# Frank Bonner, 'Herb Tarlek' on WKRP has died at 79 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [June 17, 2021, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475 "2021-06-17T16:38:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2021, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/21 "2021-06-18T04:40:28Z")
> [@I.Dunno](#): > > I remember Venus once saying, as Herb walked by, that “there’s a Volkswagen somewhere that’s missing its seat covers.” > > Rest in Peace Frank [![](https://66.media.tumblr.com/7d24ba553b3897c84e3c6746f2dd366b/tumblr_ph6l4abU7a1ravgwio3_540.jpg) ](https://66.media.tumblr.com/7d24ba553b3897c84e3c6746f2dd366b/tumblr_ph6l4abU7a1ravgwio3_540.jpg) Tell me that’s not a Herb Tarlek suit. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2021, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/22 "2021-06-18T12:52:23Z")
That’s not a Herb Tarlek suit. The plaid pattern is too small. Looks more like a Jim Rockford jacket. One of my favorite Herb Tarlek lines, which I still use when I get the chance: there was some sort of crisis at the station, I forget what, and Herb says “Wait… how does this affect _me_ personally?” ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2021, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/23 "2021-06-18T13:13:00Z")
A memorable character played admirably, and thank you for that Mr. Bonner; RIP. > [@](#): > > Loni Anderson, who played the station’s empowered receptionist Jennifer, said she was “heartbroken” over his death. > > “Frank Bonner was like family,” Anderson said in a statement. “He was one of the funniest men I had the pleasure of working with and he was the nicest man I have ever known.” > **[Frank Bonner, Herb on 'WKRP in Cincinnati,' dies at 79](https://apnews.com/article/ar-state-wire-cincinnati-entertainment-arts-and-entertainment-37ccf784c5b01012bbbea97c15d40d41)** > > Frank Bonner, who played a brash salesman with a love of flashy plaid suits on the TV comedy “WKRP in Cincinnati,” has died. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2021, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/24 "2021-06-18T13:18:21Z")
RIP Frank. It’s hard for me to see people who were in their prime when I was a kid dying at ripe old ages. It doesn’t seem like THAT long ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2021, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/25 "2021-06-18T14:13:01Z")
Edie McClurg also voiced Carlotta, the housekeeper in The Little Mermaid. “Louie! What are you doing?” ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2021, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/26 "2021-06-18T17:57:35Z")
I’m not surprised to hear this. The show definitely liked Herb in that although he was sleazy, he still had a core of solid morality. Also, I think he may have had the greatest amount of character development on the cast. There was the show about his dad, the show-in-a-show that featured his family, the show about his nascent alcoholism (which was referenced in at least one later episode), the “diet pill” show, and others. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2021, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/27 "2021-06-18T18:14:33Z")
And a good family man: “You’ll like my daddy, little frog. Just stay away from him when he’s spray-painting anything.” ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2021, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/28 "2021-06-18T19:00:13Z")
That was the episode I was thinking of when it comes to humanizing Herb Tarlek. For those not familiar, Herb had accidentally spray-painted his daughter’s pet frog bright neon pink, which of course kills it. Much of the episode consists of wacky sitcom-ish hijinks, with Herb carrying the dying pink frog around in a box, trying to figure out what to do, how to get the paint off, and finally where he can get an identical replacement frog that will fool his daughter. At the end, though, there is a real sense of melancholy as Herb comes to realize that the only thing he can do is tell his daughter what he’s done, try to explain to her the reality of death, and hope that she won’t hate him for it. It ends up being a touching scene, very well-acted by Bonner. Ironically considering Herb’s big and loud personality, Bonner could portray subtle emotions quite well when he needed to. One thing I didn’t know, which I’ve learned from reading various obituaries, is that he became a fairly prolific sitcom director in the years after WKRP. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2021, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/29 "2021-06-18T19:13:15Z")
Bonner has a role in a low-budget student film [Equinox (1970)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067055/reference). His memorable line as they’re about to picnic is ‘Saved by the Colonel!’ Edie McClurg is also the airline agent who zings Steve Martin in ‘Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.’ ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@salinqmind1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind1)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2021, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/30 "2021-06-19T15:05:12Z")
Edie McClurg was funny in ‘Elvira, Mistress of the Dark’ - one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies. Herb Tarlek pursuing Jennifer on the show would never fly today! but he always reminded me of a barking dog pursuing a car - what would he do with it if he caught it? ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2021, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/31 "2021-06-19T15:37:30Z")
IIRC (I don’t have the episode list to hand), Jennifer did call his bluff at one point — and he folded like a cheap card table. Or perhaps I’m conflating this with the episode where they were stuck in an elevator and he panicked, but she didn’t let on once they were rescued. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2021, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/32 "2021-06-19T15:49:46Z")
You aren’t. Two different episodes. Season 2:Episode 16 - “Put Up or Shut Up” is the “call his bluff” show. Season 4:Episode 17 - “Fire” is the elevator show. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2021, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/33 "2021-06-19T19:51:07Z")
> [@salinqmind1](#): > > Edie McClurg was funny in ‘Elvira, Mistress of the Dark’ - one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies. > > Herb Tarlek pursuing Jennifer on the show would never fly today! but he always reminded me of a barking dog pursuing a car - what would he do with it if he caught it? One of my favorite scenes was the episode in which Les takes Jennifer to the Silver Sow Awards, and Herb gets jealous enough to convince the Big Guy to ban interoffice dating. Jennifer, of course, shuts Mr. Carlson down. At the very end, in a stinger, Les says, “Herb? Remember once telling me you bet Jennifer had a round bed?” Herb: “Yeah?” Les: “Well, it’s rectangular, just like everybody else’s.” Les gets up and leaves, while Herb chokes. Great little scene with Frank and Richard Sanders. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2021, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/34 "2021-06-20T07:16:43Z")
RIP, Frank. Another good one bites the dust. ☹ Loved that show back in the day. Just about every guy I knew lusted after Jennifer, but I always thought Bailey had the real sex appeal. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475/35 "2021-06-21T02:16:03Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > I’m not surprised to hear this. The show definitely liked Herb in that although he was sleazy, he still had a core of solid morality. Also, I think he may have had the greatest amount of character development on the cast. There was the show about his dad, the show-in-a-show that featured his family, the show about his nascent alcoholism (which was referenced in at least one later episode), the “diet pill” show, and others. Herb’s dad played by Bert Parks with the same fashion sense. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frank-bonner-herb-tarlek-on-wkrp-has-died-at-79/944475.md?page=1)