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''Remember WENN'' is a
comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
that aired from 1996 to 1998 on the cable channel
American Movie Classics AMC is an American multinational basic cable television channel that is the flagship property of AMC Networks. The channel's programming primarily consists of theatrically released films, along with a limited amount of original programming. ...
. Created and written by
Rupert Holmes David Goldstein (born February 24, 1947), better known as Rupert Holmes, is a British-American composer, singer-songwriter, dramatist and author. He is widely known for the hit singles "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" (1979) and " Him" (1980). ...
(with music also by Holmes) and set at the fictional
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
WENN in the late 1930s and early 1940s, it depicted events (both dramatic and comic) in the personal and professional lives of the station's staff in the era before and during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and the
Golden Age of Radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment, entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcastin ...
. It is not related to the real radio station in
Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
known with the WENN callsign from 1959 to 1983 and again since 2009. The series title is a play on the phrase "remember when". The show ran for four seasons totalling 56 episodes, including an hour-long
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
episode. The series was slated for a fifth season, but was cancelled when new management took over AMC. Holmes says that it was his favorite writing experience in his career.2003 Interview of Holmes (10 Questions) in ''The Dramatist'' magazine, p. 24. May/June 2003
/ref> After decades of being unavailable to audiences, all four seasons of the series are now available for
streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
on
Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...
and other digital streaming services.


Major characters

*Elizabeth "Betty" Roberts (Amanda Naughton) – Originally an unpaid writing intern at WENN, Betty is hired as a salaried writer after resolving a crisis at the station in the first episode. Being from Elkhart, Indiana, Betty exhibits a lot of small-town naivety and at times seems overwhelmed by living in a bigger city like Pittsburgh. While she primarily remains a writer during the course of the show, she also acts, sings, announces, reads advertisements on the air, negotiates with sponsors, and runs the station on many occasions. Throughout the series, Betty shares romantic and reciprocated feelings for both Victor Comstock and Scott Sherwood. Her relationship with Scott sours when he admits to lying about his background. Her relationship with Victor is unconventional. While Betty shows romantic interest in him, he is usually distant and business-like toward her and appears oblivious to her veiled advances. *Victor Comstock (
John Bedford Lloyd John Bedford Lloyd (born January 2, 1956) is an American character actor. Life and career Lloyd was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the son of Ann Storrs Lloyd and Edward B. Lloyd of Southport, Connecticut. His father was an architect. He has a s ...
) – The station manager of WENN during the first season of the series. Victor leaves WENN to broadcast for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in London, and is reported to have been killed during a bombing raid. Victor revisits WENN at the end of season two, revealing to Betty that he survived the bombing and is working for the American government. Victor returns as the station manager in season four but is revealed to be suffering from post traumatic stress and has no memory of the time since the bombing. He sees Betty outside of the office but does not appear to be as invested in the relationship as she is. *Scott Sherwood (
Kevin O'Rourke Kevin Hjortshøj O'Rourke, (born 25 March 1963) is an Irish economist and historian, who specialises in economic history and international economics. Since 2019, he has been Professor of Economics at New York University Abu Dhabi. He was Profe ...
) – Introduced at the end of the first season as Victor Comstock's chosen successor as station manager. In the third season, it is revealed that Scott bluffed his way into his position and is fired. Betty re-hires Scott as an actor for the station. Though Scott was very incompetent as a station manager, he does very well as an on-air performer, even getting nominated for a Golden Lobe award. In addition, Scott shows a knack for cracking secrets codes which are suspected of being sent out over the airwaves by WENN sponsors. He makes several romantic advances toward Betty but usually gets rejected. He realizes that Betty is smitten with Victor and often eavesdrops or snoops around to try and gain an advantage in his pursuit of her. *Jeff Singer (Hugh O'Gorman) – An actor at the station who plays the romantic lead on most of the station's programs. Jeff travels to London to participate in Victor's broadcasts, but returns to WENN after the air raid, having sustained minor injuries. He has a complicated romantic relationship with Hilary Booth throughout the series. They originally married several years before the first season but divorced a short time later in Mexico without telling anyone. They decided to remarry in season two secretly since everyone believed they were still married. In the third season, Jeff goes to London and marries Pavla Nemkova, re-divorcing Hilary in the process. Jeff later reveals that he only married Pavla so that he can use her to relay confidential information back to the US from war-torn London. However, it turns out that Pavla just used him to move to the US and break into the entertainment industry. Even after Hilary learns the truth, she still shuns him until his divorce is finalized. His divorce from Pavla gets finalized on the last episode. *Hilary Booth (
Melinda Mullins Melinda Mullins (born April 20, 1958) is an American film, television and theatre actress. Early life and education She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in the Romance languages from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, in ...
) – An actress at WENN who plays the female lead on most of the station's programs. A former
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
star, Hilary makes several attempts to return to the stage. Hilary often exhibits diva-like behavior at the station. She acts as if she is bigger than the radio programs themselves often incorporating her real life drama into the on-air scenes instead of reading from Betty's scripts. She is extremely possessive of her on-and-off again husband Jeffrey Singer. She often will put a stop to even the slightest of his interactions with other women. *Mackie Bloom (
Christopher Murney Christopher Murney (born July 20, 1943) is an American actor and voice artist. Early life and education Murney was born in Narragansett, Rhode Island. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Rhode Island and a Master of Fine Arts in ...
) – The "Man of a Thousand Voices" who plays many of the character roles on WENN's programs. In the third season, it was learned that Mackie served time for unknowingly driving a getaway car in a robbery. In the fourth season, he tours with an off-Broadway production and is absent from many of the episodes. *Maple LaMarsh (
Carolee Carmello Carolee Ann Carmello (born September 1, 1962) is an American actress best known for her performances in Broadway musicals and for playing the role of Maple LaMarsh on the television series ''Remember WENN'' (1996–1998). She is a three-time T ...
) – An actress and fill-in organist for WENN. A former burlesque dancer, Maple is initially hired by friend Scott Sherwood in the second season of the series. *Tom Eldridge ( George Hall) – A retired Broadway doorman who does general chores for WENN and fills in occasionally as an actor for the station. Mr. Eldridge is very absent-minded and often misinterprets puns and other forms of wordplay. In the fourth season, he buys a winning lottery ticket. He pretends to lose the ticket but it is later revealed that he used the proceeds of the ticket to keep the radio station afloat. *Gertrude "Gertie" Reese (Margaret Hall) – The station's switchboard operator. Gertie writes two scripts that serve as "fantasy" plots for two separate episodes of the series. *Eugenia Bremer (Mary Stout) – The station's organist who also briefly serves as the host of a short-lived nighttime program. Eugenia begins to develop a romantic relationship with Mr. Foley late in the series. *Mr. Foley (Tom Beckett) – WENN's
foley artist In filmmaking, Foley is the reproduction of everyday sound effects that are added to films, videos, and other media in post-production to enhance audio quality. These reproduced sounds, named after sound-effects artist Jack Foley, can be anythi ...
. Mr. Foley has no on-screen dialogue throughout the series, though his off-screen speech is often noted by other characters to a generally comedic effect. In the second season, Mr. Foley is revealed to have a brother, who is very loud and crude. *C.J. McHugh (C.J. Byrnes) – WENN's sound engineer for the first three seasons of the series. *Celia Mellon (
Dina Spybey Dina Spybey (born August 29, 1965) also known as Dina Waters and Dina Spybey-Waters is an American actress. She has appeared in more than 20 films, including ''John Q.'', ''subUrbia (film), subUrbia'' and ''The Haunted Mansion (2003 film), The ...
) – An ambitious young actress who works at WENN during the series' first season. Celia leaves the station to pursue a career as a film actress in
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
.


Episodes


Season 1 (1996)


Season 2 (1996–97)


Season 3 (1997)


Season 4 (1998)


Notable guest stars

*
Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series '' Se ...
*
Eddie Bracken Edward Vincent Bracken (February 7, 1915 – November 14, 2002) was an American actor. Bracken became a Hollywood comedy legend with lead performances in the films ''Hail the Conquering Hero'' and ''The Miracle of Morgan's Creek'' both from ...
*
Betty Buckley Betty Lynn Buckley (born July 3, 1947) is an American actress and singer. Buckley is the winner of a Tony Award, and was nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and an Olivier Award. In 2012, she was inducted into the American T ...
*
David Canary David Hoyt Canary (August 25, 1938 – November 16, 2015) was an American actor. Canary is best known for his role as ranch foreman Candy Canaday in the NBC Western drama ''Bonanza'', and as Adam Chandler in the television soap opera ''All My Ch ...
*
Daniel Davis Daniel Davis (born November 26, 1945) is an American film, stage and television actor. Davis is best known for portraying Niles the butler on the sitcom ''The Nanny'' (1993 to 1999), and for his two guest appearances as Professor Moriarty on ...
* Bob Dorian *
Peter Gerety Peter Gerety (born May 17, 1940) is an American actor. He is best known as Judge Daniel Phelan in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008). Career Gerety is a veteran of stage, screen and television. In early 1992, he performed to critical acclaim on Broadway ...
*
Greg Germann Gregory Andrew Germann ( ; born February 26, 1958) is an American actor who is known for playing Richard Fish on the television series '' Ally McBeal'', which earned him a Screen Actors Guild award. He also is known for his roles as Eric "Rico" ...
*
Malcolm Gets Malcolm Gets (born December 28, 1963) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Richard in the American television sitcom '' Caroline in the City''. Gets is also a dancer, singer, composer, classically trained pianist, vocal direct ...
*
Julie Hagerty Julie Beth Hagerty (born June 15, 1955) is an American actress. She starred as Elaine in the films ''Airplane!'' (1980) and '' Airplane II: The Sequel'' (1982). Her other film roles include ''A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy'' (1982), ''Lost in Am ...
*
Harry Hamlin Harry Robinson Hamlin (born October 30, 1951) is an American actor, author, and entrepreneur. He is best known for his roles as Perseus in the 1981 fantasy film '' Clash of the Titans'' and as Michael Kuzak in the legal drama series ''L.A. Law'' ...
* Simon Jones *
Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer best known for her work in musical theater. She has won three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, two Grammy Awards, and was a 2006 inductee to the American Theater Hall of Fa ...
*
Peter Noone Peter Blair Denis Bernard Noone (born 5 November 1947) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actor. He was the lead singer "Herman" in the 1960s pop group Herman's Hermits. Early life Noone was born in Davyhulme, Lancashire, ...
*
Rue McClanahan Eddi-Rue McClanahan (February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010) was an American actress and comedian best known for her roles on television as Vivian Harmon on '' Maude'' (1972–78), Aunt Fran Crowley on ''Mama's Family'' (1983–84), and Blanche De ...
*
Roddy McDowall Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 4 October 1998) was a British actor, photographer and film director. He began his acting career as a child in England, and then in the United States, in ''How Green Was My Valley'' (1 ...
*
Russell Means Russell Charles Means (November 10, 1939 – October 22, 2012) was an Oglala Lakota activist for the rights of Native Americans, libertarian political activist, actor, musician, and writer. He became a prominent member of the American Ind ...
*
Donna Murphy Donna Murphy (born March 7, 1959) is an American actress, best known for her work in musical theater. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she has twice won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical: for her role as Fosca in '' Passion'' (1994–1995 ...
*
John Ratzenberger John Dezso Ratzenberger (born April 6, 1947)About John
from Ratzenberger's official website is an Americ ...
*
Dan Resin Dan Resin (February 22, 1931 – July 31, 2010) was an American actor. Early life Resin was born in South Bend, Indiana. He was three years old when his parents divorced. Resin met his future wife in the seventh grade. He graduated from I ...
*
Molly Ringwald Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. She was cast in her first major role as Molly in the NBC sitcom '' The Facts of Life'' (1979–80) after a casting director saw her playing an or ...
*
Howard Rollins Howard Ellsworth Rollins Jr. (October 17, 1950 – December 8, 1996) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Howard Rollins was best known for his role as Andrew Young in 1978's ''King (TV miniseries), King'', George Haley in the 1979 ...
*
Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...
*
J.K. Simmons Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...
*
Irene Worth Irene Worth, CBE (June 23, 1916March 10, 2002) was an American stage and screen actress who became one of the leading stars of the British and American theatre. She pronounced her given name with three syllables: "I-REE-nee". Worth made her Bro ...


Notes


External links

*
Rupert Holmes website for ''Remember WENN''''Remember WENN'' website created by Rodney WalkerLinda Young’s ''Remember WENN'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Remember Wenn 1990s American comedy-drama television series 1996 American television series debuts 1998 American television series endings AMC (TV channel) original programming Television series set in the 1930s Television series set in the 1940s Television shows set in Pittsburgh English-language television shows Works by Rupert Holmes Television series about radio