I
get a lot of questions about the “Bar Wars” episodes of CHEERS that my
partner, David Isaacs and I wrote. So here are the FAQ’s.
Did we purposely plan for the Cheers gang to lose every time?
Yes.
Except for the last one. Frustration is much funnier than victory. The
trick however, was to find different ways for them to lose – or screw
themselves. Guess I grew up watching too many Road Runner cartoons.
What about the last Bar Wars in the final season?
Ultimately,
we decided to not only let Cheers win but to demolish Gary’s Olde Towne
Tavern once and for all. We’re nothing if not vengeful. Trivia note:
That is the only episode of CHEERS that I appear in. I’m sitting at the
bar in an early scene.
Who played Gary?
The
answer is: which time? We had two actors who played Gary, in no
particular order. The first time the character appeared, Joel Polis
played him in a 1985 episode called “From Beer to Eternity”. When we
wrote the first Bar Wars episode Joe wasn’t available. It was the very
end of the season. We had no other scripts so we just had to recast.
Robert Desiderio became Gary. For Bar Wars II we went back to Joel Polis
and used him one other time. Otherwise, it was Robert Desiderio.
Confusing? Not as confusing as WONDER WOMAN 1984.
What is your favorite Bar Wars episode?
Bar
Wars V. My partner came up with this idea. Sam’s prank kills Gary. Or
at least that’s what Sam thinks. If you can’t get laughs with a man
digging up a grave you’re not a comedy writer.
What is your least favorite Bar Wars episode?
Bar
Wars VI. The gang thinks a wise guy buys Gary’s bar so a prank
unleashes the Mafia after them. We were reaching. And sometimes too
clever for our own good. In Bar Wars II, there’s a Bloody Mary contest.
We had a number of twists and turns, and after turning in the script,
the staff added a few more. By the end I think there were maybe six too
many. It was the BIG SLEEP of Bar Wars episodes – no one alive can tell
you exactly what happened.
Was it hard to plot these episodes?
Yes.
Very. These episodes were a bitch to conceive and then hard to write
because there was always so much story. By nature, exposition and set
ups are not inherently funny and entertaining. We had to pull a lot of
jokes out of nowhere.
What was your favorite gag?
Filling
Rebecca’s office with sheep. That’s the power of being a writer. You
come up with a goofy idea. And voila, there are fifty sheep being herded
onto the set. I’m sure the guy who came up with snakes on the plane had
the same heady feeling.
There are some Bar Wars type episodes not called Bar Wars. How come?
Those
were episodes not originally designed to be bar wars but evolved into
them. Or they were competitions not practical joke wars, per se. In
other words, I dunno. I’m still trying to figure out BAR WARS II.
And finally, are you that diabolical?
Let’s just say I hope you’re not allergic to sheep.
In 'It's Gone...', I believe, you told a story that mentioned the Bar Wars episodes. As I recall, you were were the radio man for the Syracuse minor league team. You and the team pulled into a hotel,motel, and the hotel manager gives you a hard time. The upshot is that you told him that you were the guy who wrote the Bar Wars episodes and he shouldn't mess with you. (I don't have the book at hand or I would looked it up for the exact story.)
ReplyDeleteHey Ken, for the Bloody Mary Bar Wars episode, correct me if I'm wrong but after all the twists and turns, doesn't the Cheers gang come out on top...?
ReplyDeleteIs this the same Robert Desiderio who was a Boston DJ in the late 70's?
ReplyDeleteThe two that stick out the most for me are the one where they have a bowling contest (season 4), and the Bloody Mary contest (season 6). My two favorites, and Woody has pivotal roles in both. Nice for farce episodes, and the whole cast really shines.
ReplyDelete“And finally, are you that diabolical?
ReplyDeleteLet’s just say I hope you’re not allergic to sheep.”
The idea would be to pretend to such an allergy,
after having secretly mastered the art of mutton cooking.
(Ek is ‘n potlood)
On the final Bar Wars, Cheers brought back a lot of past recurring characters for Season 11, including Harry Anderson -- was he available first, and then the show was tailored around his appearance, or was the show originally written so that someone outside of the bar, like Harry the Hat, would be the one to finally get Gary, and then the story was brought to Anderson, to see if he would do it?
ReplyDeleteI read the Hollywood Reporter review of a new film, Redemption Day, and one very funny line stood out as rather Levine-esque in its humor.
ReplyDelete"I particularly enjoyed the helpful onscreen graphic "Terrorists' Compound," presumably to make sure we wouldn't confuse the setting with an American Girl store."
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/news/redemption-day-film-review
Hey I just learned (I'm slow on the uptake) that Nick, the bartender in "It's A Wonderful Life" was played by Sheldon Leonard, the famous producer of sitcoms. I did know that the two main male characters in "The Big Bang Theory" are named after him. And I just found out that his last acting job was a role on "Cheers". What was it like working with him as an actor? Did he threaten to throw you pixies out, t'roo the door or out the window?
ReplyDeleteMark Harvey Levine-Hey, that is my favorite movie and I loved that line! Oh, and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer was the guy talking to Donna Reed just before Jimmy Stewart whisked her away on the floor during that high school graduation dance...
ReplyDeleteThe 'Bar Wars' episodes are my favorites, just like the "Halloween Heist" episodes are my favorite Brooklyn Nine-Nine episodes. If you've seen any of those, did you enjoy them?
ReplyDelete