The Boys in the Bar

Last updated

"The Boys in the Bar"
Cheers episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 16
Directed by James Burrows
Written by Ken Levine
David Isaacs
Original air dateJanuary 27, 1983 (1983-01-27)
Running time30 minutes (with commercials)
Guest appearance
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Father Knows Last"		Next →
"Diane's Perfect Date"
Cheers (season 1)
List of episodes

"The Boys in the Bar" is the sixteenth episode of the first season of the American situation comedy television series Cheers . It originally aired on January 27, 1983, on NBC in the continental U.S. and on February 10, 1983 in Alaska. It is co-written by Ken Levine and David Isaacs and directed by James Burrows. This episode's narrative deals with homosexuality, coming out, and homophobia. [1] [2] It was inspired by the coming out story of former Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player, Glenn Burke. In this episode, Sam's former teammate, Tom—portrayed by Alan Autry —reveals his homosexuality and Sam slowly becomes supportive of him. The bar's regular customers express their disdain toward Sam's support and fear that because of Sam's support of Tom, the bar will become a place full of homosexuals. The episode's Nielsen ratings at its initial airing were low but improved after subsequent airings on NBC. This episode has received more attention since.

Contents

Plot

Alan Autry portrays Tom Kenderson, a Boston Red Sox player coming out as gay in this episode. Alan Autry.jpg
Alan Autry portrays Tom Kenderson, a Boston Red Sox player coming out as gay in this episode.

Tom Kenderson (Alan Autry), an old friend and baseball teammate of bartender Sam Malone (Ted Danson), announces in his forthcoming autobiography that he is homosexual. At a press conference held at the bar, Sam, having not read the book in advance, is shocked by Tom's revelation. [2] Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) helps Sam to calm down, and they discuss Tom. Moments later, Sam publicly accepts and supports Tom and his sexuality, which local newspapers report. The next day, as they read the newspaper, the bar's regular patrons—including Norm (George Wendt)—express their disdain toward homosexuals. They worry that Sam's support for his old friend will turn Cheers into a gay bar. [2] Diane criticizes their homophobia telling them that gays are normal people and reveals there are two gay men in the bar as they speak. [3]

The regulars conclude that three male newcomers are homosexual and try to persuade Sam to escort them from the bar. Sam becomes concerned about dividing his loyalties between his regular customers and potential gay customers. Employees and regulars—pulled in by Diane—argue over the three newcomers in the billiard room. When the newcomers congratulate Sam for supporting Tom, Sam decides not to eject them to avoid discriminating among his customers. Norm and the other regulars trick the three men into assuming that 7:00 pm is the last call for drinks at and escort them from the bar. [3] Diane tells the regulars that the men they escorted out are not homosexual and that the two gay men are still present. The two men in question kiss Norm on his cheeks. [1] [2] [4]

Production

"The Boys in the Bar" was co-written by Ken Levine and David Isaacs and was directed by James Burrows. [1] The coming out story of former Los Angeles Dodgers baseball player Glenn Burke was the inspiration for the plot. Levine wanted to explore homophobia in a sports bar in this episode. However, NBC deemed the story "too risky" for Cheers, whose Nielsen ratings were low during its first season in 1982–83. [2] [5] Nevertheless, the production of this episode went ahead for five days; rehearsals were problem-free and some minor tweaks that did not have major effects on the script were made. The cast rehearsed for the first three days of production, the camera crew rehearsed on the fourth day and a studio audience were present on the fifth. The cast—including Ted Danson, who advised Levine not to change a word—loved this episode, and the crew found it—especially the cheek-kissing scene at the end—hilarious. However, according to Levine, the live studio audience remained silent during filming; the ending was reshot with Norm given an extra line, "better than Vera", referring to the character's wife's kissing. [2] [5]

Silence. Dead silence. You could hear crickets. It wasn't like some people got it and others didn't. Nobody laughed. Not a single person ... No one had an explanation. [2] [5]

— Ken Levine

Background actors portraying bar customers are John Furey, Michael Kearns, Kenneth Tigar, Lee Ryan, Jack Knight, and Tom Babson. [1] Shannon Sullivan and John Bluto portray reporters at the press conference. [1] Harry Anderson reprises his role of Harry "the Hat" Gittes in the cold open. [1]

Broadcast and ratings

"The Boys in the Bar" aired at 9:30 pm on NBC on January 27, 1983, [1] competing against CBS's Simon & Simon and ABC's It Takes Two . [6] It ranked 41st out of 67 nationally-broadcast programs and garnered a Nielsen rating of 14.9. [7] In Alaska, it aired on February 10, 1983, at 8:00 pm AKT. [8] The episode was broadcast again on July 28, 1983, at 9:30 pm against a rerun of Simon & Simon and ABC's television film Shooting Stars. [9] It ranked 25th with a Nielsen rating of 12.8 and a 23 share. [10] It aired again on January 17, 1985, at 9:00 pm against Simon & Simon and a rerun of ABC's television film Who Will Love My Children? , [11] ranking 13th with a Nielsen rating of 20.4—equivalent to 17.5 million homes. [12]

Critical reaction

[...] In the 28 years since that episode aired, the number of male professional athletes that have come out is staggeringly low, and the number of highly visible, well-known athletes to do is essentially zero. Progress has been made, but 28 years doesn't feel like a very long time when it's unclear how [many of] the audience [are] behind Sam and Diane in this episode and how many of them are secretly siding with Norm the entire time. [13]

Ryan McGee from The A.V. Club, January 12, 2012

Cory Barker of the website TV Surveillance disdained Norm's comments about homosexuals but called them "honest for the time and circumstances". [14]

According to the book What's Good on TV, Sam's concerns about losing regular, anti-homosexual bar customers if Cheers were to become a gay bar is depicted as sympathetic towards regulars and "a practical argument" instead of a "strong moral argument". [15] Stephen Tropiano called this episode "the definite highlight of Season One" in PopMatters [16] and, in the 2002 book The Prime Time Closet, Tropiano called it a moral lesson about judging a person based on appearances. [4] Nevertheless, Tropiano said that the fictional baseball player Tom Kenderson is typical of gay characters related to a series regular, appear just once, are exploited for delivering a message about homosexuality to the audience, and are then discarded, never to be "seen, heard, or mentioned again". [17]

The A.V. Club critics discussed this episode in 2012. Phil Nugent found it unfunny and intended as a message to tolerate homosexuals by making Norm and other regulars appear "ridiculous". Noel Murray said that the episode's "bifurcated structure" prevented more development for Sam's old baseball teammate, and he found the "stereotypes" of gay men dated. He and Donna Bowman considered it to be more about men securing their own machismo than tolerating homosexuality. Ryan McGee found the studio audience's reactions to this episode ambiguous, especially years after this episode aired. [13]

Decider critic Brett White wrote in 2017 that this episode is "structured to deconstruct the notion of stereotypes" and shows that despite some regular bar patrons' lack of "open-minded[ness], Cheers is a bar for everyone". White also noted that Norm's gaydar is tainted with "uninformed stereotypes". [18] However, White also wrote:

As progressive as this episode is for 1983, it still falls short in the same ways that most sitcoms of the 20th century did when handling LGBT issues. There are no regular LGBT characters in the cast, so Cliff, Norm and Carla aren't challenged to grow after this episode. Sam's friend Tom disappears after the press conference, never to be seen again. Even the supposedly gay guys turn out to probably not be gay. In the absence of any actual dynamic gay characters, it's Diane that takes on the ally role and acts as the voice of gay rights.

Screen Rant critic Simone Torn wrote in 2019 that the characters' homophobic remarks would "[make] this episode uncomfortable to modern audiences" and is one of "ten things from Cheers that have not aged well." [19] Joseph J. and Kate Darowski in their 2019 book Cheers: A Cultural History rated the episode three out of four stars ("good episode"). [20]

Accolades

This episode was nominated for "Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series" at the 1983 Primetime Emmy Awards, but lost to "Give Me a Ring Sometime"—the pilot episode of Cheers. [21] [22] [note 1] In 1984, it won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Screenplay - Episodic Comedy award, along with "Give Me a Ring Sometime". [23] In 1983, the Alliance for Gay and Lesbian Artists in the Entertainment Industry (AGLA) awarded this episode [24] for its "realistic [depiction] of homosexuals" and for Sam's support for homosexuals in the bar. [25]

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frasier Crane</span> Fictional character in the television series Frasier and Cheers

Dr. Frasier Winslow Crane is a fictional character who is both a supporting character on the American television sitcom Cheers and the titular protagonist of its spin-off Frasier and the latter’s 2023 sequel. In all three series, he is portrayed by Kelsey Grammer. The character debuted in the Cheers third-season premiere, "Rebound " (1984), as Diane Chambers's love interest, part of the Sam and Diane story arc. Intended to appear for only a few episodes, Grammer's performance in the role was praised by producers, prompting them to expand his role and increase his prominence.

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

Hilary Norman Peterson is a regular fictional character on the American television show Cheers. The character was portrayed by actor George Wendt and is named Hilary after his paternal grandfather.

<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.

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

Samuel "Mayday" Malone is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Ted Danson and created by Glen and Les Charles. Sam is a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox baseball team who owns and tends the bar called "Cheers". He is also a recovering alcoholic and a notorious womanizer. Although his celebrity status was short-lived, Sam retains that standing within the confines of Cheers, where he is beloved by the regular patrons. Along with Carla Tortelli and Norm Peterson, he is one of only three characters to appear in all episodes of Cheers. Sam has an on-again, off-again relationship with the bar waitress Diane Chambers for the series' first five seasons until her departure from the series. Then he tries to seduce Diane's replacement, Rebecca Howe, who frequently rejects his advances. Sam also appears in "The Show Where Sam Shows Up", a crossover episode of the spin-off Frasier.

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

Rebecca Howe is a fictional character of the American television sitcom Cheers, portrayed by Kirstie Alley and created by Glen and Les Charles. Rebecca appeared in 147 episodes of Cheers between 1987 and 1993 and in one episode of Wings. She debuts in the season six episode "Home Is the Sailor" after Shelley Long—who played waitress Diane Chambers—left the show to pursue a movie career. Much of the show's humor in previous seasons had been based around the interaction and sexual tension between the womanizing, working-class main character, bartender Sam Malone, and the high-class, snobbish Diane. Rebecca was intended to fill the gap as Sam's new female foil.

"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.

"I Do, Adieu" is the fifth-season finale of the American television sitcom Cheers, written by Glen and Les Charles and directed by James Burrows. It aired on May 7, 1987, on NBC. During the fifth season, Sam Malone repeatedly proposes to Diane Chambers, and she refuses repeatedly until she accepts engagement in "Chambers vs. Malone" (1987). In the previous episode, "A House Is Not a Home", Sam and Diane bought a house together. Before this episode aired, Ted Danson decided to renew his contract with the show as Sam Malone, while Shelley Long decided to quit the series, which could conclude the on-and-off romance of "Sam and Diane" that went on for the first five years since 1982.

"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.

"Coach's Daughter" is the fifth episode of the American television sitcom Cheers, written by Ken Estin and directed by James Burrows. It first aired on NBC on October 28, 1982. This episode guest stars Allyce Beasley as Coach's daughter, Lisa Pantusso. In this episode, Lisa arrives with her fiancé Roy, who is boorish and obnoxious and rude to her, causing Coach to resent him.

"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 2 Season of television series

The second season of the American television sitcom Cheers aired on NBC from September 29, 1983 to May 10, 1984. The show was created by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles and was produced by Charles Burrows Charles Productions in association with Paramount Television. The second season has been released on DVD as a four-disc set.

<i>Cheers</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of the American television sitcom Cheers aired on NBC from September 27, 1984 to May 9, 1985. 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. The third season is available on DVD in a four-disc set.

<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.

"Thanksgiving Orphans" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the American television sitcom Cheers, co-written by Cheri Eichen and Bill Steinkeller and directed by James Burrows. It aired originally on November 27, 1986, on NBC. The characters do not have families or friends to spend time with, and some of their plans backfire. They gather for a Thanksgiving feast which degenerates into a food fight. Burrows filmed the food-fight scene twice. The episode had a generally positive reception. TV Guide ranked it number seven on its 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time list while The Huffington Post included the food fight sequence in a list of the 10 Most Awkward Thanksgiving Scenes of All Time from movies and television.

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Diane's Perfect Date" was nominated for the "Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series" award at the 1983 Primetime Emmy Awards. [21] [22]

Inline references

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bjorklund 1993, p. 291. "Season One (1982–1983)".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Shapiro 2011, p. 122. "A Spoonful of Sugar".
  3. 1 2 Tropiano 2002, p. 192. Google Books .
  4. 1 2 Tropiano 2002, p. 193. Amazon.com .
  5. 1 2 3 Levine, Ken. "The Cheers Episode I'm Still Writing in my Head." Must Always Read. Reprinted as "The Cheers episode Ken Levine's still writing in his head" by Keith McDuffee (8 July 2008). HuffPost TV . Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  6. ↑ "Television Schedule" (January 27, 1983). Los Angeles Times , Part VI (Calendar section), page 8, Library edition (microfilm).
  7. ↑ "Television Ratings" (February 3, 1983). Los Angeles Times, Part VI (Calendar section), page 10, Library edition (microfilm).
  8. ↑ "Television (Thursday)". Anchorage Daily News . February 10, 1983. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013 – via Google News Archive.
  9. ↑ "Television (Schedule)". Lodi News-Sentinel [Lodi, California] July 28, 1983: 12. Google News . Web. June 13, 2012.
  10. ↑ "NBC Wins Nielsen Race." Miami Herald August 3, 1983: 7B. via NewsBank. Web. June 13, 2012. (registration required). Article at MiamiHerald.com: (subscription required).
  11. ↑ "Television (schedule)". Lodi News-Sentinel [Lodi, CA] January 17, 1985: 18. via Google News. Web. June 13, 2012.
  12. ↑ Rothenberg, Fred (January 23, 1985). "Surprise! Super Bowl top show". Daily Breeze . Associated Press. p. C6 – via NewsBank.(registration required). A rating equals one percent of 84.9 million homes with a television set.
  13. 1 2 "'The Boys in the Bar' review". The A.V. Club . January 12, 2012. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  14. ↑ Barker, Cory (June 17, 2011). "Surveillance Summer Watch: Cheers, 'Father Knows Last', 'The Boys in the Bar' and 'Diane's Perfect Date'". TV Surveillance. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011 – via Internet Archive.
  15. ↑ Watson and Arp 2011, p. 211.
  16. ↑ Tropiano, Stephen (June 23, 2003). "Cheers: The Complete First Season review". PopMatters . Retrieved April 7, 2012.
  17. ↑ Tropiano 2002, pp. 191–192. Google Books .
  18. ↑ White, Brett (March 28, 2017). "That Gay Episode: How Sam Malone Showed Acceptance Is Macho On Cheers". Decider . Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  19. ↑ Torn, Simone (August 20, 2019). "10 Things From Cheers That Have Not Aged Well". Screen Rant . Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  20. ↑ Darowski, Joseph J.; Darowski, Kate (2019). "The Episodes: An Opinionated Compendium". Cheers: A Cultural History. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 156. ISBN   9781538113875. LCCN   2018056821.
  21. 1 2 "Cheers." Emmys , 2012. Web. 7 April 2012.
  22. 1 2 Bjorklund 1993, p. 457. "Appendix: Emmy Nominations and Awards".
  23. ↑ "Cheers – Boys in the Bar, The Archived November 5, 2013, at the Wayback Machine ." The Writers Guild Foundation, 2010. Web. 7 April 2012.
  24. ↑ Capsuto, Steven, ed. "Kudos! AGLA's and GLAAD's Gay and Lesbian Media Awards Archived February 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine ." Alternate Channels, 2005. Web. 7 April 2012.
  25. ↑ "Gay Artists Applaud Programs." Lodi News-Sentinel [Lodi, CA] 20 September 1983: 10. Google News . Web. 7 April 2012.

Bibliography

Further reading

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.