Cheers Beacon Hill

Last updated

Cheers Beacon Hill
Company type Private
IndustryRestaurants, Bars
Founded Boston, Massachusetts, bar/restaurant (1969)
FounderTom Kershaw
Headquarters
84 Beacon Street
Boston, Massachusetts
02108
Number of employees
275
Website https://cheersboston.com/

Cheers Beacon Hill is a bar/restaurant located on Beacon Street in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, across from the Boston Public Garden. Founded in 1969 as the Bull & Finch Pub, the bar is best remembered internationally as the exterior of the bar seen in the NBC sitcom Cheers , which ran between 1982 and 1993. [1] The Bull & Finch changed its name to Cheers in 2002 after closing a deal with NBC. [2]

Contents

History

Bull & Finch Pub in the early 1990s. The original sign. Bull And Finch 90s.jpg
Bull & Finch Pub in the early 1990s. The original sign.

The Bull and Finch Pub was founded in 1969 by Thomas Kershaw and a partner. The two owned a building in Beacon Hill, Hampshire House, and wanted to find a use for the basement which at the time was inefficiently used as just storage. They tried to model the Bull & Finch on English pubs, complete with accoutrements imported from England. One story behind its name is that it is a reference to the architect Charles Bulfinch, who designed the Massachusetts State House among other buildings. [2] The bar was popular with locals in its first decade. [3] The upstairs of Hampshire House at the time was a private club called Quaffer's. [4] In 1982 Boston magazine awarded the Bull & Finch the title of Boston's best bar. [5] [1]

A fateful moment came in 1981 when writers Glen and Les Charles and producer James Burrows visited Boston seeking an authentic local bar to use for the TV show that would become Cheers . [2] The trio thought the Bull & Finch fit perfectly. Kershaw, happy to get free advertising, accepted a fee of one dollar for rights to use the exterior image of the property in Cheers. The establishing shot of the opening sequence showed the Bull & Finch in all eleven seasons. The popularity of the show led to a great increase in popularity for the bar. While locals began to avoid the place, hordes of tourists started to visit, easily offseting the loss. [3] A 1990 report said that the bar had become one of the top three tourist destinations in Boston. [2]

On May 20, 1993, the night of Cheers series finale, Tom Kershaw held a large party outside of the bar to commemorate the event. Many people gathered outside the bar, and watched the finale on two large TV screens specially set up for the event. The cast of Cheers watched the finale inside the bar. [6] On the episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno that aired after the finale took place live at the party outside the bar, with many celebrities including sportscaster Bob Costas in the bar, Jay Leno walked into the bar and interviewed them. Later, Leno played many games with the Cheers cast inside the bar, and at the end of the show, the Cheers theme was played outside the bar.

Cheers Beacon Hill on Beacon Street in Boston. Cheersbostonclose.jpg
Cheers Beacon Hill on Beacon Street in Boston.

At some point, the bar expanded upward into Hampshire House, with a replica of the California set used for people expecting the version from television. In 2002, the bar was renamed to "Cheers Beacon Hill" as part of a new deal with NBC, along with increasing the amount of Cheers merchandise sold. [2]

Between August 2001 and August 2020, there was a branch location, Cheers Faneuil Hall, in Faneuil Hall. To capitalize on the popularity of the TV show, this location was built with a replica of the TV bar. The final day of the replica bar included a live band playing the Cheers theme, an appearance by owner Tom Kershaw and a raffle to win a photocopy of the script for the final episode. Kershaw cited the COVID-19 pandemic and a dispute with the landlord at Faneuil Hall for the closing. [7] [8]

Cheers Beacon Hill (July 2008) CheersBarJuly08.JPG
Cheers Beacon Hill (July 2008)

On March 10, 2009, the Boston Globe reported that longtime Cheers bartender Eddie Doyle, with a 35-year tenure that predated the sitcom Cheers, had been laid off. Owner Tom Kershaw cited the recession as the reason for the decision. [9] The block on which Cheers resides has been renamed Eddie Doyle Square in his honor. [10]

Owner

Cheers Beacon Hill is owned by Thomas A. Kershaw, who also owns the Hampshire House restaurant upstairs and the nearby restaurants, 75 Chestnut, and 75 Liberty Wharf in the Seaport. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Cheers</i> American television sitcom (1982–1993)

Cheers is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, for 11 seasons and 275 episodes. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television and was created by the team of James Burrows and Glen and Les Charles. The show is set in the titular bar in Boston, where a group of locals meet to drink, relax, socialize, and escape from their day to day issues.

<i>Frasier</i> American television sitcom (1993–2004)

Frasier is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993 to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee, in association with Grammnet (2004) and Paramount Television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Leno</span> American television host and comedian (born 1950)

James Douglas Muir Leno is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's The Tonight Show from 1992 until 2009 when Conan O'Brien took over as host. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ET, also on NBC. O'Brien turned down NBC's offer to have Leno host a half hour monologue show before The Tonight Show to boost ratings amid reported viewership diminishing, which sparked the 2010 Tonight Show conflict that resulted in Leno returning to hosting the show on March 1, 2010. He hosted his last episode of his second tenure on February 6, 2014. That year, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. From 2014 to 2022, he hosted Jay Leno's Garage, and from 2021 to 2023, hosted the revival of You Bet Your Life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Tortelli</span> Fictional character in the series Cheers

Carla Maria Victoria Angelina Teresa Apollonia Lozupone Tortelli LeBec, commonly known as Carla Tortelli, is a fictional character in the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Rhea Perlman. Outwardly, at least, Carla is a sarcastic woman who often mocks and makes jabs at others. She had five children with her then-husband Nick when the series started and eight children with three different men when it ended.

A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or any final episode.

<i>St. Elsewhere</i> American medical drama television series (1982–1988)

St. Elsewhere is an American medical drama television series created by Joshua Brand and John Falsey that originally ran on NBC from October 26, 1982, to May 25, 1988. The series stars Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd, and William Daniels as teaching doctors at an aging, run-down Boston hospital who give interns a promising future in making critical medical and life decisions. The series was produced by MTM Enterprises, which had success with a similar NBC series, the police drama Hill Street Blues, during that same time. The series were often compared to each other for their use of ensemble casts and overlapping serialized storylines.

Cheers is a 1982–1993 American television sitcom.

Brothers Glen Gerald Charles and Les Charles are American screenwriters and television producers, best known for working on Taxi and co-creating Cheers.

<i>The Jay Leno Show</i> American late-night talk show (2009–2010)

The Jay Leno Show is an American prime time talk show hosted by Jay Leno that was broadcast by NBC from September 14, 2009 to February 9, 2010. The series was a spiritual successor to his previous late-night talk show The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and used a similar format consisting of a comedic monologue, followed by celebrity interviews and other comedy segments.

"Give Me a Ring Sometime" is the pilot episode and the first episode of the first season of the American situation comedy Cheers. Written by Glen and Les Charles and directed by James Burrows, the episode first aired September 30, 1982, on NBC in the contiguous United States and on October 14, 1982 in Alaska. The pilot episode introduces the characters at the Cheers bar in Boston: employees Sam Malone, Diane Chambers, Coach Ernie Pantusso, and Carla Tortelli; and regular customers Norm Peterson and Cliff Clavin. In this episode, Diane, brought in by her fiancé, meets the employees and patrons of the bar. When she realizes that her fiancé has left her alone in the bar, Diane accepts Sam's offer to be the bar's waitress to start over.

"One for the Road" is the final episode of the American television series Cheers. It was the 271st episode of the series and the twenty-sixth episode of the eleventh season of the show. It first aired on NBC on May 20, 1993, to an audience of approximately 42.4 million households in a 98-minute version, making it the second-highest-rated series finale of all time behind the series finale of M*A*S*H and the highest-rated episode of the 1992–1993 television season in the United States. The 98-minute version was rebroadcast on May 23, 1993, and an edited 90-minute version aired on August 19, 1993.

"Home Is the Sailor" is the sixth-season premiere of the American television sitcom Cheers. It originally aired on September 24, 1987, on NBC. It is also the first episode including the fictional character Rebecca Howe, portrayed by Kirstie Alley, as the permanent female lead. It follows "I Do, Adieu", which was Shelley Long's last of her regular appearances as the female lead, Diane Chambers, who also left Boston on the show.

"Showdown" is the two-part first-season finale of the American television sitcom Cheers, written by Glen and Les Charles and directed by James Burrows. It originally aired on NBC on March 24 and 31, 1983. In the Cheers pilot, college-educated Diane Chambers was neglected by her previous lover and then hired as a waitress by bartender Sam Malone. Since then, they flirted and resisted each other throughout the season. In this two-part episode Sam's more-successful brother Derek becomes Diane's love interest, leaving Diane torn between Derek and Sam. In the end, Sam and Diane passionately embrace in the office.

<i>Cheers</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American television sitcom Cheers aired on NBC from September 30, 1982 to March 31, 1983. The show was created and produced by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles, who previously worked on Taxi, another sitcom. Cheers was produced by Charles Burrows Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television. The concept and production design of the show were inspired by a public house in Boston, the Bull & Finch, which is now called Cheers Beacon Hill.

<i>Cheers</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the American television sitcom Cheers aired on NBC from September 26, 1985 to May 15, 1986. This season marks Woody Harrelson's television debut as Woody Boyd after Nicholas Colasanto, who portrayed Coach Ernie Pantusso, died during the previous season. The show was created by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles, under production team Charles Burrows Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Television.

<i>Cheers</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of the American television sitcom Cheers aired on NBC from September 25, 1986 to May 7, 1987. This season marks the departure of Shelley Long as Diane Chambers, bringing an end to the Sam and Diane relationship. The show was created by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles, in association with Paramount Television.

<i>Cheers</i> season 6 Season of television series

The sixth season of the American television sitcom Cheers aired on NBC from September 24, 1987 to May 7, 1988. The show was created by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles under their production company Charles Burrows Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Television. This season features the debut of Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe.

75 Chestnut is a restaurant in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Situated at 75 Chestnut Street, two blocks west of Charles Street, it was established on October 9, 1997. It is a sister restaurant of Cheers Beacon Hill, 75 on Liberty Wharf and Hampshire House.

References

  1. 1 2 Flynn, Daniel J. (March 2014). "Cheers To The Bull & Finch". The American Spectator . Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Montes, Geoff (February 5, 2015). "Cheers in Boston". National Trust for Historic Preservation.
  3. 1 2 "T-Shirts Crowding Bottles at Famous Boston Bar". The New York Times. July 12, 1987. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  4. ↑ Birnbach, Lisa; Roberts, Jonathan; Wallace, Carol McD.; Wiley, Mason (October 1980). The Official Preppy Handbook. New York: Workman Publishing. p. 172. ISBN   978-0-89480-140-2.
  5. ↑ "BULL & FINCH PUB". January 1982. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  6. ↑ Williams, Jack; Walker, Liz (May 20, 1993). "Cheers Special Report". WBZ-TV . Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Cheers will close its Faneuil Hall location on August 30". Boston.com . Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Cheers Faneuil Hall". Archived from the original on July 11, 2013.
  9. ↑ Rosenberg, Steven (March 10, 2009). "For Boston institution, closing credits roll". Boston Globe . Retrieved March 10, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Congratulations, Eddie!". October 21, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Cheers Beacon Hill". Archived from the original on July 26, 2013.

42°21′21″N71°04′16″W / 42.355888°N 71.071222°W / 42.355888; -71.071222

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.