Season One Episode 16 The Boys in the Bar
Diane: He really hasn't changed; he's still the same guy you used to tinkle off balconies with. (No Norm entrance this week)
Pop culture often lags behind the world it reflects while outpacing reality in its aspirational intent and, while The Boys in the Bar had the noblest of intentions in 1983, it's a little cringe-worthy today. We've grown to love the Cheers gang over the first season, but they hit the height of collective douchery here, threatening to desert their favourite watering hole just because Sam refuses to kick out some gay customers who weren't actually gay, just stylish and well-groomed...well one of 'em--gay rights trailblazer, Michael Kearns--does kinda look like he's headed to an upscale leather bar. The gang's paranoia about Cheers turning into a gay bar's laughable, but I recall my own dear dad's concern when I started hitting gay bars that "they'll try to turn you gay" as though that were possible. That was in '96, so one can imagine the wave of mass ignorance we witness in this '83 episode.
Sam's old Red Sox teammate and partner in tail-chasing shenanigans, Tom Kenderson, is promoting his autobiography at the bar; Sam's been bragging about how they "used to do everything together" until he realizes the book details Tom's struggles accepting his homosexuality. Sam gracelessly does all he can to distance himself in front of the cameras before Diane does her usual Jiminy Cricket bit, reminding him that Tom's still the same guy he always was, so Sam does the right thing and proudly stands by his old chum; hell, Sam figures the sensitive angle might even help get him "more action than cheap wine". But the newspaper coverage throws Norm, Cliff, and most of the gang into a tizzy, as they fear Cheers will be branded a gay bar. Diane inadvertently sets off a pink menace panic when she mentions to the guys that a couple gay men are in the bar already. Everyone's a suspect--even Cliff, who Norm notes hasn't had a date in quite some time; by this metric, I'm flippin' Freddie Mercury! Speaking of Mercury and his Castro clone 'stache, I love how they use extras here as red herrings--there are more mustaches in this episode's pool room scene than almost the entire season!
The aforementioned stylish young bucks order light beers and let Sam know how much they appreciated him standing by Tom, so they become the prime suspects, and this is where Norm (wearing flannel to really butch it up) and the boys insist Sam ask the gentlemen to leave. Sam almost does, but mans up and orders them a round on the house instead. So Sam's regulars threaten to leave Cheers for Clancy's down the street, totally unaware that the two actual gay men have already infiltrated their angry mob. Norm tricks the would-be homosexuals into thinking last call comes at 7 pm on the first Thursday of every month, and everyone leaves, only to flood back in once the offending men have gone. But Diane reveals the gay guys are still there as the two men step out from the redneck mob, flank Norm, and plant smooches on his cheeks, after which Norm calmly notes that one of them's a better kisser than Vera. According to the writers, the scene got hardly any laughs with just the kiss, so the Vera line was added and got a better response. Roll credits.
Gay men on '80s TV tended to fall into two campy camps: the chaste saint or the horny fairy; sometimes you'd find a horny saint or a chaste fairy, but there wasn't much room in the mainstream for three-dimensional gay characters in the mainstream who weren't defined by anything other than their sexuality. And, with some exceptions, anyone who did get a shot at some real depth usually wound up HIV positive. So what Cheers does here in presenting a macho sporty guy coming out was actually fairly forward thinking, and, as far as I know, both writers Ken Levine and David Isaacs are straight, so haters couldn't accuse them of pushing any agenda besides love and acceptance. In the Facts of Life/Family Ties sitcom era of 'very special episodes', Cheers neatly sidesteps moralizing, but makes its point. When Norm warns, "You know what kind of bar this could turn into", Sam replies, "It's not gonna turn into the kind of bar that I have to throw people out of." Word!
Trivia
- Al Rosen makes his first of 87 credited and uncredited appearances here as the yet-to-be-named lovable curmudgeon, Al.
- The Alliance for Gay and Lesbian Artists in the Entertainment Industry (AGLA) awarded this episode in 1983 for its "realistic (depiction) of homosexuals".
- Writers Ken Levine and Davis Isaacs were inspired to write this episode by MLB player, Glenn Burke, the first baller to come out while still playing. Along with teammate, Dusty Baker, Burke's also widely credited with creating what we now know as the high five! Naturally, sports TV gives the straight guy more credit:
Guest Stars
Former NFL/CFL quarterback (under the name Carlos Brown) and future Mayor of Fresno, Alan Autry, guests as Sam's former teammate, Tom Kenderson. Autry's probably best known for his role as Bubba Skinner in the TV version of In The Heat of the Night, and after his two-term tenure as mayor, he resumed his acting career, recurring in the role he was born for as Mayor Gainey on Hart of Dixie. Autry's also a musician, joining forces with his In the Heat of the Night co-star Randall Franks, recording country and gospel music for various charities.
Harry Anderson returns for the cold open as con man Harry Gittes. I've already sung his praises in another blog, and his big moment's coming up in three more episodes for the all-time classic, Pick a Con...Any Con, so I'll save more Harry-related content for then.
Kenneth Tigar plays the gay guy on Norm's left (our right) who gives him a peck on the cheek. Tigar's a character actor who's definitely attained, "hey, I know that guy!" status over a career in TV and film that's lasted five decades. Tigar's recurred on everything from Barney Miller to Dallas and House of Cards; fluent in German (having translated many German plays to English), he popped up in Marvel's The Avengers in the small-but-pivotal role of "German Old Man". Tigar shows up again in season 4's episode, Don Juan Is Hell, playing Dr. Lowell Greenspon!
Stray Thoughts
Out writer, David Lee, wouldn't join the writing staff until season 3, but I wonder what tweaks he might've suggested. Lee went on to co-create Frasier, and that show was as queer as a three dollar bill. Whether through the writing or by casting gay men in the roles of Frasier's brother, dad, and co-workers, David Lee helped create a much more progressive show than Cheers was in season one. But Frasier debuted 10 years after The Boys in The Bar, so the cultural landscape had started to shift from that ugly word 'tolerance' to something slightly closer to acceptance.
The lack of a gay character in the main cast was no surprise for '83, but one area Cheers flunked hard was inclusivity. Sitcom segregation was a real thing at the time, but the lack of anyone other than whitey on this show is kinda shameful. I know for a fact that the first black man to get a single line on Cheers was Keenen Ivory Wayans in Episode 2 as "Customer #1", and I find it funny that this lily-white show cast a man with "Ivory" as his middle name for its first actor of colour.
Some thoughts from co-writer, Ken Levine on this episode:
Some thoughts from co-writer, Ken Levine on this episode:
The Boys in the Band--this ep's titular inspiration. I love the narration: "It's NOT a musical"
While Cliff had some hangups about gay men, John Ratzenberger was more evolved in real life, making his onscreen debut in this bathhouse comedy of errors from director Dick Lester
Now a couple New Years faves to bid farewell to the decade:
Mary Margaret O'Hara's delivery meets the dictionary definition of 'wistful' on this Frank Loesser standard
I DJ'd a wedding where the couple chose this as their song, and it was soo sweet!
And today (Dec. 29th) is Ted Danson's birthday! Thanks for reading--see you in 2020!
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