Dr. Johnny Fever
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Dr. Johnny Fever was an off-the-wall character who was a DJ on the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati. He was inspired by Skinny Bobby Harper. The character was portrayed by Howard Hesseman.
Johnny Fever, whose real name was John Caravella, came to WKRP from a major station in the western United States after he said "booger" on the air, causing his immediate dismissal (although it is implied that he made up this alibi to cover up the actual reason for his firing: drug possession). He evidently had a nomadic life before coming to "the mighty KRP" as he was wont to say. WKRP settled him down and established a relatively stable ensemble of associates for him, although the tradeoff was a cramped apartment and low pay. He had been married twice, with both of his ex-wives collecting alimony; he also had a college-age daughter, Laurie, who briefly moved in with him.
The "Dr."—not a real medical doctor or Ph.D.: it was a self-described moniker for him, as in "The Doctor of Love"—was a great talker to his radio audience when he was in a confident mood. He could jive with the best of the DJ's of his era. He once gave Bailey Quarters, nascent newswoman, this sage advice: "Talk into the microphone as if you were talking to your best friend." Later, in that same episode, he would have to gather the courage to take his own advice (the "Trashing of City Hall" episode).
Never a lover of disco, the new music fad of the era, he was a lover of rock and roll, although he felt he was getting too old to be a DJ in the genre (aside from two episodes on which he adopted a disco persona for a high-paying television job--see below). A great tune on the playlist would get Fever to be a smooth-talking introducer of the artist (and why he liked that artist) and the tune (and why he liked that tune). Tunes like "Hey Jude" were used for bathroom breaks or extended chats with friends or the program director, Andy Travis.
Though the format of WKRP was supposed to be Top 40, Johnny frequently refused to play any songs off the station playlist, choosing instead to highlight his old favorites like Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, and Otis Redding. Andy frequently tried to get Johnny to stick to the playlist, admonishing him: "Play the playlist. Play a part of the playlist. Play one song off the playlist. Play a part of one song off the playlist!" But Johnny continued picking his own music, to the point that Andy actually went into a state of shock when he heard Johnny playing a song by The Eagles: "That's a hit! He's playing a hit!" Fever's unorthodox choice of music paid off as the series went on, and by the final episode he had become the number-one morning D.J. in the city.
Herb Tarlek, the account executive, never could land the big accounts. As a result, Fever and the other DJs on WKRP had to give voiceovers (done live in that era) for spots for funeral homes and worms (Red Wigglers, the Cadillac of worms). Johnny Fever's voice inflection was impeccable on these spots and could be rather humorous (such as when he added the live tag line "available at finer worm stores everywhere!"). However, he had his scruples as when he walked out of such a recording session for sports aids when he realized his dialogue was laced with euphemisms for dangerous drug effects. While it was strongly implied that Johnny was a frequent user of marijuana, he didn't go in for harder drugs, and led a campaign to shut down a businessman who was trying to sell speed to teenagers.
Later in his WKRP career, Johnny Fever was approached by a female television producer to be a TV DJ for her program. "Rip Tide," his TV persona, was money-hungry, disco-loving, and a very different voice and personality than WKRP's Dr. Johnny Fever. In the two-part episode, Fever becomes Rip Tide during WKRP on-air time (he loses control of who he acts like). He seems to be totally taken over by the Rip Tide character until sanity (in the persons of Andy Travis and Jennifer Marlowe) takes hold. He then defiantly turns down the big bucks from the TV producer, and Rip is R.I.P. for good.
Dr. Johnny Fever never did leave for good his rock and roll roots, and he never left the WKRP "family" of employees. He would admit this was a good situation for him, but did of course wonder from time to time about what he was missing by being "under wraps" and largely out of the national limelight by staying with WKRP in Cincinnati. As a WKRPer, his refreshing inanity and Everyman character status endeared him to the ensemble cast, and to his viewers.
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