# WKRP:Johnny vs. the smoking nazis **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 1999, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290 "1999-12-12T14:07:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 1999, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/1 "1999-12-12T14:07:00Z")
- - - A co-worker and I were discussing TV stars that smoked on the air. Somebody mentioned Johnny Fever, and both of us seemed to remember scenes where he had an _unlit_ cigarette in his mouth, as if to create the _impression_ that his character smoked, but nobody remembered him actually _smoking_ on the air. Which may have been that the actor who played him didn’t really smoke, and didn’t want to do it just for the show. Anyway, did Johnny smoke? - MC ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 1999, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/2 "1999-12-12T21:01:00Z")
Big WKRP fan here and I can’t recall ever seeing Johnny smoke. He may have had an innocent toothpick hanging out of his mouth, but never a butt (not even an unlit one). There were, however, veiled references to some of his \ recreational indulgences. * * * “My hovercraft is full of eels.” ---
**Author:** ![J.Alora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@J.Alora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J.Alora)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 1999, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/3 "1999-12-12T22:07:00Z")
Ed Asner smoked on TV. ---
**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:** [December 12, 1999, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/4 "1999-12-12T23:39:00Z")
Howard Hesseman (sp?) did indeed smoke IRL, and maybe still does–but I don’t ever recall seeing him do it on “WKRP”–almost certainly on some other program, but not that one. He always seemed to play a “Johnny Fever” type character, sorta out “on the edge,” so it’s possible you saw him in a similar role. That’s still not to say that it never happened on “WKRP.” I just don’t remember it. (In interviews, Frank “Herb” Bonner in describing the other cast members said that Howard Hesseman **is** “Johnny Fever,” and Richard Sanders **is** “Les Nessman.”) ---
**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:** [December 12, 1999, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/5 "1999-12-12T23:40:00Z")
BTW, I was a big WKRP fan, too. I really liked “Bailey.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 1999, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/6 "1999-12-13T00:07:00Z")
Yes, Bailey over Jennifer any day (or night). ---
**Author:** ![AzRaek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/azraek/32/16739_2.png) [@AzRaek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AzRaek)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 1999, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/7 "1999-12-13T01:42:00Z")
## Smoking Nazis? Don’t you mean the Phone Cops? John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt. That’s my name too. Wait, no it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 1999, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/8 "1999-12-13T04:00:00Z")
When TV got SC (Smoker Correct) didn’t Telly Savalas go from a cigarette to a Tootsie Pop? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 1999, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/9 "1999-12-13T04:33:00Z")
Telly Savalas had his Toosie Pop at least 10 years prior to any SC tendencies on TV. There was still a lot of smoking through the 1970’s. The Tootsie Pop deal was part of the character definition from the beginning of the series. * * * Tom~ ---
**Author:** ![Philosophocles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Philosophocles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philosophocles)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/10 "2003-03-14T09:15:38Z")
I don’t recall any Nazis on WKRP. The closest they ever came was that episode with the Jerry Falwell-type who wanted to censor everything. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/11 "2003-03-14T12:15:51Z")
Robert Blake was seen on many talk shows with an unlit cigarette. It was his way of dealing with quiting. ---
**Author:** ![Arken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@Arken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arken)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/12 "2003-03-14T13:04:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \* > \*\*Robert Blake was seen on many talk shows with an unlit cigarette. It was his way of dealing with quiting. \*\* Sounds like it didin’t work to calm his nerves too well… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TelcontarStorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ab097/32.png) [@TelcontarStorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TelcontarStorm)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/13 "2003-03-14T13:40:41Z")
Johnny Carson used to puff quite a bit., as did a few of his guests. Most often it was back in the days of B&W TVs. David Letterman still does (he’s usually putting down the cigar when break is over) but you still see the smoke rising from the ashtray. IMO he does this on purpose as it is late at night and it’s a great way to get on the executives nerves. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/14 "2003-03-14T13:48:00Z")
On “The David Suskind Show” the interviews used to take place in the midst of great clouds of cigarette smoke. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/15 "2003-03-14T13:52:54Z")
I know (having seen the TVLand series re-runs) that Jim Rockford (James Garner) definitely smoked on Rockford Files, even quite late in the series (up to 1978/1979, I believe - it ended early 1980). ---
**Author:** ![Psifireus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Psifireus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Psifireus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/16 "2003-03-14T13:59:34Z")
I believe there was an episode where Fever had a cigarette in hand, if not in mouth. It seems like it was the episode where Bailey and he went to get the pictures some sleazeball had conned Jennifer into modeling for… Anyway, I have a few tapes of old episodes, I’ll check it out. WKRP is my favorite show of all time! ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/17 "2003-03-14T14:46:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tomndebb \* > Telly Savalas had his Toosie Pop at least 10 years prior to any SC tendencies on TV. There was still a lot of smoking through the 1970’s. The Tootsie Pop deal was part of the character definition from the beginning of the series. IIRC, the back story on this was that the _character_ had quit smoking and was using this as a replacement therapy. ---
**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:** [March 14, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/18 "2003-03-14T14:55:05Z")
I seem to recall Maxwell Smart lighting up fairly often on “Get Smart”. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/19 "2003-03-14T14:59:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TelcontarStorm \* > \*\*David Letterman still does (he’s usually putting down the cigar when break is over) but you still see the smoke rising from the ashtray. IMO he does this on purpose as it is late at night and it’s a great way to get on the executives nerves. \*\* I thought Letterman quit smoking after his bypass operation a few years ago. I could easily be wrong about that; or perhaps he only quit for a while. ---
**Author:** ![nineiron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e56c9b/32.png) [@nineiron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nineiron)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290/20 "2003-03-14T15:27:16Z")
That’s one of the greatest things about “TV Land,” which I don’t get in my area but have seen before. On the older game shows, the celebrity panels are always seen smoking cigarettes as they played. That would certainly not go over well these days. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wkrp-johnny-vs-the-smoking-nazis/5290.md?page=2)