Sam Malone

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other people named Sam Malone, see Sam Malone (disambiguation).
Sam Malone
Cheers character
Ted danson sam malone.jpg
First appearance "Give Me a Ring Sometime" (episode 1.01)
Last appearance "The Show Where Sam Shows Up" (Frasier episode 2.16)
Portrayed by Ted Danson
Information
Gender Male
Occupation Owner/Bartender[1]
Spouse(s) Deborah (divorced)
Significant other(s) Diane Chambers, Rebecca Howe
Nationality American

Sam "Mayday" Malone is a fictional character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Ted Danson.[2] The central character of the series, Sam is a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team and an owner and a bartender of Cheers. He is a recovering alcoholic and notorious lothario.[3] Although his celebrity status was short-lived, Sam retains that standing within the confines of Cheers, where he is beloved by the regular patrons. Notoriously, he has an on- and off-relationship with Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) in 1982–1987 and the series finale in 1993, "One for the Road."[4]

Sam appeared in all 275 episodes of Cheers between 1982–1993. He also made a guest appearance in the Frasier episode "The Show Where Sam Shows Up".[f 1][5]

Contents

[edit] Casting

Before the series began in September 1982, Ted Danson appeared as a hairdresser in "The Unkindest Cut", the 1982 episode of the television series Taxi; Glen and Les Charles, creators of then-upcoming television series Cheers along with James Burrows, were executive consultants for that episode. Danson was one of three actors who auditioned for the role of Sam Malone; the other two actors were William Devane and Fred Dryer. Originally, Sam Malone was supposed "to be a former wide receiver for the New England Patriots."[6] Fred Dryer was initially chosen for that role due to his status as a former football player, but the creators chose Ted Danson instead.[7][8] Therefore, Sam then evolved into a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox.[6] Fred Dryer later appeared as Dave Richards, a friend of Sam Malone and the sportscaster, in Cheers.

I had no idea how unintelligent [Sam] was. At first I thought he was making these - because Sam would come out with these things that were funny, and I thought, well, maybe he's being ironic. You know, maybe he's smart enough to know that he's saying stupid things in the beginning. I think it took me about a year and a half before, maybe a season and a half before I had an inkling on how to play Sam Malone, because he was a relief pitcher, which comes with a certain amount of arrogance.

You know, you only get called in when you're in trouble and you're there to save the day, and that takes a special kind of arrogance, I think. And Sam Malone had that arrogance. And I, Ted Danson, did not. I was nervous, scared, excited about, you know, grateful about my new job.[9]

— Ted Danson, NPR, September 17, 2009

[edit] Character and development

Sam was a relief pitcher in the Major League Baseball team, Boston Red Sox. His baseball career took a nosedive when he developed an alcohol problem. Sam has run the bar, Cheers, for five years when the series Cheers began in 1982 after his baseball career was over.[e 1][e 2] Over time, his role as a bartender turned him into the "resident ringleader for an assortment of poor souls and wanna-bes."[10]

Danson earned $450,000 per episode as Sam Malone within the last few years of Cheers before "One for the Road" was aired on May 20, 1993.[11][12] According to the 1993 interview at the Paramount Studios, Danson wanted to stop portraying Sam Malone, which contributed to the end of Cheers. When the interviewer asked Danson about changes of Sam, Danson responded, "He got older, you know," and then, "They tried to make him Sammy again. But he's 45 now. I'm 45. It's OK to be chasing around when you're 37. But when you're 45, it's kind of sad to be chasing around that way."[11]

Ted Danson wore a hairpiece to conceal his baldness for the role of Sam Malone during filming of Cheers. His baldness was revealed at the 1990 Primetime Emmy Awards.[13] In the Cheers episode, "It's Lonely on the Top" (1993), Sam Malone reveals his own hairpiece that conceals his actual baldness to Carla (Rhea Perlman).

[edit] Romance and flings

See also: Sam and Diane

Sam is "athletically handsome"[14] yet a "narcissist," "shallow," and "vain", as well.[9][15] As a lothario, Sam dates and flings women in his life,[14] including "women who want to have fun,"[16] even before Cheers began in 1982. Nevertheless, he fails to fulfill every relationship in his life.[17] He was once married to a woman named Deborah, but his marriage did not last.[18]

Notoriously, Sam Malone is irresistible to Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) and somewhat resisted by Rebecca Howe (Kirstie Alley), inspired by works about "mixture of romance and antagonism of two people, [portrayed by Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn], in a competitive situation."[19][20][21] As Les Charles observed, Sam was a "straight man" to Diane; after Long's departure, he became more "carefree" and a "goof-off."[22]

He has on- and off-relationships with "a bright, attractive graduate student" Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) in 1982-1987 and the 1993 series finale, "One for the Road," but they turn out to be a mismatch in each relationship.[23] In 1987, Sam sells Cheers to the corporation, travels with his yacht, and soon returns to the bar to work there under employment of a "voluptuously beautiful"[14] new manager, Rebecca Howe. Since then, Sam many times flirts with and attempts to seduce Rebecca, but she rejects his advances.[14]

In Cheers, Sam is "allowed to be happy" and "living a rich life" [16] Nevertheless, in "The Guy Can't Help It" (1993), Sam realizes his sexual addiction and begins to seek professional counseling. In "The Show Where Sam Shows Up," the 1995 episode of Frasier, the Cheers spin-off, Sam is depicted as identified sexual addict with help from group meetings and committed to change himself.[24] Sam is engaged to a fellow sex addict (Téa Leoni) whom he met during group therapy, but he breaks off the engagement after he finds out that she slept with two other men during their engagement.[f 1][5]

[edit] Reception

According to the April 1–4, 1993, telephone survey of 1,011 people by the Times Mirror Center for the People and the Press (now Pew Research Center),[N 1] Sam Malone was voted a favorite of 26%. For a question of to whom he should marry, 21% voted Diane Chambers, 19% voted Rebecca Howe, 48% voted Sam to stay single, and 12% had "no opinion" on this matter.[25][26] For a question of having a spin-off of a character, 15% voted Sam, 12% voted Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson), 10% voted Norm Peterson (George Wendt), and 29% voted no spin-offs.[26] Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), whose own spin-off Frasier debuted in September 1993, was voted 2% to have his own show.[27]

Sam Malone has been a subject to academic researches. An MIT author, in his 1991 journal article, thanked Sam Malone as part of his acknowledgements for "bringing [him] laughter" along with other cast of Cheers.[28] In the 1994 journal article of Totem, Sam's "lucky bottle cap" from the episode, "Endless Slumper" (1982), is an example of fetishes used by baseball players for "good fortune."[29]

In the 2009 NPR interview, Terry Gross called Sam "the opposite of intellectual" and "shallow and vain."[9]

[edit] Impact

Sam Malone is a subject of and a satire of masculinity. In the 1990 and 1997 journal articles, he is one of "new macho [heroes]" of the 1980s, "the target of humor," and not a "likely [candidate] to lead the post-feminist counter revolution."[30][31] Like Sam, a `new' macho hero of the 1980s is an opposite of an `old' pre-1980s macho hero that "constituted an antifeminist backlash."[31][32]

In the 1993 journal, he is considered a parody of "traditional male values" and of a negative stereotype of masculinity. To the journal's analysis, his "attempts" to define and exemplify "his version of masculinity" are satirized in the show Cheers "to explore gender identity" without threatening a viewer's own definition of one's own gender.[33]

In The Complete Idiot's Guide 2008 book, Sam Malone "[brings] magic to establishment" and is praised for "successfully running [Cheers]."[34]

Ben Shapiro, an American conservative writer, in his 2011 book Primetime Propaganda, calls Sam "a dog, a feminist caricature of men," and a cultural representation of "lower-class conservative."[35] Glen Charles, a creator of Cheers, considers Sam "a spokesman for a large group of people who thought that [the women's movement] was a bunch of bull and look with disdain upon people who don't think it was." Ironically, Ted Danson is a declared liberal himself.[36]

[edit] Popular culture

In 1994, Sam Malone and bar patrons of Cheers appeared in "Fear of Flying", the episode of the animated series The Simpsons.[37]

[edit] References

Notes
  1. ^ The margin of error in the survey was ±3, according to sources.
Primary sources

From Cheers:

  1. ^ "Give Me a Ring Sometime." Cheers: Season 1: The Complete First Season on DVD. Paramount, 2003. DVD.
  2. ^ "Sam at Eleven." 1982. Cheers: Season 1: The Complete First Season on DVD. Writ. Glen Charles and Les Charles. Paramount, 2003. DVD.

From Frasier:

  1. ^ a b "The Show Where Sam Shows Up." Frasier. Perf. Kelsey Grammer. 1995. KDOC, Los Angeles. 2011. Television.
Non-primary sources
  1. ^ O'Connor, John J. "Critic's Notebook; 'Cheers' Is Dead, but There's Always the Wake..." The New York Times 21 May 1993. Web. 4 Jan. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/21/arts/critic-s-notebook-cheers-is-dead-but-there-s-always-the-wake.html>
  2. ^ Goldman, Eric, Brian Zoromski, and Dan Iverson. "IGN's Top 10 Favorite TV Couples." IGN 13 Feb. 2007. Web. 4 Jan. 2012. <http://tv.ign.com/articles/764/764349p2.html>
  3. ^ Piccalo, Gina. "Ted Danson is hip again." Los Angeles Times 18 Oct. 2009. Web. 4 Jan. 2012. <http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/18/entertainment/ca-ted-danson18>
  4. ^ Carter, Bill. "TELEVISION; The Tonic That Keeps 'Cheers' Bubbling Along." The New York Times 29 Apr. 1990. Web. 4 Jan. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/29/arts/television-the-tonic-that-keeps-cheers-bubbling-along.html>
  5. ^ a b O'Connor, John J. "TELEVISION REVIEW; Road Paved by Power and Reunions." The New York Times 21 Feb. 1995. Web. 4 Jan. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/21/arts/television-review-road-paved-by-power-and-reunions.html>
  6. ^ a b Meade, Peter. "We'll Cry In Our Beers As Sam, Diane Split." Spartanburg Herald-Journal TV Update [Spartanburg, NC] 29 Apr. 1984: 14. Google News. Web. 21 Jan. 2012. <http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=SFOYbPikdlgC&dat=19840427&printsec=frontpage>. Editions of April 27–29, 1984, are inside the webpage. Article in Google News is located in page 85.
  7. ^ Carter, 1993. p. 6. <http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/09/arts/television-why-cheers-proved-so-intoxicating.html?pagewanted=6&src=pm>
  8. ^ Balk, Quentin, and Ben Falk. Television's Strangest Moments: Extraordinary but True Tales from the History of Television. London: Robson–Chrysalis, 2005. Google Books. Web. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://books.google.com/books?id=4L7pA2tKumsC&lpg=PA166&pg=PA166#v=onepage>
  9. ^ a b c "Ted Danson, On Life (And 'Death') After 'Cheers'." NPR 17 Sep. 2009. Web. 11 Jan. 2012. <http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=112884242>. Interview with Ted Danson is hosted by David Bianculli.
  10. ^ Davis, Walter T., Jr., et al. Watching What We Watch: Prime-Time Television Through the Lens of Faith. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001. Web. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://books.google.com/books?id=hUzT6EIkNZ0C&lpg=PA19&dq=cheers%20sam&pg=PA16#v=onepage&q&f=false>. ISBN 0-664-22696-5.
  11. ^ a b Zurawik, David. "Last Call for Cheers. The Boston Bar is just a Sitcom Set, but for Viewers It Has Become a Real Place, Where Friends Hang Out." The Baltimore Sun 16 May 1993. Web. 17 Jan. 2012.<http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-05-16/features/1993136158_1_cheers-mary-tyler-moore-thick>.
  12. ^ Lippman, John. "Future of `Cheers' uncertain." Los Angeles Times 7 Feb. 1991: 1D. Rpt. in The Gainesville Sun [Gainesville, FL] 10 Feb. 1991: 7D. Google News. Web. 17 Jan. 2012. <http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=dBzKUGQurMsC&dat=19910210>.
  13. ^ Herman, Valli. "Actor Wins Praise for Appearing Without Hair Piece." Los Angeles Daily News. Rpt. in Sarasota Herald-Tribune 24 Sep. 1990: 5E. Google News. Web. 31 Jan. 2012 <http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ha4cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dHoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6839%2C6020047>.
  14. ^ a b c d Craig, Steve. p. 15
  15. ^ Atagi, Colin. "Danson makes a splash." The Desert Sun [Palm Springs, CA] 15 Jan. 2009: B1. Oceana. Web. 14 Jan. 2012. <http://na.oceana.org/sites/default/files/oceana_in_the_news/15.01.09.DesertSun.Ted_.pdf>
  16. ^ a b Hecht, 235. Google Books. Web. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://books.google.com/books?id=0GI8lFdH2bYC&lpg=PA235&dq=cheers%20sam%20diane%20frasier%20sex&pg=PA235#v=onepage&q=cheers%20sam&f=false>
  17. ^ Blake, Marc. How Not to Write a Sitcom: 100 Mistakes to Avoid If You Ever Want to Get Produced. London: A & C Black, 2011. Google Books. Web. 31 Jan. 2011. <http://books.google.com/books?id=6qPSpNwvn4sC&lpg=PT81&vq=sam%20malone&pg=PT81#v=snippet&q=sam%20malone&f=false>.
  18. ^ "Sam's Women." 1982. Cheers: Season 1: The Complete First Season on DVD. Writ. Earl Pomerantz. Paramount, 2003. DVD.
  19. ^ Saunders, Dusty (31 July 1987). "Many changes in store for 'Cheers'". The Vindicator: p. 12. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wfJJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6YQMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1028%2C6034731. 
  20. ^ "Crowd at 'Cheers' toasts new season with new boss". The Register-Guard (TV Week): p. 13. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TOZVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gOEDAAAAIBAJ&dq=sam%20diane%20cheers&pg=5563%2C1118776. 
  21. ^ Baker, Kathryn (5 September 1987). "Long's departure has 'Cheers' cast on edge". Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina). http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1LIjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TyUEAAAAIBAJ&dq=sam%20diane%20cheers&pg=5187%2C718316. 
  22. ^ Harmetz, Alijean (23 September 1987). "Changes on tap at 'Cheers'". The Ledger: p. 1C+. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g79OAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7PsDAAAAIBAJ&dq=sam%20diane%20cheers&pg=1701%2C3967090. 
  23. ^ Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946–Present. Paperback ed. New York: Ballantine-Random House, 2007. Google News. Web. 31 Jan. 2012 <http://books.google.com/books?id=BbOsChMSlpoC&lpg=PA243>.
  24. ^ Hecht, 236. Amazon.com Web. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Myth-Historical-Antidote-Working/dp/B002ECEHWO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328964346&sr=1-1#reader_B002ECEHWO>. Use search term "cheers sam" for results there.
  25. ^ Mills, Kim I. "TV viewers glad Sam stayed single." The Sunday Gazette [Schenectady, NY] 2 May 1993: A3. Google News. Web. 21 Jan. 2012. <http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UpYxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RuEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1185%2C331083>. In this web source, scroll down to see its headline.
  26. ^ a b Leefler, Pete. "Show Piles Up Viewer Cheers." The Morning Call [Allentown, NY] 2 May 1993: A01. Web. 17 Jan. 2012. <http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/mcall/access/92139221.html?dids=92139221:92139221&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT>. (subscription required)
  27. ^ "Mixed Reaction to Post-Seinfeld Era." Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Pew Research Center 10 May 1998. Web. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.people-press.org/1998/05/10/mixed-reaction-to-post-seinfeld-era/>
  28. ^ Law, Glenn W. "Measurements of Ocular Counterrolling during Linear Accelerations Using an Electromagnetic Scleral Search Coil System." Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1991): 5. DSpace@MIT. Web. 14 Jan. 2012. <http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/43236/26176380.pdf?sequence=1>. This PDF file is non-printable. For printable access: <http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/43236>.
  29. ^ McKechnie, A-J. "Baseball, Magic, and Performance." Totem: The University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology 1.1. (1994): 20. Web. 14 Jan. 2012. <http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1080&context=totem>.
  30. ^ Tankel and Banks. pp. 287–9.
  31. ^ a b Kibby, Marjorie. "Representing Masculinity." The University of Newcastle [Australia] (1997). Miami Vice Chronicles. Web. 17 Jan 2012. <http://www.miamivicechronicles.com/representing-masculinity/>.
  32. ^ Tankel and Banks. p. 286.
  33. ^ Craig. pp. 15–6.
  34. ^ John Steve, and Carey Rossi. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting and Running a Bar. New York: Alpha, 2008. Google Books. Web. 14 Jan. 2012.
  35. ^ Shapiro, Ben. p. 122–123.
  36. ^ Shapiro, Ben. p. 122.
  37. ^ "Fear of Flying." The Simpsons. Fox. KTTV, Los Angeles. 18 Dec. 1994. Television.

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Further reading

  • Andrews, Bart. Cheers: The Official Scrapbook. New York: Signet, 1987. Print.
  • Bjorklund, Dennis A. Toasting Cheers: An Episode Guide, 1982–1993. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 1997. Print. ISBN 978-0899509624.
  • Fallows, Randall. "The Enneagram of Cheers: Where Everybody Knows Your Number." The Journal of Popular Culture 34.2 (2000): 169-179. Print. (subscription required) doi:10.1111/j.0022-3840.2000.3402_169.x
  • Heilbronn, Lisa M. "What Does Alcohol Mean? Alcohol's Use as a Symbolic Code." Contemporary Drug Problems 15.2 (1988): 229-248. Web. <https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/abstractdb/AbstractDBDetails.aspx?id=115089>. (subscription required)
  • Hundley, Heather L. "The Naturalization of Beer in Cheers." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 39.3 (1995): 350-359. Web. 09 Jan 2012. (subscription required) doi:10.1080/08838159509364311.
  • Jennings, Marianne M. "Moral Disengagement and Lawyers: Codes, Ethics, Conscience, and Some Great Movies." Duquesne Law Review 37.4 (1999): 573-602. Print. (subscription required) An official website of Marianne M. Jennings said that the issue number is 2, not 4.
  • Phibbs, Bob. The Retail Doctor's Guide to Growing Your Business: A Step-by-Step Approach to Quickly Diagnose, Treat, and Cure. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2010. xv-xvii. Google Books. Web. 14 Jan. 2012.

[edit] External links
Series
Episodes
Main characters
Recurring characters
Others
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sam_Malone&oldid=479142822"
Personal tools
Namespaces

Variants
Actions
Navigation
Interaction
Toolbox
Print/export
Languages