Season One Ep 20 Someone Single, Someone Blue
Coach: What'll it be, Norm?
Norm: Fame, fortune, fast women...
Coach: How 'bout a beer?
Norm: Even better.
David Angell's second Cheers script doesn't hit the highs of his first, but Pick a Con...Any Con is an all-time classic, so it's tough to top. Angell's setup here is much more typical of contrived '80s sitcom conventions. Someone Single, Someone Blue has Diane's mother, Helen (Glynis Johns) drop the bombshell that Diane must marry within 24 hours. If she doesn't, as stipulated in Diane's dad's will, Helen will lose her share of his estate. Why would he make such a ridiculous demand? Well, it seems he feared his gawky bookworm daughter with the facial tic might never marry, so he made it a condition of his will that Diane would be married within ten years to the day of his passing. And why would Helen not have given Diane more than 24 hours notice? Helen explains, "You know how time flies when you're having...grief". Like I said, contrived! After Helen's dedicated chauffeur, Boggs (Duncan Ross) politely offers his hand, Diane deems Sam a slightly more suitable candidate for a sham marriage. They never mention the legal matter of consummation, though I have to assume it crossed Sam's mind. But both counterfeit bride and groom reconsider when Sam's eyes wander during their nuptials, and they start to bicker like, well, a married couple. Helen has to break up their argument at the altar and calls the whole thing off; in spite of losing her wealth, Diane's mum can't bear to see these two "make a mockery of marriage." But Helen Chambers' desperation turns to delight when Boggs asks for her hand in marriage. Seems the dedicated driver's carried a torch for Helen for quite some time, and has accrued a fortune of his own by embezzling from the family for close to a quarter of a century. As if to drive home the point that this is a very sitcom-ish episode of Cheers, they even end on a rare freeze frame!
I love Glynis Johns, but I just don't buy her as Diane's mother at all, though Diane having a British mum explains a lot. Lucille Ball was offered the part and--while I would have welcomed the comedy clash of titans between Ball and Long--I don't see Lucille Ball as Diane's mom either. Blythe Danner would've made a great sister for Diane, but I still can't think of who might've made the best mom for Ms. Chambers. I like to think of her as immaculately plopped down on earth fully formed!
Trivia
- Paul Willson makes his Cheers debut in the cold open. Wilson's probably Cheers' most famous background barfly, and he's also the only one to graduate to near-supporting cast in the last couple seasons. For most of his run, Willson goes by his real first name (and unfortunate invented last name) as Paul Krapence. At this point in the show's run, the original Paul's (Paul Vaughn) still lurking, so Paul Willson goes by Tom in his second appearance, and Gregg/Glen in this episode. Coach calls him Glen, yet the credits list him as Gregg. Continuity cops in the 80's clearly weren't as vigilant pre-internet. Willson makes a great first impression in the cold open, singing the seldom-heard lyrics to Bonanza's theme song. Ray Evans wrote lyrics for Jay Livingston's music, but they're not the lyrics Paul/Glen sings here. Maybe it's just because of his role in Office Space, but I always thought a young Paul Willson would make a fine live action Dilbert.
The source of Willson's lyrical inspiration
- David Angell gifted us with some of Cheers' (and Frasier's) best scripts, and we'll never know what else his fertile mind might've cooked up because he died too young on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center on 9/11. A far less tragic piece of trivia is that he's widely acknowledged to have coined the word 'boink' as a euphemism for sex. The story goes that the staff were looking for a prime time-appropriate word in the episode, Cheerio, Cheers, and Angell suggested 'boink'. The word obviously predates Cheers, but that specific usage (Carla: "Didja give her a goodbye boink?") first occurred in mainstream media on Cheers.
Guest Stars
- Glynis Johns is still going strong at 96, though she's been retired for twenty years, last appearing onscreen as Molly Shannon's daffy Grandma in Superstar. She won a Tony for creating the role of Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music--Stephen Sondheim actually wrote Send In the Clowns with her specifically in mind. Johns was Oscar-nominated for her role in The Sundowners, but audiences today would probably know her best as Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins.
- Duncan Ross (Boggs, the chauffeur) was a giant in the theatre community, with a career lasting close to four decades on both sides of the pond. John Houseman once called him "probably the most outstanding acting teacher in America today", and his resume's pretty incredible. Around early retirement age, Ross dove into a string of character parts in TV and film, booking roles on shows like Hart to Hart and Family Ties, usually as classy/snooty authoritarian types--not that I've seen most of 'em, but one can assume just going by the character names--Joe Kennedy, Earl of Risingham, Rodney Bellingham, Judge Wainwright, "Noble", and King of New Stailand...highfalutin!
Ross clips are hard to come by, so here's his friend, John Houseman, slumming with style!
Sam & Diane's ill-conceived marriage got me to thinking about songs that chronicle the age-old struggle to stay together, so here's some faves along that theme:
Dave Mason makin' peace with the situation
One of Sting's simplest heartbreaking lyrics oddly contrasted with the wacky video
How The Beautiful South never made a dent on the North American charts is a real stumper
Lambert & Earle find some perspective fresh off their respective splits
Cheers!
Norm: Fame, fortune, fast women...
Coach: How 'bout a beer?
Norm: Even better.
David Angell's second Cheers script doesn't hit the highs of his first, but Pick a Con...Any Con is an all-time classic, so it's tough to top. Angell's setup here is much more typical of contrived '80s sitcom conventions. Someone Single, Someone Blue has Diane's mother, Helen (Glynis Johns) drop the bombshell that Diane must marry within 24 hours. If she doesn't, as stipulated in Diane's dad's will, Helen will lose her share of his estate. Why would he make such a ridiculous demand? Well, it seems he feared his gawky bookworm daughter with the facial tic might never marry, so he made it a condition of his will that Diane would be married within ten years to the day of his passing. And why would Helen not have given Diane more than 24 hours notice? Helen explains, "You know how time flies when you're having...grief". Like I said, contrived! After Helen's dedicated chauffeur, Boggs (Duncan Ross) politely offers his hand, Diane deems Sam a slightly more suitable candidate for a sham marriage. They never mention the legal matter of consummation, though I have to assume it crossed Sam's mind. But both counterfeit bride and groom reconsider when Sam's eyes wander during their nuptials, and they start to bicker like, well, a married couple. Helen has to break up their argument at the altar and calls the whole thing off; in spite of losing her wealth, Diane's mum can't bear to see these two "make a mockery of marriage." But Helen Chambers' desperation turns to delight when Boggs asks for her hand in marriage. Seems the dedicated driver's carried a torch for Helen for quite some time, and has accrued a fortune of his own by embezzling from the family for close to a quarter of a century. As if to drive home the point that this is a very sitcom-ish episode of Cheers, they even end on a rare freeze frame!
I love Glynis Johns, but I just don't buy her as Diane's mother at all, though Diane having a British mum explains a lot. Lucille Ball was offered the part and--while I would have welcomed the comedy clash of titans between Ball and Long--I don't see Lucille Ball as Diane's mom either. Blythe Danner would've made a great sister for Diane, but I still can't think of who might've made the best mom for Ms. Chambers. I like to think of her as immaculately plopped down on earth fully formed!
Trivia
- Paul Willson makes his Cheers debut in the cold open. Wilson's probably Cheers' most famous background barfly, and he's also the only one to graduate to near-supporting cast in the last couple seasons. For most of his run, Willson goes by his real first name (and unfortunate invented last name) as Paul Krapence. At this point in the show's run, the original Paul's (Paul Vaughn) still lurking, so Paul Willson goes by Tom in his second appearance, and Gregg/Glen in this episode. Coach calls him Glen, yet the credits list him as Gregg. Continuity cops in the 80's clearly weren't as vigilant pre-internet. Willson makes a great first impression in the cold open, singing the seldom-heard lyrics to Bonanza's theme song. Ray Evans wrote lyrics for Jay Livingston's music, but they're not the lyrics Paul/Glen sings here. Maybe it's just because of his role in Office Space, but I always thought a young Paul Willson would make a fine live action Dilbert.
The source of Willson's lyrical inspiration
- David Angell gifted us with some of Cheers' (and Frasier's) best scripts, and we'll never know what else his fertile mind might've cooked up because he died too young on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center on 9/11. A far less tragic piece of trivia is that he's widely acknowledged to have coined the word 'boink' as a euphemism for sex. The story goes that the staff were looking for a prime time-appropriate word in the episode, Cheerio, Cheers, and Angell suggested 'boink'. The word obviously predates Cheers, but that specific usage (Carla: "Didja give her a goodbye boink?") first occurred in mainstream media on Cheers.
Guest Stars
- Glynis Johns is still going strong at 96, though she's been retired for twenty years, last appearing onscreen as Molly Shannon's daffy Grandma in Superstar. She won a Tony for creating the role of Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music--Stephen Sondheim actually wrote Send In the Clowns with her specifically in mind. Johns was Oscar-nominated for her role in The Sundowners, but audiences today would probably know her best as Winifred Banks in Mary Poppins.
- Duncan Ross (Boggs, the chauffeur) was a giant in the theatre community, with a career lasting close to four decades on both sides of the pond. John Houseman once called him "probably the most outstanding acting teacher in America today", and his resume's pretty incredible. Around early retirement age, Ross dove into a string of character parts in TV and film, booking roles on shows like Hart to Hart and Family Ties, usually as classy/snooty authoritarian types--not that I've seen most of 'em, but one can assume just going by the character names--Joe Kennedy, Earl of Risingham, Rodney Bellingham, Judge Wainwright, "Noble", and King of New Stailand...highfalutin!
Ross clips are hard to come by, so here's his friend, John Houseman, slumming with style!
Sam & Diane's ill-conceived marriage got me to thinking about songs that chronicle the age-old struggle to stay together, so here's some faves along that theme:
Dave Mason makin' peace with the situation
One of Sting's simplest heartbreaking lyrics oddly contrasted with the wacky video
How The Beautiful South never made a dent on the North American charts is a real stumper
Lambert & Earle find some perspective fresh off their respective splits
Cheers!
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