Shark Bytes

I talked to Gordon Jump some years ago in New York during the filming of a Maytag TV commercial, and asked him about Jan Smithers. He said that she was required by Loni Anderson to dress down and NOT show off her body, which was better than Loni's any day of the week.

how is the who concert jumping the shark. it really happened in Cincinnati and they were a radio station covering it. It was that way and every radio station broadcast the tragedy that happened that day.

The one thing that always bugged me about this show was the way they used Jennifer. I realize that Loni Anderson was considered to be one of the top sex symbols of the time, but the producers nearly fell over themselves trying to find ways to exploit her body. I never found her all that particularly attractive (I preferred the quiet natural beauty of Bailey) and I grew tired of having her breasts shoved into my face every few minutes.

Maybe I'm exaggerating just a bit, but I think the one major fault with WKRP was that they overdid Jennifer's money shots.

Just my 2 cents.

One of the best shows of any decade. I loved it when Venus explained the atom, and he and Johnny Fever were my
favorite characters. This was a real ensemble; everybody was important.

The only shark jump was the way they tried to convince the audience that brunette Bailey was a dog, and blond Jennifer was the most beautiful woman on the planet. I was nine when I started watching this show, and I knew I'd much rather look like Bailey.

I agree that Gary Sandy had a laid back charm, and it made him very attractive. Also, he was a dead ringer for the lead singer of the Doobie Brothers.

Remote broadcast from the electronic store that gets held up. Lizard warning for Cinncinati, Les the B on the teletype is broke. Classic

Despite everything, a show which gets better and better as the years pass.

The funny thing is it seems to have jumped every shark-jump danger. Amazing. Bailey Quarters became just another obnoxious Yuppie broad. And what the heck happened to the Andy Travis character? He went from cool, complex dude, to this mirror-loving prick whose character went straight to his butt-cheeks. And so many "inorganic" episodes: "Real Life", Johnny goes Disco, Venus gets arrested, burglaries, bombings, tornados, fires(I guess Cincy doesn't have earthquakes).

Still, it got better and better. Go figure.

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly..."

'Nuff said.

That episode on which Sparky Anderson guest starred. He had just stepped down as manager of the Cincinati Reds to take on the job with the Detroit Tigers. So why would he take a job as a radio show host in Cincinati if he's moving to Detroit?

Never Jumped.

The softball game was great. Aslo, "As God is my witness, I thought Turkeys could fly" is the best line EVER on TV.

Big Guy was a very lovable idiot, and I really enjoy this show. Long live re-runs!

Jennifer would never have had to blackmail the Big Guy -- he was so head over heels for her that he would have let her do anything she wanted. That was the whole premise of Jennifer's character -- men, especially very very rich men, fell in love with her and would do anything she wanted them to.

Is it just me or was the Big Guy paying Jennifer blackmail money? She never did anything remotely related to her job and she pretty much told Andy on their first meeting the Big Guy was a moron! By the way, she wasted no time selling out the Big Guy to Mama Carlson on her quarterly review of the station! It would've served her right if her latest score robbed her of all her finacial assets and left her flat broke! She wouldn't be such a snob then!

Actually, the last I heard (which was a few years ago), Jan Smithers was happily married and living somewhere in Nova Scotia.

Never jumped..Jan Smithers is probably hanging out with another lovely actress from the eighties who also disappeared..

And that would be the lovely Deborah Foreman....

To Bailey For Me:

While I enjoyed Loni's smirk and her snide remarks, I couldn't stand her "looks" because she seemed so plastic to me. Jan "Bailey Quarters" Smithers was so much more down to earth and "huggable" to me. She was one of the reasons that I watched every week.

Gary Sandy was just a passable actor -- I don't think he was Shakespearean in any way, shape or form -- but he was believable in the part that he played. He made me feel comfortable... I always wanted to have him as a friend -- I just thought he was like a best friend from college or something.

For me, the show wasn't about any one performer, but more about the group interaction -- it was how the ensemble came together that made the show.

I was never a big fan of the show.Loni got my attention on the promos,so I watched,but quickly noticed how naturally pretty and attractive Bailey(Jan Smithers)was.One question-whose knob did Gary Sandy gobble to get hired for the show? He was terrible!!