From: U54778@uicvm.uic.edu
Newsgroups: alt.tv.seinfeld
Subject: MY LAST WORD ON RIVAL EPISODES
Date: 15 Dec 92 09:32:16 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago

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.

ALAN ROGERS  **** U54778@UICVM.UIC.EDU * I speak only for myself as a *
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