Sam Malone

Samuel "Mayday" Malone is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television show ''Cheers'', portrayed by Ted Danson and created by Glen and Les Charles. Sam is a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox baseball team who owns and tends 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''. Sam has an on-again, off-again relationship with the bar waitress Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) for the series' first five seasons until 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''.

Other actors auditioned for the role. Producers decided to give Danson the role primarily for his chemistry 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 Awards as an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1990 and 1993 and two Golden Globe Awards as a 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." Give Me a Ring Sometime." ''Cheers: Season 1: The Complete First Season on DVD''. Paramount, 2003. DVD."Sam at Eleven." 1982. ''Cheers: Season 1: The Complete First Season on DVD''. Writ. Glen Charles and Les Charles. Paramount, 2003. DVD. Chronologically within the series, Sam, who is Irish Catholic, dropped out of high school in his senior year to play professional baseball."Teacher's Pet". 1985. ''Cheers: Season 3: The Complete Third Season on DVD''. Paramount, 2004. DVD. He has one older brother, Derek, who seems to be a polymath and is a highly successful international lawyer. Derek and Sam are not close, and Sam is also not close to his parents (who it is implied, always favored Derek.)

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".

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 on-and-off relationship with "a bright, attractive graduate student", Diane Chambers (Shelley Long). 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 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" (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" new manager, Rebecca Howe. Within this period, Sam constantly flirts with and attempts to seduce Rebecca, but she rejects all of his advances. 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) group meetings for sex addicts, a referral made by Frasier. In the series finale, " 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"which the ''TV Guide'' implies is the Cheers bar."TV's Best Finales Ever"
''TV Guide'', 2010. Web. 1 June 2012. Record no at '' NewsBank'': 113001A60C3FB35B .

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 customersPaul Krapence and Cliff Clavinduring their engagement. Unbeknownst to Sam, she slept with Frasier, which she does not reveal to Sam.

Skit appearances

Ted Danson reprised the role of Sam Malone in pre-game segments of the 1983 Super Bowl Microfilm. and of one of the baseball games of the 1986 World Series, At '' NewsBank'': . At official website: . Record no. 861005579. '' The Magical World of Disney'' episode "Mickey's 60th Birthday", '' NewsBank'': . Syracuse.com: . Record no. 8811110139. and ''The Simpsons'' episode "Fear of Flying". In the Super Bowl pregame skit, Sam and his customers at the bar chide Diane for not knowing and ridiculing football. They meet Pete Axthelm, an NBC sportscaster who visits the bar.''Super Bowl XVII Pregame''. NBC. January 30, 1983. Television. In the pregame skit of the 1986 World Series game, Bob Costas interviews Sam at the bar. In "Mickey's 60th Birthday", Sam forgets Rebecca's birthday and begs Mickey Mouse to sing "Happy Birthday to You" as her birthday present. Rebecca chooses Mickey over Sam, who still wants to seduce her."Mickey's 60th Birthday". '' The Magical World of Disney''. NBC. November 13, 1988. Television. In ''The Simpsons'', Sam is dating twins while trying to marry Diane without Rebecca knowing.

Development

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'', adapted from the nonfiction book of the same name, as Officer Ian Campbell, who was murdered by two criminals. Danson also appeared in ''Taxi'' episode, "The Unkindest Cut" (1982), as one-time character Vincenzo Senaca—"a flamboyant and decidedly effeminate hairdresser, who ruined Elaine's but got his comeuppance at the end." ''Cheers'' creators 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. Ed O'Neill auditioned for the role but did not win the part. John Lithgow missed the audition because he was ill.

Originally, Sam Malone was intended "to be a former wide receiver for the American football team, New England Patriots."Meade, Peter.
We'll Cry In Our Beers As Sam, Diane Split
" ''Spartanburg Herald-Journal TV Update'' partanburg, NCApril 29, 1984: 14. ''Google News''. Web. January 21, 2012. 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. The character then evolved into a former relief pitcher for the baseball team Boston Red Sox. To prepare for the role, Danson attended a bartending school in Burbank, California.

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" and a womanizer who casually dates and has sex with various women "who want to have fun".Craig, Steve. p. 15Hecht, 235. ''Google Books''. Web. February 11, 201

However, his relationships invariably fail.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. January 31, 2011. Les Charles said that Sam was a "straight man" to Diane; after Shelley Long's departure, he became more "carefree" and a "goof-off."

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 42nd Primetime Emmy Awards (1990). In the episode "It's Lonely on the Top" (1993), Sam Malone reveals his baldness to Carla (Rhea Perlman).

Danson earned per episode as Sam Malone during the last few years of ''Cheers''.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'' May 16, 1993. Web. January 17, 2012.Lippman, John.
Future of `Cheers' uncertain
" ''Los Angeles Times'' February 7, 1991: 1D. Rpt. in ''The Gainesville Sun'' ainesville, FLFebruary 10, 1991: 7D. ''Google News''. Web. January 17, 2012. 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 ... he writerstried 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." 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.

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, ortrayed by Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn">Spencer_Tracy.html" ;"title="ortrayed by Spencer Tracy">ortrayed by Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn], in a competitive situation".

Sam is subject to a satire of masculinity. He is described as "a sleazy, promiscuous, aggressive, exhibitionistic narcissist",Hundley, p. 219 one of the "new macho eroes of the 1980s pop culture, "the target of humor," and not a "likely andidateto lead the post-feminist counter revolution." A new macho hero of the 1980s is the opposite of a pre-1980s macho hero that "constituted an antifeminist backlash".Kibby, Marjorie.
Representing Masculinity
" '' The University of Newcastle'' ustralia(1997). ''Miami Vice Chronicles''. Web. January 17, 2012.

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. 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.Shapiro, Ben. p. 122. Glen Charles, a creator of ''Cheers'', considered Sam "a spokesman for a large group of people who thought that he women's movementwas a bunch of bull and look with disdain upon people who don't think it was".

Heather Hundley wrote that the series sends "double standards" about promiscuous men and women. Hundley said that Sam is portrayed as heroic. She further wrote that Sam never suffers from consequences of his promiscuity and has been happily single and childless,Hundley, p. 217 while it portrays Carla Tortelli as a "nymphomaniac" who regrets her own promiscuities, which lead to out-of-wedlock pregnancies. She said the series' portrayal of premarital sex is "negative and unhealthy", omitting other dangers of promiscuity such as sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS.Hundley, p. 218 Mark LaFlamme of the '' Sun Journal'' called Sam's relationship with Rebecca Howe "mundane" and his flirtation with her "bawdy".

Throughout most of ''Cheers'', Sam is "allowed to be happy nd to livea rich life". Towards the end of the series' run, however, Sam undergoes therapy for sex addiction. In a 1995 episode of ''Frasier'' called "The Show Where Sam Shows Up", Sam is depicted as a self-identified sexual addict; he gets help from group meetings and commits to changing himself.Hecht, 236. ''Amazon.com'' Web. February 11, 201

Use search term "cheers sam" for results there.

Sam Malone has been compared with some of Ted Danson's later roles. In 1998, David Bianculli from ''New York Daily News'' called Danson's guest appearance as a plumber in ''Veronica's Closet'' Sam Malone's "close cousin: a confident womanizer, and not the brightest guy in the room".Bianculli, David.
Deja Coup: Kirstie & Ted Together Again 'Cheers' Alumni Meeting Brightens 'closet'
" ''New York Daily News'' February 5, 1998. Web. March 29, 2012. In 1999, Danson said that Sam Malone and John Becker (''Becker'') are both "very lonely men".Meisler, Adam.
Aging and Grumpy but With a Bit of Sam Malone
" ''The New York Times'' December 12, 1999: 3. Web. March 29, 2012
Whole article
/ref>

First-run reception

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. Rees also said that the show would not survive without Sam and Danson. 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.

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), Sam Malone was a top favorite character by 26%. The survey asked which character Sam should marry. 21% voted Diane Chambers, 19% voted Rebecca Howe, 48% voted Sam to stay single, and 12% had "no opinion" on this matter.Mills, Kim I.
TV viewers glad Sam stayed single
" '' The Sunday Gazette'' chenectady, NYMay 2, 1993: A3. ''Google News''. Web. January 21, 2012. In this web source, scroll down to see its headline.Leefler, Pete.
Show Piles Up Viewer Cheers
" ''The Morning Call'' llentown, NYMay 2, 1993: A01. Web. January 17, 2012. When asked which character should star in a spin-off, 15% voted Sam, 12% voted Woody Boyd (Woody Harrelson), 10% voted Norm Peterson (George Wendt), and 29% voted no spin-offs. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), whose own spin-off ''Frasier'' debuted in September 1993, was voted by 2% to have his own show.

According to a 1993 article in ''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."

Sam's appearance in ''Frasier'' received mixed notices. Scott D. Pierce from ''The Deseret News'' found him too "old and iring" Record no. at '' NewsBank'': 9502210256. Nevertheless, John Martin, a syndicate writer from ''The New York Times'', enjoyed Sam's interaction with main characters of ''Frasier''. ''Google News Archive''. Frazier Moore from ''The Associated Press'' called Sam's appearance a ratings ploy but a must-see for a ''Cheers'' fan and any other viewer who lacks interest in the show ''Frasier''. ''Google News Archive''.

Retrospective reception

Bill Simmons writing for ESPN praised Danson's performance for giving life and color to Sam Malone. In ''The Complete Idiot's Guide'' book, John Steve and Carey Rossi said Sam Malone " ringsmagic to establishment" and is praised for "successfully running 'Cheers''"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. ''The Shark Guys'' website ranked Sam at number three on its list of the "top ten coolest bartenders of all time"."The Top 10 Coolest Bartenders of All Time (Part 2)." ''The Shark Guys'' February 29, 2008. Web. May 21, 2012 . In a 2009 NPR interview, Terry Gross called Sam "the opposite of intellectual".

In a January 2023 episode of an NPR radio talk show ''Pop Culture Happy Hour'', a radio listener calling remarked how Sam's "relentless predatory behavior toward his female coworkers" in "a show about sexual harassment in the workplace" would disturb today's contemporary viewers. In response, a cohost Linda Holmes said, despite the series's "hard" portrayal of Sam and Diane as a "mutual" relationship:

Sam is, in a bunch of different ways, a completely inappropriate person. He's an inappropriate boss. He's also inappropriate to women who come into the bar. He hits on every woman who comes into the bar. He is a very bad example of how you would want an actual person to behave.

Another cohost Aisha Harris also described him as "a vapid horndog" in the series "about people who, for the most part, are pretty terrible". However, Holmes and Harris further said that Sam has some depths, layers, and feelings, like other characters of the series.

Accolades

The role of Sam Malone earned Ted Danson two Emmy Awards as the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: one in 1990 and another in 1993. It also earned Danson two Golden Globe Awards as the Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series: one in 1990 and another in 1991. Danson was awarded an American Comedy Award as the Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series.

References

;Notes

;Primary sources
From ''Cheers'':

From others:

;Non-primary sources

Bibliography

*
* Craig, Steve.
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. .
*
* Shapiro, Ben.
Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV
'. New York: Broadside–HarperCollins, 2011. ''Google Books''. Web. January 15, 2012. .
* 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.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Sam
American male characters in sitcoms
Television characters introduced in 1982
Cheers characters
Fictional bartenders
Fictional baseball players
Fictional businesspeople
Fictional characters from Boston
Fictional alcohol abusers
Fictional American people of Irish descent