Long was with child near the end of the third season, and the producers opted to hide her under aprons and behind the bar. THERE WERE A LOT OF BABIES IN THE BAR.īoth Shelley Long and Rhea Perlman were pregnant at different times during the filming of Cheers. And yes, poor Wendt had to periodically sip that ghastly concoction in order to keep his character "real." 5. In fact, it was "near beer," with an alcohol content of 3.2 percent and a pinch of salt added so that the mug kept a foamy head under the hot studio lights. NORM DRANK "NEAR BEER."Īlthough the Cheers bar was fully functional-and many NBC after-hours parties were held on the set-the suds served to George Wendt weren't exactly a tasty microbrew. The audience loved him, so it wasn't long before Frasier became a regular on the show. While he wasn't intended to become a permanent cast member, Kelsey Grammer had a knack for making even the most mundane dialogue funny. Frasier Crane was brought in at the beginning of season three as a plot device to further the relationship between Sam and Diane. Thanks to his persistence, the character of mail carrier Cliff Clavin became a regular Cheers patron. When he lost that role to George Wendt, Ratzenberger asked the producers if they had written a "resident know-it-all" into their show. John Ratzenberger originally auditioned for the role of barfly Norm Peterson. JOHN RATZENBERGER SUGGESTED THAT THE BAR HAVE A "RESIDENT KNOW-IT-ALL." It took 30 to 40 extras to fill up the pub set as "customers " any less, and the bar looked too empty. Designers installed lights underneath the bar so that Nicholas Colasanto, who played Coach, could read the script pages taped to the counter, as he had difficulty memorizing his lines. Look closely and you'll notice a "seam" down the center of the bar it was built on a hinge so that the right half could swing out, allowing the wall to slide open to reveal Sam's office. The Cheers set, which was designed by Richard Sylbert, was loosely based on Boston's Bull & Finch pub.
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THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE BAR FOR A REASON. When Danson won the role, the backstory was changed to make the character a former relief pitcher to better match Danson's physique.ĭanson later revealed that he spent two weeks attending a bartending school in Burbank to prepare for his audition, only to find that-like most bartenders-most of his mixology was performed below sight level of the bar, out of camera range.
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But while Fred was new to acting, Ted had accumulated a handful of TV and film roles in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The show's original concept called for Sam to be a retired football player, and Dryer seemed perfect since he had spent 13 years as a defensive end in the NFL. The final two actors in contention for the role of ex-jock-turned-bar-owner Sam Malone were Fred Dryer and Ted Danson.
SAM MALONE WAS ORIGINALLY A FOOTBALL PLAYER. Here are a few behind-the-scenes secrets from the set.
Cheers ended after 11 seasons, but only because Ted Danson decided to call it quits.
Both Paramount and NBC believed in the show, however, and their tenacity certainly paid off. Cheers finished a lowly 77th in the ratings after its first season in 1982 to 1983, performing poorly against Simon & Simon and Too Close for Comfort in its 9 p.m.
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