Gordon Jump, at 71; 'WKRP' star also played Maytag repairman

By Lynn Elber, Associated Press, 9/23/2003

LOS ANGELES -- Gordon Jump, who played a befuddled radio station manager on the sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" and was known to generations of television watchers as the lonely Maytag repairman, died yesterday. He was 71.

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

Mr. Jump played Arthur Carlson in "WKRP in Cincinnati," which aired on CBS from 1978 to 1982 and featured Gary Sandy, Loni Anderson, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman, and Richard Sanders as the ragtag station's crew. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Mr. Jump began his career working at radio and television stations in the Midwest. He worked behind the microphone and the camera, including jobs as a producer for Kansas and Ohio stations.

Mr. 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.

Mr. Jump came to appreciate the attention he got for the ad campaign and the steady work, 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?"

Mr. Jump began his Hollywood career after moving to Los Angeles in 1963. Over the next three decades, he would appear on more than 40 shows and had recurring roles on "Soap" and "Growing Pains."

His dramatic roles included a part in the television movie "Ruby and Oswald," about the assassination of President Kennedy, the miniseries "Rich Man, Poor Man," and "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes."

Mr. Jump leaves his wife, four daughters, and a son, Maytag said in a statement. He also had a brother, Wagner said.