Remember WENN

WENN was a series of paramount humor, nostalgia and sentiment. Melinda Mullins as Hilary Booth by herself turned in a performance worthy of an Emmy. The Christmas show with Betty Buckley was a classic and Rupert Holmes contributed excellent original music. This series reminded us that great entertainment could be generated without requiring an 'R' rating.

The creative forces behind this series could do us all a great favor if they could see to its release on DVD. It far outshines many other series so released. Our generation deserves a chance to share in the short-lived but memorable era of pre-television radio.

I miss this show. Sadly, I also missed a large portion of the series' final run due to awkward scheduling. But what I remember about it can still bring a smile to my face. I won't even try to name all the things I liked about the show. I loved the way Mr. Foley's every attempt to speak was invariably thwarted by someone who had something ever-so-important to say right at that moment. Then there was the teddy bear-like Mackie Bloom, always a welcome sight. And it never hurt to see the pretty face of Betty Roberts, either. Her sweetness, among other delights in this show, makes me long for a more innocent time and place. Wow, how profound! So sue me (in the modern tradition).

A Halloween episode, for me, stands out as an absolutely hilarious example of what made me look forward to dropping in on these quirky old-time radio players on a regular basis. Mr. Foley, by the way, was the station's sound-effects provider. Ever heard of Foley artists in film and television? Coincidence? I think not!

So, did Mr. Foley ever get his chance to actually verbalise a thought or opinion? I hope to find out someday.

I am also in the youth minority when it came to enjoying this series. As a matter of fact, I WROTE THE PLOT SUMMARY!!! It was one of those shows that I would come home to after a long night of evening classes at the local college. The costumes that the characters wore looked very authentic (They won an Emmy for this) and the cinematography was beautiful.

I would only watch off and on as the years went on since they took some of my favorite characters off, but it was still a favorite of mine. It also proved AMC could make an original program on a limited budget without looking limited. They were always able to get notable named guest stars. My favorites included Henry Rollins, Molly Ringwald, Eddie Bracken, and Betty Buckley (who appeared in the marvelous x-mas episode).

Now, American Movie Classics is a mere image of themselves. Sure rating may be higher, but that had to sacrifice quality to do that. What a shame, because on a a rainy day, I could always could on AMC to comfort me. Remember Ween did that for me as well. Sadly, those days are long gone as the network has tried to modernize itself for the times. And when this show was replaced by The Lot, things began to go downhill. A terrible flaw on AMC's part.

Excellent series, wonderfully acted. It contains some of the wittiest dialogue I have ever heard in a product made directly for television. I was thrilled when AMC created such a surprising gem, and was equally appalled when they cancelled it prematurely. Turner Classic Movies replaced AMC in my house after that fiasco.

For people who like to slow life down and visit the relaxing innocence of times long gone, "Remember WENN" was a wonderful means to accomplishing this. I always looked eagerly ahead to the weekly visits with my radio friends in Pittsburgh. But, like those days of yore, the visits have ceased and all I have are memories. The best memory I have is one which I relive on tape every year at this time - the episode known as "Christmas in the Airwaves". The cast is at their charming best here and the music is fantastic. Peter Noone does a wonderful rendition of "Winter Wonderland" and Betty Buckley is superb with the two original Christmas songs written by Rupert Holmes. This was a great Christmas present from AMC to the fans of this show but watching it every year makes me miss "Remember WENN" all the more.