Editing Sam Malone (section)

==Development==
[[File:Ted Danson at 42nd Emmy Awards cropped.jpg|thumb|upright=.85|[[Ted Danson]], portrayer of Sam Malone]]

===Conception, writing, and casting===

Before the series began in September 1982, various actors considered or were considered for the role of Sam Malone. Before he was cast, [[Ted Danson]] appeared in films and television series. Danson appeared in the 1979 film ''[[The Onion Field (film)|The Onion Field]]'', adapted from the [[The Onion Field|nonfiction book of the same name]], as Officer Ian Campbell, who was murdered by two criminals.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LNBX1H4C98QC&q=%22ted+danson%22+%22onion+field%22+campbell+-wikipedia&pg=PA560 |title=Roger Ebert's Four-Star Reviews: 1967–2007 |year=2007 |pages=559–60 |access-date=August 23, 2015 |via=Google Books |isbn=9780740771798 |last1=Ebert |first1=Roger |publisher=Andrews McMeel }}</ref> Danson also appeared in ''[[Taxi (TV series)|Taxi]]'' episode, "The Unkindest Cut" (1982), as one-time character Vincenzo Senaca—"a flamboyant and decidedly effeminate hairdresser, who ruined Elaine's {{sic|[[Lock of hair|locks]]}} but got his comeuppance at the end."<ref>{{cite magazine |first1=Alan |last1=Frutkin |first2=Gerry |last2=Kroll |date=August 20, 1996 |title=Gays on the tube |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T2MEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22ted+danson%22+hairdresser+taxi+-wikipedia+elaine&pg=PA16 |magazine=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]] |page=16 |via=Google Books |access-date=August 23, 2015 }}</ref> ''Cheers'' creators [[Glen Charles|Glen]] and [[Les Charles]]—along with [[James Burrows]]—were executive consultants for the episode. Danson, [[William Devane]] and [[Fred Dryer]] were shortlisted for the role of Sam Malone.<ref name=audition/> [[Ed O'Neill]] auditioned for the role but did not win the part.<ref name=oneillpeople>{{cite magazine|last1=Gliatto |first1=Tom|first2=John |last2=Griffiths|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20113790,00.html|access-date=April 6, 2012|title=At Last, Ed O'Neill Knows...Sort Of...What It's Like to Be Ryan O'Neal|date=December 3, 1990}}</ref> [[John Lithgow]] missed the audition because he was ill.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=iK5dAAAAIBAJ&dq=cheers%20comedy&pg=1074%2C5004379|first=Jerry|last=Buck|title=He could have been a star of ''Cheers''|date=April 27, 1986|agency=Associated Press|page=F5|work=Observer-Reporter|location=[[Washington, Pennsylvania]]}}</ref>

Originally, Sam Malone was intended "to be a former [[wide receiver]] for the American football team, [[New England Patriots]]."<ref name=audition>Meade, Peter. "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AkQsAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3M4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5565%2C8417317 We'll Cry In Our Beers As Sam, Diane Split]." ''[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]] TV Update'' [Spartanburg, NC] April 29, 1984: 14. ''Google News''. Web. January 21, 2012.</ref> Fred Dryer was initially chosen for that role because he is a former football player, but the Charles brothers chose Danson because [[NBC]] executives noticed the chemistry between him and Shelley Long.<ref name=nytimes1993>{{cite news|author=Carter, Bill|title=Why 'Cheers' Proved So Intoxicating|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/09/arts/television-why-cheers-proved-so-intoxicating.html?pagewanted=6&src=pm|date=May 9, 1993|page=6|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>Balk, Quentin, and Ben Falk. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=4L7pA2tKumsC&pg=PA166 Television's Strangest Moments: Extraordinary but True Tales from the History of Television]''. London: Robson–Chrysalis, 2005. 166. ''Google Books''. Web. February 10, 2012.</ref> The character then evolved into a former [[relief pitcher]] for the baseball team [[Boston Red Sox]].<ref name=audition/> To prepare for the role, Danson attended a bartending school in [[Burbank, California]].<ref>{{cite news|title= NBC COMEDY 'CHEERS' TURNS INTO A SUCCESS|work= The New York Times|date=November 29, 1983|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/29/arts/nbc-comedy-cheers-turns-into-a-success.html?scp=14&sq=sam%20malone%20cheers&st=cse|access-date=August 16, 2010 | first=Peter | last=Kerr}}</ref>

Fred Dryer later appeared as Dave Richards, one of Sam Malone's friends and a [[sports commentator]], in ''Cheers''. Danson said:
{{blockquote|1=I had no idea how unintelligent [Sam] was. At first I thought he was making these{{mdash}}because Sam would come out with these things that were funny, and I thought, well, maybe he's being ironic. You know, maybe he's smart enough to know that he's saying stupid things in the beginning. I think it took me about a year and a half before&nbsp;...&nbsp;I had an inkling on how to play Sam Malone, because he was a relief pitcher, which comes with a certain amount of arrogance. You know, you only get called in when you're in trouble and you're there to save the day, and that takes a special kind of arrogance, I think. And Sam Malone had that arrogance. And I, Ted Danson, did not. I was nervous, scared, excited about, you know, grateful about my new job.<ref name=NPR/>|2=Ted Danson|3=NPR's "[[Fresh Air]]", September 17, 2009}}

Sam is "athletically handsome"<ref name="Masculinities 15"/> and a womanizer who casually dates and has sex with various women "who want to have fun".<ref name="Masculinities 15">Craig, Steve. p. 15</ref><ref>Piccalo, Gina. "[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-oct-18-ca-ted-danson18-story.html Ted Danson is hip again]." ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' October 18, 2009. Web. January 4, 2012.</ref><ref name="Hecht 235">Hecht, 235. ''Google Books''. Web. February 11, 2012 [https://books.google.com/books?id=0GI8lFdH2bYC&q=cheers+sam&pg=PA235].</ref> However, his relationships invariably fail.<ref name="how not">Blake, Marc. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=6qPSpNwvn4sC&q=sam%20malone&pg=PT81 How Not to Write a Sitcom: 100 Mistakes to Avoid If You Ever Want to Get Produced']'. London: [[A & C Black]], 2011. ''Google Books''. Web. January 31, 2011.</ref> Les Charles said that Sam was a "[[double act|straight man]]" to Diane; after Shelley Long's departure, he became more "carefree" and a "goof-off."<ref name="Harmetz 1C">{{cite news|last=Harmetz|first=Alijean|title=Changes on tap at 'Cheers'|work=[[The Ledger]]|date=September 23, 1987|page=1C+|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g79OAAAAIBAJ&dq=sam%20diane%20cheers&pg=1701%2C3967090}}</ref>

Ted Danson wore a [[Toupée|hairpiece]] to conceal his baldness for the role of Sam Malone during filming of ''Cheers''. His baldness was revealed at the [[42nd Primetime Emmy Awards]] (1990).<ref>Herman, Valli. "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ha4cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dHoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6839%2C6020047 Actor Wins Praise for Appearing Without Hair Piece]." ''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]''. Rpt. in ''[[Sarasota Herald-Tribune]]'' September 24, 1990: 5E. ''Google News''. Web. January 31, 2012.</ref> In the episode "It's Lonely on the Top" (1993), Sam Malone reveals his baldness to Carla ([[Rhea Perlman]]).

Danson earned {{USD|450,000}} per episode as Sam Malone during the last few years of ''Cheers''.<ref name="Baltimore finale">Zurawik, David. "[https://www.baltimoresun.com/1993/05/16/last-call-for-cheers-the-boston-bar-is-just-a-sitcom-set-but-for-viewers-it-has-become-a-real-place-where-friends-hang-out-david-zurawik/ Last Call for Cheers. The Boston Bar is just a Sitcom Set, but for Viewers It Has Become a Real Place, Where Friends Hang Out]." ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]'' May 16, 1993. Web. January 17, 2012.</ref><ref name="1991 salary">Lippman, John. "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=dBzKUGQurMsC&dat=19910210 Future of `Cheers' uncertain]." ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' February 7, 1991: 1D. Rpt. in ''[[The Gainesville Sun]]'' [Gainesville, FL] February 10, 1991: 7D. ''Google News''. Web. January 17, 2012.</ref> In the final season of ''Cheers'' (1992&ndash;93), Danson decided to stop portraying Sam Malone, which contributed to the end of ''Cheers''. Danson said about the way the character changed, "He got older, you know&nbsp;...&nbsp;[the writers] tried to make him Sammy again. But he's 45 now. I'm 45. It's OK to be chasing around when you're 37. But when you're 45, it's kind of sad to be chasing around that way."<ref name="Baltimore finale"/> The producers tried to continue the show without Ted Danson, and they attempted to move the show to the [[first-run syndication]], but these ideas were shelved.<ref name=nytimes1993/>

{{blockquote|1=Some people think ''Cheers'' is 'Cheers'—the bar is the soul of the show. Other people think ''Cheers'' is Cheers plus Sam, and Sam is the soul. Because (Danson) had chicken pox, we had to do one {{sic|show}} ["The Ghost and Mrs. LeBec" (1990)] without Sam, and it was a challenge. He's the one who's everyone's friend. He's the one who tells the truth. He's the one who takes care of everybody.<ref name="Rosenthal" />|2=Cheri Eichen|3=''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]'', November 1990}}

===Characterization and analysis===
Sam's on-screen relationships with Diane and Rebecca were inspired by works about the "mixture of romance and antagonism of two people, [portrayed by [[Spencer Tracy]] and [[Katharine Hepburn]]], in a competitive situation".<ref name="Dusty Saunders 1987">{{cite news|author=Saunders, Dusty|title=Many changes in store for 'Cheers'|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wfJJAAAAIBAJ&pg=1028%2C6034731|work=[[The Vindicator]]|date=July 31, 1987|page=12}}</ref><ref name="Cheers toast Howe">{{cite news|title=Crowd at 'Cheers' toasts new season with new boss|page=13|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TOZVAAAAIBAJ&dq=sam%20diane%20cheers&pg=5563%2C1118776|work=[[The Register-Guard]]|publisher=TV Week}}</ref><ref name="Kathryn Baker">{{cite news|date=September 5, 1987|author=Baker, Kathryn|title=Long's departure has 'Cheers' cast on edge|work=[[Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina)]]|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1LIjAAAAIBAJ&dq=sam%20diane%20cheers&pg=5187%2C718316}}</ref>

Sam is subject to a satire of masculinity. He is described as "a sleazy, promiscuous, aggressive, exhibitionistic narcissist",<ref name=hundley219>Hundley, p. 219</ref> one of the "new macho [heroes]" of the 1980s pop culture, "the target of humor," and not a "likely [candidate] to lead the post-feminist counter revolution."<ref>Tankel and Banks. pp. 287–9.</ref><ref name="Miami Vice"/> A new macho hero of the 1980s is the opposite of a pre-1980s macho hero that "constituted an antifeminist backlash".<ref name="Miami Vice">Kibby, Marjorie. "[http://www.miamivicechronicles.com/representing-masculinity/ Representing Masculinity]." ''[[University of Newcastle (Australia)|The University of Newcastle]]'' [Australia] (1997). ''Miami Vice Chronicles''. Web. January 17, 2012.</ref><ref>Tankel and Banks. p. 286.</ref>

Steve Craig from the [[University of North Texas]] wrote in his 1993 journal that Sam is a parody of "traditional male values" and of a negative stereotype of masculinity. Craig wrote that Sam's attempts to define and exemplify "his version of masculinity" are satirized throughout the series "to explore gender identity" without threatening the viewer's own definition of one's own gender.<ref>Craig. pp. 15–6.</ref>  In his 2011 book ''[[Primetime Propaganda]]'', [[Ben Shapiro]], an American conservative commentator, called Sam "a dog, a feminist caricature of men", and a cultural representation of the "lower-class conservative," in contrast to portrayer Ted Danson, who identifies himself as  liberal.<ref name="Shapiro, Ben. p. 122">Shapiro, Ben. p. 122.</ref><ref>Shapiro, Ben. p. 122–123.</ref> Glen Charles, a creator of ''Cheers'', considered Sam "a spokesman for a large group of people who thought that [the women's movement] was a bunch of bull and look with disdain upon people who don't think it was".<ref name="Shapiro, Ben. p. 122"/>

Heather Hundley wrote that the series sends "double standards" about promiscuous men and women. Hundley said that Sam is portrayed as heroic.<ref name=hundley219/> She further wrote that Sam never suffers from consequences of his promiscuity and has been happily single and childless,<ref name=hundley219/><ref name=hundley217>Hundley, p. 217</ref> while it portrays Carla Tortelli as a "nymphomaniac"<ref>Hundley, p. 207</ref> who regrets her own promiscuities, which lead to out-of-wedlock pregnancies.<ref name=hundley218/> She said the series' portrayal of premarital sex is "negative and unhealthy", omitting other dangers of promiscuity such as [[sexually transmitted disease]]s and [[HIV/AIDS]].<ref name=hundley218>Hundley, p. 218</ref> Mark LaFlamme of the ''[[Sun Journal (Lewiston)|Sun Journal]]'' called Sam's relationship with Rebecca Howe "mundane" and his flirtation with her "bawdy".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sunjournal.com/news/street-talk/2013/10/23/street-talk-wearing-black-socks-and-leather-coat-b/1440294 |first=Mark |last=LaFlamme |title=Street Talk: Wearing black socks and a leather coat at the beach |date=October 23, 2013 |work=[[Sun Journal (Lewiston)]] }}</ref>

Throughout most of ''Cheers'', Sam is "allowed to be happy [and to live] a rich life".<ref name="Hecht 235"/> Towards the end of the series' run, however, Sam undergoes therapy for sex addiction. In a 1995 episode of ''Frasier'' called "[[The Show Where Sam Shows Up]]", Sam is depicted as a self-identified sexual addict; he gets help from group meetings and commits to changing himself.<ref name="Hecht 236">Hecht, 236. ''[[Amazon.com]]'' Web. February 11, 2012 [https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Myth-Historical-Antidote-Working/dp/B002ECEHWO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328964346&sr=1-1#reader_B002ECEHWO]. Use search term "cheers sam" for results there.</ref>

Sam Malone has been compared with some of Ted Danson's later roles. In 1998, David Bianculli from ''[[New York Daily News]]'' called Danson's [[guest appearance]] as a plumber in ''[[Veronica's Closet]]'' Sam Malone's "close cousin: a confident womanizer, and not the brightest guy in the room".<ref name="Veronica's Closet">Bianculli, David. "[http://articles.nydailynews.com/1998-02-05/entertainment/18074909_1_ted-danson-veronica-s-closet-shelley-long/2 Deja Coup: Kirstie & Ted Together Again 'Cheers' Alumni Meeting Brightens 'closet']{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}." ''[[New York Daily News]]'' February 5, 1998. Web. March 29, 2012.</ref> In 1999, Danson said that Sam Malone and John Becker (''[[Becker (TV series)|Becker]]'') are both "very lonely men".<ref name="Becker 1999">Meisler, Adam. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/12/arts/television-radio-aging-and-grumpy-but-with-a-bit-of-sam-malone.html?pagewanted=3&src=pm Aging and Grumpy but With a Bit of Sam Malone]." ''[[The New York Times]]'' December 12, 1999: 3. Web. March 29, 2012. [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/12/12/arts/television-radio-aging-and-grumpy-but-with-a-bit-of-sam-malone.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm Whole article]</ref>