RIP Howard Hesseman

[ArugulaZ]

This is probably going to be one of those celebrity deaths that slips under the radar, but Howard Hesseman (who died yesterday at 81) was a prolific actor and comedian who popped up in a lot of television shows throughout the 1970s and 80s. Most people likely remember him as Johnny Fever from WKRP in Cincinnati, but I personally enjoyed his turn as the more subdued teacher of a group of gifted students on Head of the Class. It wasn't gut-bustingly hilarious the way Night Court or Cheers could be, but it was pleasantly low key, an ideal off-ramp from the syndicated comedy block on UHF television stations to the local news. The characters on the show tended to be a bit more diverse than the usual 1980s fare, and also less stereotyped. Well, except the preppie with the voluminous hair... he was kind of predictable. Hesseman's character was the glue that held the class together, with a soft-spoken authority and an understated yet confident wisdom. He was eventually replaced by wacky Scottish comedian Billy Connolly, and the show never recovered, ending that season.

Anyway, those are my Howard Hesseman memories. Feel free to share your own if you're so inclined.

 

[4-So]

I never watched WKRP but I remember Head of the Class vaguely. I think I would have appreciated it more if I had been slightly older but it was already off the air by the time I was 11 or so. He was also Dr. Faraday from Flight of the Navigator, a movie I watched about a year ago for the first time since it was in theaters and holds up surprisingly well.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Mostly I remember him from WKRP, which aired in the afternoon where I lived in the early 90s. I had really fond memories of that show. I also remember him from his small role in Spinal Tap.

 

[Torzelbaum]

He had small and large parts in a few different 80s comedies which I have fond vague memories of (but which I probably shouldn't revisit).