Hugh Wilson Movies
In the entertainment industry, writer/director/producer Hugh Wilson's name is synonymous with comedy, though in the late '90s, he turned to more dramatic subject matters. Although Wilson spent the latter part of his 20-plus-year career primarily involved in feature films, such as the hit First Wives Club (1995) (starring Goldie Hawn, Bette Midler, and Diane Keaton), Wilson is perhaps best known for his television work, notably as the creator and executive producer of the hilarious sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982) and the Emmy-winning comedy/drama Frank's Place which he created with former WKRP star Tim Reid.A native of Miami, Wilson started out working as a major contributor to a newsletter for the Armstrong Cork corporation. There he met Jay Tarses and Tom Patchett. Years later, Tarses and Patchett became comedy writers for The Bob Newhart Show. Remembering that Wilson too shared a similar gift for comedy writing, they invited him to join their team. By that time, Wilson was working with an advertising firm in Atlanta. He accepted the offer and soon was writing for the classic comedy with his former colleagues. Wilson also wrote for other shows, proving he had a knack for the medium, and in the mid-'70s became a producer of The Tony Randall Show. In 1978 Wilson agreed to create a new sitcom for MTM helmer Grant Tinker. Basing the premise upon his experiences in radio and advertising in Atlanta, Wilson came up with WKRP. Set in a failing radio station, it chronicled the colorful lives of eight members of the station as they tried to cope with changing the format from elevator music to Top 40 rock & roll. Not only did Wilson create and produce the show, he also served as its head writer.
Frank's Place ran from 1987 to 1988. Unlike the zany WKRP, this was a low-key and off-beat ensemble piece about a stuffy Boston professor who discovers that his late, estranged father has left him a Creole restaurant in New Orleans. Moments of drama punctuated the funny business. Critics loved the show, but audiences found it puzzling and the series folded after a year.
Wilson's big break in feature films came when he wrote the script for the low-brow but widely popularPolice Academy (1984), which also marked Wilson's directorial bow. His subsequent film credits include Rustler's Rhapsody (1985) and Guarding Tess (1994), which starred Shirley MacLaine and Nicholas Cage as a feisty, fussy presidential widow and the Secret Service man assigned to protect her. In 1997 Wilson made his first foray into a nonhumorous project as a script writer on the television miniseries chronicle of President Teddy Roosevelt's founding and leading of the famous elite cavalry group. The following year, Wilson produced an acclaimed, independent low-budget crime drama, Southie, about a New Yorker who returns to his Boston family and finds them in cahoots with mobsters. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Mainstream Hollywood filmmaker Hugh Wilson teams up with screenwriter/author John Grisham for the independently produced sports drama Mickey. Harry Connick Jr. stars as a widowed father in trouble with the law who runs away to Las Vegas with his 12-year-old, baseball-loving son (Shawn Salinas). They change their names in order to avoid a federal tax investigation. When the talented son starts playing Little League, the locals can't help but notice him. Soon his talents attract unwanted national attention. The film also stars Michelle Johnson and Mike Starr. Though made in 2001, the release date was pushed back several years due to an unrelated, real-life Little League scandal. Mickey was briefly released in 2003 in the Little League headquarters town of Williamsport, PA. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Connick, Jr., Shawn Salinas, (more)
In 1962, Calvin Webber (Christopher Walken) was a brilliant but somewhat paranoid scientist living with his Donna Reed-esque wife, Helen (Sissy Spacek), in Los Angeles. In the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a plane crashed into the Webber's yard. Mistaking the blast for "the big one," the Webbers moved into their elaborate bomb shelter to wait out the half-life of radioactive fallout. In the shelter, now a sort of time capsule, Calvin and Helen conceived and raised their son Adam (played as an adult by Brendan Fraser). For 35 years, Adam was raised on Jackie Gleason, Perry Como, and stories about life on the surface. Calvin taught his son about science, baseball, and communists while Mom taught Adam about dancing, good manners, and charming young ladies. Just in time, too, as Adam is sent to the surface to gather supplies and find a wife, preferably a nice, non-mutant girl from Pasadena with which to repopulate the world. Once this "fish out of water" story is set up, the fish, Adam, is set adrift in a sea of supermarkets and adult bookstores, but is soon caught by Eve Rustikov (Alicia Silverstone). Completely lost above ground, Adam enlists Eve's help to navigate his new world and find the supplies on his list. The literally sheltered Adam falls for this bitter, cynical, street-smart woman who grew up in a bleak Los Angeles with little use for love. Living with her gay roommate, Troy (Dave Foley), Eve has had her hopes chipped away by a long line of dead-end jobs and loser boyfriends. When the throwback Adam enters her life with his sunny disposition, seersucker jacket, and joy at seeing the sky, she can't help but fall in love. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, (more)
After giving George of the Jungle human form, Brendan Fraser returns to cartoon-land with another live-action update of an animated TV classic. Set in the peaceful village of Semi-Happy Valley high in the Canadian Rockies, our story focuses on Dudley Do-Right (Fraser), a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police who never lets his lack of intelligence get in the way of his dedication and determination to get his man. Dudley's superior, Inspector Fenwick (Robert Prosky), displays a bemused tolerance towards Dudley's enthusiastic ineptitude, and Dudley is beguiled by the Inspector's daughter, Nell (Sarah Jessica Parker), who has made a home in Seattle after traveling the world, but is now paying her father an extended visit. Before Dudley can make much of a (positive) impression on Nell, the evil Snidely Whiplash (Alfred Molina) enters the picture. Determined to take Semi-Happy Valley for everything it's worth, Snidely sends Dudley in search of vampires hiding in the woods, and, while he's away, plants gold nuggets in a nearby stream. When a prospector (Eric Idle) happens upon them, word gets out that Semi-Happy Valley is gold country. Quickly opening a string of businesses to cater to the flood of would-be gold miners, Snidely becomes the town's richest citizen, and Semi-Happy Valley is even renamed Whiplash City. Snidely's fame and wealth gain Nell's attention, while Dudley's search for vampires causes the Inspector to fire him. However, in time, Dudley realizes that something is afoot, and he is determined to expose Snidely Whiplash and bring him to justice. Director Hugh Wilson wrote and directed the first film in the Police Academy series; Dudley Do-Right was his second directorial credit of 1999 with Brendan Fraser, after they worked together on Blast From the Past. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, (more)
"Southie" is common usage in Massachusetts for a resident of South Boston. John Shea directed and co-scripted (with James Cummings and Dave McLaughlin) this low-budget crime drama which won the American Independent Award at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival. Out of money and out of luck, Danny Quinn (Donnie Wahlberg) leaves NYC and returns home to South Boston where his dysfunctional family is allied with an Irish Mafia crowd. When Danny's pals open a private casino with an assist from a different Irish Mafia group, this leaves Danny stuck in the middle when trouble erupts between the two factions. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donnie Wahlberg, Rose McGowan, (more)
The real-life story of Teddy Roosevelt's role in the Spanish-American war is re-told in this made-for-television movie. Tom Berenger stars as Roosevelt, who in 1898 formed his own volunteer calvary to go into Cuba and fight the expansion of Spanish rule. Thousands of men from all walks of life volunteered, but Roosevelt honed the team down to over 500 fighting men. When they finally arrived in Cuba, they faced a well-equipped Spanish army and squared off in the famous Battle of San Juan Hill. Berenger is strong as the charismatic leader, and the supporting cast shines with familiar names. The film clocks in at four hours and was originally shown in two parts. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, Sam Elliott, (more)
Vulgar, slapstick comedy abounds in this feature film debut for television sitcom star Kelsey Grammer. Almost everyone else thinks of Lieutenant Commander Tom Dodge is a class "A" goof who messes up every task he is assigned, but Adm. Dean Winslow thinks otherwise and decides to give Dodge one last chance by assigning him to helm an outmoded, diesel powered, rusty in a series of wargames. Dodge's sub is to be the enemy and must somehow outsmart their high tech opponents. Though ostensibly only games, Admiral Yancy Graham, who considers Dodge an embarrassment to the Navy, decides to do everything he can to scuttle Dodge and his ragtag crew's mission. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, (more)
Three women plot revenge on their two-timing husbands in this comedy. Brenda (Bette Midler), Elise (Goldie Hawn), and Annie (Diane Keaton) were close friends in college, but 27 years after graduation they've lost touch with each other, and it's not until a mutual friend of the three commits suicide that they meet at the funeral for the first time in years. It seems that their friend grew despondent after her husband left her for a younger woman, and all three find themselves in similar situations. Elise is an actress who finds herself out of work now that she's seen the shady side of 40, and her husband and producer Bill (Victor Garber) is demanding a divorce (and half of her fortune). Brenda helped her husband Morton (Dan Hedaya) open a profitable chain of discount electronics stores, but now that his commercials have made him a minor celebrity, he's taken up with a much younger (and thinner) woman. Annie has allowed her husband Aaron (Stephen Collins) to use her as a doormat throughout their marriage, and she's at a loss now that he's leaving her. After comparing notes, Brenda, Elise, and Annie decide that it's time to do something about their problems, and they hatch an elaborate blackmail scheme that will win them control of their ex-husband's businesses and allow them to do something positive with the money they helped earn. Heather Locklear and Ivana Trump both make cameo appearances. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, (more)
A man trained for a life of excitement and danger is given a new and unexpected challenge -- minding a grouchy old woman -- in this comedy. Doug Chesnic (Nicolas Cage) is a Secret Service agent who takes great pride in his job, performing his duties with the utmost professionalism and always minding the details. However, his assignment for the last three years has been a severe test of his patience; Tess Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine) is the widow of a former U.S. president who is well-known for her diplomatic and philanthropic work, and Doug has been in charge of her security force. But Tess tends to regard Doug less as a security officer and more as a domestic servant, like her chauffeur Earl (Austin Pendleton) or her nurse Frederick (Richard Griffiths). While Doug regards it as beneath his professional dignity to perform little chores around the house or bring Tess her breakfast in bed, she orders him to do so, and he's in no position to say, "no." Sometimes, Tess even refuses to obey Doug's security instructions, and should he argue his point too strongly, Tess will contact her close friend, the President of the United States, and ask him to give Doug a severe dressing down. So when Doug's three year hitch with Tess comes to an end, he asks to be given a more exciting and challenging assignment. However, Tess has other ideas; she's decided that she likes working with Doug, and she demands that his assignment be made permanent. Director Hugh Wilson also provides the voice of the President. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley MacLaine, Nicolas Cage, (more)
Director of the first Police Academy movie, Hugh Wilson is also responsible for the action comedy-caper Burglar. Bernice Rhodenbarr (Whoopi Goldberg) is a retired cat burglar who works at a bookstore. Bad cop Ray Kirschman (G.W. Bailey) blackmails her, so she agrees to do a job for Dr. Cynthia Sheldrake (Lesley Ann Warren) in order to get the money. While she is doing the robbery, she accidentally stumbles onto the scene of a murder. Since she is the prime suspect, Bernice is forced into many chase scenes as she plays detective to find out who the real murderer is in order to clear her name. She is aided by her only two friends: the hapless dog groomer Carl Hefler (Bob Goldthwait) and the drunken floozy Frankie (Elizabeth Ruscio). Along the way, she almost gets killed by numerous tough guys while being closely followed by two stupid cops (Anne DeSalvo and John Goodman). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whoopi Goldberg, Bobcat Goldthwait, (more)
An amusing spoof of the good 'ole westerns back in the halcyon days when all the cliches were held up as icons, this parody by Hugh Wilson works best for savvy audiences. Rex O'Herlihan (Tom Berenger) is a singing cowboy with a wardrobe straight out of the Hollywood westerns of the '40s -- he worships his horse, and has a trusty sidekick too. Every town he wanders into has a sheriff on the dole, a shady cattle rancher, a prostitute with a heart of gold, an innocent young damsel, a town drunk, and the standard bad guys in black hats and long coats (Spaghetti-western style) who brutalize the poor sheep ranchers. After setting things straight in each identical town as he goes, Rex is beginning to feel like a re-run junky when he saunters into a town that is slightly different -- and the parodies continue. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, G.W. Bailey, (more)
Public safety takes a turn for the worse in this hit comedy, which spawned a long-running franchise. As a crime wave sweeps through a major city, the mayor decides that part of the problem may stem from overly restrictive qualifications for police officers, so she opens the door of the city's Police Academy to anyone who wants to join. Soon, the new class is overrun with misfits and losers, including Carey Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg), who is given the choice of joining the force or going to jail; Karen Thompson (Kim Cattrall), a pretty cadet whom Mahoney has his eye on; Moses Hightower (Bubba Smith), a mountain of a man who likes to tend flowers; and Larvell Jones (Michael Winslow), who has an uncanny ability to imitate the sound of practically anything. Constantly befuddled Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) and his lackey, Lt. Harris (G.W. Bailey), are none too thrilled with their new charges, but as they try to wash their hands of the cadets, Mahoney and his classmates become all the more determined to make good. The surprising success of Police Academy spawned six sequels and two TV series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Guttenberg, G.W. Bailey, (more)
The action and stunts in this fourth racing vehicle for Burt Reynolds could be accurately foreseen by most youngsters. Stroker Ace (Reynolds) is a race car driver who gets the short end of a contract with a fried-chicken entrepreneur (Ned Beatty) but can be expected to end up with the woman (Pembrook) in compensation -- and actually did (Pembrook is played by Loni Anderson in her first movie with Reynolds). By this time, the formula of racing cars, wild stunts, blond co-stars (Goldie Hawn, Farrah Fawcett, and Dolly Parton were the most recent) was wearing thin and Reynolds starred in only one more "Cannonball" film, ending his car-chase series there. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, (more)
- 1979
Finally booted out of his house by his fed-up wife Lucille (Edie McClurg), Herb (Frank Bonner) moves in with Johnny (Howard Hesseman), immediately transforming the tiny apartment into his own peculiar idea of a swingin' bachelor pad. Back at WKRP, the staffers brace themselves for the "new", unattached Herb--especially Jennifer, who worries about her safety at the hands of the ever-libidinous advertising director. As a means of self-preservation, Jennifer persuades her friends to try to bring Herb and Lucille back together...fast! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Much to everyone's amazement, Jennifer (Loni Anderson) agrees to accompany newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) to a banquet where he is to receive the coveted Silver Sow Award. Libidinous Herb (Frank Bonner), who has been relentlessly hitting on Jennifer for months, can't understand why Les has apparently succeeded where he has failed--while Les himself begins to wonder if Jennfer is dating him merely because she feels sorry for him. This episode, written by series regular Richard Sanders (Les) and Michael Fairman, introduces the famous "invisible walls" in Mr. Nessman's office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
After a three-month network hiatus, WKRP in Cincinnati resumed its first season on January 15, 1979 with this "recap" episode (otherwise known as a clip show). It has been four months since Cincinnati radio station WKRP flipped formats, converting from easy-listening to top-40, and program director Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) is anxious to bring the imperious station owner Mrs. Carlson (who hates rock-and-roll) up to date. In his efforts to prove that his strategy has worked, Andy flashes back to such previous episodes as the two-part pilot show, "Les on a Ledge", "Hold-Up" and the imperishable "Turkeys Away". With this program, Carol Bruce takes over from Sylvia Sidney as Mama Carlson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
A lonely young single mom, who has formed a spiritual bond with her favorite deejay Dr. Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman), leaves her baby in a basket at the doorstep of WKRP. Taking charge of the baby, Johnny becomes quite attached to the kid, so much so that he refuses to turn it over for adoption. Instead, Johnny takes it upon himself to locate the baby's mother and try to convince her to give motherhood a second chance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
A visting reporter is told that WKRP is just your average, run-of-the-mill station--but events quickly prove otherwise. It all starts when Mr. Carlson (Gordon Jump) insists that Herb promote the station by wearing the costume of the WKRP mascot, the "KRP Carp". Meanwhile, Johnny (Howard Hesseman) and Venus (Tim Reid) participate in an on-the-air experiment involving alcohol intake. And a curiously phlegmatic painter spends forever decorating the walls of the station's reception room. By the end of the day, Johnny and Venus are drunk as skunks, a strange animal is roaming the halls of the station, and several staffers--including uptight Les Nessman (Richard Sanders)--are in jail for beating up the mascot of rival station WPIG. This episode was written under protest by series creator Hugh Wilson (under the nom-de-plume of "Raoul Plager"), in response to CBS' request that WKRP in Cincinnati become less character-driven and more farce-oriented; ironically, it proved to be one of the viewers' favorite episodes! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1979
When Mr. Carlson's 11-year-old son Arthur Jr. (Sparky Marcus) is booted out of Valley Forge Military Academy, the kid's grandmother Mrs. Carlson (Carol Bruce) demands that the boy be given a job at WKRP. Before long, the entire staff is on the verge of insanity thanks to Arthur Jr.'s fascistic notions of military protocol! As it turns out, however, the kid is not quite the unregenerate monster he appears to be. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
WKRP's ace newsman Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) can't understand why he has been abruptly banned from conducting locker-room interviews at Riverfront Stadium. Then the truth comes out (in a manner of speaking)--one of the Cincinnati Reds has accused Les of being gay! Convinced that his life and career are over, Les climbs onto the ledge of the Flimm Building in prepartion of ending it all--while back inside, deejay Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) has his hands full trying to keep libidinous sales manager Herb (Frank Bonner) from hitting on voluptuous receptionist Jennifer (Loni Anderson). Series regulars Tim Reid (Venus Flytrap) and Jan Smithers (Bailey Quarters) do not appear in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
In the conclusion of WKRP in Cincinnati's two-part series opener, WKRP's new program director Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) manages to avoid being fired when his strategy of switching over to a top-40 rock format results in a ratings upsurge. Unfortunately, the station's older sponsors pull out, and station manager Carlson (Gordon Jump) refuses any further financing of WKRP's new format. At the same time, dozens of elderly "easy-listening" fans picket the station, demanding the return of Lawrence Welk and Paul Anka)--a potential disaster that Andy characteristically "flips" to his advantage by transforming the demonstration into a big-time publicity stunt! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Ever in search of a surefire publicity stunt, Herb (Frank Bonner) arranges a remote WKRP broadcast from Del's Stereo and Sound Store. Unfortunately, the show is interrupted mid-stream when a man enters the store, brandishes a gun, and holds everyone hostage. Though at first as frightened as everyone else, Johnny Fever (Howard Hesseman) attempts to defuse the siutation when he finds out that the gunman (Gary Goodrow) is actually an out-of-work deejay (just as Johnny has been on many occasions!) Although series regulars Jan Smithers (Bailey), Tim Reid (Venus) and Loni Anderson (Jennifer) do not appear in this episode, we are treated to cameos by series creator Hugh Wilson) and staff writers (William Dial, Tom Chehak and Blake Hunter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Pulling a few strings supplied by his boss Mr. Carlson (Gordon Jump), Andy (Gary Sandy) manages to book the English punk band "Scum of the Earth" for a Cincinnati concert. Though forewarned that the group is infamous for physically assaulting their audiences, Andy is convinced that "The Scum"'s hoodlum reputation is merely an act--but he's wrong, wrong, wrong! The real-life rock group Detective provides the music for "Scum of the Earth" with the songs "Got Enough Love" and "Betcha Can't Dance", while one of the members of Detective, Michael Des Barres, appears on-camera as "Dog" (ironically Des Barres would later costar as morning-drive deejay Jack Allen on the syndicated spinoff The New WKRP in Cincinnati). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
The first episode of the first season of WKRP in Cincinnati finds troubleshooter Andy Travis (Gary Sandy) blowing in from Santa Fe to pump new life in WKRP, an all-but-moribund "beautiful music" radio station in Cincinnati. Almost immediately Andy junks the station's format in favor of Top 40 rock and roll, transforms mercurial daytime deejay Johnny Caravella (Howard Hesseman) into "Doctor Johnny Fever", and installs his own mellow overnight host, "Venus Flytrap" (Tim Reid). Andy's methods result in wide-eyed astonishment from WKRP's ineffectual station manager Carlson (Gordon Jump) and resentment from the station's uptight news reporter Les Nessman (Richard Sanders) and boorish sales manager Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner), but the ratings are undeniably on the upsurge. Alas, Mr. Carlson's imperious mother (played in the pilot by Sylvia Sidney) and thereafter by Carol Bruce), who owns WKRP, despises the new format--and demands that Andy be fired almost as soon as he is hired! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Debuting September 18, 1978 on CBS, WKRP in Cincinnati was a weekly, half-hour "ensemble" sitcom largely set in the offices of a Major-Market radio station. Languishing at the bottom of the ratings chart with its moribund "beautiful music" format, WKRP was given a major shot in the arm with the arrival of ambitious new program director Andy Travis (Gary Sandy), who tossed out all the old Lawrence Welk records and installed an ultrahip Top-40 rock format. As WKRP's ratings rose slowly but steadily, Andy and the other staffers did their best to keep the momentum flowing despite an unprepossessing lineup of sponsors (ranging from nursing homes to funeral parlors) and the formidable opposition of WKRP's wealthy, imperious owner, Mrs. Lillian Carlson (played by Sylvia Sidney in the pilot episode, and thereafter by Carol Bruce). The other regulars included station manager Arthur "The Big Guy" Carlson (Gordon Jump), a well-meaning but ineffectual oaf who kept his job only because he was the owner's son; WKRP's sales manager Herb Tarlek (Frank Bonner), whose boorish behavior was rivaled only by his garish wardrobe; prissy, uptight and incredibly naïve newscaster Les Nessman (Richard Sanders), whose mission in life was to win the coveted Buckeye Newshawk Award; Dr. Johnny Fever, aka Johnny Caravella (Howard Hesseman), the station's mercurial, all-but-burned-out morning DJ; Venus Flytrap, aka Gordon Sims (Tim Reid), the funky, low-key nighttime platter-spinner; and Ms. Bailey Quarters (Jan Smithers, Andy's ebullient young assistant and traffic-and-billing expert, a classic example of "still waters run deep." Ultimately emerging as the true star of the series was Loni Anderson as WKRP's blonde, curvaceous receptionist Jennifer Marlowe, who though she refused to type or take dictation was the station's most efficient and level-headed employee, forever running interference for her bosses and coming up with last-minute solutions to otherwise insoluable problems (appropriately, Jennifer was the station's highest-paid staffer). One of the series' many running gags found Jennifer forever fending off the advances of the libidinous (and very married) Herb Tarlek, while simultaneously dating a never-ending parade of elderly millionaires. Created by Hugh Wilson, who drew extensively from his own professional experiences at various local radio stations (notably in the classic first-season episode "Turkeys Away"), WKRP in Cincinnati almost instantly built up a loyal critical and fan following, though thanks to CBS's haphazard scheduling practices it never truly clicked in the ratings. Nevertheless, the series lasted four seasons, ending its network run on September 20, 1982, and later yielding a moderately successful first-run syndicated spinoff (with a largely different cast), The New WKRP in Cincinnati (1991-1993). The catchy opening-theme music for the original WKRP was written by Tom Wells and Hugh Wilson, and performed by Steve Carlisle, while the closing-credits rock tune was composed and peformed by Jim Ellis.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Sandy, Howard Hesseman, (more)
- 1976
Finally getting custody of his son Howie, Howard must now face the problem of proper child care when he isn't around. At first, Howie is left in the hands of Bob and Emily, who in turn hire a gorgeous babysitter named Mitzi Margolis (Brooke Adams). Howard is so impressed by Mitzi that he asks her to remain in his home on a permanent -- and definitely nonprofessional -- basis. Also in the cast is Amzie Strickland as Mrs. Walhauser. Written by WKRP in Cincinnati writer Hugh Wilson, "The Boy Next Door" first aired on February 21, 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Newhart, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
