The old guard tried to humble the young gun, Danson said. Wendt recalled that the night before Harrelson’s audition, he met the younger actor at the Gelson’s grocery store in his neighborhood. The Woody-on-Woody turn seemed written in the stars, or at least written in the produce section. Danson saw something in Harrelson and lobbied for him to get the role. Glen Charles said that they were already developing the character named Woody, a young bartender introduced in Season 4, and had almost signed an actor for the part when Texan Woody Harrelson came to audition. New co-stars got weird welcomes to ‘Cheers.’ That, I can do!” Originally, his character only appeared in the final scene of the pilot, with only one line: “Beer.” But when his schedule freed up, the creators made Norm a regular character. On playing Norm, Wendt said, “I had to look like a guy who wanted another beer. Ratzenberger first read for the part of Norm, he said, “but I just wasn’t good looking enough.” Les Charles said that they built the part of Cliff around Ratzenberger. But Danson and Shelley Long’s chemistry left no question in anyone’s mind that they were the right actors, Les Charles said. Other actors were in the running for Sam and Diane, including Fred Dryer and Julia Duffy. Thus was born the bar banter of “Cheers.” Once they landed on setting it in a bar, Les Charles said, they went out for a little research and overheard a group having a long discussion about the best kind of canned soup. The creators, who worked together on the hit show “Taxi,” knew they wanted their next project to be a workplace comedy, Glen Charles said. The cast of ‘Cheers’ could have looked a lot different. Ratzenberger said people ask him for little-known facts all the time, a specialty of his character, the know-it-all postal worker Cliff Clavin.Īnd yes, Wendt said people are awed when they realize he’s walked into a bar. Now, “the fans are getting younger and younger,” he added. Les Charles said it’s especially remarkable considering the show’s rating “started in the dumper.” In fact, Burrows likes to say they were rated “70th out of 69 shows” when “Cheers” debuted.ĭanson has always found it fun when devotees of the show come up at airports, he said. “To see new people watching, it’s just flattering beyond belief,” Burrows said. They kicked off by reflecting on the enduring appeal of “Cheers,” which is now bingeable on more than one streaming platform. “I think you all know what to do,” Schneider said, and the audience let out a massive cry of “Norm!” as Wendt came out last.
#CLIFF AND CARLA CHEERS TV#
Variety TV editor Michael Schneider introduced the cast and creators.
The laughter only sounded nervous for one line: when Diane’s erstwhile fiancé calls her a “beautiful, delicious child.” Ted Danson says fans of ‘Cheers’ are getting younger. A line like, “You’re a magnificent pagan beast” still has a ring to it. The players proved the material still holds up. The fest tapped talent like David Walton (“New Girl”), Cassidy Freeman (“The Righteous Gemstones”) and Harold Perrineau (“Oz”) to read roles like Sam, Diane Chambers and Norm Peterson, respectively. And the very first scene for bar owner Sam Malone (Danson) mentions that someone born in 1944 would be 38. Rhea Perlman’s Carla Tortelli is supposed to be in her 20s, according to the stage directions. “Give Me a Ring Sometime” first aired on Sept. That person probably kept checking for gray hairs as the evening kicked off with a reading of the script from the show’s pilot. “I’m old!” someone in our row muttered when reminded that “Cheers” premiered more than 40 years ago.
Wanna feel old? Read the pilot for ‘Cheers.’Īs is often the case with ATX TV Festival (it’s built into the bones), nostalgia reigned.
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