Sam Malone: Difference between revisions

** "[[The Show Where Sam Shows Up]]" (1995)

| nationality = [[United States|American]]

'''Samuel''' "'''Mayday'''" '''Malone'''<ref>Bjorklund e-Book, p. 141</ref> (also regularly called '''Sammy''') is a fictional character on the American television show ''[[Cheers]]'', portrayed by [[Ted Danson]] and created by [[Glen and Les Charles]]. The central characterprotagonist of the series, Sam, is a former [[relief pitcher]] for the [[Boston Red Sox]] baseball team, iswho the ownerowns and bartender oftends 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''.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}} Sam has an [[Sam and Diane|on-again, off-again relationship]] with the bar waitress [[Diane Chambers]] ([[Shelley Long]]) for the series' first five seasons until [[I Do, Adieu|her departure from the series]]. Then he tries to seduce Diane's replacement, [[Rebecca Howe]] ([[Kirstie Alley]]), who frequently rejects his advances. Sam also appears in "[[The Show Where Sam Shows Up]]", a crossover episode of the spin-off ''[[Frasier]]''.

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&lpg=PA19&dq=cheers%20sam&pg=PA16#v=onepage&q&f=false Watching What We Watch: Prime-Time Television Through the Lens of Faith]''. Louisville, KY: [[Westminster John Knox]] Press, 2001. Web. February 11, 2012. {{ISBN|0-664-22696-5}}.</ref>

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&lpgpg=PA243 The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946 – present]''. Paperback ed. New York: Ballantine-Random House, 2007. ''Google News''. Web. January 31, 2012.</ref> One time after Sam and Diane ended their on-and-off relationship, in "Rebound, Part One" (episode 45, 1984), Sam relapses into alcoholism and excessively womanizes. Diane finds this out from Coach, and involves her new love interest [[Frasier Crane]] ([[Kelsey Grammer]]) in helping Sam slowly regain his sobriety in the following episode, "Rebound, Part Two". In the three-part episode "Strange Bedfellows" (episodes 93–95, 1986), Sam dates an intelligent, attractive politician Janet Eldridge ([[Kate Mulgrew]]), who eventually ends the relationship because of Sam's visible feelings for Diane. Throughout the [[Cheers (season 5)|fifth season]] (1986–87), Sam cyclically proposes to Diane, but she rejects every proposal until, in "Chambers vs. Malone" (episode 108, 1987), Diane finally accepts his latest proposal. In "[[I Do, Adieu]]" (episode 121, 1987), Sam and Diane try to marry but call off the wedding to let her start a supposedly promising writing career.

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), Sam devastatingly tells Rebecca that he has no feelings for her. In "The Days of Wine and Neuroses" (1990), Sam rejects Rebecca's advances one night while she is drunk over her doubts when now-impoverished Robin proposed to her. In the tenth season (1991–92), they try to conceive a child, but by then, they have decided to stay friends. In "The Guy Can't Help It" (1993), Sam plays with the idea of marrying Rebecca (as a safety net "in case no one better comes along"), but several bar patrons and even Carla tell Sam his womanizing is getting him nowhere, prompting him to join Dr. Robert Sutton's ([[Gilbert Lewis (actor)|Gilbert Lewis]]) group meetings for sex addicts, a referral made by Frasier. In the series finale, "[[One for the Road (Cheers)|One for the Road]]" (1993), Sam reunites with Diane after six years of separation. They try to rekindle their relationship, but just before they fly off together to California, Sam and Diane begin to have doubts about their future together, and they re-separate. Sam returns to the bar, where his friends celebrate his return. Then, when Norm and Sam remain while everyone else leaves, Norm reassures Sam that Sam would return and never leave his one "true love"{{mdash}}which the ''[[TV Guide]]'' implies is the Cheers bar.<ref name=tvguidefinale>[http://www.tvguide.com/special/finale-preview/PhotoGallery/TVs-Best-Finales-1004611/1004625 "TV's Best Finales Ever"]. ''[[TV Guide]]'', 2010. Web. 1 June 2012.</ref><ref name=geronimo>{{cite news|title=TV's favorite bar turns off the tap|author=Liner, Elaine|page=A1|date=May 21–22, 1993|newspaper=[[Corpus Christi Caller-Times]]|location=Texas}} Record no at ''[[NewsBank]]'': 113001A60C3FB35B {{registration required}}.</ref>

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}}includingPaul Krapence and [[Cliff Clavin]]{{mdash}}during their engagement. Unbeknownst to Sam, she slept with Frasier, which she does not reveal to Sam.

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&q=%22ted+danson%22+%22onion+field%22+campbell+-wikipedia&pg=PA560 |title=Roger Ebert's Four-Star Reviews: 1967–2007 |year=2007 |pages=559–60 |access-date=August 23, 2015 |via=Google Books |isbn=9780740771798 |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |publisher=Andrews McMeel }}</ref> Danson also appeared in ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'' episode, "The Unkindest Cut" (1982), as one-time character Vincenzo Senaca—"a flamboyant and decidedly effeminate hairdresser, who ruined Elaine's {{sic|[[Lock of hair|locks]]}} but got his comeuppance at the end."<ref>{{cite journalmagazine |first1=Alan |last1=Frutkin |first2=Gerry |last2=Kroll |date=August 20, 1996 |title=Gays on the tube |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T2MEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22ted+danson%22+hairdresser+taxi+-wikipedia+elaine&pg=PA16 |journalmagazine=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]] |page=16 |via=Google Books |access-date=August 23, 2015 }}</ref> ''Cheers'' creators [[Glen Charles|Glen]] and [[Les Charles]]—along with [[James Burrows]]—were executive consultants for the episode. Danson, [[William Devane]] and [[Fred Dryer]] were shortlisted for the role of Sam Malone.<ref name=audition/> [[Ed O'Neill]] auditioned for the role but did not win the part.<ref name=oneillpeople>{{cite journalmagazine|last1=Gliatto |first1=Tom|first2=John |last2=Griffiths|journalmagazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20113790,00.html|access-date=April 6, 2012|title=At Last, Ed O'Neill Knows...Sort Of...What It's Like to Be Ryan O'Neal|date=December 3, 1990}}</ref> [[John Lithgow]] missed the audition because he was ill.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iK5dAAAAIBAJ&dq=cheers%20comedy&pg=1074%2C5004379|first=Jerry|last=Buck|title=He could have been a star of ''Cheers''|date=April 27, 1986|agency=Associated Press|page=F5|work=Observer-Reporter|location=[[Washington, Pennsylvania]]}}</ref>

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&lpg=PA166&pg=PA166#v=onepage Television's Strangest Moments: Extraordinary but True Tales from the History of Television]''. London: Robson–Chrysalis, 2005. 166. ''Google Books''. Web. February 10, 2012.</ref> The character then evolved into a former [[relief pitcher]] for the baseball team [[Boston Red Sox]].<ref name=audition/> To prepare for the role, Danson attended a bartending school in [[Burbank, California]].<ref>{{cite news|title= NBC COMEDY 'CHEERS' TURNS INTO A SUCCESS|work= The New York Times|date=November 29, 1983|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/29/arts/nbc-comedy-cheers-turns-into-a-success.html?scp=14&sq=sam%20malone%20cheers&st=cse|access-date=August 16, 2010 | first=Peter | last=Kerr}}</ref>

{{quoteblockquote|1=I had no idea how unintelligent [Sam] was. At first I thought he was making these{{mdash}}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&nbsp;...&nbsp;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.<ref name=NPR/>|2=Ted Danson|3=NPR's "[[Fresh Air]]", September 17, 2009}}

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&lpg=PA235&dqq=cheers%20sam%20diane%20frasier%20sex+sam&pg=PA235#v=onepage&q=cheers%20sam&f=false].</ref> However, his relationships invariably fail.<ref name="how not">Blake, Marc. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=6qPSpNwvn4sC&lpg=PT81&vqq=sam%20malone&pg=PT81#v=snippet&q=sam%20malone&f=false 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. January 31, 2011.</ref> Les Charles said that Sam was a "[[double act|straight man]]" to Diane; after Shelley Long's departure, he became more "carefree" and a "goof-off."<ref name="Harmetz 1C">{{cite news|last=Harmetz|first=Alijean|title=Changes on tap at 'Cheers'|work=[[The Ledger]]|date=September 23, 1987|page=1C+|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g79OAAAAIBAJ&dq=sam%20diane%20cheers&pg=1701%2C3967090}}</ref>

{{quoteblockquote|1=Some people think ''Cheers'' is 'Cheers'—the bar is the soul of the show. Other people think ''Cheers'' is Cheers plus Sam, and Sam is the soul. Because (Danson) had chicken pox, we had to do one {{sic|show}} ["The Ghost and Mrs. LeBec" (1990)] without Sam, and it was a challenge. He's the one who's everyone's friend. He's the one who tells the truth. He's the one who takes care of everybody.<ref name="Rosenthal" />|2=Cheri Eichen|3=''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]'', November 1990}}

[[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|access-date=June 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210085522/http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons%2F020221|archive-date=December 10, 2008|author=Simmons, Bill|title=Page 2: Dear Sports Guy...|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In ''The [[Complete Idiot's Guide]]'' book, John Steve and Carey Rossi said Sam Malone "[brings] magic to establishment" and is praised for "successfully running [''Cheers'']."<ref name=Idiot>John Steve, and Carey Rossi. ''The [[Complete Idiot's Guide]] to Starting and Running a Bar''. New York: Alpha, 2008. ''Google Books''. Web. January 14, 2012.</ref> ''The Shark Guys'' website ranked Sam at number three on its list of the "top ten coolest bartenders of all time".<ref name="ten coolest">"The Top 10 Coolest Bartenders of All Time (Part 2)." ''The Shark Guys'' February 29, 2008. Web. May 21, 2012 {{cite web |url=http://www.thesharkguys.com/lists/the-top-10-coolest-bartenders-of-all-time-part-2/ |title=ArchivedMovie copyand Television Bartenders |access-date=2012-05-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222123442/http://www.thesharkguys.com/lists/the-top-10-coolest-bartenders-of-all-time-part-2/ |archive-date=February 22, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}.</ref> In a 2009 [[NPR]] interview, [[Terry Gross]] called Sam "the opposite of intellectual".<ref name=NPR>{{cite interview|work=[[NPR]]|subject=Danson, Ted|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=112884242|access-date=January 11, 2012|date=September 17, 2009|title=Ted Danson, On Life (And 'Death') After ''Cheers''|interviewer=David Bianculli}}</ref>

* {{cite book|authorlast=Bjorklund, |first=Dennis A|edition=e-Book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pEN6sTeG20AC|title=Cheers TV Show: A Comprehensive Reference|publisher=Praetorian Publishing|isbn=9780967985237|date=September 2014}}

[[Category:CrossoverFictional charactersIrish-American in televisionpeople]]