Search the Fresh Air Archive

Close Search

TV Actor Howard Hesseman

Hesseman played disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever in WKRP in Cincinnati, and now stars as a high school teacher in the comedy Head of the Class. He tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross about how his performances and personal experiences inform each other. Early in his career, Hesseman sold two ounces of marijuana to an undercover police officer; he later had his record expunged.

27:34
Queue

Guest

Host

Related Topics

Other segments from the episode on August 29, 1988

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, August 29, 1988: Interview with Howard Hesseman; Review of the album "Benny Goodman, Volume 1"; Interview with Charles Peters; Review of the film "Missile."
Queue
06:46

Striving for Perfection When Perfection's Not the Point

Before his death, Benny Goodman gave Yale University five truckloads of his recordings, which are now being released on compact disc. Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews the first volume, which he says blends the facile in Goodman's music with the raw.

Review
Queue
09:57

Washington Monthly Editor Charles Peters

The veteran journalist is also considered one of the founders of neoliberalism. Peters says more people can, like him, do what they love for a living if they focus less on money and more on the work. By choice, Peters pays himself a modest salary--less than what many reporters make today.

Interview
Queue
03:28

Holding the Keys to the Nuclear Arsenal

PBS will soon air the documentary Missile, about the fourteen-week training program for launch operators. TV critic David Bianculli says it gives real life context to the hit film Wargames. Director Frederick Wiseman's signature eschewing of interviews sometimes detracts from the narrative, but the movie is overall worth watching.

Review

Transcript

Transcript currently not available.

Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

You May Also like

Queue
10:00

Making "Frank's Place"

Hugh Wilson created the television show WKRP. His much-anticpated, new program, Frank's Place, centers on a restaurant in New Orleans, and features many roles for African American actors.

Interview

Did you know you can create a shareable playlist?

Learn How
Advertisement

Recently on Fresh Air Available to Play on NPR

34:52

'Disclosure Day' star Josh O'Connor received a 'genius' late-night text from Spielberg

Actor JOSH O'CONNOR. He's one of the stars of Disclosure Day, the new Steven Spielberg film about what happens when the world learns that aliens live among us. O'Connor broke through in the British film God's Own Country and won an Emmy as Prince Charles in The Crown. (INTERVIEW BY TONYA MOSLEY) (THIS INTERVIEW CONTINUES INTO THE SECOND HALF OF THE SHOW).

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

17:38

'Marty: Life is Short' and 'Lorne' offer differing takes on the celebrity documentary

TV critic DAVID BIANCULLI reviews two new documentaries: Lorne, which looks at Lorne Michaels, creator of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” directed by Morgan Neville. And Marty: Life is Short, streaming on Netflix, is a biography of comedian Martin Short, directed by Lawrence Kasdan.

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

35:31

Are we ready for the World Cup, the NBA Finals and Trump's UFC match, all in one week?

Journalist LAURA WILLIAMSON, editor in chief of The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site of the New York Times. She'll talk about the FIFAWorld Cup which opens this week, with soccer matches in the United States, Canada and Mexico. With 48 teams in 104 matches, this will be the biggest World Cup ever. FIFA’s ticketing practices and pricing have outraged many fans and prompted investigations by two state attorneys general. U.S.

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

See All Recent Segments

There are more than 22,000 Fresh Air segments.

Let us help you find exactly what you want to hear.
Just play me something
Your Queue

Would you like to make a playlist based on your queue?

Generate & Share View/Edit Your Queue