Fans of the classic TV show WKRP in Cincinnati know the name Loni Anderson quite well as she played Jennifer Marlowe. The show would run for four seasons before getting canceled in 1982. Anderson is also known for marrying movie superstar Burt Reynolds, then going through a very ugly public divorce. That’s just one thing Anderson happened to do after her show ended. When it comes to work, what else did Anderson do post-WKRP in Cincinnati?
She did appear in Stroker Ace, which starred Reynolds and was where the two met. The movie itself didn’t get rave reviews and would become an asterisk in Reynolds’ movie career. But they would end up getting married a few years later, only to have a messy divorce ruin the love story. What else did Anderson do?
Turn back the TV clock to 1984 where she co-stars in Partners in Crime with Lynda Carter. When their ex-husband dies, mutual to both of them, they decide to run a private detective agency. Sounds like a good show, right? Wrong. It was axed from the TV landscape after 13 episodes aired that season.
Former ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ Star Shows Up On Numerous TV Shows
She’d star in Easy Street as L.K. McGuire, a former Las Vegas showgirl who gets a fortune after her husband dies. She moves her uncle and his friend to Beverly Hills. They share a mansion with the late husband’s family. Sure, comedy looks like it will take center stage here. Well, Easy Street gets tossed onto Cancellation Road after 22 episodes.
Loni Anderson would then turn to guest-starring spots on TV shows. She also did some TV movies, too. But Anderson would play Casey MacAfee in Nurses. Again, this was a big “get” for the show but it didn’t keep the show running for much longer.
After her divorce from Reynolds, Anderson spent the rest of the 1990s making one-off appearances on TV shows and specials. Among her TV roles included being on shows like Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Clueless, Movie Stars, and V.I.P. But she would get a turn on Melrose Place as Teri Carson, mother of Brandy Carson, played by Denise Richards.
Beyond her TV work, Anderson also had the opportunity of a lifetime: wearing a dress once owned by Marilyn Monroe. Anderson says this about putting on the dress: “… when I put the dress on, it did hit me that Marilyn Monroe once wore this. As it went over my skin, I just felt a tingle.” She talked about this when making an appearance on Hollywood Museum Squares, which is based on the old TV game show.
