The former Miss Roseville Minnesota turned what could have been a throwaway part into the breakout role of Jennifer Marlowe, the sexy and savvy receptionist at a struggling radio station in the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.
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Editor: Britt Aamodt
Producer: Britt AamodtEditorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood
Transcript
Welcome to MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds.
The story would always go that Loni Anderson owed her career to red swimsuit. The former Miss Roseville Minnesota had been knocking on doors in Hollywood for three years, not really that long in the scheme of things, but she was almost 33 and still doing bit parts in TV shows. A far cry from her days at Minnesota's Chanhassen Dinner Theater, where she played the eldest daughter in Fiddler on the Roof for 53 weeks. Now that was steady work. But then in 1978 the creator of a new TV show saw a picture of Lonnie in a red swimsuit. That got his attention—and her an audition and an offer to play a blonde, voluptuous (and to her mind, totally boring) receptionist. Still, what actress would turn down a regular gig? But she did—unless, that is, her blonde bombshell character could also be the smartest person in the room. That was how Loni Anderson turned what could have been a throwaway part into the breakout role of Jennifer Marlowe, the sexy and savvy receptionist at a struggling radio station in the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati.
MN90 is produced by AMPERS, diverse radio for Minnesota's communities, made possible by funding from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Online at mn90.org.