When WKRP show came on I knew it was different than any show before it. The show had a great cast and every character had their own unique personality. The show started when Andy Travis came in as a program director and change the stale station to Rock and Roll…the writers wisely made it an ensemble show.
The two women on the show were smart and beautiful…Bailey Quarters and Jennifer Marlowe….played by Jan Smithers and Loni Anderson respectively.
Jan was born Karin Jan Smithers, on July 3, 1949. She grew up in Woodland Hills, California.
Jan was in high school when one of her friends asked her to go for surfing. At the beach, while she was watching her friend surf, she was approached by two men who carried cameras. They told Jan about their search for a Californian girl for one of their articles. She agreed, and that changed her life forever.
Jan was featured on the cover of the March 21, 1966 edition ‘Newsweek. An article in the magazine, titled ‘The Teen-Agers: A Newsweek Survey of What They’re Really Like, profiled Jan and six more teenagers. Jan was the only one of all the teenagers featured in the article who became a famous personality later. The article pushed her modeling career, and her mother helped break into Hollywood.
Jan got her breakthrough role of ‘Bailey Quarters’ in the ‘CBS’ sitcom ‘WKRP in Cincinnati.’ She continued her role for 86 episodes, from 1978 to1982.
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WKRP was one of our favorites. (I come from a one television family.) Then later, I learned how vastly different radio really was. From my recollection the WKRP Djs didn’t even wear headphones when they were on the air. And the way they handled the records and cued them up, nothing like in the studio. And how they used the mic. Yikes! But here I go being legalistic. Ha!…Anyway, my husband had a big crush on Bailey.
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Oh yes it was different from radio. The music they focused on was what drew me to it…and it was some good writing. They used every character well.
It was a 70s version of Ginger or Mary Ann…Yes Bailey Quarters was a a crush for me also.
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Yeah. I never thought of it like that–the Ginger, Mary Ann thing–but that’s what it was.
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Me too. I liked the show in general,but Bailey was reason enough to tune in all by herself, for me.
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As a radio guy, you know I HAD to comment on this!
Like allthingsthriller stated, no headphones! This wasn’t a big deal to me before I got into the biz, but bugged the hell out of me afterward!!
Ginger VS Mary Ann – good comparison! Jennifer VS Bailey is just like that! I guess I was always drawn to Mary Ann and Bailey. The “ultra” sexy Jennifer and Ginger just seemed unrealistic to me.
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The music is what drew me into this show…you didn’t see too many prime time shows centered around rock music….well I tuned in to watch Bailey also.
Yep! there was no choice between the two for me…Bailey Quarters.
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She was gorgeous. IMDb says she retired and is living in Nova Scotia.
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I was 12 when I saw her and was in love. I hope she is happy. I knew she was married to James Brolin for a while.
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Wow, imagine how few girls who got approached about ‘being in the movies’ actually ended up doing just that, vs a modeling sham. Jan hit the lottery. She was lovely and had a really pleasant demeanor. As a female professional, I always feared becoming a Bailey Quarters, i.e., smart, sensible and hard working, but never got enough credit.
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I’ve worked with a few Bailey Quarters who were always passed over for raises and promotions which sometimes went to troublemakers… the squeaky wheel theory.
She was extremely lucky it turned out well.
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I barely remember her. Who was that “hippy” dude with the mustache? He was the funny part of the show, and Les Nessman (sp?)
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Doctor Johnny Fever! sorry I’m running behind today
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Oh yeah, forgot his name. No worries. Behind is the story of my life these days!
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The great Howard Hesseman. He also wound up on One Day At A Time for a while. He was a scream.
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And Bob Newhart for a little bit… I thought about a post on him soon
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I think he was also in Billy Jack, when the school had skits going. Yes, he was a scream 🙂
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That is right…he was a teacher in Billy Jack!
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I’ll never forget that skit where he and another guy are sitting next to each other on chairs and smoking a joint. Hilarious!
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Great memory…I had to look it up….
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lol. That movie rocks all day and all night. I have the Billy Jack boxed set! My kids bought it for me for Christmas one year. I watched a youtube of Tom Laughlin on his 80th birthday a couple of nights ago. He was talking about the hat he wore in the movie. Some eerie/synchronous things going on there!
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Yeah. Heh. He wasn’t even credited as himself. He was listed as Don Sturdy.
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He must have liked that name…. I remembered him on the Dick Cavett show…he is on the same show as Janis Joplin in 69… I found this in Wiki
In 1969, he appeared uncredited with The Committee (though at the time using the name Don Sturdy) in several sketches on The Dick Cavett Show, and appeared in one sketch with guest Janis Joplin.
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That’s so cool.
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oh really!? That cracks me up.
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GAWD, I miss this show. It will never be aired again, even as reruns, as all the music licenses expired. And, the DVDs had dubbed music. Damn shame.
I had SERIOUS hots for Andy. I always loved the “wings” haircuts. Nobody cuts hair like that, anymore. They don’t teach it in schools, now.
Check this out (can’t see this on the phone app):
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I’ve never seen a gag reel from WKRP…it’s great.
Yep the wings I remember those.
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Very good video. They did have a wonderful ensemble going on there.
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I loved this show. Bailey and Jennifer were great. Terrific cast all-around, and a funny show. I remember a lot of the episodes – hilarious writing!
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