a blue shirt
or a blue blazer. Anything blue disappears in the chroma.
Look at Lesa's chest in the White House stand up,
It's like there's a hole right through him. So with
our weather example, as soon as the weather guy in
(47:06):
the blue blazer walks in front of the map, his
shoulders will disappear, the chroma will drop out the color
no matter where it is on the screen. A green
blazer is not as common a wardrobe option. You usually
only have to worry about green clothing causing green screen
chroma problems. Around Saint Patrick's.
Speaker 5 (47:25):
Day, les finishes up his very cringey on site Washington report.
We cut back to him sitting once again behind the
news desk. He continues with his report.
Speaker 4 (47:36):
In Detroit Today auto manufacturers revealed a revolutionary new car
for the eighties.
Speaker 5 (47:42):
He over the shoulder. Graphic behind last pops up a
picture of an ant eater. As Less continues talking about
this new car, Less goes into his next story.
Speaker 4 (47:52):
And finally enclosing, This little fellow was found wandering on
a highway near the Saint.
Speaker 5 (47:58):
Limissour and IRUs. A picture of the car comes up
on the chroma inset.
Speaker 4 (48:03):
Talk about your endangered species. Luckily zoo officials captured it
and put it back where it belonged.
Speaker 5 (48:11):
Less getting his graphics out of order is the visual
equivalent of playing the clips in his radio news stories
out of order, which he does frequently.
Speaker 6 (48:21):
We did want to expand on one of Lesa's news
stories he mentioned White House china. Ron and Nancy Reagan
dealt with a huge dish dilemma when they first moved
into the White House in January of nineteen eighty one.
They reported no new china had been purchased for use
at state dinners since the Truman administration. So many items
(48:44):
had been broken over the years they couldn't put together
enough pieces from the same set to host a state
dinner properly.
Speaker 5 (48:51):
Nancy took on the task of replacing the dishware. She
created a custom pattern with a gold presidential seal and
a thick red and gold etched border. They were made
by Lenox China in Pomona, New Jersey. The cost of
the new china was underwritten by an anonymous donor, and
(49:12):
Lenox produced the sets at cost. As Reagan stressed many
times in interviews, no tax dollars were used to buy
the china. Still, these new State dinner ready place settings
ran just under a thousand dollars a piece, as.
Speaker 6 (49:30):
Les said, a lot of poor people got mad anyway.
They didn't like the extravagance. Some of them didn't like
the design. The new State China situation caused what's been
called a lower case C China crisis. Two hundred twenty
nineteen piece sets were ordered four seven hundred and thirty
two pieces at a total cost of just under two
(49:53):
hundred ten thousand dollars that's about seven hundred thousand dollars
in twenty twenty two money. Lenox must make a durable product.
In twenty seventeen, the Washington Post reported the Trumps had
broken out the Reagan china and they were once again
using it for State dinners.
Speaker 5 (50:13):
Herb jumps up and shuts off the TV. Everyone's quiet,
interesting herbs. Strangely nice about this. He could have really
attacked him.
Speaker 6 (50:21):
Well, he was a little sympathetic there. That was nice.
Speaker 5 (50:23):
Less stance for a bet, looking like he's about to
cry or be sick or something. Even he realizes the
problem is much more than rough edges. This is bad.
Suddenly Les runs for the door, ripping his party hat
off his head. Johnny tries to offer some encouragement, goes
(50:44):
to the door and calls after Less he's gone. Jennifer
is at the end of her rope. She shuts the
apartment door and turns around with an exasperated look.
Speaker 7 (50:56):
What do you say? Guys? Triple vodkas all the way around?
Speaker 6 (51:00):
We transition to the studio. Since we're in the studio,
we had to check the posters, but there's nothing new
this week. Things are hopping. During Venus's shift, he seems
to be entertaining two nicely dressed ladies in the studio.
We hear closer by Stanley Tarantine playing over the air.
Venus and the two women are enjoying some Chinese takeout.
(51:25):
They're eating out of those iconic white cardboard fold up
containers and using chopsticks.
Speaker 4 (51:31):
Maybe more Moogle for YouTube.
Speaker 1 (51:35):
No, no, I'm stuff.
Speaker 2 (51:37):
Tell you what though, I'm gonna hold up my cookie
cookie fortunes.
Speaker 6 (51:42):
Venus opens his fortune cookie and unfolds the fortune He
reads it aloud.
Speaker 1 (51:47):
You will gain something you've always worn it.
Speaker 5 (51:52):
There's a little performance trick going on in this scene
that I just love. You'll watch them dig and dig
and dig down in those containers with the chopsticks. Nobody
ever brings a bite to their mouth, their mouth looking
like it they couldn't be. But they also say, if
you commit to eating something in a scene, and then
they have to retake the scene a dozen times, you
(52:14):
have to keep eating that same thing over and over
and over a dozen times. So you really don't want
to be seen eating. You just want it to look
like you're about to eat.
Speaker 6 (52:22):
Which tell what's what they're played. Tony Soprano said he
was so full of spaghetti.
Speaker 5 (52:27):
Oh yeah, spaghetti and dabbaghoul and all its eating in
every scene. The tune Venus who is playing is called
Closer from Stanley Tarantine. You might remember it was Tarantine
who provided the capper tune ones Venus was back home
and on the air. At the end of Venus Rising,
Tarantine is an American jazz saxophonist who started with Blue
(52:48):
Note Records in nineteen sixty. This cut closer comes from
his nineteen eighty contemporary jazz album titled Inflation.
Speaker 6 (53:10):
Adele is being played by Eleanor McCoy. Eleanor is a
Broadway stage actress who gave Hollywood a try. She accumulated
seven acting credits between nineteen eighty and nineteen eighty three.
She hit other MTM productions in her three year TV career,
including Hill Street Blues and The White Shadow. We're not
(53:33):
sure what Eleanor is up to these days. Her last
IMDb credit was a direct to video forty five minute
adaptation of The Whiz made in nineteen eighty three. Eleanor
was married to producer and director Stan Lathan from nineteen
sixty eight until they divorced in nineteen seventy seven. They
(53:53):
had a daughter, Sanna Lathan.
Speaker 5 (53:56):
Tiffany is being played by Carole Carrington. Carol simulated a
total of thirteen acting credits over a forty seven year period.
Her earliest is in nineteen seventy appearance as a reader
in A Very Strange Movie. It started out as a
play which used the transcripts of the Trial of the
Chicago Seven. Both the play and the movie were called
(54:17):
Chicago seventy. From there, she got an ABC After School
special in nineteen seventy two, a made for TV movie
in nineteen seventy five, and several series guest starring roles
through the early eighties. Her last was a Scarecrow and
Missus King appearance in nineteen eighty four. After that, nothing
for thirty three years. In twenty seventeen, she did two
(54:41):
episodes of a series called The Springs. We're not sure
what Carol's up to these days, but her profile does
list the alternate name of Carol Carrington McGrath, So maybe
she got married and we.
Speaker 6 (54:55):
Couldn't let venus open a fortune cookie without checking them out.
Fortune cooki kis, like most things associated with Chinese food
in the US, are not Chinese. The crispy sugar cookie
with a piece of paper inside first appeared in California
in the early twentieth century. Various immigrant groups claimed to
(55:16):
have popularized them, but nobody can prove it. Most likely,
Chinese fortune cookies were derived from cookies originally made by
Japanese immigrants.
Speaker 5 (55:27):
The Japanese version of these cookies was eaten with tea.
In Kyoto, Japan, it was customed to include a small
piece of paper with a saying on it wedged into
the bend of the cookie. Two different Japanese restauranteurs in
Los Angeles in the early twentieth century claim they invented
the fortune cookie based on these Japanese tea cookies. Another
(55:49):
Japanese restaurant owner in San Francisco said no, they invented
the first fortune cookie in the late eighteen nineties. In
nineteen eighty three, San Francisco's co coort of Historical Review
tried to settle who actually invented the modern fortune cookie.
The best they could do was narrow its invention to
(56:10):
the city of San Francisco sometime in the late nineteen
teens or early nineteen twenties.
Speaker 6 (56:17):
How did fortune cookies move from being dominated by Japanese
American manufacturers to control by Chinese Americans. Several historians believed
Japan's involvement in World War II, and more specifically, the
US internment camps used during the war, caused the shift.
More than one hundred thousand Japanese Americans were held in
(56:39):
the camps throughout the war. Many of these detainees had
been fortune cookie manufacturers. With no competition, the Chinese Americans
took over the segment. They continue to control fortune cookie
manufacturing to this day.
Speaker 5 (56:55):
The door to the studio opens and Less walks in.
Less quickly apologize.
Speaker 4 (57:00):
I'm sorry, Venus, I didn't know you had company.
Speaker 5 (57:02):
Venus introduces Less to the two women.
Speaker 2 (57:04):
Oh no, it's all right. This is Adele, she's my broker.
And this is Tiffany, she's my bookkeeper.
Speaker 3 (57:09):
I'm not swear.
Speaker 5 (57:09):
I'm not kidding, this, tells Venus. He believes him.
Speaker 2 (57:13):
Oh see, here's here's my income text form right here,
and we're working on it. Okay, now, I want you
to tell Andy this. I'm not kidding, man, man.
Speaker 5 (57:19):
Venus is adamant about this. Tiffany tells Venus they can
just step outside.
Speaker 4 (57:23):
No, that's all right, you don't have to go.
Speaker 5 (57:25):
Adele offers Less some tea. Less accepts.
Speaker 6 (57:28):
Less moves closer to Venus.
Speaker 4 (57:30):
I made a food of myself with that party tonight.
Speaker 6 (57:32):
Venus asks what happened. Les tells Venus about the audition
real and how awful it was. Venus tells Les to
forget about it.
Speaker 3 (57:42):
In New York. Why do you want to go away
up there?
Speaker 6 (57:43):
Let's starts telling Venus about the conversation with his mother.
He stops and looks seriously at Venus.
Speaker 4 (57:50):
Venus, do you think I'm good enough to go to
New York? You know what they say, If you can
make it there, you can make it anywhere. So mother
told me that if I just took a chance for
once in my life, if I took that.
Speaker 6 (58:04):
Chance, Venus tells les Oh to wait a minute. His
song is coming to an end. The ladies are standing
in front of the album shelves, continuing to eat or
pretending to eat Chinese with chopsticks.
Speaker 5 (58:17):
Less and Herb especially love to quote Old Blue Eyes.
Less is quoting from one of Sinatra's best known hits
and what would become the final top forty hit of
his career. The song is actually the theme to a
nineteen seventy seven Martin Scorsese film called New York. New York.
Music was by John Candor, lyrics by Fred Ebb. The
(58:40):
song was written specifically for American actress, singer, dancer, and
choreographer Liza Minelli.
Speaker 10 (58:47):
If Fick Page, come On, Come Through.
Speaker 5 (59:12):
Minnelli performed the song for the soundtrack, and her version
was released as a single in June of nineteen seventy seven.
Minnelli's version of New York, New York did not chart,
but it did reach bubbling under status, peaking at number
one oh four.
Speaker 6 (59:29):
In October of nineteen seventy eight. Sinatra performed the song
in concert at Radio City Music Hall. It was so
well received live Frank did a studio version in nineteen
seventy nine. It was released on his nineteen eighty album
called Trilogy, Past, Present, Future. Sinatra's single of New York,
(59:51):
New York went to number thirty two on the US
Hot one hundred in May of nineteen eighty. He continued
to perform at live and it did become one of
his signature songs. He has also performed it as a
duet with Liza A.
Speaker 5 (01:00:07):
Couple of fun side notes about New York, New York.
Robert de Niro, who starred in the film, is given
credit for the theme song's success. According to composers Candor
and Ebb, de Niro rejected their original theme for the film.
He told him it was two week for a movie
about New York.
Speaker 6 (01:00:27):
Also, Sinatra doesn't sing it correctly. You know how he
repeats a number one in that list. He says a
number one. Fine, I'm on top of the list, the list,
king of the hill, bang all the Then he says
a number one again number. Ebb said his original lyrics
(01:00:51):
didn't even include the phrase a number one, and he
doesn't like the way Sinatra did it. The four things
as Ebb wrote them and Nelly saying them were king
of the Hill, ahead of the list, head of this,
stream of the crime, and top of the heat. By
(01:01:12):
nineteen seventy nine, Sinatra had hit a point in his
career where he was forgetting and muddling lyrics. This may
have been one of those times.
Speaker 5 (01:01:21):
Venus helpings the mic to transition into the next song.
Speaker 3 (01:01:25):
This is Venus, my children, and I want you to
know that.
Speaker 2 (01:01:29):
Are you crying out there in the darkness asking yourself?
Speaker 1 (01:01:33):
Am I good enough?
Speaker 5 (01:01:34):
Venus glances back at Less and continues.
Speaker 1 (01:01:37):
Should I take the chance?
Speaker 3 (01:01:38):
Will I fail? Well?
Speaker 2 (01:01:40):
Venus doesn't have the answers to those questions.
Speaker 1 (01:01:42):
Only you know your true words.
Speaker 5 (01:01:43):
This looks like he's deep in thought considering what Venus's saying.
Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
Suc seek not reflections in another's eyes.
Speaker 3 (01:01:50):
That's the Church say Amen, Amen, Amen.
Speaker 5 (01:01:53):
Venus goes into make up your Mind by a rah.
Speaker 6 (01:01:56):
The cut Venus Goes into make Up Your Mind is
from the Dayton, Ohio soul group Aura, pronounced like regular
Old Aura, but with two rs, formed in nineteen seventy
nine by Steve Washington. This would be Aura's biggest single.
Speaker 7 (01:02:12):
Why Don't You.
Speaker 6 (01:02:21):
Make make Up Your Mind hits number six on the
US R and B chart and cracks the Hot one hundred,
peaking at number seventy one.
Speaker 5 (01:02:32):
Looking very proud of his friend advice hidden cleverly in
a song intro, Venus turns around and looks at last.
Speaker 1 (01:02:39):
Does that help you? Last?
Speaker 4 (01:02:41):
Oh, I'm sorry, Venus, I wasn't listening.
Speaker 5 (01:02:45):
Let's sets his d down on the stool. Adele as les,
what's wrong with just staying here?
Speaker 4 (01:02:50):
I've got this dream. I want my name on that
big roll. Call mart Mgronsky, Charles Osgar Roger Mudd.
Speaker 5 (01:03:02):
He just tells least he needs to just forget about
New York.
Speaker 6 (01:03:06):
Less has mentioned both Oz Goode and Mud in past episodes.
He threw a new one at us this time. Martin
Agronsky born Martin Zama Agrins. Agronsky is an odd selection
for Less. Although he was active at this time, he
was not a currently active CBS reporter. He hadn't been
(01:03:27):
since nineteen sixty nine, and he was only at CBS
for five years. Since Les is talking TV, he might
like Agronsky for another reason. Agronsky has the distinction of
being the only telejournalist to ever work for all three
of the major news networks.
Speaker 5 (01:03:46):
Agronsky gave up his network posts in nineteen sixty nine
to start his own talking head news show called Agronsky
in Company. It was the first of its kind, and
it is why CNN, MSNBC, and five Fox News all
look the way they do a Gronsky created and hosted
multiple news shows, eventually going to PBS, where they gave
(01:04:09):
him a longer interview show than what he could do
in syndication. Agronsky retired from news in nineteen eighty eight.
Later in his career, he did act as variations on
his true personality in both film and on television. Agronsky
died in July of nineteen ninety nine at the age
of eighty four.
Speaker 6 (01:04:29):
Adele tells Less about her experience in New York.
Speaker 7 (01:04:33):
You know Less, New York is really a tough place.
Speaker 2 (01:04:36):
I know, because I went there wanted to be a
ballerina all my life.
Speaker 7 (01:04:40):
And I found out I could never be more than
a chorus grew.
Speaker 6 (01:04:43):
So I just had to face the fact and take
a second look at myself. Venus tells Less that's right.
Speaker 2 (01:04:49):
I mean, you got to start being true to yourself, right, Yeah,
maybe those guys are just fifty times better than you are.
Speaker 6 (01:04:55):
Sometimes it takes a friend's bookkeeper or accountant to I
really tell it like it is.
Speaker 5 (01:05:01):
Adell shoots Shiffany shiffiny a tarp. Look, it's kind of
a rough thing to say. Adele shoots Tiffany as sharp. Look,
well it happens since Plus ReBs his chin, thanks for
a bit, and then says, you know, actually I'm hungry,
lean his hands in one of the curtains of Chinese takeout.
Speaker 3 (01:05:21):
All right, I want to have the rest of this.
Speaker 2 (01:05:23):
We won't be hungry for another hour.
Speaker 5 (01:05:25):
Delan Tiffany have a little giggle at this.
Speaker 6 (01:05:27):
We transition to the lobby for our final scene of
the episode. Hang On My Children the next three minutes
or why most fans have this one at the bottom
of their favorites list. Jennifer's at her desk, drinking from
her coffee mug. When mister Carlson comes out of his office,
he closes the door loudly.
Speaker 3 (01:05:48):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (01:05:49):
Well, I don't know.
Speaker 6 (01:05:51):
Travis comes into the lobby from the front door. He
must have just come up on the elevator. He's out
of breath from carrying a big oxygen and some scuba
gear I got they got.
Speaker 1 (01:06:02):
To take back to the ski equipment and I bought
just to stay.
Speaker 6 (01:06:04):
Mister Carlson leans on Jennifer's desk and asks Andy if
he thinks Less went to New York.
Speaker 1 (01:06:10):
Oh, sure, he got He's nuts.
Speaker 6 (01:06:12):
Andy starts to lay the oxygen tank on the desk,
but Jennifer shows him away. He takes the tank and
other equipment over by the wall and sets it on
the floor.
Speaker 5 (01:06:22):
Why do Andy's vacations all require so much stuff?
Speaker 6 (01:06:26):
Because he's got to be cool?
Speaker 5 (01:06:28):
Yes, the girls, you gotta have his gizmos. Johnny comes
into the lobby from the bullpendor, telling Travis he should
have heard Bailey with the news.
Speaker 3 (01:06:37):
Yes, the first time in years.
Speaker 1 (01:06:38):
If it's made any.
Speaker 7 (01:06:39):
Sense, I like it when Less does the news. It's
always so surreal.
Speaker 5 (01:06:43):
Then we cut to a shot with Johnny and Andy
standing to the left of the frame. The entry door
and hallway are visible. In the right half of the frame,
we can see what looks like a female version of Less,
though much older, come into the lobby.
Speaker 6 (01:07:03):
This old lady Less is a stereotypical older woman. She
has on a navy dress with a small white pattern
in it. Her collar is outlined in white. She has
a white satin scarf for possibly the collar of a
satin blouse visible at her neck. A cameo brooch is
pinned in the satin. She's accessorized with white satin button
(01:07:26):
style earrings, white gloves, wire rimmed cat eye glasses, a
black pocket book, and a navy hat no doubt Bobby
pinned into her gray hair. What we're looking at is
Richard Sanders in drag. The modern non theater terminology would
be cross dressing, but the theater term has always been drag.
Speaker 5 (01:07:49):
I noticed he's also wearing stockings and gloves. There's not
a single inch of skin other than his face visible.
Speaker 6 (01:07:58):
His legs a little bit below his skirt, oh below
the skirt of the dress, because he's wearing those old
lady oh.
Speaker 5 (01:08:05):
The supporters that's come up.
Speaker 6 (01:08:07):
Yeah, and then those you know, those thick black leather
shoes that old ladies wore.
Speaker 5 (01:08:11):
Oh yeah. Drag has a long history in the theater,
but no one is sure of the origin of the term.
It's possibly from the nineteenth century. It may have been
slang for the long skirts worn on stage that would drag.
It's also been suggested that drag might be an acronym
derived from the phrase dressed as a girl. Drag has
(01:08:35):
been a part of the theater, and especially a part
of comedy, for centuries, which may explain why it's showing
up here in a Richard Sanders script. Even dressed up
and in heavy makeup, he still looks like Richard Sanders.
He doesn't make a very good woman, which may be
(01:08:56):
why they play it as this is less dressed up
mass mend.
Speaker 4 (01:09:04):
Are you going to New York or San Francisco?
Speaker 1 (01:09:09):
I thank your pardon.
Speaker 6 (01:09:10):
Jennifer realizes this isn't less. She leans forward and asks
the woman if she can help her. The woman walks
on further into the lobby.
Speaker 4 (01:09:19):
I'm mister Nessman's mother. I came here on the bus.
Speaker 6 (01:09:22):
Mister Carlson hurries over, extending his hand. He introduces himself like.
Speaker 3 (01:09:27):
You introduce it, Andy Travis.
Speaker 5 (01:09:28):
Andy holds out his hand, but mother Nessman recognizes the.
Speaker 4 (01:09:32):
Name a selfish one.
Speaker 5 (01:09:33):
Ooh. She leaves Andy's ann sticking out in the air,
not shaking it. Art leads mother Nessman over to Johnny.
Speaker 3 (01:09:40):
This is doctor, doctor Johnny Fever.
Speaker 4 (01:09:43):
Oh, yes, the Beatnick. You're cute.
Speaker 5 (01:09:47):
This is Nessman takes a gloved hand and tickles Johnny's mustache.
Speaker 6 (01:09:53):
Johnny is really more of a hippie than a beatnick.
The Beatnik generation was born between nineteen twenty eight and
nineteen forty five. They had the greatest impact on the
social scene from the post World War two forties to
the early sixties.
Speaker 4 (01:10:10):
But I'm a bungle beating beat nick and I just
don't dig rocking road.
Speaker 5 (01:10:17):
Yeah, I'm a bungle beating beat nicking. I just can't
stand rocking road. Oh we must be talking, Mama says,
come own that, let's go.
Speaker 6 (01:10:29):
Beat Nicks were a literary movement devoted to following the
spiritual quest of Jack Carawax autobiographical fiction. You could usually
recognize beat Nicks thanks to their black turtlenecks, bongos, berets,
and dark glasses.
Speaker 11 (01:10:49):
I had an uncle with an ivy league hard. He
had life with a belt in the back. He had
a button down brain, wind up, a belt in my mouth,
and a button down lip. Cough blood on this earth.
Now there's a race for space. We can cough blood
(01:11:10):
on the moon.
Speaker 10 (01:11:11):
Soon.
Speaker 11 (01:11:11):
Tomorrow is Dragsville. Cats Tomorrow is a king sized drag.
Speaker 6 (01:11:18):
Their lasting impact on society, beat Nicks gave us the
term cool cool man.
Speaker 5 (01:11:25):
Johnny backs away as he tells Missus Nessman, he needs
to get back on the air. I think this whole
thing's freaking him out a little bit. Otherwise, he says
he'd stay and get better acquainted. He quickly leaves the lobby.
Speaker 3 (01:11:36):
Oh and this is our reception this Jennifer Marl.
Speaker 5 (01:11:39):
Jennifer stands and holds out her hand.
Speaker 6 (01:11:41):
Hello, mother.
Speaker 5 (01:11:42):
Nessman pulls Jennifer towards her, A little bit.
Speaker 4 (01:11:45):
Stay away from my son. He's told me everything.
Speaker 5 (01:11:49):
Jennifer tells her she will try, and sits back down.
Speaker 6 (01:11:53):
Mister Carlson asks Lessa's mother if less went to New York.
Speaker 3 (01:11:57):
No.
Speaker 4 (01:11:58):
When I left my boy, he was sound as sleep
in his little bed, trying to recover from a very
very trying night.
Speaker 6 (01:12:05):
As he talks, he drops what little mother voice he had.
Speaker 4 (01:12:09):
It's just less and I would thank you all to
stop putting these silly dreams into my boy's head and
getting him all upset.
Speaker 6 (01:12:16):
Mister Carlson tells her to hold on a minute.
Speaker 3 (01:12:19):
I thought New York was, you know, kind of your idea.
Speaker 4 (01:12:23):
Others don't create false expectations in their children's minds. Although
Lester would make an interesting anchor man, wouldn't.
Speaker 6 (01:12:33):
She gives a little grin to mister Carlson.
Speaker 5 (01:12:35):
Yes, ma'am, unless his mother starts walking towards the main
entrance to the lobby.
Speaker 4 (01:12:39):
Well, that's all I had to say, yes, ma'am.
Speaker 5 (01:12:42):
She turns around and looks at mister Carlson.
Speaker 4 (01:12:45):
You have lovely manners. You must have a very nice
mother yourself.
Speaker 5 (01:12:49):
Hard chips from one foot to the other as he
stammer as he then changes the subject.
Speaker 3 (01:12:54):
Would you perhaps like to have a tour of the station?
Speaker 5 (01:12:57):
I would not missus. Nestman puts her arm through the
handle of her pocketbook as she continues to look at art.
Carlson tells her it was nice meeting her. She turns
to walk out the door.
Speaker 6 (01:13:07):
Herbinters coming face to face with Lessa's mother. He stops
and stares at mother Nessman, looking her up and down.
He obviously thinks this is less in drag, which it is. Missus.
(01:13:29):
Nessman tells Herb good day and walks on past him.
Herb mimics her good fide, then reaches down and gooses
her with his thumb, causing her to jump into the air.
Speaker 3 (01:13:41):
Herb, that was Lessa's mother. Oh, come on, get in
the game.
Speaker 4 (01:13:45):
The guy's ready for the looney bin.
Speaker 2 (01:13:48):
When first he wants to be a network anchorman, now
he's dressing up like somebody's mother.
Speaker 4 (01:13:52):
The guy's nuts.
Speaker 6 (01:13:54):
Herb is laughing as Les walks into the lobby. Less
glares at Herb. Herb turns to Lesson straightens his bow
tie as the credits begin to roll.
Speaker 5 (01:14:06):
So we got some kind of a cut in there.
We didn't notice it, but there was a time cut
which allowed less to get changed, so he could then
immediately come in after his mother had left.
Speaker 6 (01:14:15):
Right, But it looks like it was so close. There's
no way he had time to change, And so Herber realizes,
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 5 (01:14:21):
Yeah, Herb understands they were two different people. And yes,
we saw Herb's coat, but no fashion alert. We've done
this coat so many times in the last eighty nine episodes.
We're gonna let it slide because this is it. That's right,
fellow babies, we have completed the final episode of the
entire WKRP in Cincinnati series.
Speaker 6 (01:14:52):
I am gonna miss the fashion alerts and Venus is
closed the vibe threads. I really enjoyed look at their outfits. Normally,
this is where we'd be telling you about next week's show.
We're all done with our episode breakdowns, so we won't
be doing one of those, but don't unfollow us just yet.
Coming up, we're going to do a Missus and Missus
(01:15:15):
episode where we will review the entire run of the
podcast and try to correct some of our more glaring errors. Also,
we have more interviews to share. Hey, fellow babies, this
is Al and Donna calling from the future.
Speaker 5 (01:15:33):
We can now confirm that next week we've got a
very special episode. We talked to Gary Sandy.
Speaker 6 (01:15:42):
Next Tuesday. Don't miss our more than ninety minute discussion
with Andy Travis himself, mister Gary Sandy.
Speaker 5 (01:15:50):
But for now go back to the past.
Speaker 6 (01:15:56):
Be watching your podcast feed for more from the double
UKRP Cast, But for.
Speaker 5 (01:16:02):
Now, that's gonna do it for this episode of the
WKRP Cast. If you'd like to watch along with us,
check our show notes. You can find us on social media.
Follow our Facebook page at WKRP Cast. For more WKRP fun,
you can still become a patron. Go to patreon dot
com slash WKRP Cast for behind the scenes fun, full
(01:16:23):
interviews and more.
Speaker 6 (01:16:25):
Got a question, comment or correction Let us know about it.
Write us Wkrpcast at gmail dot com.
Speaker 5 (01:16:34):
And remember, rate and review us on Apple Podcast. Give
us a five star review. They really do help. Thanks
for listening.
Speaker 4 (01:16:43):
Bye, Now, may the good news be yours.
Speaker 5 (01:16:53):
The WKRP Cast is not endorsed by MTM, Enterprise, Use
Shot Factory, or CBS. His podcast is intended for entertainment
and informational purposes only WKRP and Cincinnati. The WKRP logo
and all names, pictures, and audio of WKRP and Cincinnati
characters are registered trademarks of MTM, CBS, Shout Factory, or
(01:17:14):
their respective copyright holders.
Speaker 4 (01:17:23):
Almost got Them Babies, Booger,
Hi, everybody, This is very sandy, and thank you very
much for listening to the wuk Rpcast.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
So just sit right down, relax, open your ears real wide,
and say.
Speaker 3 (00:12):
Weather today in the greater Cincinnati area.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Are you awake? Are you awake now?
Speaker 4 (00:19):
But the Senator, while insisting he was not intoxicated, could
not explain his nudity.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Same what Dear God, She's gonna kill us all.
Speaker 5 (00:27):
Welcome to the WKRP Cast. My name is Alan Stairs.
Speaker 6 (00:31):
And I'm Donna Stair. This is the fourth and final
season of our week by week, episode by episode.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
Rewatch join us for this final season as we're getting
into the music, the.
Speaker 6 (00:42):
Trivia, and the fun of WKRP.
Speaker 5 (00:45):
So fellow babies, stay tuned and stay cool. It's time
for the WKRP Cast.
Speaker 6 (00:50):
I'm a WKRP and Simpson.
Speaker 5 (00:57):
Welcome back to another WKRP cast. Ask Donna what is
our episode this week?
Speaker 6 (01:02):
We are ready to discuss the Impossible Dream. The air
date was September twentieth, nineteen eighty two, written by Richard
Sanders and Michael Fairman, story consultant Lisa eleven, directed by
Nicholas Stamos. It's Less's birthday and his mother's visiting Less
Suddenly struck with a sense of urgency about his life,
(01:23):
he decides he needs to advance his career, and he
needs to do it now. Les plans to follow a
lifelong dream and apply for a job at the CBS
Evening News.
Speaker 5 (01:35):
This is truly it the final first run episode of WKRP.
For the first time ever this year twenty twenty two,
we know the actual date of the fortieth anniversary of
the final first run episode is September twentieth. No, this
was not the episode Hugh Wilson envisioned as the season kapper.
(01:56):
It's only the final episode because of air date changes
made on the fly last spring. The intended final episode
of the season was pretty obviously supposed to be Up
and Down the Dial.
Speaker 6 (02:08):
If you've been following along, you know this is the
second of two episodes that had been shelved last spring.
They'd have probably never aired. Only now WKRP is a
hit to air. As Human was number four during the
first week of August. Reruns since then were the creation
of Venus, I'll Take Romance, and Fire. All three finished
(02:33):
top twenty and I'll Take Romance was ranked number seven
for the week it aired.
Speaker 5 (02:39):
Even though this episode is considered by many fans to
be one of the worst in the series, it did
manage to take the series out in a blaze of glory.
Airing at eight thirty on Monday Night after a rerun
of Mash, Impossible Dream finishes the week as the numbers
seven program overall. It goes head to head with both
A New That's Incredible and a rerun of Little House
(03:02):
on the Prairie. It defeats both easily. This episode doesn't
go directly head to head with Monday Night Football, but
it does beat the ABC Powerhouse overall for the week.
Speaker 6 (03:15):
It's possible. The syndicated episodes of WKRP were helping to
power the popularity of the first run episodes. WKRP came
out of the syndication gate strong in the fall of
nineteen eighty two. The reruns were on every weeknight in
almost every market in the country. It was being hyped
(03:37):
with high profile promo campaigns and some solid viewership numbers.
Wkrp's era of its greatest popularity, the two decades after
it went off the air was just beginning.
Speaker 5 (03:52):
The title of this episode, The Impossible Dream, was lifted
directly from the song of the same name subtitled The Quest,
first appeared in the nineteen sixty five Broadway musical The
Man of La Mancha. There have been dozens of versions
of the song recorded since nineteen sixty five. The only
one to crack the top forty was by Jack Jones
(04:12):
in nineteen sixty six.
Speaker 4 (04:14):
To Dream the Impossible Dream two five the Unbeatable Phone
to Bed with Unbearable Sorrow.
Speaker 5 (04:30):
Jones version changed the lyrics slightly to make it more
single friendly. His take on the tune peaked at number
thirty five on the Hot one hundred, but it does
go to number one on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Speaker 6 (04:44):
Cast note for this one, we discovered Tim Reid busy
working on his post WKRP career. An article from February
of nineteen eighty two mentions Tim would be hosting a
nationally syndicated radio countdown show called sound Off. The press
release said the show would spotlight top black oriented hits.
(05:06):
A notice in Billboard said Reid was a producer and
owned eighty percent of the show. Sound Off also created
a spinoff. Six months after sound Off premiered, a second
syndicated radio show was launched featuring Daphney Maxwell as the host.
She'd been appearing alongside Tim on sound Off.
Speaker 5 (05:28):
Let's get into the episode. We start out in the bullpen,
where Bailey and Johnny are talking. Johnny has one foot
propped up on the DJ desk, the other on a
drawer that's been pulled out. He's sorting through a stack
of albums. Bailey is sitting on the desk.
Speaker 6 (05:42):
We've seen him wear them before, but this is about
the best look we've ever gotten at Johnny's shoes. Johnny
is wearing possibly the most iconic basketball shoe ever made,
the high Top Chuck Taylor Converse All Stars, known as
Chucks CON's All Stars, Chucky Tea's and more. These are
(06:03):
the Granddaddy of all sports shoes. Converse made the very
first shoe designed specifically for basketball back in nineteen seventeen.
In nineteen twenty two, they completely redesigned their shoes based
on the input of a basketball player and shoe salesman
named Chuck Taylor.
Speaker 5 (06:23):
Taylor was only twenty one when he was hired to
work as a salesman for the Converse rubber company. Body
was also playing basketball semi professionally. He'd been wearing Converse
basketball shoes since they were introduced while he was still
in high school. Taylor told Converse what was wrong with
their shoes. He said they needed more support in the
(06:45):
sole and more stability around the ankle.
Speaker 6 (06:48):
Using Taylor's suggestions, Converse redesigned their shoe. The new version
of high top basketball shoe they introduced in nineteen twenty
two would become an icon of the twentieth century. Converse
added the circular all Star logo and Taylor's signature to
the ankle badging. Taylor hit the road, holding basketball clinics
(07:11):
and promoting the shoes throughout the country. By the nineteen fifties,
Chucks were the standard among basketball players at all skill levels.
In the nineteen sixties, Converse controlled more than eighty percent
of the sports shoe market and more than ninety percent
of all college and professional basketball players wore a pair
(07:34):
of Chuck Taylor All Stars.
Speaker 5 (07:36):
Converse dominated the sports shoe segment from the nineteen twenties
through the seventies. Competition and more advanced competitive products caused
sales to slow in the mid to late seventies. Tree
rollins of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks is said to be
the last professional to wear canvas chucks during the seventy
(07:57):
nine eighty season. Through the eighties and nineties, struggled against
new and very stiff competition, namely Nike. Converse continued to
produce new All Star designs, but they also tried to
recapture the glory days with reruns of classic designs. After
they'd filed for bankruptcy multiple times, Nike bought Converse in
(08:18):
two thousand and three. If you like the look, Nike
does still produce a pretty extensive line of Chuck Taylor
All Stars.
Speaker 6 (08:27):
Jennifer enters the bullpen with news you know what you two.
Speaker 7 (08:30):
Less's mother is in town. She flew in from deep.
Speaker 6 (08:33):
Bailey looks up at Jennifer and recalls Less said his
mother was shrinking. Jennifer says, what, Yeah.
Speaker 8 (08:40):
He said he felt bad about leaving her all alone
in that house in Dayton, but with mother getting smaller
and smaller all the time.
Speaker 6 (08:47):
Jennifer and Bailey laugh. Jennifer says it sounds like Less.
Speaker 7 (08:51):
I'd like to meet her, wouldn't you done?
Speaker 4 (08:53):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (08:53):
Yeah, sure, golly cheep, gotch boil.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
That would be really neat.
Speaker 6 (09:00):
Johnny sets the albums on the DJ desk, and heads
to the coffee machine. Les did mention his mother was
shrinking in the episode The Painting. He'd just been to
Dayton for a visit. Oh well, that's nice.
Speaker 4 (09:14):
How is she even smaller? I'm afraid.
Speaker 8 (09:20):
Well, I'm sorry.
Speaker 4 (09:21):
We had lunch together. You know, it's very disconcerting to
have those two little eyes peering up at you from
table level.
Speaker 5 (09:29):
Jennifer says she likes meeting people's parents.
Speaker 7 (09:32):
To get to see what they look like, how they act.
Maybe I'll throw a little party for Less while she's here.
Speaker 5 (09:37):
Bailey perks up.
Speaker 8 (09:38):
Today is Less's birthday.
Speaker 5 (09:39):
Jennifer says she'll make it a surprise party. Johnny holds
up his hand, trying to put a stop to this Jennifer.
Jennifer asks him, why not.
Speaker 8 (09:48):
Don't you like putting on a stupid looking hat and
hiding behind furniture and generally stripping yourself of every shred
of human dignity.
Speaker 5 (09:55):
Bailey smiles, Johnny.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
Now that you mentioned I do like that.
Speaker 5 (10:00):
He sits back down at the DJ's desk.
Speaker 6 (10:02):
Somehow this scene has become all about Johnny's wardrobe. Did
you get a look at his T shirt? Normally we
only see Johnny in either his rock and Roll Fermee
or Black Death Mault Liquor T shirts. Today he's wearing
a blue T shirt with a red logo across the front.
It's a word that looks like solid darnosk with some umlats.
(10:25):
It's actually the word solidarity written in Polish. This is
the logo of the Polish independent, self governing trade union
who called themselves Solidarity.
Speaker 5 (10:36):
Solidarity was formed in the Lenin shipyard in Gadansk, Poland,
in August of nineteen eighty. It was the first trade
union to ever be recognized by the state. By September
of nineteen eighty one, the membership had topped ten million.
Solidarity had moved beyond a simple trade union to become
a broad anti authoritarian social movement. Lake Wallessa, the leader
(11:00):
of Solidarity, became an internationally known figure and the face
of the movement in the early eighties. He would win
the Nobel Peace Prize in nineteen eighty three. Solidarity is
widely recognized as playing a central role in ending communist
rule in Poland.
Speaker 6 (11:18):
Jennifer excitedly tells Johnny and Bailey to spread the word
about the party for less. They should all be at
her place at seven.
Speaker 7 (11:25):
And I'll invite Lesson his mother to come at eight.
Speaker 6 (11:27):
Bailey says less may not accept. Jennifer confidently tells her
you'll accept. Herb enters the bullpen just as Jennifer is
heading out.
Speaker 7 (11:35):
Kirb, what are you doing tonight?
Speaker 6 (11:36):
Herbs squints his eyes, tilts his head.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
Thinking, actually, I'm pretty free.
Speaker 6 (11:41):
Jennifer tells Herb to be at her place at seven.
Speaker 7 (11:45):
I'm throwing a surprise birthday party for Lesson his mom.
Speaker 5 (11:47):
Herb snaps his fingers and claps his hands and says, ah,
you vet. He walks to his desk and sits.
Speaker 4 (11:53):
Aw, that's nice Lessen his mom having birthdays on the
same day.
Speaker 5 (11:58):
HERP is so clueless. He has Bailey and Johnny if
they're going. They say they are.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
We love debasing ourselves.
Speaker 5 (12:04):
Says Jennifer. Was going to give him a party once,
a big one.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
But then I decided not to quit. It just kind
of got called off.
Speaker 5 (12:12):
This might have been during the episode Venus Rising. You
remember Herb claimed he was going to be taking an
offer from a local TV station. The offer wasn't real,
and Herb never left. Oh and as Herb is sitting
at his desk. It looks like it's Herb darligation alert.
Speaker 6 (12:33):
Herb is wearing a solid brown coat, which isn't bad
until you check the highlights. There are light brown strips
on each shoulder and over the front of each of
the large pockets. He selected a white shirt with a
criss crossing multi colored pattern of lines on it and
a brown and tan striped tie. We caught a glimpse
(12:54):
of his white belt when he walked in. We're not
sure about the shoes.
Speaker 5 (12:58):
Andy walks into the bullpen wearing a red and blue
striped shirt and a short blue and white parka. He's
carrying a pair of skis over his shoulder and a
pair of ski poles and boots in his other hand.
He's very excited.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
Wait his stuff. Huh this expensive stuff?
Speaker 3 (13:13):
Boy?
Speaker 1 (13:13):
There's an eight foot base with a two foot powder
at aspen.
Speaker 5 (13:15):
Bailey hops up from the desk.
Speaker 7 (13:17):
Hey, ski talk, I love it, and he.
Speaker 5 (13:19):
Gives Bailey a serious look.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Hey you want ski talk? How do you do ski talk?
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Mogul, ski lift, slalom girls drunk.
Speaker 6 (13:30):
And we were hip to Andy's ski terminology except for
one thing. What the heck is an eight foot base
with a two foot powder. We don't even know if
Andy's sure what he's saying. According to website ski chatter
dot com, the bass is the term for packed down snow.
You can ski on powder or pow is freshly fallen
(13:53):
snow that isn't packed down. Even if he doesn't know
what he's saying, Andy is right to be excited. A
layer of fresh powder over a solid base is supposed
to provide ideal skiing conditions.
Speaker 5 (14:06):
Less enters the bullpen from the studio hallway door.
Speaker 9 (14:09):
And now a special look at this episode's bandage placement
for the five time Buckeye Newshawk Award winner less Nessman.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
This is the less Nessman bandage Report.
Speaker 9 (14:19):
Now here's Donna Stair with her report about less ness Men.
Speaker 6 (14:25):
Right pointer finger.
Speaker 9 (14:26):
This has been a look at the bandage placement boys
Silvery Soal and Copper Cobb Award winning journalist less Nessman.
Speaker 5 (14:35):
Less walks up beside Johnny looking at his watch, and
he says, very matter of factly.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
He earned exactly twelve seconds. The air will be dead.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
I thought you were just going to.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
Murder the news.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
Johnny tosses the albums on the desk and leaves quickly,
Lets tells Bailey he's going out of town tonight for
a short vacation.
Speaker 4 (14:53):
Please take over for him.
Speaker 5 (14:54):
Andy is still into his ski talk as he leans
towards Bailey.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
Denny sloop Feldge Girl.
Speaker 6 (15:01):
Less looks at Herb.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
Herb, I could use your assistance over here.
Speaker 6 (15:05):
Less begins walking to his office, but he's blocked by
Andy snowskis. Less roughly moves the skis out of the way.
He is in a no nonsense, don't mess with me
kind of mood.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
Andy, I wish you wouldn't bring your toys to the office.
Speaker 6 (15:19):
Less tosses a piece of paper on his desk and
begins taking his Buckeye Newshawk awards off the wall. Herb
has a shocked look on his face. He asks Less
what he's doing. Less is both condescending and sarcastic as
he replies.
Speaker 4 (15:36):
I'm taking down my trophies and packing them in my suitcase.
Speaker 6 (15:39):
Andy and Herb ask him why.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Because I'm going to New York City tonight.
Speaker 5 (15:44):
Why it seems sudden. Herb looks at Less with concern.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
What about the party?
Speaker 3 (15:48):
What party?
Speaker 5 (15:50):
I don't know, Yeah, that would be the surprise party.
Jennifer came up with three minutes ago. Less, he is
wrapping his awards in hand, tells Bailey.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
You'll be in charge of the news for two full
weeks and I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job.
Speaker 5 (16:03):
Bailey thanks, Less then looks at Andy.
Speaker 4 (16:06):
Can you do that?
Speaker 5 (16:06):
Andy is in panic mode.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
No, No, absolutely not. Wess, what do you think you're doing.
You can't take your vacation now. I've had my vacation
plan for months. You know the rules.
Speaker 5 (16:15):
Andy's looking at Less in disbelief.
Speaker 6 (16:18):
As Andy and Less are facing off, we need to
talk for a minute about the flyer behind Less. You
can very clearly see a brochure for the International Pig
Trade Show pinned to the corner of Less's bulletin board.
Remember when we mentioned Watt Publishing. They were the publishers
of the Pig American magazine Less was reading in the
(16:38):
episode Nothing to Fear. But they were also the organizers, hosts,
and primary sponsors of this annual international celebration of all
things pig.
Speaker 5 (16:50):
The International Pig Trade Show used to happen each December
in Atlanta, Georgia. It was a pretty big deal. We
even found a Pewter belt buckle commemorating the nineteen eighty
two event. The nineteen eighty two IPTS was scheduled in
the Atlanta Civic Center from December second through the fifth.
More than five thousand hog producers from as far away
(17:13):
as Germany attended the annual show. In later years, the
International Pig Trade Show would be eclipsed by another pork event.
The National Pork Producer Council's event called World Pork Expo,
was launched in nineteen eighty eight. It overtook the International
Pig Trade Show, and it is now the International Pig
(17:36):
Producer's annual gathering of choice.
Speaker 6 (17:38):
I like the name International Pig Trade Show better than.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
Pork expos Yeah, pig is more fun than hog or
pork in the.
Speaker 6 (17:47):
Name, especially International Pigs.
Speaker 5 (17:49):
Well, yes, we wee.
Speaker 6 (17:51):
Less Last looks up from wrapping an award.
Speaker 4 (17:55):
Andy. For the first time in my life, I'm doing
something it's more important to me than following rules. Now,
please notify mister Carlson that I'm leaving tonight.
Speaker 6 (18:05):
Andy leans closer to Less and Glaire's at him.
Speaker 1 (18:07):
You're not leaving tonight, I'm leaving tomorrow.
Speaker 6 (18:10):
Less throws a handtowel down on his desk.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Can we better go see mister Carlson and straighten this
out right now?
Speaker 6 (18:15):
Less comes out of his office while giving Herb instructions.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Herb finished wrapping up those trophies.
Speaker 6 (18:21):
Second as less as walking toward Herb's desk, Andy turns
and accidentally hits Less in the hip with his ski poles.
Less does a little skip hop in.
Speaker 5 (18:30):
The air now and Andy hit Less with those poles.
I think that might have been an ad lib, like
he did that accidentally, or do you?
Speaker 6 (18:37):
I don't know. It looked intentional to me.
Speaker 5 (18:39):
Scripted event rather than an accident. Yes, just getting hit
and staying in character would have been tough.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
Well, I don't know, but I think Richard Sanders could
have done it.
Speaker 5 (18:47):
Yeah, he would have done it if anybody, if something
weird had happened, he'd have reacted to it in character more.
Speaker 6 (18:54):
Than let's say it was an accident and he did
pull it off, and then that makes up for the
rest of the episode that I I'm not happy with
him for.
Speaker 5 (19:03):
Except for the whole rest of the episode.
Speaker 6 (19:06):
Especially the last Like his last a few minutes of it,
Less is in no mood to be trifled with.
Speaker 5 (19:12):
He whirls around, giving Andy a stern look.
Speaker 4 (19:15):
Be careful.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
As regains his composure and continues barking out orders.
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Have Jennifer confirmed my reservations? Bailey, you get to work
on the news, Andy, come with me.
Speaker 5 (19:26):
Less is fired up. His confidence level is like what
we were seeing during the episode Date with Jennifer, which
was also a Fairman Sanders script, but there he was
getting his confidence from a two pay even without a
two pay. Less confidently strides out of the bullpen, headed
for Art's office.
Speaker 6 (19:46):
Andy, Bailey and Herb are all silent for a moment,
not quite sure what they just witnessed. Andy picks up
his skis, trying to put a positive spin on being
ordered around by Less. I'll go with him, Andy quickly
he leaves the bullpen as Herb and Bailey watch, not
saying a word as Andy in Less head for Carlson's office.
(20:08):
We head into our theme UKRG Senson.
Speaker 5 (20:17):
We come back from commercial in Arts office. Carlson's on
the phone with Jennifer.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
Jennifer said, nessman in here immediately.
Speaker 5 (20:23):
This sets up a great visual gag. The door to
his office immediately flies open unless comes in, mister Carlson
Carlson still has the phone to his ear. He watches
Les take a seat on the couch.
Speaker 3 (20:35):
I'll Travis, I'd like to see him too.
Speaker 5 (20:37):
Wow, it looks like Jennifer had them waiting right outside
the door. Andy immediately comes in, still carrying his armload
of ski equipment. Carlson's expression is so hilarious. He doesn't
question it, but you can tell he's trying to figure
out what's going on. Thanks Jennifer, he hangs up the phone.
Speaker 6 (20:55):
Jennifer is just that good.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
She is had him right there ready to go.
Speaker 6 (20:58):
Andy begins speaking right away.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
Mister Carlson, Less here has decided to take his vacation
starting tonight.
Speaker 3 (21:05):
Didn't he do that?
Speaker 1 (21:06):
No, it is scheduled for August. Mine is scheduled for tomorrow.
Speaker 6 (21:10):
Mister Carlson turns to face Less.
Speaker 3 (21:12):
Unless you can't do that, Let's.
Speaker 6 (21:14):
Tells mister Carlson, he's got to go now.
Speaker 4 (21:17):
Now or never. I'm running out of time.
Speaker 6 (21:18):
Mister Carlson looks at Less and asks him what's up.
Let's tells mister Carlson his mother is in town and
they were talking. Mister Carlson wasn't aware Less his mother
was in town. Less tells Carlson she doesn't come to
Cincinnati often because his apartment is so small.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
And actually she doesn't like the way I keep it dusted.
Speaker 5 (21:40):
Let us say, as if he can sit down, He
goes to the couch.
Speaker 4 (21:42):
No, this isn't easy for me. I don't usually spill
my guts, as they say.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
Puts his hand to his forehead. No, let's begin talking
about the conversation he had with his mother.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
Ever since I was a little boy, my mother and
I have had this dream.
Speaker 5 (21:59):
We see and he roll his eyes. He's now leaning
on his snow skis our.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Special dream that someday I would grow up and then
I would go to New York and that I would
get a job on the Times.
Speaker 3 (22:18):
The New York Times.
Speaker 1 (22:19):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (22:22):
You think that's crazy, don't you.
Speaker 3 (22:23):
Oh no, no, no, no, Less just I thought, you know,
first you might try the post.
Speaker 5 (22:30):
Life tells him he doesn't plan to try either one
of them.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Newspapers have had it.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
Mother says, this is the electronic age. So that's why
I've decided to go into network news.
Speaker 5 (22:42):
Carlson's trying hard to understand what Less is saying, like CBS.
Less says, uh huh, excitedly as he nods his head.
Speaker 6 (22:50):
The New York Times is sometimes called the old Gray Lady.
She's the newspaper of record for everything that goes on
in the United States, to be if it wasn't published
in the Times, it didn't happen. The New York Times
was first published in eighteen fifty one. Since eighteen ninety six,
the paper's slogan has been all the news that's fit
(23:13):
to print. Although print and ink publishing is going away,
The New York Times pivoted to digital content with great
success in nineteen ninety six when they launched ny Times
dot Com. Currently, The Times has nine point one million subscribers.
Of that number, eight point three million are digital only.
Speaker 5 (23:35):
Art referenced the Post. The New York Post is NYC's
other major newspaper. Although older than The Times, the Post
has never had the gravitas of the Times. The Post
was founded as The New York Evening Post by federalists
and founding father Alexander Hamilton in eighteen oh one.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
Same man Alexander Hamilton.
Speaker 5 (24:00):
In the mid nineteen hundreds, the paper was owned by
Dorothy Schiff, devoted liberal shift developed the paper's current tabloid
format In nineteen seventy six, the Post was acquired by
News Corp Mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Speaker 6 (24:15):
The Post is lighter than The Times. They're known for
pun based headlines or an outrageous front page picture. The
post's average print circulation in twenty twenty two is one
hundred and forty six thousand. They don't list digital subscribers.
Art might be right. If Les was still looking at print,
(24:35):
he probably would have a better shot getting on with
The Post than the Times.
Speaker 5 (24:40):
Andy looks like he's about to pass out.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Mister Carlson.
Speaker 5 (24:44):
There is an eight foot base with a two foot
powdered asp. Carlson turns and looks at Andy Davis.
Speaker 3 (24:50):
Don't be a baby.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
I'm not being a baby on what my vacation.
Speaker 5 (24:55):
Less turns to Andy, Andy.
Speaker 4 (24:57):
Be reasonable, reasonable, reasonable, But what are you doing? Let's
passed up a job with New York Times for what
to replace Dan rather?
Speaker 5 (25:06):
Maybe Andy's eyes are wide and his voice is getting
higher and higher.
Speaker 1 (25:10):
Maybe, and you're asking me to be reasonable.
Speaker 5 (25:13):
Dan Ruther had only been at the Big Desk for
about a year. He'd taken over from Walter Cronkite in
March of nineteen eighty one, and it looked like he
was planning to stay for a while.
Speaker 6 (25:25):
Mister Carlson turns to Andy, hands on his hips and
not playing. Less moves closer to mister Carlson and puts
the palms of his hands together.
Speaker 4 (25:34):
Mister Carlson, I'm begging you for two weeks, and less
nessman never begs, does he?
Speaker 3 (25:40):
No? No, he doesn't.
Speaker 6 (25:42):
Let's crosses his arms in front of his chest. Andy,
with a poudy face, begins loudly putting his ski equipment
against the wall.
Speaker 1 (25:51):
Can a ball this equipment? I can't ski.
Speaker 6 (25:57):
Less is shocked by what he sees as Andy's selfishness.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
You're concerned about snow when a man's destiny is at stake.
Speaker 5 (26:05):
Andy's had enough. He walks over to Art's desk and
holds the phone out to Less.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
I'll tell you what least you call him? Go ahead,
call him call CBS News New York. Say hello, I'm
out here in Cincinnati. How's wonderf you had any network
news anchorman jobs? Open?
Speaker 5 (26:21):
This tells Andy No.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
I want to go in person. I just want to try.
That's all, just try.
Speaker 5 (26:29):
Andy gives Less a look. You can see how Less
His face has softened just a bit. We think it
was Less's birthday spurring him to action today, but this
is something he's been thinking about for a while.
Speaker 6 (26:42):
Les looks at mister Carlson.
Speaker 4 (26:44):
You know what I'm saying, don't you, mister Carlson, Yes, Less, I.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
Think I do.
Speaker 6 (26:50):
Another eye roll from Andy.
Speaker 4 (26:52):
No.
Speaker 3 (26:52):
I had a dream once Less one day becoming general
manager of WKRP, and I work hard at that, and
one day mother gave me the job. Oh, don't tell me,
dreams don't come true.
Speaker 6 (27:06):
Jennifer enters mister Carlson's office with a small notepad in
her hand.
Speaker 7 (27:11):
Excuse me, I have Less his travel arrangements.
Speaker 6 (27:13):
Less turns to mister Carlson a pleading look on his face.
Speaker 4 (27:17):
Can I go, Carlson?
Speaker 5 (27:18):
Heart turns to Andy.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
Andy okay.
Speaker 5 (27:23):
Andy has his hands in his pants pockets. He swung
back and forth with a really sad look on his face.
Art tells them to just trade off their vacations. He
asks Less when he's scheduled, Less says August. Art turns
to look at Andy.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
August would be perfect.
Speaker 5 (27:39):
Andy's teeth are clenched. Less thanks them both.
Speaker 6 (27:42):
Jennifer tells Less she's confirmed his first class flight Less
claps his hands as he tells them.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
All, I'm going first class.
Speaker 6 (27:50):
All the work, Jennifer continues, and they do have a
room at the Y. Less is smiling ear to ear.
The door to the office opens and Herb sticks his
head in.
Speaker 4 (28:01):
YO, excuse me, I guess the party's off.
Speaker 6 (28:04):
Jennifer looks at Herb, her eyes wide.
Speaker 1 (28:06):
What party?
Speaker 4 (28:07):
I don't know?
Speaker 7 (28:08):
Neither do I I don't know either.
Speaker 6 (28:10):
Herb quickly leaves and shuts the door.
Speaker 5 (28:13):
I just mentioned staying at the Why he was referring
to the YMCA, which is not just the title of
a disco hit. It's an acronym for Young Men's Christian Association.
The YMCA was formed all the way back in eighteen
forty four in London, where the focus on the young
Christian males quote body, mind and spirit. This is why
(28:36):
you find Jim's pools and athletic programs at the Y.
The international headquarters of the YMCA is located in Sweden,
first day of Clarenty Birstking First Group. The US headquarters
is in Chicago. In some places you can still get
a room at the Y. One of their outreach programs
(28:56):
early on was to provide budget travel accommodation, acting as
a youth hostel for budget minded travelers.
Speaker 6 (29:04):
YMCA accommodations are basic and cheap, but they're also known
to be clean and safe. It's not universal, but most
YMCAs that have rooms don't provide in room facilities. Bathrooms
and showers are usually communal. In the nineteen seventies, this
community shower room set up led to rumors about gay
(29:27):
men who would cruise the showers at the Y. This
may have been true in a few YMCA locations, but
it was not a nationwide occurrence. The YMCA locations in
New York did have a reputation within the gay community
as a hookup spot. This is what the village people
were talking about.
Speaker 5 (29:56):
You can still get a room at the Y and
several major cities. Make sure to call ahead reserve a spot. Overnight.
Rooms at the Downtown Y in Chicago were still going
for as little as thirty dollars in the twenty teens,
but as of this recording, we couldn't find any currently
being offered. The West Side YMCA in New York is
listed on expedia dot com. A single bunk with a
(30:19):
shared bathroom at the West Side Wy, located just a
half a block from Central Park West, goes for one
hundred and twenty nine dollars a night.
Speaker 6 (30:29):
Oh and by the way, Cincinnati is right around six
hundred and forty miles from New York. Flying out of Covington,
you can be there in just under four and a
half hours, landing at either LaGuardia or JFK. These days,
a one way ticket should run about one hundred and
fifty dollars. If you don't want to fly, there is
(30:49):
a bus option, but we don't know why anyone would
choose it. A bus from Cincy to New York takes
about sixteen and a half hours, and it will also
cost you about one hundred and fifty dollars.
Speaker 5 (31:01):
So for the same money, I can fly for four
and a half hours or sit on a bus for
sixteen hours.
Speaker 6 (31:09):
You'd have to have a very serious fear of flying
to take the.
Speaker 5 (31:13):
Bus busn't it, Jennifer looks at less.
Speaker 7 (31:16):
Yes, Would you and your mother like to come over
to my apartment around eight o'clock tonight?
Speaker 5 (31:20):
Let's tell Jennifer he has a lot of things to do.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
Well.
Speaker 7 (31:23):
Your flight doesn't leave until three oh six am.
Speaker 5 (31:26):
It sounds like Les got his tickets from Herb's guy again.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
Think nine words.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Jimmy the gent Tartagliano's Bone Voyage House of Travel.
Speaker 5 (31:36):
Last tells Jennifer. Okay, he thanks mister.
Speaker 4 (31:39):
Carlson, and thank you to Andy.
Speaker 5 (31:41):
He then leaves the office. Andy's seething as he looks
at the closed door. He walks towards Art's desk.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
New York's gonna eat him alive.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
Well, at least he's willing to take a chance. Most
of us just settled for what's.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
Coch Are you kidding? I'm gonna shipping back in a
body bag.
Speaker 6 (31:57):
Mister Carlson tells Andy. If a man's got courage enough
to try and change his life, then they should support.
Speaker 3 (32:03):
Him, and that what you say, jen.
Speaker 6 (32:05):
Jennifer agrees with mister Carlson. She then reminds them about
the party be.
Speaker 7 (32:09):
At my apartment at seven o'clock. We'll talk about all
this nonsense.
Speaker 6 (32:12):
Then Jennifer leaves the office.
Speaker 5 (32:15):
We transition to a Bob Gerding exterior of Jennifer's apartment building.
We dissolve into her apartment where Jennifer is arranging flowers
in a large vase on the grand piano. The doorbell
rangs and we get to hear fly Me to the
Moon again. Jennifer seems a bit surprised. She asks who
(32:36):
it is that's mess mom Less Jennifer opens the door.
She wants to know what he's doing here so early.
Looking around, she asks where's his mother? But she doesn't
wait for an answer.
Speaker 7 (32:45):
You weren't supposed to be here until eight o'clock, I know,
but it's not even seven yet.
Speaker 4 (32:50):
Well should I go away and come back later?
Speaker 5 (32:51):
Jennifer tells Leus no and invites him in.
Speaker 7 (32:54):
Where is she?
Speaker 4 (32:55):
Who?
Speaker 7 (32:56):
Your mother?
Speaker 5 (32:56):
Plus tells Jennifer his mother is at his house because
she doesn't like to go out at night.
Speaker 4 (33:02):
It's a new rule of hers.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
I'm sorry.
Speaker 6 (33:04):
Less and Jennifer stand awkwardly, not quite sure what to
say or do. We see Less is holding a large
tape case. Suddenly, Jennifer spreads her arms wide. Looking at Less,
she says loudly, happy birthday.
Speaker 5 (33:19):
Less.
Speaker 6 (33:19):
Jennifer is smiling a big smile. Less looks distressed. He
asks her how did she know it was his birthday?
Speaker 4 (33:27):
I hate having birthdays. Oh, please don't tell anyone it's
my birthday, Jennifer promise me you'll keep it a secret.
Speaker 6 (33:34):
Jennifer is staring at Less. This is not going the
way she had hoped. She opens her mouth, but nothing
comes out. Let's ask Jennifer if she's all right. She
tells him she suddenly has a headache, and then offers
him some peanuts.
Speaker 5 (33:50):
Plice walks over by the couch. That's what I've got,
Jennifer says, she doesn't know it's.
Speaker 4 (33:55):
A videotape audition sample reel of me doing the news
on TV.
Speaker 5 (33:58):
Letus tells her he just had it made. As he
opens the front cover.
Speaker 4 (34:02):
Which I had someplace to see it, Less picks.
Speaker 5 (34:04):
Up the silver bowl of peanuts and begins eating a few.
He sets the bowl in the open front half of
the tape case.
Speaker 7 (34:13):
Well, I have five tape machines.
Speaker 5 (34:17):
Less drops the nut dish because putting it in the
tape case was not a great idea. Peanuts scatter all
over the floor. Less apologizes as he squats down to
pick them up.
Speaker 4 (34:26):
I'm nervous about going to New York, I understand.
Speaker 5 (34:28):
Let's ask Jennifer if she's ever been to New York.
Speaker 7 (34:32):
Not since last weekend?
Speaker 6 (34:33):
So do you think Jennifer has all of those tape
machines as gifts from all.
Speaker 5 (34:37):
Of her Rosen suitors. Yeah, I don't think she bought
one of them.
Speaker 6 (34:40):
Those along with the TVs and vacuum cleaners and.
Speaker 5 (34:44):
One of her small kitchen appliances.
Speaker 6 (34:46):
The doorbell rings again. Jennifer answers it as less as
on all fours. Picking up peanuts, she opens the door
to find Andy and mister Carlson. They come into the
apartment talking as they go listen.
Speaker 3 (34:59):
Andy and I.
Speaker 4 (34:59):
Were talking, Yeah, and we were thinking maybe what I
just go ahead and tell us what we really think.
Speaker 6 (35:03):
This is why Les had to drop those nuts. They
couldn't see him. He raises up from the floor.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
What you really think about?
Speaker 4 (35:09):
What?
Speaker 6 (35:09):
Jennifer lean's close to Carlson and Andy. In a low voice,
she says, no birthday, Well.
Speaker 3 (35:16):
What we you know? What we really think about that
body bag thing?
Speaker 6 (35:22):
Mister Carlson looks at Travis for help. Less wants to
know more about the body bag thing.
Speaker 5 (35:29):
Andy speaks up, Less, I think what mister Carlton here's
trying to say is that.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
New York isn't your bag?
Speaker 5 (35:36):
Less won't have it. He holds up to sample videotape
and asks if they'd like to see it. Andy tells
us sure. Andy and Art decide to get a drink first.
The doorbell rings again. As Jennifer heads to the door,
you can see the wind has completely gone out of
her sails. She has lost all enthusiasm for this party.
(35:56):
Jennifer opens the door to find Johnny and Bailey wearing
color her full pointy party hat. Johnny's carrying a brown
paper bag.
Speaker 7 (36:05):
Can we look ridiculous?
Speaker 5 (36:06):
Jennifer turns to Les and throws her arms in the air,
And yes, they look ridiculous, and everybody's gonna look ridiculous
and it makes it hilarious. Well, there's no hiding the
party hats.
Speaker 7 (36:17):
Less, they know it's your birthday.
Speaker 5 (36:19):
Oh that's all right, Less, chuckles Jennifer, who seems to
be getting whipped back and forth all of a sudden,
gives Less an exasperated look.
Speaker 6 (36:31):
Johnny hands Jennifer a pointy hat of her own and
tells her to put it on.
Speaker 2 (36:35):
Just strip yourself of every shred of human dignity, anything
else that you can think of.
Speaker 6 (36:40):
Johnny pulls out a piece of crape paper, holds one
end as he tosses it into the air.
Speaker 1 (36:46):
Look at this everybody Serpentina.
Speaker 6 (36:49):
Crape paper shoots into the air like a firework. Less
is laughing.
Speaker 4 (36:54):
Johnny really knows how to party, doesn't know.
Speaker 6 (36:57):
Johnny tells Less it's great to see him.
Speaker 3 (36:59):
We don't have to hide behind the furniture.
Speaker 6 (37:01):
Jennifer is not smiling. The evening is not going how
she had planned.
Speaker 5 (37:06):
Bailey starts to pass out party hats to everyone. She
puts a hat on art. She makes mention of poor
missing Venus and how he really gets into hats. We
hate it Venus can't make the party, but this does
set up some great scenes for later. Back at the station,
Bailey tries to give a party hat to Andy. He
tells her, no, are you kidding with that hair? Bailey
(37:29):
doesn't even try a second time.
Speaker 7 (37:31):
Jennifer nickens went on a hat.
Speaker 5 (37:34):
Jennifer takes the hat from Bailey and walks over to Andy.
No Jennifer really, which brings us to the line of
the episode.
Speaker 7 (37:42):
Put on the damn hat.
Speaker 6 (37:45):
Jennifer can wear a hat with her hair.
Speaker 5 (37:48):
And hat on over that hair.
Speaker 6 (37:50):
Jennifer's hair doesn't move at all, so it just kind
of sits up there on the top of her hair.
Jennifer is done with this party stuff. We faked commercial break.
When we come back from commercial, the action continues at
the same spot and he puts on his hat. As
the doorbell rings again, Jennifer goes to answer it. Herb's
(38:11):
head pops through the front door.
Speaker 5 (38:14):
Jinny.
Speaker 6 (38:14):
Herb looks around and he sees, Oh, everybody's already there.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
I thought it was seven o'clock.
Speaker 7 (38:20):
It is seven o'clock. Get a hat and stand over there.
Speaker 5 (38:23):
Herb comes on and Less hands him the dish of peanuts.
Johnny hits him with a serpentina, and Bailey puts a
headband with feathers on it on his head. It looks
like a kid's Indian headpiece. Herb beats a peanut, then
makes a disgusted face as he pulls fuzz or a
hair or something out of his mouth. These are the
peanuts that were on the floor. Johnny reacts to Herb's
(38:45):
head dress.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
As it's time to waite pin the tail on the jackass.
Speaker 5 (38:50):
Herbs in, but he wants to drink first. He smiles
at Johnny. Then he pulls more fuzz or whatever that
was out of his mouth. As Les puts on his
party hat, he addresses the grips.
Speaker 4 (39:00):
You know, this is really a great sind off for
New York. I want to thank you all, and I
want you all to know that I'm gonna do my darnedest.
Speaker 6 (39:06):
Andy asks Les to have a seat on the couch.
He's curious if Less has any good contacts in New York.
Well Less tells him not really, I.
Speaker 4 (39:15):
Don't mind knocking on a few doors. Besides, I'm taking
along all my awards so people will be impressed with
my background.
Speaker 6 (39:22):
Jennifer pinches the top of her nose. She realizes how
far a Buckeye Newshawk award will get you in New York.
Jennifer announces she thinks she's gonna go cry now. She
steps into the kitchen. Everyone else is sitting in the
living room. The party hats are making the scene a
touch surreal.
Speaker 2 (39:42):
Along with your silver sow and all this other stuff.
Are you gonna take some air checks so the network
brass has a chance to hear your style.
Speaker 6 (39:50):
Everyone in the room except Less, gets what Johnny means
about Les's style.
Speaker 5 (39:55):
Wellus claps his hands and he tells Johnny He's got
something better. Less holler's for Jennifer. She comes back from
the kitchen looking frazzled. Less wants to show his TV
audition sample reel to everyone. Jennifer tries to tell Less
this is not a good time.
Speaker 7 (40:12):
You know, I've been so blue lately.
Speaker 5 (40:14):
He tells her it's perfect. He wants everyone's opinions.
Speaker 7 (40:18):
Johnny, the TV is in the bedroom.
Speaker 1 (40:20):
I'll get it.
Speaker 5 (40:21):
Herb quickly leaves the room. Johnny asks Less where he
shot this reel.
Speaker 4 (40:25):
At a place called Twilight Video Arts. Herb knew the
guy low budget films for private use, mostly informational programs.
Speaker 5 (40:36):
I can based on our past experiences with Herb's connections,
this should be anything but good.
Speaker 4 (40:43):
You want something cheap.
Speaker 5 (40:44):
Johnny nods his head and takes the tape from Less.
Less wants to know if he's got the plug.
Speaker 1 (40:49):
Yeah, it's in the wall socket Less.
Speaker 4 (40:51):
Oh go ahead.
Speaker 6 (40:52):
Well, let's talk for a minute about this tape that
Les has. It's the same kind of tape they were
using in the episode Jennifer and the Will. This was
right at the point in the evolution of home video
where VHS and BETA were just starting to battle for
the affections of US media consumers. Before either of those
(41:12):
formats hit the scene we had this. What less has
in that oversized library case is called a three quarter
inch umatic tape.
Speaker 5 (41:23):
The three quarter inch humatic format was invented by Sony.
Three quarter refers to the width of the tape. Pro
Eumatic units were being used professionally in smaller TV markets
in the nineteen seventies. Larger formats like one inch or
two inch video tape had a better picture, but the
tape came on reels. You had to thread the tape
(41:46):
through large and very expensive tape machines. Even the half
inch home formats which were introduced in the sixties required threading.
Umatic decks were smaller and cheaper than those large pro formats,
plus huge leap forward. The tapes came in a cassette,
which Sony introduced in nineteen seventy two. The cassette for
(42:10):
videotape was a game changer. No more hand threading. All
you had to do was push a umatic cassette into
the machine and the tape would thread itself automatically. You
could also take one out without having to completely rewind it.
Speaker 6 (42:27):
In the mid seventies, Sony created in home consumer versions
of umatic tape machines like what Jennifer has They weighed
about seventy five pounds and cost about as much as
a new car. Basically, Sony added wood grain panels to
the pro units. Movie and TV execs had them in
their homes so they could review programs from work. Most
(42:50):
consumers didn't have the budget for a umatic system. Umatic
decks also did not include a TV tuner. There was
no way to record it anything off air. With a
umatic deck, you could only play what you shot or
pre purchased movies, and then only if you could find them.
As soon as half inch VHS cassettes and consumer grade
(43:13):
beta decks with lower prices and built in tuners hit
the market, consumer grade umatic went away.
Speaker 5 (43:21):
Herb rolls the TV into the living room, Less as
if anyone knows how to work this machine. Somehow, Johnny
steps up with knowledge about expensive videotape machines. He inserts
the tape. Less tells everyone there may be a few
rough edges.
Speaker 4 (43:36):
In fact, I haven't seen the final edit yet myself,
but I think this will give everyone a pretty good
idea of my ability.
Speaker 5 (43:42):
Once everything's plugged in, Less excitedly says he runs to
have a seat on the couch.
Speaker 6 (43:47):
The video opens with credits calling this the less Nessman
Demonstration videotape. We see less Nessman is director, and of
course it's a less Nessman production. Michael Scott on the
office will go for the same laugh with his great
Scott productions more than thirty years later. The screen then
says all rites reserved, which makes Johnny laugh. He realizes
(44:12):
he laughed out loud, and to cover he begins clearing
his throat. As the tape opens, we're hearing a constant
teletype sound effect. Typewriters or a teletype was the go
to sound effect in the seventies when you wanted to
get across newsroom.
Speaker 5 (44:29):
We cut to the video. A very nervous Less is
sitting behind a news desk, looking into the camera. Very seriously.
Speaker 4 (44:38):
Good evening. This is the evening news with less Nessman.
Today in Washington, the President, Missus Reagan, our meeting behind
closed doors, still worried about their expensive dishes, which were
bought with private money, not government money, even though poor
people still resent it. We go now to our correspondentent
(45:00):
Washington for that story.
Speaker 5 (45:01):
Less is also the correspondent. We cut to Less standing
in front of a chroma key screen with a picture
of the White House in the background. He's wearing his
winter coat and holding a mic with gloved hands. There's
fake snow falling on Lass as he speaks into the camera.
The chroma is not good. We can see blue lines
all around his body.
Speaker 4 (45:22):
On this raw, lusty day. As you can see, the
doors of the White House are closed. A source close
to the White House said the President may be inside.
Speaker 5 (45:34):
What's motions to the White House. With his hand, he
accidentally hits the back wall, causing a loud knocking sound.
Speaker 6 (45:43):
Let's talk for a minute about Less's special effects. As
a media savvy watcher of DVD extras, you may have
come across the term green screen for background special effects
in film or video. So why does Less seem to
be over a blue? Taking a color out of a
video shot so you can replace it with other content
(46:05):
is called a chroma key. You can chroma any primary
or secondary color, not just green.
Speaker 5 (46:13):
Red, green, and blue are the three colors in a
color TV pixel, so they're the easiest to chroma. Blue
and green are the most popular colors to chroma because
red tends to bleed into skin tones. Red chromas can
cause weird holes in a person's face. Green screens have
more luminance than blue, Otherwise the effect is about the same.
(46:36):
In the past forty years or so, green screens have
become the preferred chroma option for one simple reason. Nobody
wears that much green clothing.
Speaker 6 (46:45):
Blue clothes are a lot more common and harder to police.
The weather guy might forget and wear a blue shirt
or a blue blazer. Anything blue disappears in the chroma.
Look at Lesa's chest in the White House stand up,
It's like there's a hole right through him. So with
our weather example, as soon as the weather guy in
(47:06):
the blue blazer walks in front of the map, his
shoulders will disappear, the chroma will drop out the color
no matter where it is on the screen. A green
blazer is not as common a wardrobe option. You usually
only have to worry about green clothing causing green screen
chroma problems. Around Saint Patrick's.
Speaker 5 (47:25):
Day, les finishes up his very cringey on site Washington report.
We cut back to him sitting once again behind the
news desk. He continues with his report.
Speaker 4 (47:36):
In Detroit Today auto manufacturers revealed a revolutionary new car
for the eighties.
Speaker 5 (47:42):
He over the shoulder. Graphic behind last pops up a
picture of an ant eater. As Less continues talking about
this new car, Less goes into his next story.
Speaker 4 (47:52):
And finally enclosing, This little fellow was found wandering on
a highway near the Saint.
Speaker 5 (47:58):
Limissour and IRUs. A picture of the car comes up
on the chroma inset.
Speaker 4 (48:03):
Talk about your endangered species. Luckily zoo officials captured it
and put it back where it belonged.
Speaker 5 (48:11):
Less getting his graphics out of order is the visual
equivalent of playing the clips in his radio news stories
out of order, which he does frequently.
Speaker 6 (48:21):
We did want to expand on one of Lesa's news
stories he mentioned White House china. Ron and Nancy Reagan
dealt with a huge dish dilemma when they first moved
into the White House in January of nineteen eighty one.
They reported no new china had been purchased for use
at state dinners since the Truman administration. So many items
(48:44):
had been broken over the years they couldn't put together
enough pieces from the same set to host a state
dinner properly.
Speaker 5 (48:51):
Nancy took on the task of replacing the dishware. She
created a custom pattern with a gold presidential seal and
a thick red and gold etched border. They were made
by Lenox China in Pomona, New Jersey. The cost of
the new china was underwritten by an anonymous donor, and
(49:12):
Lenox produced the sets at cost. As Reagan stressed many
times in interviews, no tax dollars were used to buy
the china. Still, these new State dinner ready place settings
ran just under a thousand dollars a piece, as.
Speaker 6 (49:30):
Les said, a lot of poor people got mad anyway.
They didn't like the extravagance. Some of them didn't like
the design. The new State China situation caused what's been
called a lower case C China crisis. Two hundred twenty
nineteen piece sets were ordered four seven hundred and thirty
two pieces at a total cost of just under two
(49:53):
hundred ten thousand dollars that's about seven hundred thousand dollars
in twenty twenty two money. Lenox must make a durable product.
In twenty seventeen, the Washington Post reported the Trumps had
broken out the Reagan china and they were once again
using it for State dinners.
Speaker 5 (50:13):
Herb jumps up and shuts off the TV. Everyone's quiet,
interesting herbs. Strangely nice about this. He could have really
attacked him.
Speaker 6 (50:21):
Well, he was a little sympathetic there. That was nice.
Speaker 5 (50:23):
Less stance for a bet, looking like he's about to
cry or be sick or something. Even he realizes the
problem is much more than rough edges. This is bad.
Suddenly Les runs for the door, ripping his party hat
off his head. Johnny tries to offer some encouragement, goes
(50:44):
to the door and calls after Less he's gone. Jennifer
is at the end of her rope. She shuts the
apartment door and turns around with an exasperated look.
Speaker 7 (50:56):
What do you say? Guys? Triple vodkas all the way around?
Speaker 6 (51:00):
We transition to the studio. Since we're in the studio,
we had to check the posters, but there's nothing new
this week. Things are hopping. During Venus's shift, he seems
to be entertaining two nicely dressed ladies in the studio.
We hear closer by Stanley Tarantine playing over the air.
Venus and the two women are enjoying some Chinese takeout.
(51:25):
They're eating out of those iconic white cardboard fold up
containers and using chopsticks.
Speaker 4 (51:31):
Maybe more Moogle for YouTube.
Speaker 1 (51:35):
No, no, I'm stuff.
Speaker 2 (51:37):
Tell you what though, I'm gonna hold up my cookie
cookie fortunes.
Speaker 6 (51:42):
Venus opens his fortune cookie and unfolds the fortune He
reads it aloud.
Speaker 1 (51:47):
You will gain something you've always worn it.
Speaker 5 (51:52):
There's a little performance trick going on in this scene
that I just love. You'll watch them dig and dig
and dig down in those containers with the chopsticks. Nobody
ever brings a bite to their mouth, their mouth looking
like it they couldn't be. But they also say, if
you commit to eating something in a scene, and then
they have to retake the scene a dozen times, you
(52:14):
have to keep eating that same thing over and over
and over a dozen times. So you really don't want
to be seen eating. You just want it to look
like you're about to eat.
Speaker 6 (52:22):
Which tell what's what they're played. Tony Soprano said he
was so full of spaghetti.
Speaker 5 (52:27):
Oh yeah, spaghetti and dabbaghoul and all its eating in
every scene. The tune Venus who is playing is called
Closer from Stanley Tarantine. You might remember it was Tarantine
who provided the capper tune ones Venus was back home
and on the air. At the end of Venus Rising,
Tarantine is an American jazz saxophonist who started with Blue
(52:48):
Note Records in nineteen sixty. This cut closer comes from
his nineteen eighty contemporary jazz album titled Inflation.
Speaker 6 (53:10):
Adele is being played by Eleanor McCoy. Eleanor is a
Broadway stage actress who gave Hollywood a try. She accumulated
seven acting credits between nineteen eighty and nineteen eighty three.
She hit other MTM productions in her three year TV career,
including Hill Street Blues and The White Shadow. We're not
(53:33):
sure what Eleanor is up to these days. Her last
IMDb credit was a direct to video forty five minute
adaptation of The Whiz made in nineteen eighty three. Eleanor
was married to producer and director Stan Lathan from nineteen
sixty eight until they divorced in nineteen seventy seven. They
(53:53):
had a daughter, Sanna Lathan.
Speaker 5 (53:56):
Tiffany is being played by Carole Carrington. Carol simulated a
total of thirteen acting credits over a forty seven year period.
Her earliest is in nineteen seventy appearance as a reader
in A Very Strange Movie. It started out as a
play which used the transcripts of the Trial of the
Chicago Seven. Both the play and the movie were called
(54:17):
Chicago seventy. From there, she got an ABC After School
special in nineteen seventy two, a made for TV movie
in nineteen seventy five, and several series guest starring roles
through the early eighties. Her last was a Scarecrow and
Missus King appearance in nineteen eighty four. After that, nothing
for thirty three years. In twenty seventeen, she did two
(54:41):
episodes of a series called The Springs. We're not sure
what Carol's up to these days, but her profile does
list the alternate name of Carol Carrington McGrath, So maybe
she got married and we.
Speaker 6 (54:55):
Couldn't let venus open a fortune cookie without checking them out.
Fortune cooki kis, like most things associated with Chinese food
in the US, are not Chinese. The crispy sugar cookie
with a piece of paper inside first appeared in California
in the early twentieth century. Various immigrant groups claimed to
(55:16):
have popularized them, but nobody can prove it. Most likely,
Chinese fortune cookies were derived from cookies originally made by
Japanese immigrants.
Speaker 5 (55:27):
The Japanese version of these cookies was eaten with tea.
In Kyoto, Japan, it was customed to include a small
piece of paper with a saying on it wedged into
the bend of the cookie. Two different Japanese restauranteurs in
Los Angeles in the early twentieth century claim they invented
the fortune cookie based on these Japanese tea cookies. Another
(55:49):
Japanese restaurant owner in San Francisco said no, they invented
the first fortune cookie in the late eighteen nineties. In
nineteen eighty three, San Francisco's co coort of Historical Review
tried to settle who actually invented the modern fortune cookie.
The best they could do was narrow its invention to
(56:10):
the city of San Francisco sometime in the late nineteen
teens or early nineteen twenties.
Speaker 6 (56:17):
How did fortune cookies move from being dominated by Japanese
American manufacturers to control by Chinese Americans. Several historians believed
Japan's involvement in World War II, and more specifically, the
US internment camps used during the war, caused the shift.
More than one hundred thousand Japanese Americans were held in
(56:39):
the camps throughout the war. Many of these detainees had
been fortune cookie manufacturers. With no competition, the Chinese Americans
took over the segment. They continue to control fortune cookie
manufacturing to this day.
Speaker 5 (56:55):
The door to the studio opens and Less walks in.
Less quickly apologize.
Speaker 4 (57:00):
I'm sorry, Venus, I didn't know you had company.
Speaker 5 (57:02):
Venus introduces Less to the two women.
Speaker 2 (57:04):
Oh no, it's all right. This is Adele, she's my broker.
And this is Tiffany, she's my bookkeeper.
Speaker 3 (57:09):
I'm not swear.
Speaker 5 (57:09):
I'm not kidding, this, tells Venus. He believes him.
Speaker 2 (57:13):
Oh see, here's here's my income text form right here,
and we're working on it. Okay, now, I want you
to tell Andy this. I'm not kidding, man, man.
Speaker 5 (57:19):
Venus is adamant about this. Tiffany tells Venus they can
just step outside.
Speaker 4 (57:23):
No, that's all right, you don't have to go.
Speaker 5 (57:25):
Adele offers Less some tea. Less accepts.
Speaker 6 (57:28):
Less moves closer to Venus.
Speaker 4 (57:30):
I made a food of myself with that party tonight.
Speaker 6 (57:32):
Venus asks what happened. Les tells Venus about the audition
real and how awful it was. Venus tells Les to
forget about it.
Speaker 3 (57:42):
In New York. Why do you want to go away
up there?
Speaker 6 (57:43):
Let's starts telling Venus about the conversation with his mother.
He stops and looks seriously at Venus.
Speaker 4 (57:50):
Venus, do you think I'm good enough to go to
New York? You know what they say, If you can
make it there, you can make it anywhere. So mother
told me that if I just took a chance for
once in my life, if I took that.
Speaker 6 (58:04):
Chance, Venus tells les Oh to wait a minute. His
song is coming to an end. The ladies are standing
in front of the album shelves, continuing to eat or
pretending to eat Chinese with chopsticks.
Speaker 5 (58:17):
Less and Herb especially love to quote Old Blue Eyes.
Less is quoting from one of Sinatra's best known hits
and what would become the final top forty hit of
his career. The song is actually the theme to a
nineteen seventy seven Martin Scorsese film called New York. New York.
Music was by John Candor, lyrics by Fred Ebb. The
(58:40):
song was written specifically for American actress, singer, dancer, and
choreographer Liza Minelli.
Speaker 10 (58:47):
If Fick Page, come On, Come Through.
Speaker 5 (59:12):
Minnelli performed the song for the soundtrack, and her version
was released as a single in June of nineteen seventy seven.
Minnelli's version of New York, New York did not chart,
but it did reach bubbling under status, peaking at number
one oh four.
Speaker 6 (59:29):
In October of nineteen seventy eight. Sinatra performed the song
in concert at Radio City Music Hall. It was so
well received live Frank did a studio version in nineteen
seventy nine. It was released on his nineteen eighty album
called Trilogy, Past, Present, Future. Sinatra's single of New York,
(59:51):
New York went to number thirty two on the US
Hot one hundred in May of nineteen eighty. He continued
to perform at live and it did become one of
his signature songs. He has also performed it as a
duet with Liza A.
Speaker 5 (01:00:07):
Couple of fun side notes about New York, New York.
Robert de Niro, who starred in the film, is given
credit for the theme song's success. According to composers Candor
and Ebb, de Niro rejected their original theme for the film.
He told him it was two week for a movie
about New York.
Speaker 6 (01:00:27):
Also, Sinatra doesn't sing it correctly. You know how he
repeats a number one in that list. He says a
number one. Fine, I'm on top of the list, the list,
king of the hill, bang all the Then he says
a number one again number. Ebb said his original lyrics
(01:00:51):
didn't even include the phrase a number one, and he
doesn't like the way Sinatra did it. The four things
as Ebb wrote them and Nelly saying them were king
of the Hill, ahead of the list, head of this,
stream of the crime, and top of the heat. By
(01:01:12):
nineteen seventy nine, Sinatra had hit a point in his
career where he was forgetting and muddling lyrics. This may
have been one of those times.
Speaker 5 (01:01:21):
Venus helpings the mic to transition into the next song.
Speaker 3 (01:01:25):
This is Venus, my children, and I want you to
know that.
Speaker 2 (01:01:29):
Are you crying out there in the darkness asking yourself?
Speaker 1 (01:01:33):
Am I good enough?
Speaker 5 (01:01:34):
Venus glances back at Less and continues.
Speaker 1 (01:01:37):
Should I take the chance?
Speaker 3 (01:01:38):
Will I fail? Well?
Speaker 2 (01:01:40):
Venus doesn't have the answers to those questions.
Speaker 1 (01:01:42):
Only you know your true words.
Speaker 5 (01:01:43):
This looks like he's deep in thought considering what Venus's saying.
Speaker 2 (01:01:47):
Suc seek not reflections in another's eyes.
Speaker 3 (01:01:50):
That's the Church say Amen, Amen, Amen.
Speaker 5 (01:01:53):
Venus goes into make up your Mind by a rah.
Speaker 6 (01:01:56):
The cut Venus Goes into make Up Your Mind is
from the Dayton, Ohio soul group Aura, pronounced like regular
Old Aura, but with two rs, formed in nineteen seventy
nine by Steve Washington. This would be Aura's biggest single.
Speaker 7 (01:02:12):
Why Don't You.
Speaker 6 (01:02:21):
Make make Up Your Mind hits number six on the
US R and B chart and cracks the Hot one hundred,
peaking at number seventy one.
Speaker 5 (01:02:32):
Looking very proud of his friend advice hidden cleverly in
a song intro, Venus turns around and looks at last.
Speaker 1 (01:02:39):
Does that help you? Last?
Speaker 4 (01:02:41):
Oh, I'm sorry, Venus, I wasn't listening.
Speaker 5 (01:02:45):
Let's sets his d down on the stool. Adele as les,
what's wrong with just staying here?
Speaker 4 (01:02:50):
I've got this dream. I want my name on that
big roll. Call mart Mgronsky, Charles Osgar Roger Mudd.
Speaker 5 (01:03:02):
He just tells least he needs to just forget about
New York.
Speaker 6 (01:03:06):
Less has mentioned both Oz Goode and Mud in past episodes.
He threw a new one at us this time. Martin
Agronsky born Martin Zama Agrins. Agronsky is an odd selection
for Less. Although he was active at this time, he
was not a currently active CBS reporter. He hadn't been
(01:03:27):
since nineteen sixty nine, and he was only at CBS
for five years. Since Les is talking TV, he might
like Agronsky for another reason. Agronsky has the distinction of
being the only telejournalist to ever work for all three
of the major news networks.
Speaker 5 (01:03:46):
Agronsky gave up his network posts in nineteen sixty nine
to start his own talking head news show called Agronsky
in Company. It was the first of its kind, and
it is why CNN, MSNBC, and five Fox News all
look the way they do a Gronsky created and hosted
multiple news shows, eventually going to PBS, where they gave
(01:04:09):
him a longer interview show than what he could do
in syndication. Agronsky retired from news in nineteen eighty eight.
Later in his career, he did act as variations on
his true personality in both film and on television. Agronsky
died in July of nineteen ninety nine at the age
of eighty four.
Speaker 6 (01:04:29):
Adele tells Less about her experience in New York.
Speaker 7 (01:04:33):
You know Less, New York is really a tough place.
Speaker 2 (01:04:36):
I know, because I went there wanted to be a
ballerina all my life.
Speaker 7 (01:04:40):
And I found out I could never be more than
a chorus grew.
Speaker 6 (01:04:43):
So I just had to face the fact and take
a second look at myself. Venus tells Less that's right.
Speaker 2 (01:04:49):
I mean, you got to start being true to yourself, right, Yeah,
maybe those guys are just fifty times better than you are.
Speaker 6 (01:04:55):
Sometimes it takes a friend's bookkeeper or accountant to I
really tell it like it is.
Speaker 5 (01:05:01):
Adell shoots Shiffany shiffiny a tarp. Look, it's kind of
a rough thing to say. Adele shoots Tiffany as sharp. Look,
well it happens since Plus ReBs his chin, thanks for
a bit, and then says, you know, actually I'm hungry,
lean his hands in one of the curtains of Chinese takeout.
Speaker 3 (01:05:21):
All right, I want to have the rest of this.
Speaker 2 (01:05:23):
We won't be hungry for another hour.
Speaker 5 (01:05:25):
Delan Tiffany have a little giggle at this.
Speaker 6 (01:05:27):
We transition to the lobby for our final scene of
the episode. Hang On My Children the next three minutes
or why most fans have this one at the bottom
of their favorites list. Jennifer's at her desk, drinking from
her coffee mug. When mister Carlson comes out of his office,
he closes the door loudly.
Speaker 3 (01:05:48):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (01:05:49):
Well, I don't know.
Speaker 6 (01:05:51):
Travis comes into the lobby from the front door. He
must have just come up on the elevator. He's out
of breath from carrying a big oxygen and some scuba
gear I got they got.
Speaker 1 (01:06:02):
To take back to the ski equipment and I bought
just to stay.
Speaker 6 (01:06:04):
Mister Carlson leans on Jennifer's desk and asks Andy if
he thinks Less went to New York.
Speaker 1 (01:06:10):
Oh, sure, he got He's nuts.
Speaker 6 (01:06:12):
Andy starts to lay the oxygen tank on the desk,
but Jennifer shows him away. He takes the tank and
other equipment over by the wall and sets it on
the floor.
Speaker 5 (01:06:22):
Why do Andy's vacations all require so much stuff?
Speaker 6 (01:06:26):
Because he's got to be cool?
Speaker 5 (01:06:28):
Yes, the girls, you gotta have his gizmos. Johnny comes
into the lobby from the bullpendor, telling Travis he should
have heard Bailey with the news.
Speaker 3 (01:06:37):
Yes, the first time in years.
Speaker 1 (01:06:38):
If it's made any.
Speaker 7 (01:06:39):
Sense, I like it when Less does the news. It's
always so surreal.
Speaker 5 (01:06:43):
Then we cut to a shot with Johnny and Andy
standing to the left of the frame. The entry door
and hallway are visible. In the right half of the frame,
we can see what looks like a female version of Less,
though much older, come into the lobby.
Speaker 6 (01:07:03):
This old lady Less is a stereotypical older woman. She
has on a navy dress with a small white pattern
in it. Her collar is outlined in white. She has
a white satin scarf for possibly the collar of a
satin blouse visible at her neck. A cameo brooch is
pinned in the satin. She's accessorized with white satin button
(01:07:26):
style earrings, white gloves, wire rimmed cat eye glasses, a
black pocket book, and a navy hat no doubt Bobby
pinned into her gray hair. What we're looking at is
Richard Sanders in drag. The modern non theater terminology would
be cross dressing, but the theater term has always been drag.
Speaker 5 (01:07:49):
I noticed he's also wearing stockings and gloves. There's not
a single inch of skin other than his face visible.
Speaker 6 (01:07:58):
His legs a little bit below his skirt, oh below
the skirt of the dress, because he's wearing those old
lady oh.
Speaker 5 (01:08:05):
The supporters that's come up.
Speaker 6 (01:08:07):
Yeah, and then those you know, those thick black leather
shoes that old ladies wore.
Speaker 5 (01:08:11):
Oh yeah. Drag has a long history in the theater,
but no one is sure of the origin of the term.
It's possibly from the nineteenth century. It may have been
slang for the long skirts worn on stage that would drag.
It's also been suggested that drag might be an acronym
derived from the phrase dressed as a girl. Drag has
(01:08:35):
been a part of the theater, and especially a part
of comedy, for centuries, which may explain why it's showing
up here in a Richard Sanders script. Even dressed up
and in heavy makeup, he still looks like Richard Sanders.
He doesn't make a very good woman, which may be
(01:08:56):
why they play it as this is less dressed up
mass mend.
Speaker 4 (01:09:04):
Are you going to New York or San Francisco?
Speaker 1 (01:09:09):
I thank your pardon.
Speaker 6 (01:09:10):
Jennifer realizes this isn't less. She leans forward and asks
the woman if she can help her. The woman walks
on further into the lobby.
Speaker 4 (01:09:19):
I'm mister Nessman's mother. I came here on the bus.
Speaker 6 (01:09:22):
Mister Carlson hurries over, extending his hand. He introduces himself like.
Speaker 3 (01:09:27):
You introduce it, Andy Travis.
Speaker 5 (01:09:28):
Andy holds out his hand, but mother Nessman recognizes the.
Speaker 4 (01:09:32):
Name a selfish one.
Speaker 5 (01:09:33):
Ooh. She leaves Andy's ann sticking out in the air,
not shaking it. Art leads mother Nessman over to Johnny.
Speaker 3 (01:09:40):
This is doctor, doctor Johnny Fever.
Speaker 4 (01:09:43):
Oh, yes, the Beatnick. You're cute.
Speaker 5 (01:09:47):
This is Nessman takes a gloved hand and tickles Johnny's mustache.
Speaker 6 (01:09:53):
Johnny is really more of a hippie than a beatnick.
The Beatnik generation was born between nineteen twenty eight and
nineteen forty five. They had the greatest impact on the
social scene from the post World War two forties to
the early sixties.
Speaker 4 (01:10:10):
But I'm a bungle beating beat nick and I just
don't dig rocking road.
Speaker 5 (01:10:17):
Yeah, I'm a bungle beating beat nicking. I just can't
stand rocking road. Oh we must be talking, Mama says,
come own that, let's go.
Speaker 6 (01:10:29):
Beat Nicks were a literary movement devoted to following the
spiritual quest of Jack Carawax autobiographical fiction. You could usually
recognize beat Nicks thanks to their black turtlenecks, bongos, berets,
and dark glasses.
Speaker 11 (01:10:49):
I had an uncle with an ivy league hard. He
had life with a belt in the back. He had
a button down brain, wind up, a belt in my mouth,
and a button down lip. Cough blood on this earth.
Now there's a race for space. We can cough blood
(01:11:10):
on the moon.
Speaker 10 (01:11:11):
Soon.
Speaker 11 (01:11:11):
Tomorrow is Dragsville. Cats Tomorrow is a king sized drag.
Speaker 6 (01:11:18):
Their lasting impact on society, beat Nicks gave us the
term cool cool man.
Speaker 5 (01:11:25):
Johnny backs away as he tells Missus Nessman, he needs
to get back on the air. I think this whole
thing's freaking him out a little bit. Otherwise, he says
he'd stay and get better acquainted. He quickly leaves the lobby.
Speaker 3 (01:11:36):
Oh and this is our reception this Jennifer Marl.
Speaker 5 (01:11:39):
Jennifer stands and holds out her hand.
Speaker 6 (01:11:41):
Hello, mother.
Speaker 5 (01:11:42):
Nessman pulls Jennifer towards her, A little bit.
Speaker 4 (01:11:45):
Stay away from my son. He's told me everything.
Speaker 5 (01:11:49):
Jennifer tells her she will try, and sits back down.
Speaker 6 (01:11:53):
Mister Carlson asks Lessa's mother if less went to New York.
Speaker 3 (01:11:57):
No.
Speaker 4 (01:11:58):
When I left my boy, he was sound as sleep
in his little bed, trying to recover from a very
very trying night.
Speaker 6 (01:12:05):
As he talks, he drops what little mother voice he had.
Speaker 4 (01:12:09):
It's just less and I would thank you all to
stop putting these silly dreams into my boy's head and
getting him all upset.
Speaker 6 (01:12:16):
Mister Carlson tells her to hold on a minute.
Speaker 3 (01:12:19):
I thought New York was, you know, kind of your idea.
Speaker 4 (01:12:23):
Others don't create false expectations in their children's minds. Although
Lester would make an interesting anchor man, wouldn't.
Speaker 6 (01:12:33):
She gives a little grin to mister Carlson.
Speaker 5 (01:12:35):
Yes, ma'am, unless his mother starts walking towards the main
entrance to the lobby.
Speaker 4 (01:12:39):
Well, that's all I had to say, yes, ma'am.
Speaker 5 (01:12:42):
She turns around and looks at mister Carlson.
Speaker 4 (01:12:45):
You have lovely manners. You must have a very nice
mother yourself.
Speaker 5 (01:12:49):
Hard chips from one foot to the other as he
stammer as he then changes the subject.
Speaker 3 (01:12:54):
Would you perhaps like to have a tour of the station?
Speaker 5 (01:12:57):
I would not missus. Nestman puts her arm through the
handle of her pocketbook as she continues to look at art.
Carlson tells her it was nice meeting her. She turns
to walk out the door.
Speaker 6 (01:13:07):
Herbinters coming face to face with Lessa's mother. He stops
and stares at mother Nessman, looking her up and down.
He obviously thinks this is less in drag, which it is. Missus.
(01:13:29):
Nessman tells Herb good day and walks on past him.
Herb mimics her good fide, then reaches down and gooses
her with his thumb, causing her to jump into the air.
Speaker 3 (01:13:41):
Herb, that was Lessa's mother. Oh, come on, get in
the game.
Speaker 4 (01:13:45):
The guy's ready for the looney bin.
Speaker 2 (01:13:48):
When first he wants to be a network anchorman, now
he's dressing up like somebody's mother.
Speaker 4 (01:13:52):
The guy's nuts.
Speaker 6 (01:13:54):
Herb is laughing as Les walks into the lobby. Less
glares at Herb. Herb turns to Lesson straightens his bow
tie as the credits begin to roll.
Speaker 5 (01:14:06):
So we got some kind of a cut in there.
We didn't notice it, but there was a time cut
which allowed less to get changed, so he could then
immediately come in after his mother had left.
Speaker 6 (01:14:15):
Right, But it looks like it was so close. There's
no way he had time to change, And so Herber realizes,
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 5 (01:14:21):
Yeah, Herb understands they were two different people. And yes,
we saw Herb's coat, but no fashion alert. We've done
this coat so many times in the last eighty nine episodes.
We're gonna let it slide because this is it. That's right,
fellow babies, we have completed the final episode of the
entire WKRP in Cincinnati series.
Speaker 6 (01:14:52):
I am gonna miss the fashion alerts and Venus is
closed the vibe threads. I really enjoyed look at their outfits. Normally,
this is where we'd be telling you about next week's show.
We're all done with our episode breakdowns, so we won't
be doing one of those, but don't unfollow us just yet.
Coming up, we're going to do a Missus and Missus
(01:15:15):
episode where we will review the entire run of the
podcast and try to correct some of our more glaring errors. Also,
we have more interviews to share. Hey, fellow babies, this
is Al and Donna calling from the future.
Speaker 5 (01:15:33):
We can now confirm that next week we've got a
very special episode. We talked to Gary Sandy.
Speaker 6 (01:15:42):
Next Tuesday. Don't miss our more than ninety minute discussion
with Andy Travis himself, mister Gary Sandy.
Speaker 5 (01:15:50):
But for now go back to the past.
Speaker 6 (01:15:56):
Be watching your podcast feed for more from the double
UKRP Cast, But for.
Speaker 5 (01:16:02):
Now, that's gonna do it for this episode of the
WKRP Cast. If you'd like to watch along with us,
check our show notes. You can find us on social media.
Follow our Facebook page at WKRP Cast. For more WKRP fun,
you can still become a patron. Go to patreon dot
com slash WKRP Cast for behind the scenes fun, full
(01:16:23):
interviews and more.
Speaker 6 (01:16:25):
Got a question, comment or correction Let us know about it.
Write us Wkrpcast at gmail dot com.
Speaker 5 (01:16:34):
And remember, rate and review us on Apple Podcast. Give
us a five star review. They really do help. Thanks
for listening.
Speaker 4 (01:16:43):
Bye, Now, may the good news be yours.
Speaker 5 (01:16:53):
The WKRP Cast is not endorsed by MTM, Enterprise, Use
Shot Factory, or CBS. His podcast is intended for entertainment
and informational purposes only WKRP and Cincinnati. The WKRP logo
and all names, pictures, and audio of WKRP and Cincinnati
characters are registered trademarks of MTM, CBS, Shout Factory, or
(01:17:14):
their respective copyright holders.
Speaker 4 (01:17:23):
Almost got Them Babies, Booger,
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