Before we leave this thread on half-hour episodes that rival the comic greatness of the Seinfeld masterbation episode, I would like to remind, those who remember, of some other classic tidbits from WKRP and put in another episode from still another sit-com that rivals for the funniest.
I agree that the episode of the Thanksgiving Turkey debacle where Carlson utters his classic line about not knowing turkeys couldn't fly should surely go down in TV history as one of THE funniest half-hours.
Some memorable WKRP tidbits:
- We come to know Carlson's mother as a cold, cut-throat
businesswoman in several episodes but when we finally
have a scene in her mansion, we see that she has a painting
of a public hanging as a center piece over the fireplace
in her living room.
- When WKRP is having some legal problems and Carlson assembles
the cast in his office to meet the lawyer he has engaged to
handle it, making a play on the cliche that short lawyers
are fiercesome courtroom opponents, the lawyer turns out to
be a midget.
- When Jennifer, on a visit to one of the other member's apartment
is asked to bring her date on up. She replies that he is used
to waiting and "besides, I don't think his doctors allow him
to climb stairs."Enough about WKRP. When I was trying to remember series that were so funny that they would have candidates for classic half-hours, I forgot about Cheers. The early years of Sam and Diane's romance, a romance that doomed the two most neurotically and totally imcompatible people in the world to fight it out, were ones in where two fine actors went through every permutation possible in such a situation. The lines were quick and the surprises many. Shelley Long has, disappointedly, never been able to repeat the comic genius of her creation of Diane. There were many fine episodes but my vote would go to when they complemented the characters of Diane, Sam and Frasier with someone of such high comic talents as John Cleese who played the stuffy, snotty visiting therapist/friend of Frasier's. Diane immediately becomes obsessed with getting Cleese to give his blessing on their upcoming marriage. Cleese, giving them a private session, asks them to tell him about themselves. In one of many high comedic points in this episode, Diane (making a play upon the classic retort to the question, "So, tell me about yourself" which is "Well, I started out as a child") begins her life story with certain memories she has of being in her mother's womb. After listening to both their stories, Cleese condesendantly tells them that it is obvious that they have nothing in common and his judgement is that not only should they not get married but should have nothing to do with each other. This only sends Diane's obsession into manic proportions. She with Sam in reluctant tow, makes one hilarious sally after another to try to change Cleeses' mind, waking him up in the middle of the night in his hotel room. Cleese, finally driven mad by this onslaught, screams out the hotel window that Diane and Sam were made for each other. Diane then ends the episode with the perfect followup line. Her distressed face melts into a smile, she turns to Sam and says, "See, I told you he would find us compatible." I can still remember laughing for hours after. Cheers, though maintaining a certain level of comedy even today, has never been able to regain the madcap hilarity of it's Diane years. There have been some moments of return such as when Clif Claven gets his chance to be on Jeopardy. What were the subjects again? U.S. Mail, Men who lived with their mothers, beer, tavern trivia and others I don't remember which were cinches for him. And he still blows it on the final question. Absolutely hilarious.