Andy's former struggling musician girlfriend, now a big country music star, shows up on tour in Cincinnati. The passion is rekindled and she wants Andy to quit WKRP and join her on tour. Can... Read allAndy's former struggling musician girlfriend, now a big country music star, shows up on tour in Cincinnati. The passion is rekindled and she wants Andy to quit WKRP and join her on tour. Can Andy turn his back on WKRP to chase love?Andy's former struggling musician girlfriend, now a big country music star, shows up on tour in Cincinnati. The passion is rekindled and she wants Andy to quit WKRP and join her on tour. Can Andy turn his back on WKRP to chase love?
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Did you know
- TriviaThe name "Linda Taylor" references two popular singers of the 1970s - Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor. The line about Linda being "romantically linked with a senator" is an allusion to similar gossip about Ronstadt at the time.
- Quotes
Bailey Quarters: [to Johnny, about the 'win a date with a DJ' contest] Look at all this mail, you can't back out now! Venus, you talk to him.
Venus Flytrap: Sure. Hey, Johnny man, it's no big deal. See, all you have to do is pick out a lady, and the station picks up the tab for the whole night!
Dr. Johnny Fever: Forget it!
Venus Flytrap: C'mon man, I've done it before and I've always come out with a fox!
Dr. Johnny Fever: Yeah, I've done it before too. I always wind up with a warthog!
Venus Flytrap: You just got to know how to pick 'em, brother! Lemme see some of those cards, Bailey. Now, listen to this. "I'd like a date with a DJ because my mother always said I was clever and a good conversationalist." Not good.
Bailey Quarters: No wait a minute...
Venus Flytrap: [tossing the card then picking up and reading another, then another] Trust me. "I've always wanted to find out what's behind that sexy voice I hear every night." Heh heh. This is what we'll call the "A" pile. Now. "I don't know if it's against the law in Ohio, but what I'd really like to do is..." No, that's the "B" pile. *This* is the "A" pile.
[Venus sticks that last card in his breast pocket]
- Alternate versionsIn the 90's redistribution package, the first song Johnny plays at the beginning of act 2 (originally a Ray Charles song) has been replaced. This change is also on the DVD release, where "Beast of Burden" by The Rolling Stones has also been replaced by a generic song and part of a scene has been cut.
- ConnectionsReferences The Cat from Outer Space (1978)
- SoundtracksWKRP In Cincinnati Main Theme
(uncredited)
Composed by Tom Wells
Lyrics by Hugh Wilson
Performed by Steve Carlisle
[Series main theme song played during the opening title card and credits]
A critic's responsibility is to answer 3 questions: What was done? Was it done well? Was it worth doing? What was done is described elsewhere on this site. I won't belabor it.
"Was it done well?" is more complicated. The press conference scene is awkward. It conveys the necessary information and allows the re-connection between Travis and Linda, but the dialog involving Les and Sternworthy from WPIG makes Les out as a total idiot. That blatant a characterization is overblown and unnecessary, to say the least. He could ask innocuous questions like what instrument does she play, but the rest of that exchange borders on the stupid. (Or perhaps crosses that border.) In the intimate scene between Andy and Linda, the timing is off, and the incidental music is timed so poorly that it is more a distraction than an enhancement. The handling of the plot resolution is considerably more successful and enhances the rating of the episode as a whole.
Was it worth doing? This judgment makes all the difference. They tried to do something very important by revealing Andy's past and the alternate path his life could have taken if he hadn't latched on to the 14th station in a 16-station market and made a home there. We get insight into his character, and his character grows.
Daring to do something different risks mixed success. "Who is Gordon Sims" is one of the strongest episodes in the entire series. Venus's monologue at the episode's climax is riveting and very not funny and his character grows significantly as a result. "Love Returns" attempts to perform the same function for Travis. It isn't as successful as an episode, but it WAS worth doing because it accomplished what it set out to accomplish.
- sscheiber
- Nov 21, 2017