Secrets of the City

They’re hitting the ground like bags of wet cement!

That is some excellent imagery there!

You can watch the full episode for free on Hulu.

As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.

I watched the original episode in 1978. Even then, I knew that this was going to be a classic moment in television comedy.

OMG! my coworkers (ok, the ones born before 1980) and I just spent 20 minutes watching and rewatching this clip, agreeing that it’s the best episode of WKRP ever! my cheeks hurt from laughing so hard.

And it is one of the best theme songs in history.

That should have made MinnIndy’s list of “America’s Great Turkeys.“

Of course, they are just getting in one more warmed over plate of Bushhate in before the Holidays.

PS: The Army unit in Baghdad #43 is visiting? My old unit, the 1st Armored Division. I recognize the patch. One just like it on my old uniform.

I think it’s my all-time favorite theme song. The song from “Welcome Back, Kotter” is a close second.

Eh. Wasn’t that funny to me. Maybe it would’ve been if I’d ever seen the show before.

I always liked the WKRP closing credits song. But I never understood the lyrics. Until now.

Maybe you have to be a certain age to find that funny?
The Hindenburg spoofy-ness of the whole thing was sort of funny until he mentioned the Hindenburg, which ruined the joke.
Still, I have fond, very early memories of sitting with my dad while he watched that show and ate popcorn and drank Grain Belts.
And it is a great theme song.

I don’t know Adam, I think we hit the 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s in the comments here and everyone thinks it is funny.

Unverified mary2 doesn’t like it!

Right. Missed that one. But she is probably 12 and 12 year old’s don’t count.

And how can someone have never seen WKRP before? Get thee to Hulu.

That episode is a classic.

I guess growing up I always felt a certain attachment to the show since there were few shows set in the midwest and the actors seemed real.
And I might have had a little crush on Andy in his super tight jeans.

This was originally aired the day after I was born, and I think it’s hilarious.

In the realm of t.v. theme songs, I think Barney Miller has to rank at the top.

Doesn’t SOTC allow you to embed YouTube vids?

I SO want to rip this off for a MinnPost pre-Turkey-Day closer….

As much as WKRP is an all-around cult favorite, there is no bigger cult group of the show than radio disk jockeys. Hugh Wilson, the show’s creator, was at one time a radio station AE, so many of the show’s situations came from his experience — and the many experiences shared with him by jocks nationwide over the course of show’s production.

Anyone who worked in radio in the late ’70s-early ’80s probably worked with a Herb Tarlek or Les Nesman or Johnny Fever. (OMG. I was on the brink of Johnny Fever-dom at one time. Lesson learned: Do not partake of the herb before going on-air at 5 a.m.) I once worked with an AE who had Herb’s personality and penchant for crude humor. Never found a station with a Jennifer Marlowe but we all wanted to work with Bailey Quarters, anyway.

Sigh. Radio was fun vocation to work in back then, before consultants got a hold of it and strangled all life out of the business.

KC, WILD turkeys CAN fly (up to 55 mph). I’ve seen them with my own eyes several times.

Domestic turkeys, however, cannot.

Can I have permission to post the vid, with hat tip directing discussion SOTC? I will NOT do this without your permission, Max!

Sure. As long as you don’t misuse any adolescent slang, David.

Fo shizzle!

I can’t believe that WGN didn’t show that episode Sunday evening. Yes, I watch it every Sunday at 6 PM

The theme song has been going through my head all day. I was actually singing it in the car on the way to work. My entire family used to watch this show together.

Too funny not to share.

Via David Brauer’s Tweet, here’s Alfred Hitchcock’s classic “Rear Window” recast as “Three’s Company.”

On a holiday note: The Damned Bellringers are out. One was greeting people at the Nordeast Lund’s. They say “Merry Christmas” “Happy Holidays” But they’re really saying “hey, dude, you gonna put some money in the kettle, or what?”

When you don’t, they stare daggers at you.

Since the Salvation Army actively discriminates against the GLBT community I refuse to give them money. It does remind me I need to send in my donations to the Humane Society and the Land Stewardship Project.

Dougie_D, I also don’t donate to the SA for that reason.

And I was going to write the same thing as both Dougie and Alie. Don’t give money to the Salvation Army, they discriminate.

I suppose donating to the salvation army is just about the same as donating to a church, eh?
Do you donate to your church, KC? Is your church nice to everybody?

I usually donate to a few select organizations, and few of them benefit people directly. This year though, I may just keep all my money. I’m feeling slightly jaded.

I think it’s a pretty good bet that kc!’s church doesn’t go out every year and make mass solicitations for donations from the general public.

What other church relies so heavily on donations from non-members?

The Church of BATMAN, Scientist

Good point, but perhaps the Salvation army has a wider variation of how and where it applies its solicited funds as well…?

Have an excellent Thanksgiving everyone. I am out of here!!!!!!!!!!!

Charity Navigator doesn’t rate the Salvation Army.

Since religious organizations are exempt from filing IRS form 990 you have no idea where they are actually spending the money you give them.  They could be laundering money for human trafficers for all we know.

And for what it’s worth, our (kc’s and mine) church is nice to everybody…

My main charity this year has been to doe eyed kids that are doing fundraisers at their schools. So far I’ve bought a bag of mixed nuts, a vanilla candle, and a tree ornament.

ahh, Unitarians, eh?

Baker, my philosophy is if a charity can discriminate who they hire, I can discriminate on how I donate.

P.S. I don’t donate to my church because I haven’t attended in 18 years and am agnostic, and as a general rule, tend to shy away from donating to religious orgs. I do donate to the Ronald McDonald house and send items to various womens’ shelters.

Actually, baptists, but incredibly liberal ones that do gay marriage, work with the poor, and encourages youth to explore other religions.

But the Salvation Army also gets lots of money from our government to provide Social Services to the poor. Time and time again my GLBT clients made it clear that they would rather be on the street before going to the SA shelter. We wouldn’t even send a transgendered person there knowing how they would be treated, it just wasn’t safe.

What put them in danger?

They were forced to be on the floor with the sex they did not identify with, where they received a lot of harassment and threats to their personal safety. The staff did not stop or discourage the harassment or threats in any way. Same with out gay men. They were more likely to have their things stolen and were afraid of attacks. While I can’t say for sure there were attacks, it was referred to by my clients.

That said, homeless shelters aren’t the safest places to begin with. But Harbor Lights is a notoriously unsafe and unpleasant place.

I watched this and I don’t get it.

That’s interesting kc, because one of the first defenses I always hear when I object to donating to the SA is that “but they don’t discriminate against who they provide services to. It’s just on the church/hiring side.”

Oh sure, they just look the other way when people are physically or emotionally intimidating GLBT folk. And they also force their religion on people- if you want the meal that comes with the stay you have to sit through the prayer service. Since the gov’t isn’t paying for the meal, they can do it.

And also by not hiring GLBT folks they make it clear to the people they are serving that they are not open to their lifestyle.

I do not give money to the SA and I do not shop at their thrift stores.

It’s been my opinion that if there’s a culture of discrimination w/in an org’s employment practices, it probably trickles down to the services they provide.

alie- exactly.