October 02, 2004
"As god as my witness, I thought Turkeys could fly"
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The infamous words of Arthur Carlson, station manager of WKRP in Cincinnati.
Possibly the best comedy ever to be put on the small screen, never having jumped the shark. It is available on VHS however the original music used in the episodes, which was current hit songs at the time, was removed and replaced with muzzak in order to avoid the huge licensing fees.
The results are some very mangled episodes.
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I remember a radio interview on CJ92 in Calgary about two years ago where Gordon Jump said his all time favorite and funniest line from the show was that very one linked above. The image of Les and Arthur coming back into the station all scratched up and stunned following the tragic "turkey give away" is truly one of the the funniest moments ever broadcast on TV! Ever!
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From the same site: An MP3 of Les's coverage of the event... Oh the humanity...
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Not to denigrate this post, but I'm a M*A*S*H fan myself. I think Hawkeye, BJ, Charles and Co. were the best comedy ever put on the small screen. We can agree that they don't make TV like they used to.
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"My god, I've got a monkey on my foot!" Trapper John and Frank Burns were way better than BJ and Charles.
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"...Frank Burns eats worms..."
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shinything - I know this may be sacriledge in some circles, but I have to say that, while Trapper John and Frank were funny, BJ and Charles were both much more interesting characters, and better foils for the always brilliant Hawk-eye. Trapper was too much like Hawk-eye - he was wishy-washy incomparison. But BJ was different, a quiet partner; his loyalty to his wife gave him a certain inner strength (and made for all the wrenching episodes when it was tested). Frank was hilarious, and the actor was brilliant, but just not smart enough to be a very good enemy (unlike the movie Frank). But Charles was someone to hate, and yet respect at the same time - and eventually, become a hero as much as anyone else. This is not to say that any were bad - all of the actors were excellent, and the show consistently brilliant, but I feel that the character design and depth improved over time. I know I much prefer the later, more serious episodes to the wacky originals. The show never had the dark bite of the movie, but I've always liked it better, because it hit more truely into the human heart.
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David Ogden Stiers always gave a beautifully modulated performance every single time he appeared -- an outstanding actor. He took an unsympathetic character and made Charles Winchester into a fully rounded and therefore credible personality. /rave review