MovieChat Forums > FM (1978) Discussion > Which was first, FM or WKRP?

Which was first, FM or WKRP?

posted 19 years ago by BijouBob8mm
7 replies | jump to latest

A lot of time and (mis)adventures have happened since 1978, so some of my memories are a bit fuzzy. Which came first that year, the feature film FM or the tv series WKRP? While each had its own tone and style, there were certainly some similarities between the two broadcast comedies, such as Michael Brandon's "Jeff Dugan" character and Gary Sandy's "Andy Travis." (And both had commercial salesmen of questionable taste; Tom Tarpey's "Regis Lamar" and Frank Bonner's "Herb Tarlek" even seemed to have the same tailor at times.)

[–] weehawk95 19 years ago

The movie preceded, and was probably the inspiration for, the TV series.

[–] BijouBob8mm 19 years ago

Thanks!

[–] Jetfire59 19 years ago

Actually, WKRP's pilot episode was done before FM was released.

"What do you do, anyway?"
"I'm a Naval Aviator."
"You fly belly buttons?"

[–] radiodude1000 17 years ago

The WKRP Pilot was shot before FM was released, but FM is based on a book pubished a few years earlier. Hugh Wilson, an ex-DJ, had an idea for a comedy show set in a radio staion based on his own personal experiences. Because of the success of the book FM, which is based on the demise of KMET-FM in L.A., Wilson was probably given the greenlight. WKRP was picked as a series a few weeks after FM was released in theatres. WKRP in the end was better because Wilson and several of his writers were ex-DJs with far funnier stories drawn from THEIR lives. But the similarities of Venus, Andy, Herb, to their counterparts in FM are just too close to be entirely coincidence. Wilson has always denied having based the WKRP characters on the film FM, but that doesn't exclude him from having stolen from the book FM.

[–] LadyCapulet-1 17 years ago

Two of the best lines from WKRP---"who knew turkeys couldnt fly?"
and "Oh, no the Phone Police are after us!" I might be a little off on the wording but they were very funny shows

[–] PenTheater 17 years ago

we are off topic here but,

Oh, no the Phone Police are after us!"

everyone knows The Phone Police play hardball!....

[–] charlesadams1 16 years ago

The irony is the guy that birthed "WKRP" came from his experiences in Atlanta radio but in those days the only thing people thought came out of the south were dim-witted Peanut Farmers and Dukes of Hazzard. Yeeehaw!

so they naturally had to set WKRP in a northern city.