tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post4957797761254904182..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: The biggest laugh you never saw on CHEERSBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74491564850023115352013-04-20T18:12:59.792-07:002013-04-20T18:12:59.792-07:00I remember the episode, and I can see why the audi...I remember the episode, and I can see why the audience laughed. Coach's daughter was frankly homely, a real two-bagger. So the audience was laughing at Coach's low standards of beauty, not to mention the fact that he got stuck with an ugly woman for a wife.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16610720490797939502011-05-14T13:43:23.041-07:002011-05-14T13:43:23.041-07:00I know it's been a few years since this post, ...I know it's been a few years since this post, but I just watched this episode and there is no way I can believe the audience laughed at this scene. Coach and daughter are crying, voices quivering, and the line isn't (and not meant to be) funny at all. Isn't it more likely that Ken may be remembering an earlier take, possibly before a script re-write?Guy LaDouchehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00096756773746353367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17716281595911448522008-05-29T18:39:00.000-07:002008-05-29T18:39:00.000-07:00Here's an example of how inappropriate laughter ki...Here's an example of how inappropriate laughter kills a moment. <BR/><BR/>The opening tag of "Rescue Me," the final episode of the third season and Nick Colasanto's final appearance, consists of Coach's misunderstanding of a "blind man." <BR/>The scene ends with Carla telling Coach that the man wasn't really blind. Coach replies, "I know, Carla, but in some ways, he can see more." A very poignant moment, underscored by silence as the theme music starts.<BR/><BR/>The new version of the episode as seen in syndication and on TV Land throws in a canned laugh over the silence, thereby destroying the poignancy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75865499732192856892008-05-25T19:28:00.000-07:002008-05-25T19:28:00.000-07:00Way back in the days of Hollywood theatrical carto...Way back in the days of Hollywood theatrical cartoons, the folks at United Productions of America, which was making shorts for Columbia Picutres, decided that, instead of the typical slapstick gag cartoon of the early 1950s, they would make an animated version of Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" complete with James Mason doing the narration. It was a totally straightforward retelling of Poe's story, but when it reached the theaters, the audience laughed. No matter how many times they screened the cartoon, the audience laughed, to the point that Coulmbia finally had to tack on a notice at the start of the film saying "This is a serious cartoon".<BR/><BR/>The point is, audiences go into certain places expecting certain things. In this case, even though "Cheers" was a brand new show, they were expecting a comedy, and if Coach said a line that seemed to top off the scene, odds are they thought it was supposed to be a laugh line. <BR/><BR/>That may say something about the audience's intelligence and/or their grasp of the story narrative, but it probably wouldn't have hurt if the second time around, one of the producers had given the audience a little briefing on what they were about to see.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23036066242422672182008-05-25T01:45:00.000-07:002008-05-25T01:45:00.000-07:00That was such a touching scene. Now that I have a ...That was such a touching scene. Now that I have a daughter of my own, I sometimes think about it when I look at her. I can't imagine it ever would have stuck with me like that if it was just another laugh line. Thanks for having the wisdom to do what you did.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-11523148434057170182008-05-24T19:50:00.000-07:002008-05-24T19:50:00.000-07:00That episode was the very first episode of CHEERS ...That episode was the very first episode of CHEERS I ever saw, and I was <B>instantly</B> hooked.<BR/> <BR/>IIRC, the subplot had something to do with Sam giving names to each of the bar's beer glasses.<BR/><BR/>Another IIRC: About five seasons later, a GOLDEN GIRLS episode had one of Blanche's grown daughters getting engaged to a jerk, with an almost verbatim parent-child climactic scene.ajmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13290036970774359522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59169075655281078482008-05-24T16:49:00.000-07:002008-05-24T16:49:00.000-07:00I remember that lovely scene between Coach and his...I remember that lovely scene between Coach and his daughter - that episode was rerun shortly after Nicholas Colassanto's death and dedicated to him. Those types of touching moments pretty much vanished from the show after Shelley Long rode out of town. Too bad - "Cheers" was at its best when it had heart as well as laughs.<BR/><BR/>Someone compared Allyce Beasley to Imogene Coca. Coca actually played Beasley's mother on "Moonlighting" a few years later.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16306226051935933782008-05-24T14:25:00.000-07:002008-05-24T14:25:00.000-07:00Shot in the dark here, but maybe it was in the del...Shot in the dark here, but maybe it was in the delivery, that the line seemed to say "of course you are beautiful, you got your looks from your mother (not me)."<BR/><BR/>yeah?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-72211686500087048452008-05-24T11:11:00.000-07:002008-05-24T11:11:00.000-07:00Oops... got the quotation wrong. Here it is, corre...Oops... got the quotation wrong. Here it is, corrected.<BR/><BR/>"I wanted Mary Ann on 'Gilligan's Island' ugly, not Cornelius on 'The Planet of the Apes' ugly. TV ugly, not... ugly ugly."<BR/><BR/>Man, the Simpsons nails Hollywood beautifully.Phil Plait, The Bad Astronomerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10139376979625076530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-91951911801290701352008-05-24T11:09:00.000-07:002008-05-24T11:09:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Phil Plait, The Bad Astronomerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10139376979625076530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88595380981896756062008-05-23T19:33:00.000-07:002008-05-23T19:33:00.000-07:00Some worthless trivia: Philip Charles MacKenzie pl...Some worthless trivia: Philip Charles MacKenzie played a DJ taking payola in the very funny WKRP episode Johnny Comes Back where Carlson thinks he's using foot powder and it is actually cocaine. <BR/><BR/>Fellow guest star in the episode? Jeff Altman from Pink Lady and Jeff. <BR/><BR/>Damn I miss WKRP.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08923161793979910495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-53755099299106874692008-05-23T14:46:00.000-07:002008-05-23T14:46:00.000-07:00I can see why the line got such a big laugh, that ...I can see why the line got such a big laugh, that was Coach. It's like the time he was asked by Diane in Episode one, "Where's your bathroom?" Coach replied, "Right next to my bedroom."<BR/><BR/>Better the laugh was axed. It's a tender moment, almost a little hard to watch because it's so intimate. I recall his daughter saying something like, "Mom was not...comfortable with her beauty." Excellent episode.Max Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07706524941272103444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24689879686400679082008-05-23T14:15:00.000-07:002008-05-23T14:15:00.000-07:00It weas a great show and those were wonderful mome...It weas a great show and those were wonderful moments.<BR/><BR/>My idea of a great laugh was Carla's line in another show that went something like, "I only meet two kinds of men: Geeks, and those studying for the geekhood." If you wrote that one, Ken, you deserve a star on the Walk of Fame.Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-22400878395846507452008-05-23T13:41:00.000-07:002008-05-23T13:41:00.000-07:00The fired actor has worked before and since. I se...The fired actor has worked before and since. I see him in things from time to time and he's always good. He just wasn't right for that part. But I'm sure he makes a nice living as a character actor.By Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-56838589872320029302008-05-23T13:33:00.000-07:002008-05-23T13:33:00.000-07:00OK, here's my conjecture. The audience was given p...OK, here's my conjecture. The audience was given permission to laugh at an otherwise too cruel joke because Coach was also expressing a deeper truth that redeemed the superficial reality. So the laugh was part "ha ha funny" and part happy, approving and tension-releasing.Dr. Leo Marvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07669626692363827776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19011012966435682042008-05-23T13:15:00.000-07:002008-05-23T13:15:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Dr. Leo Marvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07669626692363827776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87359636556991761672008-05-23T13:11:00.000-07:002008-05-23T13:11:00.000-07:00"Can we offer guesses for the fired actor's identi..."Can we offer guesses for the fired actor's identity? Michael Richards? Jere Burns? Sir John Gielgud?"<BR/><BR/>Damn! You figured it out. Payback came later, when Gielgud replaced MacKenzie as KING LEAR, after MacKenzie kept getting big laughs on "Howl! Howl! Howl! Oh you are men of stone!"Tallulah Moreheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416330735326405496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54077820295492707612008-05-23T13:08:00.000-07:002008-05-23T13:08:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Tallulah Moreheadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416330735326405496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-19887999851624887922008-05-23T10:55:00.000-07:002008-05-23T10:55:00.000-07:00It was early on in the show's run (had the show ev...It was early on in the show's run (had the show even aired when this episode taped?) so the audience may have had no idea who Coach was. Just reading the setup (and not particularly remembering the episode, but I would imagine that it doesn't get replayed as often as later seasons I'm more familiar with), there's the chance that the audience took it that Coach was an overbearing lout who'd married his wife because she was insecure. They may have taken it that he was too stupid to realize he was just like (or had been) just like the fiance.Matthewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16343592252435391513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-21139650496630105792008-05-23T10:35:00.000-07:002008-05-23T10:35:00.000-07:00Since Coach was so consistently hilarious, perhaps...Since Coach was so consistently hilarious, perhaps the audience anticipated the laugh. Then on the retake, the fence-sitters thought, 'I don't get it, but hey, it's Coach so it must be funny.' <BR/><BR/>I had a boss who was told I was funny. That's all he knew of me, so everything I told him he'd laugh at. <BR/>"Boss, we're almost out of fuel."<BR/>"Ha, ha, you're a riot."<BR/>"No, really, I'm serious. we're gonna crash."<BR/>"Har. You're killing me here!"<BR/>*cue explosion*<BR/><BR/>Much more moving when Coach switch-hits to poignancy. (that's a real word - Yogi Berra told me.)Anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12259951307196646436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-37901008312931926042008-05-23T09:49:00.000-07:002008-05-23T09:49:00.000-07:00I imagine a crowd of people herded together to wat...I imagine a crowd of people herded together to watch the taping of a fairly new sitcom are sitting there expecting big laughs and a fun night out. So such a mass misinterpretation is at least slightly understandable. But it must have been frustrating as hell.<BR/><BR/>Can we offer guesses for the fired actor's identity? Michael Richards? Jere Burns? Sir John Gielgud?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14779201036189505942008-05-23T09:29:00.000-07:002008-05-23T09:29:00.000-07:00Well, these episode guides and "authoritative" onl...Well, these episode guides and "authoritative" online resources can be iffy at best, but they're all I have to go by as a quick ref. I figured if they were right, then it was helpful, and if they're wrong, well, then you'd correct it. Thanks for doing so, Ken.<BR/><BR/>Sorry, I guess I kind of misread or misinterpreted the gist of your recounting of the original line as attributed to Mr. Colasanto's role vs. the dialogue as related by Vermonter (which sounds right to my memory). I then kind of <A HREF="http://www.oddcouple.info/sounds/assume.wav" REL="nofollow"><B>"assumed"</B></A> that the dialogue had been "significantly reworked." I assure everyone that unlike Felix I only made an ass of <I>me</I>!<BR/><BR/>Truthfully, I can't understand why the audience would have found it all that hilarious either, but then why are so many people fascinated by Paris Hilton?... [shrug] Maybe they were just so "warmed up" from the rest of the episode that they were in a laughing mood at that point. Who knows... I only know that my sense of humor is often out of step with what others around me find so funny. It may just be me, but I think comedy in general these days is often much too mean-spirited for my taste. Too many shows and comics rely on material that rapidly boils down to insults and sex jokes (or both). Some of that is OK in low doses (and depending on the characters), but too much reliance on that can quickly turn me off.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, and regardless of any "misconstruations" on my part, thanks for posting the behind-the-laughter story, Ken. I greatly enjoyed just being reminded of such a touching scene, not to mention the beloved Coach.Dimension Skipperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05392348422733549988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30698501268191223572008-05-23T09:20:00.000-07:002008-05-23T09:20:00.000-07:00I clearly remember this episode, and it certainly ...I clearly remember this episode, and it certainly touched me the way you wanted. What kind of drugs was that studio audience smoking?Aprilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12051174636017409935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69108367234019752752008-05-23T08:28:00.000-07:002008-05-23T08:28:00.000-07:00Correction:Sam's women aired second. Sam at eleven...Correction:<BR/><BR/>Sam's women aired second. Sam at eleven aired third. Tortelli Torte fourth. And then the one (I forget the title) with all the different customers (old guy, guy who was there to see Gus, etc.)By Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-65407857664463608672008-05-23T08:26:00.000-07:002008-05-23T08:26:00.000-07:00"The Coach's Daughter" was not filmed or aired sec..."The Coach's Daughter" was not filmed or aired second. "Sam's Women", "Tortelli Torte", "Sam at Eleven", and a couple others filmed and aired before it. "Sam's Women" aired third.<BR/><BR/>To my knowledge there was never another title for "Coach's Daughter". <BR/><BR/>If the scene were rewritten from Ken Estin's draft it was very minimal at best. We just removed the laughter as I recall but we might have done a pick up of that moment. It's been awhile. <BR/><BR/>I still can't tell you why 200 strangers simultaneously not only found the line amusing but uproarious.By Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.com