WARNING: THE EPISODE GUIDES DO CONTAIN SPOILERS. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
1.On the Air: Betty Roberts arrives at the tiny, struggling Pittsburgh radio station WENN in the fall of 1939 to find that the drunken scriptwriter has collasped and she must improvise the last five minutes of the daily drama Valiant Journey.
Overall: A lovely - and very funny (Foley's toilet river and Hilary and Mackie improvising on Valiant Journey are highlights) - way to begin a series. Victor is rather rude in this episode, but his speech to Betty about the power of live radio effectively sums up what's to come on Remember WENN.
2.Klondike 9366: Celia Mellon's first ep; invention of talk radio.
Overall: Ingeune Celia Mellon makes her first appearence in this take on talk radio and talk shows in general. Hilary and Jeff's often acerbic Bedside Manor morning program is also peformed for the first time. Hilary and Jeff have some wonderful lines, but Victor and Eldridge's "It's like being God!" exchange and "It's Your Nickel" are my favorite moments.
3.A Rock and a Soft Place: Victor and Betty create a modernized version of Hamlet in order to please two very different sponsors.
Overall: My hands down favorite part of this excellent installment is Betty and Victor's brilliant adaptation of Hamlet as Vengance is Mine (and later as Sam Dane, Private Detective). Celia has some stand-out moments, as do the two sponsors (I loved their assesment of their shows ; 0 ). Jeff and Mackie with Mrs. Mellon are absolutly hysterical.
4.There But For Grace: Famed singer Grace Cavendish performs at WENN, much to the dismay of her former rival Hilary Booth and the delight of her former flame Victor Comstock.
Overall: We learn more about Victor and Hilary in this romantic and slightly bittesweet outing. I actually feel sorry for Hilary at then end. Grace's comparison of Victor and Superman (the "Man of Steel") is on the money, as is the first performance of the title song. The Looneyville sketch is absolutly hilarious.
Song: "Remember When" performed by Patti LuPone
5.Sight Unseen: Mackie Bloom tries to impress a blind girl who asks to meet his alter ego "The Vagabond".
Overall: A sweet, romantic episode, almost a homage to Cyrano De Bergerac, especially when Mackie recruits Jeff to help him with his subterfuge. The sub-plot involving Betty, Victor, a bunch of kids, and a very stuffy schoolmaster is a feast of double and triple word meanings.
6.The Emperor Smith: Aspiring African-American actor George Smith takes over Mackie's roles when Mackie gets laryingitis and the WENN gang have to hide his identity from the press because of the then-prevailing predijuce against minorities.
Overall: The first of many WENN episodes that makes one rethink tough issues (race relations in this case). Mr. Eldridge in particular shines.
Emma's Nostalgia: This was the first RW episode I ever saw. It wasn't really love at first sight; the show was too different-looking and sounding to me at that time, the summer of 1996.
7.Who's Minding the Aslyum?: Victor and the actors and actresses of WENN head to a radio convention, leaving behind records of the week's shows to play. The records, however, are shattered, and Betty, Gertie, Mr. Eldridge, Mr.Foley, and Eugenia find themselves creating and performing in their own makeshift programs to fill the bill. The appearance of Mr. Medwick, the timid sponsor of Cup of Comfort, causes even more panic.
Overall: Eugenia and Betty's swinging version of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is only one of the major highlights of this hilarious reminder that many of radio's greatest stars began in vaudeville. Betty and Eugenia's adorable tune "Ukeule Lady" will be heard again in the second season.
Emma's Nostalgia: My second RW episode. I still wasn't hooked, but there wasn't much on at one o'clock on an early Sunday morning in July 1996, so I tuned in and rocked to the gang's rendition of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot".
Songs: "The Weather Song" performed by Mary Stout; "Ukuele Lady" performed by Amanda Naughton and Mary Stout; "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" performed by Amanda Naughton, Mary Stout, and ensemble (with Rupert Holmes dubbing Margaret Hall's clarinet)
8.Armchair Detectives: Jeff and Mackie solve a real-life crime when an escaped convict holds the WENN staff hostage.
Overall: I love a good mystery, and this episode is both a good mystery and one of the funniest of the first season episodes. Hilary's "blunt ingenue" line is a classic, as is the casting for "Armchair Detectives". This is also the first episode to make excellent use of atmosphere, from the fog in the opening "Sherlock Holmes" sequence to the lightning and blackout.
9.Hilary Booth, Registered Nurse: Hilary recieves a blow to her head just moments before and important broadcast of Valiant Journey and Betty must handle Miss Booth's amnesia without the aid of Victor Comstock.
Overall: Nothing in this episode leaves more of a lingering impact than Victor's sign-off as station manager, especially with regards to later episodes. There are some hilarious moments as well; Mackie and Jeff's recreation of last Tuesday's races, Hilary switching back and forth between herself and "Jane Timmons", Betty's introduction to Adrian Carr, and Celia's "audition".
10.Valentino Speaks: A director hires the WENN ensemble to dub a recently rediscovered silent Rudolph Valentino movie.
Overall: The first episode to concentrate on Hilary and Jeff's very strange relationship is a nice comment on the difference between radio and film acting (a theme that would pop up again with stage acting in Don't Act Like That). Jeff in particular shines, but everyone has a good line or two, notably Mackie's "You wouldn't say that if I wasn't a Eunich,". Nice costumes, too - they really re-capture the "Desert Song" ambiance. BTW, Michelle "Bizarra" Savage discovered that the "lost" silent movie shown in this episode is actually Rudolph Valentino's last film, "Son of the Shiek" (1926).
11.A Capital Idea: Scott Sherwood, the roguish new station manager, weaves commercials into the regular programming until there's no programming left but the commercials. The staff rebels and makes a mockery of the shows.
Overall: Scott Sherwood's initial episode is a hilarious parody of informercials and home shopping networks. It's the first of many eps that proves that the gang won't take Scotty's schemes lying down. We're also introduced to Scott's trademark catchphrase "Oh, would you look at the time?".
Emma's Nostalgia: It's rather ironic that Scott's first episode was my third; Scott remains my favorite RW leading man to this day. I went to bed that night dreaming of a blossoming romance between Scott and Betty...
12.Popping the Question: Scott Sherwood learns his first of many lessons in honesty when convinces Betty to help his fix his new quiz show, Brainstorm , in favor of the sponsor's snobby son. Meanwhile, Doug Thompson, WENN's sweet-natured lawyer, finds himself waiting (and waiting) for Betty to remember their date.
Overall: Adorable and snappy all the way. Doug Thompson make his first appearance (only to be given the third degree by Mackie, Jeff, and Mr. Eldredge). His "forget the Boy Scouts" line is justly famous. Hilary and Jeff's revenge during the Brainstorm broadcast is both funny and justifiable.
13.World of Tomorrow: Victor calls Jeff down to London to broadcast with him there. Their show is cut off by the bombing of London. Celia Mellon's last full episode. Victor's last appearence until In the WENN Small Hours.
Overall: This installment begins with utter hilarity (Betty's description of the World's Fair show, the staff's refusal to band together, the World of Tomorrow program that reminds me a little of The Jetsons)but, in what would become typical of Remember WENN , ends the first season with a four-hankie cliffhanger.
1.Radio Silence: The WENN staff is reeling under the news of Victor Comstock's death and the return of a badly wounded Jeff Singer. Betty is especially effected by Victor's passing to the point where she neglects everything in her life but her writing.
Overall: The first out-and-out dramatic RW installment left me in tears on first viewing. Amanda Naughton's portrayal of an emotionally crushed Betty is outstanding and Kevin O'Rourke starts to come into his own as Scott deals with what's left of WENN. The comedy bits revolving around Betty's somewhat demented scripts are quite amusing.
2.I Now Pronouce You Man and Wife...Again: Hilary and Jeff's elopement leads Scott to invent the re-run.
Overall: This episode proves that nobody makes love and war better (or louder) than Miss Hilary Booth and Jeff Singer. They have the outstanding moments in this hilarious installment, notably their two scenes around the table in the green room that demonstrate how different emotions can make hundrum words take on whole new meanings (if either of those two ever went strictly with their primative emotions, forget the police, they'd have to call in the military ; 0 ). Though this episode is primarily a showcase for the very much in love Singers, everyone gets their digs in, including Mackie's attempt to referee Jeff and Hilary on "Bedside Manor", Eugenia's audition for "Agitato Alert", and Scott sleeping with his eyes open.
3.Some Good News, Some Bad News: Scott invents the all-news radio format but winds up making his own news when absolutely nothing deems newsworthy occurs. An exausted Eugenia Bremer is replaced as daytime organist by brassy former burlesque dancer Maple LaMarsh.
Overall: A hilarious outing with a message: news doesn't always have to be earthshattering to be important. Scott shows that he cares about the station by (literaly) going out on a limb to save the news broadcast, Maple and Eugenia's "Minute Waltz" record is nothing short of amazing, and Scott and Betty almost hug. Nothing beats Mackie taking dictation in his underwear, though! : 0 )
4.Don't Act Like That!: Scott hires several interns from the Giels Aldrych Dramatic Academy to ease the burden of the actors, but the cast isn't delighted with the idea.
Overall: Enid and Gus, the WENN interns, make their first appearances. The late Roddy McDowell is appropriatly dashing as the great acting coach and Hilary's mentor; he has a really cute scene with Gertie and Scott in the reception area. We also learn about the differences between stage acting and radio acting during a hilarious sequence where Giels gives the WENN actors tips on how to better their craft.
5.The Diva Who Wouldn't Die: The sponsor of The Hands of Time wants to kill off Hilary's character, but Hilary won't die without a fight.
Overall: Hilary's prison row movie take-off is the stand-out scene in a very funny installment. Her attempt at a gossip show was also funny (of course, all of her gossip is about her). Rue McClanahan's wicked Dusty Foxx ranks with such (in)famous WENN villains as Rollie Pruitt and Pavla Nemcova for out-and-out nastiness. I loved seeing Hilary stand up for WENN when Dusty threatens to take all of her advertising elsewhere - it proves that she really does care for her job, her friends, and the station. It's also great to see Maple aiding Hilary (Maple has a wonderful speech about stardom).
6.Christmas in the Airwaves: The staff runs into trouble when the station's owner, reclusive singer Gloria Redmond, comes to inspect her holdings and her miserly accountant Rollie Pruitt forbids Christmas at WENN.
Overall: The only hour-long RW episode is a holiday gift of goodies, from Maple catching several of the WENN men under the mistletoe (or is that asparagus and a red shoelace? ; 0 ) to Betty Buckley's fantastic rendition of the Emmy-nominated "You Make It Christmas". Mr. Pruitt, unfortuantly, will return throughout the third season to make life miserable for the WENN ensemble.
Emma's Nostalgia: I didn't see this episode until February 1998, but it will certainly become one of my most cherished Christmas traditions.
Songs: "The 12 Days of Christmas" performed by the WENN ensemble; "Christmas is Waiting" performed by Betty Buckley; "Winter Wonderland" peformed by Peter Noone and Carollee Caramello; "Twas the Night Before Christmas" performed by Amanda Naughton, Carollee Caramello, and George Hall; "Ukeule Lady" (reprise from "Who's Minding the Aslyum?") performed by Amanda Naughton and Mary Stout; "I'll Be Home For Christmas" performed by Peter Noone; "You Make It Christmas" performed by Betty Buckley.
7.Behind Every Great Woman: Betty dubs Hilary when WENN's diva must perform on a musical show in front of a rival.
Overall: Betty's fabulous rendition of "I've Gotta Sing" and another great WENN villian (Donna Murphy's snobbish diva Ruth Geddy) are the highlights of this episode. The music is the big draw here, but there are some nice comedy bits as well, most of them revolving around Hilary's very phony story about her Aunt Myra (or is that Myrna?) and the gang's attempt to give Betty her due. I also appreciated how Hilary gave Ruth her commuppance...
Songs: "I Gotta Sing" performed by Amanda Naughton; "Not That I Know Of" peformed by Donna Murphy
8.Strange Bedfellows: Hilary and Jeff run against each other in a mock election.
Overall: Politics and politicians are the theme of this very funny episode, another good one for Hilary and Jeff fans, though everyone gets some amusing scenes (Enid taking polls, Mackie and Maple after one too many). Loved the debate, and Luke's insistance that politics is a full-time job. Hmmm, does Hilary' line about "together we could take over the world" scare you, too? ; 0 )
9.Close Quarters: The staff are quarantined for a week when Mr. Foley comes down with a rash that a supercillious doctor believes to be contagious.
Overall: The entire gang is wonderful in this delight that begins sweetly romantic (Betty's kiss on Scott's cheek, Hilary's Italian dinner, Jeff's nightmare) and ends in hysterical rancor as the week drags on and the WENN gang begins to tire of the station and each other.
10.Scott Sherwood of the FBI: Scott and Betty try to convince Scott's Aunt Agatha that WENN is a branch of the FBI.
Overall: It's fun to watch Scott and Betty become caught up in his "little white lie" - and see Aunt Aggie take them both for a ride. Scott's "interogation" of poor Mr. Foley is hysterical, as are Hilary and Maple's battiling Brooklyn (or Brookline) accents. Scott and Betty's sparring in this ep is absolutely priceless; I especially like her inference of his golf game. : 0 )
11.The First Mrs. Bloom: Mackie and Betty nearly get married on the wedding show "Bridal Bouquet" in order to convince the sponsor that real couples are wed on the air.
Overall: Another sweetly romantic episode, the comic highlight is the fractured version of "Snow White", featuring Mackie as all seven dwarves. Scott discloses his plans for the Victor Comstock Memorial for the first time, and he and Betty exchange more priceless banter, especially in the last scene. Julie Haggarty is quite good as Mackie's almost-wife Penelope Comminger.
12.Like a Brother: WENN is visited by Mr. Foley's loud-mouthed salesman brother and an old vaudeville collegue of Mr. Eldridge's.
Overall: A poignant reminder of the need to respect our elders and the importance of listening to people, no matter what their age may be. One wonders if Scott's decision to help Mr. Foley get back at his brother stems from the fact that he sees too much of his former con-artist self in Blair. Blair is annoying and obnoxious (I wonder how Mr. Foley lived with him for so long!), but the scenes between Pepper Carnansie and Mr. Eldredge radiate warmth and camaradie and are a treat to behold.
Song: "I Never Touch the Stuff" performed by Eddie Bracken
13.Magic: Jeff and Hilary's mind-reading act isn't the only mystery at WENN as the staff discovers that one of their sponsors is a Nazi saboteur and Betty discovers that Victor Comstock is alive and well.
Overall: The Victor Comstock cliffhanger is only a small fraction of a wonderfully suspenseful and comic half-hour that also happens to be one of the best Remember WENN episodes of the second season. The dream-like atmosphere is heightened by the use of flashbacks from "The Emperor Smith" and "Hilary Booth, Registered Nurse", as well as references to flashbacks, dreams, and earlier episodes. Kurt Holstrom joins the pantheon of WENN villians, and we are introduced to Hilary and Jeff's mind-reading trick - as well as Mackie's superstitions.
I'd like to give a special thank you to Rebecca Immich and Britt Graves for providing me with the episodes I was missing.
Go to the second half of my episode guide!
The Episode Guides were last updated on September 26th, 2001.