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{{short description|Fictional character in the series Cheers}}
{{other people}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2013}}
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| last = {{Plainlist|
* '''''Frasier''''':
** "[[The Show Where Sam Shows Up]]" (1995)
}}
| creator = [[Glen and Les Charles]]
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| gender = Male
| family = [[List of Cheers characters#Derek Malone|Derek Malone]] (brother)
| nationality =
}}
'''Samuel''' "'''Mayday'''" '''Malone'''<ref>Bjorklund e-Book, p. 141</ref> is a fictional character on the American television show ''[[Cheers]]'', portrayed by [[Ted Danson]] and created by [[Glen and Les Charles]]. The
Other actors auditioned for the role. Producers decided to give Danson the role for primarily his scenes with Shelley Long as Diane. Critical reception for the character has been mostly positive. Some academics considered Sam an example of satirizing [[masculinity]]. For his performance as Sam, Ted Danson won two respective [[Emmy Award]]s as an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series]] in 1990 and 1993 and two [[Golden Globe Award]]s as a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy|Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series]].
==Role==
At the time the series debuted in 1982, Sam has been the bartender and owner of Cheers for five years.<ref group=e name=ring>"[[Give Me a Ring Sometime]]." ''Cheers: Season 1: The Complete First Season on DVD''. Paramount, 2003. DVD.</ref><ref group=e name=eleven>"Sam at Eleven." 1982. ''Cheers: Season 1: The Complete First Season on DVD''. Writ. [[Glen Charles]] and [[Les Charles]]. Paramount, 2003. DVD.</ref> Chronologically within the series, Sam, who is [[Irish Catholic]],{{sfn|Bjorklund|2014|page=141}} dropped out of high school in his senior year to play professional baseball.<ref group=e name="Teacher's Pet">"Teacher's Pet". 1985. ''Cheers: Season 3: The Complete Third Season on DVD''. Paramount, 2004. DVD.</ref>
Sam began his career in the minor leagues, where he met [[Coach Ernie Pantusso]] ([[Nicholas Colasanto]]). He eventually became a relief pitcher for the [[Boston Red Sox]], wearing number 16. His major league career lasted approximately five years; he specifically mentions having pitched in 1973, and was a member of the 1975 AL champion Red Sox team. As well, Martin Crane saw him pitch at the [[Kingdome]], which opened in 1977 – also the year that he became the owner of Cheers. Although his baseball career is not highly detailed throughout the series, Sam was at times a good-to-very-good pitcher (stories of him retiring star batters occur during the series), and was the team's bullpen ace for a while. Sam's baseball career declined when he became an [[alcoholic]], and there are also numerous stories of him pitching poorly and giving up tape-measure home runs. Over time, Sam's role as a bartender turns him into the "resident ringleader for an assortment of poor souls and wanna-be's".<ref>Davis, Walter T., Jr., et al. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=hUzT6EIkNZ0C
Throughout the series, Sam has had casual female partners, usually one-dimensional or sexually very available, and sometimes takes them along in his red [[Chevrolet Corvette]]. However, in "Sam Turns the Other Cheek" (episode 49, 1984), Sam reveals that he avoids "married, underage, and comatose" women, so he does have some ethical standards. In "Teacher's Pet" (season 3, 1985), Sam earns his high school diploma despite an overall bad grade from the high school geography teacher, with whom he had a brief affair while he was her student. The episode "Sam's Women" (episode 2, 1982) reveals that Sam was married to his somewhat more sophisticated ex-wife, Debra ([[Donna McKechnie]]). (In some syndicated prints, Sam's past marriage is omitted, although it is mentioned again in the 5th-season episode, "Young Dr. Weinstein".) Notably, he has an [[Sam and Diane|on-and-off relationship]] with "a bright, attractive graduate student", Diane Chambers (Shelley Long).<ref>Carter, Bill. [https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/29/arts/television-the-tonic-that-keeps-cheers-bubbling-along.html "TELEVISION; The Tonic That Keeps 'Cheers' Bubbling Along"]. ''[[The New York Times]]'' April 29, 1990. Web. January 4, 2012.</ref><ref>Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=BbOsChMSlpoC&
In the following episode "[[Home Is the Sailor (Cheers)|Home Is the Sailor]]" (episode 122, 1987), Sam sells Cheers to the Lillian Corporation six months before the episode and later returns to the bar to work under employment of the "voluptuously beautiful"<ref name="Masculinities 15"/> new manager, [[Rebecca Howe]]. Within this period, Sam constantly flirts with and attempts to seduce Rebecca, but she rejects all of his advances.<ref name="Masculinities 15"/> In "Cry Harder" (episode 194, 1990), Sam is able to buy back the bar from the Lillian Corporation after Sam has saved the corporation from financial victimization by [[Robin Colcord]] ([[Roger Rees]]), Rebecca's lover. At the last minute, Sam and Rebecca embrace and kiss. However, in the following episode "Love Is a Really, Really, Perfectly Okay Thing" (episode 195, 1990),
In a ''Frasier'' episode, "[[The Show Where Sam Shows Up]]" (1995), Sam is engaged to Sheila ([[Téa Leoni]]), a fellow sex addict whom he met during group therapy, but he breaks off the engagement after she admits that she slept with two regular Cheers customers{{mdash}}
===Skit appearances===
Ted Danson reprised the role of Sam Malone in pre-game segments of the [[Super Bowl XVII|1983 Super Bowl]]<ref name=1983superbowl>{{cite news|title=Cast of ''Cheers'' with special material about the Super Bowl|at=Part VI (Calendar), page 7|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=February 2, 1983}} Microfilm.</ref> and of one of the baseball games of the [[1986 World Series]],<ref name=1986worldseries>{{cite news|at=Section D (Sports), page 12|title=TV-Radio - NBC could use some more of 'the rat stuff' in Series coverage|newspaper=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=October 25, 1986|author=Rosen, Karen}} At ''[[NewsBank]]'': {{registration required}}. At official website: {{subscription required}}. Record no. 861005579.</ref> ''[[The Magical World of Disney]]'' episode "[[Mickey's 60th Birthday]]",<ref name=60mickey>{{cite news|title=Mickey approaching 60th birthday|author=Apikian, Nevart|page=D13|publisher=[[The Herald Company]]|date=November 11, 1988|newspaper=[[The Post-Standard]]|location=Syracuse, New York}} ''[[NewsBank]]'': {{registration required}}. Syracuse.com: {{subscription required}}. Record no. 8811110139.</ref> and ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Fear of Flying (The Simpsons)|Fear of Flying]]".<ref group=o name=Simpsons>{{Cite episode|title=Fear of Flying|
==Development==
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===Conception, writing, and casting===
Before the series began in September 1982, various actors considered or were considered for the role of Sam Malone. Before he was cast, [[Ted Danson]] appeared in films and television series. Danson appeared in the 1979 film ''[[The Onion Field (film)|The Onion Field]]'', adapted from the [[The Onion Field|nonfiction book of the same name]], as Officer Ian Campbell, who was murdered by two criminals.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LNBX1H4C98QC&
Originally, Sam Malone was intended "to be a former [[wide receiver]] for the American football team, [[New England Patriots]]."<ref name=audition>Meade, Peter. "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AkQsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3M4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5565%2C8417317 We'll Cry In Our Beers As Sam, Diane Split]." ''[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]] TV Update'' [Spartanburg, NC] April 29, 1984: 14. ''Google News''. Web. January 21, 2012.</ref> Fred Dryer was initially chosen for that role because he is a former football player, but the Charles brothers chose Danson because [[NBC]] executives noticed the chemistry between him and Shelley Long.<ref name=nytimes1993>{{cite news|author=Carter, Bill|title=Why 'Cheers' Proved So Intoxicating|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/09/arts/television-why-cheers-proved-so-intoxicating.html?pagewanted=6&src=pm|date=May 9, 1993|page=6|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>Balk, Quentin, and Ben Falk. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=4L7pA2tKumsC
Fred Dryer later appeared as Dave Richards, one of Sam Malone's friends and a [[sports commentator]], in ''Cheers''. Danson said:
{{
Sam is "athletically handsome"<ref name="Masculinities 15"/> and a womanizer who casually dates and has sex with various women "who want to have fun".<ref name="Masculinities 15">Craig, Steve. p. 15</ref><ref>Piccalo, Gina. "[http://articles.latimes.com/2009/oct/18/entertainment/ca-ted-danson18 Ted Danson is hip again]." ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' October 18, 2009. Web. January 4, 2012.</ref><ref name="Hecht 235">Hecht, 235. ''Google Books''. Web. February 11, 2012 [https://books.google.com/books?id=0GI8lFdH2bYC&
Ted Danson wore a [[Toupée|hairpiece]] to conceal his baldness for the role of Sam Malone during filming of ''Cheers''. His baldness was revealed at the [[42nd Primetime Emmy Awards]] (1990).<ref>Herman, Valli. "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ha4cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dHoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6839%2C6020047 Actor Wins Praise for Appearing Without Hair Piece]." ''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]''. Rpt. in ''[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]'' September 24, 1990: 5E. ''Google News''. Web. January 31, 2012.</ref> In the episode "It's Lonely on the Top" (1993), Sam Malone reveals his baldness to Carla ([[Rhea Perlman]]).
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Danson earned {{USD|450,000}} per episode as Sam Malone during the last few years of ''Cheers''.<ref name="Baltimore finale">Zurawik, David. "[http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1993-05-16/features/1993136158_1_cheers-mary-tyler-moore-thick 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]]'' May 16, 1993. Web. January 17, 2012.</ref><ref name="1991 salary">Lippman, John. "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=dBzKUGQurMsC&dat=19910210 Future of `Cheers' uncertain]." ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' February 7, 1991: 1D. Rpt. in ''[[The Gainesville Sun]]'' [Gainesville, FL] February 10, 1991: 7D. ''Google News''. Web. January 17, 2012.</ref> In the final season of ''Cheers'' (1992–93), Danson decided to stop portraying Sam Malone, which contributed to the end of ''Cheers''. Danson said about the way the character changed, "He got older, you know ... [the writers] 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."<ref name="Baltimore finale"/> The producers tried to continue the show without Ted Danson, and they attempted to move the show to the [[first-run syndication]], but these ideas were shelved.<ref name=nytimes1993/>
{{
===Characterization and analysis===
Sam's on-screen relationships with Diane and Rebecca were inspired by works about the "mixture of romance and antagonism of two people, [portrayed by [[Spencer Tracy]] and [[Katharine Hepburn]]], in a competitive situation".<ref name="Dusty Saunders 1987">{{cite news|author=Saunders, Dusty|title=Many changes in store for 'Cheers'|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wfJJAAAAIBAJ
Sam is subject to a satire of masculinity. He is described as "a sleazy, promiscuous, aggressive, exhibitionistic narcissist",<ref name=hundley219>Hundley, p. 219</ref> one of the "new macho [heroes]" of the 1980s pop culture, "the target of humor," and not a "likely [candidate] to lead the post-feminist counter revolution."<ref>Tankel and Banks. pp. 287–9.</ref><ref name="Miami Vice"/> A new macho hero of the 1980s is the opposite of a pre-1980s macho hero that "constituted an antifeminist backlash".<ref name="Miami Vice">Kibby, Marjorie. "[http://www.miamivicechronicles.com/representing-masculinity/ Representing Masculinity]." ''[[University of Newcastle (Australia)|The University of Newcastle]]'' [Australia] (1997). ''Miami Vice Chronicles''. Web. January 17, 2012.</ref><ref>Tankel and Banks. p. 286.</ref>
Steve Craig from the [[University of North Texas]] wrote in his 1993 journal that Sam is a parody of "traditional male values" and of a negative stereotype of masculinity. Craig wrote that Sam's attempts to define and exemplify "his version of masculinity" are satirized throughout the series "to explore gender identity" without threatening the viewer's own definition of one's own gender.<ref>Craig. pp. 15–6.</ref> In his 2011 book ''[[Primetime Propaganda]]'', [[Ben Shapiro]], an American conservative commentator, called Sam "a dog, a feminist caricature of men", and a cultural representation of the "lower-class conservative," in contrast to portrayer Ted Danson, who identifies himself as liberal.<ref name="Shapiro, Ben. p. 122">Shapiro, Ben. p. 122.</ref><ref>Shapiro, Ben. p. 122–123.</ref> Glen Charles, a creator of ''Cheers'', considered 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".<ref name="Shapiro, Ben. p. 122"/>
Heather Hundley wrote that the series sends "double standards" about promiscuous men and women. Hundley said that Sam is portrayed as heroic.<ref name=hundley219/> She further wrote that Sam never suffers from consequences of his promiscuity and has been happily single and childless,<ref name=hundley219/><ref name=hundley217>Hundley, p. 217</ref> while it portrays Carla Tortelli as a "nymphomaniac"<ref>Hundley, p. 207</ref> who regrets her own promiscuities, which lead to out-of-wedlock pregnancies.<ref name=hundley218/> She said the series' portrayal of premarital sex is "negative and unhealthy", omitting other dangers of promiscuity such as [[sexually transmitted disease]]s and [[HIV/AIDS]].<ref name=hundley218>Hundley, p. 218</ref> Mark LaFlamme of the ''[[Sun Journal (Lewiston)|Sun Journal]]'' called Sam's relationship with Rebecca Howe "mundane" and his flirtation with her "bawdy".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sunjournal.com/news/street-talk/2013/10/23/street-talk-wearing-black-socks-and-leather-coat-b/1440294 |first=Mark |last=LaFlamme |title=Street Talk: Wearing black socks and a leather coat at the beach |date=October 23, 2013 |work=[[Sun Journal (Lewiston)]] }}</ref>
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{{quote box|width=25em|salign=right|2=—[[John Ratzenberger]], actor|1=Ted's a true leading man [...] If there's any kind of ripple in the chemistry of the show, he'll address it personally. He doesn't just read his lines and go back home.<ref name="Rosenthal" />}}
[[Bill Simmons]] writing for [[ESPN]] praised Danson's performance for giving life and color to Sam Malone.<ref name=simmons>{{cite news|work=[[ESPN]]|date=February 21, 2002|url=http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020221|
Woody Harrelson, who played Woody Boyd, called Sam the person who brings an ensemble together. [[Roger Rees]], who portrayed Robin Colcord in ''Cheers'', said that no other character could fill in Sam Malone's spot if he was written out of the show.<ref name=Rosenthal/> Rees also said that the show would not survive without Sam and Danson.<ref name=Rosenthal/> Television critic Phil Rosenthal from ''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]'' said Danson's performance as Sam was irreplaceable and that no other actor could capture Sam's "sexiness, vulnerability, and goofiness". Rosenthal credited Sam Malone for helping the series survive by becoming the show's central character.<ref name=Rosenthal>{{cite news|page=L21|date=1990-11-04|df=mdy|title=Barkeep Sam Keeps Show, Cast at the Top |first=Phil |last=Rosenthal |work=[[Los Angeles Daily News]] |via=NewsBank }}</ref>
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According to a 1993 article in ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazine, newspaper columnist [[Mike Royko]] chose Diane to be with Sam. Novelist [[Jackie Collins]] picked Rebecca. Celebrated personality [[Zsa Zsa Gabor]] chose both as Sam's potential partner. Tennis player [[Martina Navratilova]] found Sam too good for either of them. Novelist-archaeologist [[Clive Cussler]] said Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman) was "Sam's best bet."<ref>{{cite web|last=Lipton|first=Michael A.|title=Lights Out at Sam's Place|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=May 24, 1993|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20110481,00.html}}</ref>
Sam's appearance in ''Frasier'' received mixed notices. Scott D. Pierce from ''[[The Deseret News]]'' found him too "old and [tiring]."<ref name=deseret>{{cite news|author=Pierce, Scott D.|date=February 21, 1995|page=C8|title=Sam visits ''Frasier'', but reunion is sort of a letdown|newspaper=[[The Deseret News]]|location=Salt Lake City}} Record no. at ''[[NewsBank]]'': 9502210256.</ref> Nevertheless, John Martin, a syndicate writer from ''[[The New York Times]]'', enjoyed Sam's interaction with main characters of ''Frasier''.<ref name=john-martin>{{cite news|author=Martin, John, from ''[[The New York Times]]''|page=D2|newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]]|title=''Cheers'' star visits ''Frasier''|date=February 21, 1995|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IV1WAAAAIBAJ
===Accolades===
The role of Sam Malone earned Ted Danson two [[Primetime Emmy Award|Emmy Awards]] as the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series]]: one [[47th Primetime Emmy Awards|in 1990]]<ref>Bjorklund e-Book, p. 461.</ref> and another [[50th Primetime Emmy Awards|in 1993]].<ref>Bjorklund e-Book, p. 463.</ref> It also earned Danson two [[Golden Globe Award]]s as the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy|Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series]]: one [[47th Golden Globe Awards|in 1990]]<ref>{{cite news |author=Hollywood Foreign Press Association |date=January 22, 1990 |title=47th Annual Golden Globes |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=foIwAAAAIBAJ
==References==
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===Bibliography===
* {{cite book|
* Craig, Steve. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20070625104942/http://www.rtvf.unt.edu/html/craig/pdfs/gender.PDF Selling Masculinities, Selling Femininities: Multiple Genders and the Economics of Television]." ''The Mid-Atlantic Almanack'' 2 (1993): 15–27. ''[[Internet Archive]] Wayback Machine''. 1–21. Web. January 14, 2011.
* Hecht, Jennifer Michael. ''The Happiness Myth: Why What We Think is Right is Wrong: A History of What Really Makes Us Happy''. New York: [[HarperCollins]], 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-06-081397-0}}.
* {{cite book|author=Hundley, Heather|editor1-last=Winn|editor1-first=J. Emmett |editor2-last=Brinson|editor2-first=Susan L|title=Transmitting the Past: Historical and Cultural Perspectives on Broadcasting|year=2005|pages=205+|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-_Ugz8LozusC|
* [[Ben Shapiro|Shapiro, Ben]]. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ymAWgveoxW8C Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV]''. New York: [[HarperCollins|Broadside–HarperCollins]], 2011. ''Google Books''. Web. January 15, 2012. {{ISBN|978-0-06-193477-3}}.
* Tankel, J. D., and B. J. Banks. "The Boys of Prime Time: An Analysis of `New' Male Roles in Television." ''Communication and Culture: Language, Performance, Technology, and Media'' 4 (1990): 285–95. Print.
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{{Cheers}}
{{Boston Red Sox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Sam}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1982]]
[[Category:Cheers characters]]
[[Category:Fictional American people of Irish descent]]▼
[[Category:Fictional bartenders]]
[[Category:Fictional baseball players]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from Boston]]
[[Category:Fictional alcohol abusers]]
[[Category:
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