WKRP in Cincinnati/Funny
- Many critics have regarded the Thanksgiving Episode "Turkeys Away" as one of the funniest in TV history. In addition to the critics, readers of TV Guide voted "Turkeys Away" the best single episode of television in the history of the medium.
- Show Creator Hugh Wilson noted the show was having trouble with ratings its freshman season and was close to cancellation. The huge fan response to this episode secured it a full first season.
- Les Nessman's line: "It gets pretty strange after that..."
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Les: "I really don't know how to describe it. It's like the turkeys mounted a counter-attack. It was almost as if they were... organized!." |
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- Richard Sanders' nearly-word-for-word re-enactment of The Hindenburg broadcast. "Oh my God, they're turkeys!!"
- All of which drama is perfectly followed up by Johnny's world-weary deadpan when Les' live remote suddenly cuts out: "Les? Les, are you there?" (heaves himself upright to resume broadcast) "Les isn't there..."
- He then adds, "For those of you just tuning in, the Pinedale Shopping Center has just been bombed by live turkeys. Film at eleven."
- And every Thanksgiving, someone somewhere in the world is saying "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly!"
- Johnny vs. the 'phone cops'... the ones who exist only in his head.
- The Tarleks' appearance on "Real Families"
- The funeral home jingle designed to attract today's youth ("Yeah, there's no denyin' it/Someday, you'll be buyin' it!")
- Johnny and Venus perform an on-air drunk test for reflexes. As the test progresses, Johnny's reflexes get faster, flummoxing the By-The-Book Cop and mocked by an increasingly inebriated Venus.
- Andy's reaction when he realizes that Johnny is actually playing a top 40 song. He actually runs into the booth, and tries to read the turning record's label, all the while Johnny just looking at him with a bemused expression.
- The episode where the staff all conspire to give a visiting auditor a horrifically incorrect impression of the station. To wit:
- Carlson wears a banker's visor and sits in his office spewing figures out of an adding machine, appearing so overworked he barely has time to visit with the consultant.
- Herb wears a nice suit, devoid of the usual white-shoe-and-belt combo, and strikes all car-salesman-speak from his vocabulary—except for one brief slip-up where he says, "No problemo!...Problem!"
- Les acts as though his meaningless hog reports are intended to be funny, coming across as a hard-nosed reporter with a sense of humor.
- Bailey pretends to be high on drugs, ending her interview by singing, "N-E-S-T-L-E-S, Nestle's makes the very best...choooc-laaaaaate!"
- Complete with hand-puppet gesture (there was a hand-puppet cow in the real Nestle's commercials back in the day).
- Venus is caught in the hallway holding Johnny by the shirtfront and threatening him with a knife.
- And in the episode's most glorious role reversal, Jennifer pretends to be the vapid blonde outsiders expect her to be.
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Jennifer (in high-pitched voice): I think I'll go get everybody some coffee! |
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- Mama Carlson's incredulous response to each "revelation" counts as CMoF as well.