Gordon Jump Dies -- of WKRP, Maytag Ads

AP/Newsday ^ | September 22, 2003 | Lynn Elber

[lainie]

LOS ANGELES -- Gordon Jump, who played a befuddled radio station manager on the sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" and made his mark in commercials as the lonely Maytag repairman, died Monday. He was 71.

Jump suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, said his cousin, Katherine Jump Wagner. The illness causes scarring of the air sacs of the lungs, leading to heart or respiratory failure.

Wagner, of Arcanum, Ohio, said she learned of her cousin's death from her father, also named Gordon Jump. Her cousin was under hospice care at his home southeast of Los Angeles, she said.

Jump played Arthur Carlson in "WKRP in Cincinnati," which aired on CBS from 1978-82 and featured Gary Sandy, Loni Anderson, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman and Richard Sanders as the ragtag station's crew.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Jump began his career working at radio and TV stations in the Midwest. He worked behind the microphone and the camera, including jobs as a producer for Kansas and Ohio stations.

Jump portrayed the Maytag repairman "Ol' Lonely," a well-recognized advertising symbol, from 1989 until he retired from the role in July and another actor took over.

"Gordon was an incredibly talented actor and a remarkable human being," said Ralph Hake, chairman and chief executive officer of Maytag Corp.

Jump came to appreciate the attention he got for the ad campaign and the steady work it provided, Wagner said. But his heart was elsewhere professionally.

"What he loved more than anything was doing theater. He was a marvelous actor," she said, recalling a visit to Florida to watch him perform in "Norman, Is That You?"

...

Jump is survived by his wife, four daughters and a son, Maytag said in a statement. He also had a brother, Wagner said.

[lainie]

"As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

[lainie]

I'm an idiot.

Stupid title. He didn't die of WKRP and Maytag ads.

d'oh!

[TomServo]

Don't sweat it. I think he would've laughed at the title.

[js1138]

Just about the only network tv show I miss. Where are the DVDs?

[lainie]

Heheh, you're probably right.

[The KG9 Kid]

I haven't been this broken up since John Ritter died.

[ntnychik]

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

You nailed it! That was the very first thing that went through my mind when I read the headline. An all-time classic!

[VadeRetro]

The real "Mr. Lonely" was Jesse White.

[Tree of Liberty]

Where are the DVDs?

Unfortunately, it'll probably never happen because of all the music licensing that'd be required.

[TomServo]

Dunno if this'll help.

[lainie]

I'd buy the DVD compilation. I loved this tv show. I'd watch it every single night at 11:00, back when they'd show reruns on independent stations. I must have seen every episode 10 times.

WKRP format change kickoff (.wav)

[rdb3]

I'm an idiot.

No, you're not. Not a complete idiot anyway.

Several parts are missing.

;-)

[js1138]

VHS. EWWWWWWW.

[tophat9000]

"As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."......... bump

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I'll always remember this exchange from WKRP. They're discussing which t-shirts to give out for a station promotion. There looking for one of the characters to choose but Carlson pipes in that he's hip and can make that decision.

Bailey: "So which shirt do we go with, "Boston" or "Foreigner"."

Carlson "Better get Boston, that foriegn stuff shrinks too much."

[DManA]

When I saw that episode for the first time, I learned what "I thought I would die" meant. I literally couldn't catch my breath for 30 seconds I was laughing so hard.

"As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

[Diddle E. Squat]

Actually, that title is in the perfect spirit of WKRP's humor.

[Diddle E. Squat]

I swear, every single time I hear or read the word 'Cincinnati' that song pops into my mind. It really is an underappreciated excellent jingle.

[TomServo]

Hey - it's somethin'...;-)

[185JHP]

"I know what you're thinking - you're thinking 'Give it to me straight, Doctor - I can take it!'"