Cheers Season One Ep 19 Pick a Con...Any Con
Diane: What are the stakes?
Sam: If I win, I get to go to bed with you.
Diane: What if I win?
Sam: You get to go to bed with me.
Diane: Forget it.
Sam: I understand. You, ah, you'd rather earn it.
I can't sum up this episode better than gonzo_83 does in their imdb user review: "It's like The Sting but way cooler. I don't think I've ever seen a better constructed plot in a TV show than this episode." Word! The late great David Angell delivers an all-time classic with his first Cheers script. I might change my mind as I revisit more episodes, but Pick a Con...Any Con is currently my favourite Cheers episode of all time, working just as well for me at a jaded forty-three as it did when I was six. And the way the Matryoshka doll-style con within a con also cons the viewer? Genius! This is the kind of quality script that makes other writers seriously reconsider their vocation.
Harry Anderson's two prior appearances as mercurial flimflam man, Harry "The Hat" Gittes, were short and sweet, leaving the audience hungry for more. Fifteen episodes after his first appearance, Harry gets his closeup, yet still remains a beautiful enigma. And Coach steps into the spotlight for the first time since ep 9's Coach Returns to Action. Nick Colasanto (born today, Jan. 19th, 1924!) makes the most of his big moment, swinging from apparent despair to giddy exhilaration, and the guy was robbed at The '83 Emmys. But he lost to Christopher Lloyd for his genius work on Taxi, so I'm kinda okay with it. But the next year? Colasanto lost to Pat Harrington Jr. for his work on One Day at a Time which just doesn't seem right. You'd think dying would help his cause, but Colasanto's third and final nomination wasn't the charm either, with John Larroquette snatching the prize. John Larroquette went on to win two more Emmys for the same role, while Nicky got none, and I'm sure Colasanto didn't work for awards, but I hope he felt the love.
I'm just gonna skip my usual recap, because you've likely seen the episode if you're reading this. Also, I was too wrapped up in the magic to keep proper notes. The real trick is how much time Angell manages to find for character moments with such a packed plot. Diane's incredibly endearing here, whether eagerly and ineptly tending bar for the first time, or providing comically irrelevant commentary during the poker game. And that top/bodice with the poofy gigot sleeves she's got on? Ridiculous! With her outfit and pinned-up hair, Diane looks like she should be hawking cocaine tonics and fruit preserves at a general store circa 1895. But Long looks lovely in lavender, and there's something super-sexy in a Diane Keaton kinda way about how much skin she's NOT showing. Enough about my vanilla kinks, but Shelley Long is tha bomb!
Stray Thought
- I love how Sam and Diane are just openly fight-flirting behind the bar now as their relationship ramps up nearing the season finale. Semi-intimate conversations that used to be reserved for the office are now out in the open, and the gang are every bit as into the will-they-won't-they tension as we are. This episode also offers the rare acknowledgement that there's more socializing than work getting done when Carla interjects, "You two think that you can put your glands on hold long enough to get some work done, huh?"
Trivia
- Given his classic sartorial sensibilities, I always thought Harry's last name was "Gittes" in tribute to Jack Nicholson's Jake Gittes in Chinatown, but it turns out that name was an homage to Nicholson's producer friend...Harry Gittes. So now I'm not so sure.
- While debating their respective ages, Diane figures Sam's "at least six or seven years older" than her; in reality, Ted Danson was born in late '47, while Shelley Long was gifted to the world in '49. I always felt Danson was roughly playing his age--maybe a couple years older--while Long was playing about five years younger.
- Alan Koss, one of the only background barflies to stick around for all eleven seasons (41 episodes total), played 'Alan', which jives with the show's tradition of background players going by their real names (Al, Paul, Phil...). Koss was credited in his first appearance as Alan, and all 39 episodes after this episode as Alan. But, for some odd reason, he's credited here as 'Mike'.
Guest Stars
Reid Shelton plays the scheming con man George Wheeler, and I didn't recognize him with hair, but Shelton originated the role of Daddy Warbucks in the original Broadway production of Annie. Shelton earned a Tony nomination for his work and played the part from '77-'83. After a long career onstage, Shelton turned primarily to TV work through the eighties, guesting on everything from The Golden Girls to Married...With Children. Early HBO subscribers might recall Shelton from his seven season run on 1st & Ten which, at various points, co-starred Delta Burke, Chris Meloni, and a former footballer with a great smile, Orenthal James Simpson. Whatever happened to that guy?
Reid Shelton in Annie
Harry Anderson passed in 2018 at the age of 65, dashing any hopes for a Harry renaissance. After graduating from performing street magic to recurring guest spots on shows like SNL, Anderson's first sitcom role was on Cheers, but it didn't take long for him to get a series of his own, playing the Mel Torme-obsessed Judge Harry T. Stone on Night Court from '84 to '92, even writing and directing a handful of episodes along the way. Next came Dave's World which had Anderson playing humorist Dave Barry for four seasons. Along the way, Anderson made 12 appearances on The Tonight Show, and played a lead role in the TV adaptation of Stephen King's It, but he took a step back from acting after Dave's World, popping up just a handful of times between '97 and '14. Instead, Anderson opened a New Orleans-based "magic, curiosities, and apocrypha" shop named "Spade & Archer Curiosities by Appointment" as well as nightclub, Oswald's Speakeasy, where he'd stage his one-man show, Wise Guy. In '08, He reprised his role as Harry T. Stone on a 30 Rock episode imaginatively titled, The One with the Cast of 'Night Court' alongside fellow Night Court alum, Markie Post (who guests in Cheers second season), and Charlie Robinson. Here's a great example of his act on Merv:
And here's one of his final onscreen appearances:
Don Giller's a legendary archivist among Letterman fans. Here's his Harry Anderson on Letterman compilation:
And here's Harry on $25,000 Pyramid
Here's an interesting curiosity. Harry (sporting an estimable mane to rival Danson's) introduces the internet:
I could go on and on as youtube's a trove of Harry Anderson treasures, but here's one more. Anderson spent his last few years living in Asheville, North Carolina, which I will take as an opportunity to share this gorgeous tune from Edie Brickell and Steve Martin:
And I'll wrap up with a couple songs about gamblers and cheats:
The genius Jeff Healey covering John Hiatt
I was raised on '80s country pop radio and this song was inescapable
Cheers!
Sam: If I win, I get to go to bed with you.
Diane: What if I win?
Sam: You get to go to bed with me.
Diane: Forget it.
Sam: I understand. You, ah, you'd rather earn it.
I can't sum up this episode better than gonzo_83 does in their imdb user review: "It's like The Sting but way cooler. I don't think I've ever seen a better constructed plot in a TV show than this episode." Word! The late great David Angell delivers an all-time classic with his first Cheers script. I might change my mind as I revisit more episodes, but Pick a Con...Any Con is currently my favourite Cheers episode of all time, working just as well for me at a jaded forty-three as it did when I was six. And the way the Matryoshka doll-style con within a con also cons the viewer? Genius! This is the kind of quality script that makes other writers seriously reconsider their vocation.
Harry Anderson's two prior appearances as mercurial flimflam man, Harry "The Hat" Gittes, were short and sweet, leaving the audience hungry for more. Fifteen episodes after his first appearance, Harry gets his closeup, yet still remains a beautiful enigma. And Coach steps into the spotlight for the first time since ep 9's Coach Returns to Action. Nick Colasanto (born today, Jan. 19th, 1924!) makes the most of his big moment, swinging from apparent despair to giddy exhilaration, and the guy was robbed at The '83 Emmys. But he lost to Christopher Lloyd for his genius work on Taxi, so I'm kinda okay with it. But the next year? Colasanto lost to Pat Harrington Jr. for his work on One Day at a Time which just doesn't seem right. You'd think dying would help his cause, but Colasanto's third and final nomination wasn't the charm either, with John Larroquette snatching the prize. John Larroquette went on to win two more Emmys for the same role, while Nicky got none, and I'm sure Colasanto didn't work for awards, but I hope he felt the love.
I'm just gonna skip my usual recap, because you've likely seen the episode if you're reading this. Also, I was too wrapped up in the magic to keep proper notes. The real trick is how much time Angell manages to find for character moments with such a packed plot. Diane's incredibly endearing here, whether eagerly and ineptly tending bar for the first time, or providing comically irrelevant commentary during the poker game. And that top/bodice with the poofy gigot sleeves she's got on? Ridiculous! With her outfit and pinned-up hair, Diane looks like she should be hawking cocaine tonics and fruit preserves at a general store circa 1895. But Long looks lovely in lavender, and there's something super-sexy in a Diane Keaton kinda way about how much skin she's NOT showing. Enough about my vanilla kinks, but Shelley Long is tha bomb!
Stray Thought
- I love how Sam and Diane are just openly fight-flirting behind the bar now as their relationship ramps up nearing the season finale. Semi-intimate conversations that used to be reserved for the office are now out in the open, and the gang are every bit as into the will-they-won't-they tension as we are. This episode also offers the rare acknowledgement that there's more socializing than work getting done when Carla interjects, "You two think that you can put your glands on hold long enough to get some work done, huh?"
Trivia
- Given his classic sartorial sensibilities, I always thought Harry's last name was "Gittes" in tribute to Jack Nicholson's Jake Gittes in Chinatown, but it turns out that name was an homage to Nicholson's producer friend...Harry Gittes. So now I'm not so sure.
- While debating their respective ages, Diane figures Sam's "at least six or seven years older" than her; in reality, Ted Danson was born in late '47, while Shelley Long was gifted to the world in '49. I always felt Danson was roughly playing his age--maybe a couple years older--while Long was playing about five years younger.
- Alan Koss, one of the only background barflies to stick around for all eleven seasons (41 episodes total), played 'Alan', which jives with the show's tradition of background players going by their real names (Al, Paul, Phil...). Koss was credited in his first appearance as Alan, and all 39 episodes after this episode as Alan. But, for some odd reason, he's credited here as 'Mike'.
Guest Stars
Reid Shelton plays the scheming con man George Wheeler, and I didn't recognize him with hair, but Shelton originated the role of Daddy Warbucks in the original Broadway production of Annie. Shelton earned a Tony nomination for his work and played the part from '77-'83. After a long career onstage, Shelton turned primarily to TV work through the eighties, guesting on everything from The Golden Girls to Married...With Children. Early HBO subscribers might recall Shelton from his seven season run on 1st & Ten which, at various points, co-starred Delta Burke, Chris Meloni, and a former footballer with a great smile, Orenthal James Simpson. Whatever happened to that guy?
Reid Shelton in Annie
Harry Anderson passed in 2018 at the age of 65, dashing any hopes for a Harry renaissance. After graduating from performing street magic to recurring guest spots on shows like SNL, Anderson's first sitcom role was on Cheers, but it didn't take long for him to get a series of his own, playing the Mel Torme-obsessed Judge Harry T. Stone on Night Court from '84 to '92, even writing and directing a handful of episodes along the way. Next came Dave's World which had Anderson playing humorist Dave Barry for four seasons. Along the way, Anderson made 12 appearances on The Tonight Show, and played a lead role in the TV adaptation of Stephen King's It, but he took a step back from acting after Dave's World, popping up just a handful of times between '97 and '14. Instead, Anderson opened a New Orleans-based "magic, curiosities, and apocrypha" shop named "Spade & Archer Curiosities by Appointment" as well as nightclub, Oswald's Speakeasy, where he'd stage his one-man show, Wise Guy. In '08, He reprised his role as Harry T. Stone on a 30 Rock episode imaginatively titled, The One with the Cast of 'Night Court' alongside fellow Night Court alum, Markie Post (who guests in Cheers second season), and Charlie Robinson. Here's a great example of his act on Merv:
And here's one of his final onscreen appearances:
Don Giller's a legendary archivist among Letterman fans. Here's his Harry Anderson on Letterman compilation:
And here's Harry on $25,000 Pyramid
Here's an interesting curiosity. Harry (sporting an estimable mane to rival Danson's) introduces the internet:
I could go on and on as youtube's a trove of Harry Anderson treasures, but here's one more. Anderson spent his last few years living in Asheville, North Carolina, which I will take as an opportunity to share this gorgeous tune from Edie Brickell and Steve Martin:
And I'll wrap up with a couple songs about gamblers and cheats:
The genius Jeff Healey covering John Hiatt
I was raised on '80s country pop radio and this song was inescapable
Cheers!
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