Cheers (season 7)

Cheers (season 7)

Region 1 DVD
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 22
Release
Original network NBC
Original release October 27, 1988 (1988-10-27) – May 4, 1989 (1989-05-04)

The seventh season of Cheers, an award-winning American television sitcom, originally aired on NBC in the United States between October 27, 1988 and May 4, 1989. The show was created by director James Burrows and writers Glen and Les Charles under production team Charles Burrows Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Television.

Background

This season premiered on October 27, 1988, after a long period of reruns, indirectly led by the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike.[1] At the time of the premiere, Night Court moved to Wednesdays, prompting the new series Dear John to fill in that spot. Besides Cheers and Dear John, other series in the Thursday night lineup for the 1988–89 season were The Cosby Show, A Different World, and L.A. Law.[2]

Cast and characters

Recurring characters

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		Title [4]Directed by [4]Written by [4]Original air date [4]Rating/share
1471"How to Recede in Business"James BurrowsDavid LloydOctober 27, 1988 (1988-10-27)24.4 / 38[rat7 1]
Months after former CEO Evan Drake's departure, Lillian Corporation's new vice president Greg Stone (Brian Bedford) fires Rebecca and then rehires Sam as the bar's comeback manager because Stone figures the bar was better managed under Sam instead of Rebecca. Sam, however, has problems with using a computer and sending reports, demanded by the corporation. Sam begs Stone to rehire Rebecca, and Stone agrees under the following conditions: Rebecca must 1) take a slight salary cut, 2) go back to a business school for a Master of Business Administration, 3) co-manage with Sam and consult him about making major decisions, and 4) to make up her lack of practical experience, she must waitress under Carla's supervision during busy times. Sam plans to tell Rebecca those conditions after making love to her, but he reluctantly tells her at the restaurant Melville's when Stone sees Sam and Rebecca, briefly mentioning the conditions. In vengeance, Rebecca fools Sam into believing that she is passionate and then plans to storm off and then resign. However, Woody tells her that a luxurious red Mercedes-Benz car is ready for pickup. Unable to afford it without a job, Rebecca reluctantly agrees to those conditions when she sobbingly begins to waitress.
1482"Swear to God"James BurrowsTom ReederNovember 3, 1988 (1988-11-03)21.8 / 33[rat7 2]
Sam's former casual partner Denise has a baby boy and cannot determine the father. Sam swears to God that he will avoid sex for three months if he is not the father, then Denise declares the other guy to be the boy's father instead of Sam. Relieved, Sam is close to having a fling with Suzanne (Shanna Reed) until Carla warns him that God will curse him if Sam breaks the vow. Two weeks without sex, Sam goes to a church and asks Father Barry (Eric Christmas) for advice. Much to Sam's disappointment, Father Barry tells him not to break vows to God. Avoiding women but desperate and still aroused for three weeks total, Sam asks Frasier how to release his urges, and Frasier tells him to perform other interests, like playing piano. Soon, another one of Sam's casual partners, Rachel Patterson (Kim Johnston Ulrich), arrives. He fails to resist when Rachel shows a photo of herself in a bikini suit. The following day, Sam tells the gang that he did not sleep with Rachel last night. In fact, Sam encountered the Bible in a hotel room. He and Rachel tried going from hotel to hotel but he encountered a Bible at each one. Back to present, when Rebecca asks Sam to zip up the back of the dress, Sam struggles to zip it up but eventually nearly unzips it down until Frasier takes him to the bar piano, where Sam poorly performs "Chopsticks". Meanwhile, Woody loses the theatrical role of Moses to another actor, who eventually becomes ill, prompting Woody to retrieve antibiotics from a drugstore for the actor.
1493"Executive Sweet"James BurrowsPhoef SuttonNovember 10, 1988 (1988-11-10)23.5 / 35[rat7 3]
Rebecca, relieved that Mr. Greg Stone is fired, is scheduled to meet her new executive vice president, Martin Teal (Alex Nevil) at 4:30pm. Mistaking him at a corporate elevator as an ordinary man mainly due to his youth and his height, she rejects his advances. When she arrives to the office, Rebecca mistakes Mr. Teal's secretary, Dennis (Gerald Hiken), as her new boss until she unexpectedly reencounters Mr. Teal. Shocked, she apologizes for her early behavior but then names Sam as her faux boyfriend just to avoid Mr. Teal, who then rehires her as the bar's sole manager and then demotes Sam to a bartender again. Sam figures out her excuse when he receives a phone call from Mr. Teal, so Sam fakes a breakup with Rebecca just to make her reluctantly go out with Mr. Teal instead. After the date, Mr. Teal takes her back to the bar and then proposes to her, causing her to faint. Meanwhile, Woody buys a hive of more than 4,000 bees and puts them in the office for the rest of the day. Woody calms them down with a bee smoker and then takes the bees to his place.
1504"One Happy Chappy in a Snappy Serape"James BurrowsCheri Eichen and Bill SteinkellnerNovember 17, 1988 (1988-11-17)21.4 / 31[rat7 4]
To interfere with Sam and Rebecca's nonexistent on-and-off relationship, used by Rebecca to avoid continuing a relationship with Mr. Teal and losing her career, Mr. Martin Teal offers Sam another bar in Cancun, Mexico, and hires a one-month exchange bartender, Ramón (Marco Hernandez), who speaks fluent Spanish and is a womanizer, like Sam. Sam accepts, leaving Rebecca alone and miserable with Mr. Teal. One month later, Sam, enjoying his time in Cancun, purportedly misses his planned corporate flight and instead plans to stay there. However, Rebecca arrives with an unloaded gun and tries to persuade him to return to Boston, but Sam calms her down and takes the gun away. Dejected, Rebecca returns without Sam and then gets drunk at Cheers. Mr. Teal, impatiently wanting to marry her, arrives with a justice of the peace, a guy holding roses, and his secretary, Dennis, who is revealed to also be his father. However, much to Rebecca's relief, Sam returns to Boston, interrupting the wedding. After Mr. Teal and others exit, when drunken Rebecca passes out, Sam puts a sombrero and a serape on her and draws a moustache on her face.
1515"Those Lips, Those Ice"James BurrowsPeter Casey and David LeeNovember 24, 1988 (1988-11-24)17.3 / 31[rat7 5]
Scheduled for another ice show, Eddie LeBec (Jay Thomas) returns to Boston by flight with an attractive, sexy East German skater Franzi Schrempf (Isa Anderson), making Carla jealous and Sam desperate to seduce Franzi, who repeatedly rejects his advances. When Carla's jealousy grows out of control, Sam berates her for jumping to conclusions about Eddie and Franzi. To redeem herself, Carla lets Eddie have a poker game with his buddies at her house and forcibly acts nice to everyone. However, when Sam arrives to tell Carla that Franzi has a boyfriend—Sam sees the guy in her dressing room during Sam's final attempt to woo her—Carla throws the buddies out along with the food and poker chips wrapped in the tablecloth. As Carla and Eddie argue, Eddie admits that Franzi mistreated him, that Carla's phony housewife act wrongly signals her nonexistent pregnancy, and that Eddie is always Carla's faithful husband. In the end, Carla reverts back to her normal, angry self and tells him to do chores. Meanwhile, Rebecca gives Woody season tickets to football games, including the Patriots–Dolphins night game. Wanting to go with Woody to the game, Norm, Cliff, and Frasier race in laps until Norm wins technically, though all of the men are too exhausted to go with Woody.
1526"Norm, Is That You?"James BurrowsCheri Eichen and Bill SteinkellnerDecember 8, 1988 (1988-12-08)23.7 / 37[rat7 6]
Frasier and Lilith fire the award-winning designer Ivan (B. J. Turner) for disrespecting their house by mocking their photos and decorations and imagining a rebuilt house. At first unable to hire a replacement, they see Norm, hired as their painter, rearranging the furniture. Impressed, the Cranes decide to hire Norm as their new decorator. Norm, at first reluctant to be anybody else's decorator for fear of losing his reputation as a beer-guzzling, lazy nobody, decides to take the Cranes' offer as Robert and Kim Cooperman's (George Deloy and Jane Sibbett) interior decorator for a five-figure salary. However, the narrow-minded Coopermans are appalled by Norm's boorish manners. In an attempt to win them over, Norm pretends to be a stereotypically flamboyant gay interior designer. At Cheers, which the Coopermans mistake as a gay bar, the Coopermans praise Norm's talent, so they offer him a mountain resort to decorate. However, because of his faux gay persona, the Coopermans set him up with a male blind date. Unable to continue the charade, especially after Sam refuses to pretend to be Norm's faux boyfriend, Norm admits the truth, disappointing them. The Coopermans are at first reluctant to give Norm the resort until he offers them half price to make up for it. They accept but order him to declare himself as their "plumber" if anyone asks. When the Coopermans leave, the bar gang is astonished by Norm's secret talents, yet they want him to redecorate their houses. Meanwhile, Rebecca becomes insecure about her own body figure when a man (Craig Branham) mistakes her as pregnant and Sam makes fat jokes on her. The gang makes fun of Cliff's brain with situational questions, such as one involving dead flies, a bowling ball, and a murder mystery.
1537"How to Win Friends and Electrocute People"James BurrowsPhoef SuttonDecember 15, 1988 (1988-12-15)23.7 / 37[rat7 7]
Cliff has appendicitis, so he goes to a hospital for an appendectomy. However, the gang seems more interested in Frasier and Lilith's planned countrywide trip with their Mercedes-Benz than Cliff's surgery. Worse, no one except Frasier visits Cliff at the hospital, prompting Cliff to figure that he is not well liked by his bar peers. When Frasier sarcastically suggests shock treatment, Cliff takes it as an intriguing idea. The following day, Cliff bribes the therapist Mr. McManus (Edward A. Wright) to give Cliff shock aversion therapy whenever he is his usual know-it-all self, bringing the therapist along to Cheers. However, Mr. McManus goes overboard with the treatment on Cliff. Cliff retrieves the shock button from him during a struggle, but then Mr. McManus runs off while Cliff accidentally shocks himself, intending to shock Mr. McManus. After the astounded gang witnesses the unusual scenes, Cliff admits everything to them and exits the bar, or pretends to run off while exiting. The gang is reluctant to chase after Cliff to take him back except Norm when Cliff calls him. The gang then apologizes to Cliff for not visiting him in the hospital. Cliff announces a champagne celebration as a reward, but then Al (Al Rosen) shocks him with the button for the fun of it. Meanwhile, Lilith takes driving lessons from Sam in preparation for the countrywide trip with Frasier. However, Sam becomes furious when she flips off and races another driver. Lilith becomes overconfident with her reckless driving abilities and decides to drive the Mercedes, frightening Frasier.
1548"Jumping Jerks"James BurrowsKen Levine and David IsaacsDecember 22, 1988 (1988-12-22)20.6 / 34[rat7 8]
After watching The Magnificent Seven a few times (an earlier reference was in "Diane Chambers' Day"), Woody, Cliff, and Norm decide to seek thrills and danger. When Woody comes up with skydiving, Norm and Cliff are at first reluctant, even when meet trainer Bob Speakes (J. Kenneth Campbell) at the bar. However, when Carla calls the trio "weenies" for their reluctance, they reluctantly agree to have a training session with Bob. The following day, the three chicken out, so they fabricate their nonexistent courage to the bar mates. Sam, who wants to try it with them, finds out about this during their next session. Ironically, the four of them chicken out; when they re-fabricate their courageous move, Rebecca begs them to do it again with the "Cheers" flag banner on-camera as a corporate marketing tool, a customer's suggestion from the comments box. At first reluctant, the men decide to go at Sam's behest because Rebecca yearns for a man who never fears danger. Finally the men skydive, including Cliff, who is fooled by Bob into thinking that the jet fuel tank is empty when the pilot actually turns it off but then restarts the engine. Despite Sam's best, Rebecca goes out with the trainer Bob instead.
1559"Send in the Crane"James BurrowsDavid LloydJanuary 5, 1989 (1989-01-05)25.1 / 37[rat7 9]
Rebecca throws a children's birthday party for the son of her boss Mr. Ridgeway. She hires Woody as the party's clown, as suggested by Frasier. However, Woody decides to substitute as Mark Antony in a theatrical play for the actor who had a fever of 106 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, the reluctant Frasier is pressured into substituting for Woody as Binky the Clown. At the party, Frasier initially is not doing well as Binky until he squirts a water gun disguised as the flower on the clown suit, causing the kids to cheerfully laugh. When the party dies down, Rebecca tells Frasier still as Binky that Woody told her on the phone about the handkerchief gag: if pulled out the shirt pocket, the suit drops down, revealing the supposed clown underpants, although Woody forgets to give these to Frasier and instead is wearing them himself. Her boss's wife, Mrs. Ridgeway (Patricia Morison), introduces Frasier to her mother. When Mrs. Ridgeway's mother sneezes, Frasier accidentally pulls out the handkerchief for her, which reveals himself wearing nothing underneath since he took off the skimpy French underwear that Lilith gave him earlier, causing Mrs. Ridgeway's mother to faint. Meanwhile, Sam is attracted to both his old girlfriend Judy Marlow (Sandahl Bergman) and her grown daughter Laurie (Chelsea Noble). However, he is devastated to realize that Laurie is engaged to her high school sweetheart.
15610"Bar Wars II: The Woodman Strikes Back"James BurrowsKen Levine and David IsaacsJanuary 12, 1989 (1989-01-12)25.4 / 38[rat7 10]

The Cheers gang finds a way to win the 7th Annual Boston's Best Bloody Mary Contest, which is set in Cheers, against their rivals, Gary's Olde Towne Tavern. Carla obtains the last ounce of a black cardamom from Chinatown to improve the bar Bloody Mary recipe, but then Woody sneezes on it and then wipes out the ingredient. Rebecca is able to obtain a jar of the sample of Gary's "top-secret Bloody Mary mix" by using her physique to attract Gary's gang. Rebecca plans to have the sample analyzed, though she gives the gang some samples. Then Woody tastes it and accidentally drops a jar while he spits it out, spilling all the remains. The following day, Gary (Joel Polis) broadcasts a commercial showing secretly filmed footage of the Cheers gang giving positive feedbacks about Gary's Bloody Mary recipe. Rather than let the gang infiltrate the bar, Woody decides to go to Gary's bar disguised as a nun for eavesdropping. However, Woody ends up tied and hung upside down with his mouth taped. Woody gets angry for being scolded by the gang for his screw-ups, quits Cheers, and then runs off to Gary's bar as a refuge. After Woody works for Gary as bartender for one week, on the day of the contest, Woody tells Gary that the Bloody Mary contest started two hours earlier and then admits that "failing" to notify Gary is part of Sam and Woody's plan to set Gary up. Woody is able to escape from Gary's gang and later poses as a bearded contest judge, fooling Gary's gang. Woody admits to the Cheers crowd that the "failed" nun disguise, working for Gary, and telling Gary the wrong schedule time were steps of Sam and Woody's scheme, while Gary's gang eavesdrops and then reenters Cheers. At first Gary "wins" in the seemingly actual contest. However, after Gary's gang leaves, Carla pays money, taken from Gary's wallet, to the "judge" who turns out to be her neighbor Larry, part of Carla's scheme since last year's contest. The Cheers crowd loudly chants "Gary won't win!", but Gary reenters, astounding the crowd, to retrieve his wallet, still unaware of Carla's scheme. After he leaves, the crowd resumes the chant but in whispers while the contest, actually judged by an old lady from Cambridge, will start in thirty minutes.

Joel Polis and Robert Desiderio alternately reprise the same role of Gary in other episodes. The actor who portrays Larry, the fake judge, remains uncredited.
15711"Adventures in Housesitting"James BurrowsPatricia Niedzialek and Cecile AlchJanuary 19, 1989 (1989-01-19)22.7 / 34[rat7 11]
The reluctant Rebecca accepts an offer from Mr. Sheridan (Michael Currie), one of her corporate bosses who is going to a business trip, to pet–sit his timid champion dog Sir Broundwin the Gallant, also called Buster, at his manor. One night at the manor, Sam enters from an unlocked backdoor and fails in his latest attempt to seduce Rebecca. While Sam teasingly pretends to leave as another attempt to seduce her, he opens the front door, allowing Buster to run off. To keep Mr. Sheridan unaware of the situation, Woody brings in a wrecking yard's attack dog, Satan, which looks like Buster. When a neighbor retrieves Buster, Sam tries the front door to go to the neighbor's house but then sees Mr. Sheridan returning. Rebecca tells the panicked Sam to use the backdoor instead to exit and then sneakily bring Buster back. She tells Woody to take Satan into the kitchen and let it use the room for a short while. Mr. Sheridan enters the kitchen and, believing the dog is Buster, tries to pet him, who is calm but aggressive. Rebecca feels relieved when Satan does not attack Mr. Sheridan, although according to Woody, when Satan hears the word "Cochise" or is provoked, he will attack. When Sam brings Buster via the front door, Rebecca tells Sam to sneak into the back and then switch the dogs so Mr. Sheridan would not see two dogs. While Sam sneakily switches them, Mr. Sheridan hears the dogs barking at and attacking each other. However, Rebecca distracts Mr. Sheridan by asking him about a huge trophy-like urn containing his late wife's ashes, while Sam is able to seemingly switch them successfully. When Mr. Sheridan sees Sam and Woody in the manor, Rebecca lies by declaring them her "boyfriends". At Cheers, where Satan is held, Woody says the word "Cochise" to make Satan viciously attack him, but apparently Satan does not respond to the word. Rebecca fears that the dog at the manor may be Satan and calls Mr. Sheridan. Woody realizes that the provocative word is not "Cochise" but tries to remember which Indian name is used as the word. Cliff tries numerous Indian names until he says "Geronimo", prompting Satan to attack him, who runs into the men's restroom and pushes the door to shield its attacks. Carla calls the wrecking yard to know the word that can calm Satan down. However, disliking Cliff, Carla decides to let Satan attack and then leaves the bar, leaving the gang still unaware of the other word. Meanwhile, Frasier uses Carla's advice to imagine people around him naked in effort to ease his nerves over his upcoming speech at a psychiatric convention. The following day, while he continues to do so, Frasier ends up apparently late and tries to rush to the convention.
15812"Please Mr. Postman"James BurrowsBrian Pollack and Mert RichFebruary 2, 1989 (1989-02-02)24.7 / 37[rat7 12]

Cliff is appointed to train a newcomer, Margaret O'Keefe (Annie Golden). Eventually, they develop feelings for each other despite the policy against a romantic relationship between two postal workers, so they go to a motel. However, Cliff realizes that Maggie used the postal vehicle to reach the motel, causing the police to be suspicious. To avoid getting into trouble, Cliff fabricates the story of armed thugs hijacking the vehicle for a joyride, but the relationship sours due to the fabrication. Maggie admits everything to her superiors, so she is fired from the USPS, while Cliff is demoted to sending mail for six weeks at Zone 19, full of Rottweilers. Maggie moves to Canada to work at its postal service, hoping to preserve their relationship. However, Cliff decides to stay in Boston partly due to the gang's singing and humming of the "Ballad of the Green Berets", reminding him that he has friends in Boston. Meanwhile, desperate to seduce her again after failed attempts, Sam learns from Rebecca that an old song made her aroused when she was in high school. After unsuccessful searches for the song, Sam finds out from Rebecca's mother via a telephone call that the song was "You've Lost That Loving Feeling". When he plays a recording of the song in the bar office, Sam dances with Rebecca, who becomes motionless by. When she appears disinterested while she uses the computer, Sam leaves the room disappointed. However, she becomes aroused and then accidentally kisses Norm, who enters the room to discuss his beer quota.

In original broadcast and some syndication prints, the Righteous Brothers song played is "You've Lost That Loving Feeling".[5][6][7] However, in DVD and other prints, the substitute song by the same musical duo is "Unchained Melody".
15913"Golden Boyd"James BurrowsCheri Eichen and Bill SteinkellnerFebruary 6, 1989 (1989-02-06)17.3 / 25[rat7 13]

Woody and Sam are assigned by Rebecca to serve guests at her boss Mr. Gaines's (Richard Doyle) manor, where Rebecca organizes a comeback party for her boss's daughter, Kelly (Jackie Swanson). At the party, Woody gets into trouble by trying to converse with sophisticated but brutish Nash (Tyrone Power Jr.) and his friends. When Nash tells Woody to stay out of his field and do his job, Woody talks back at Nash, almost leading to a brawl. Fortunately, Sam, who is eventually penalized by Rebecca for telling rich guests fabricated stories just to earn huge tips, is able to stop the conflict between the two, but Woody and Nash decide to have a brawl at Cheers. The following day, Nash shows up at the bar and then knocks Woody out by one punch. To get even with Nash, Woody realizes from the gang's hints that he can date Nash's girlfriend Kelly Gaines, who enters the bar to apologize to Woody about Nash's recent behavior. The following day, Woody goes to the manor and asks Mr. Gaines permission to date her, but neither he nor Nash approves Woody for his lower-class status and the fact that Kelly is currently in another relationship. Nevertheless, Kelly, at first reluctant, decides to date Woody just to spite Nash for domineering her and being too demanding. Woody and Kelly enjoy their time together for about one week until Nash apologizes to her for the way he treated her, an apology she accepts. After Nash and Kelly decide to rebuild their relationship and then exit, Woody is at first reluctant to date her anymore because they have different class backgrounds. However, encouraged by Sam, Woody decides to chase after Kelly who, realizing that she likes Woody more than Nash, reenters the bar. Woody and Kelly admit that they like each other very much and then decide to go to a hamburger joint for a date.

This episode originally aired on Monday, February 6, 1989, at 10:00pm Eastern / 9:00pm Central.[8] The series' original timeslot was preempted by George H. W. Bush's live Presidential Address three days later (February 9, 1989) at 9:00 pm Eastern / 6:00pm Pacific.[9]
16014"I Kid You Not"James BurrowsTeleplay: Rod Burton
Story: Rick Beren		February 16, 1989 (1989-02-16)22.8 / 35[rat7 14]
Frasier and Lilith want to have children, so they look to experience parenthood first-hand. They encounter Carla's son Ludlow (Jarrett Lennon), whose biological father and Frasier's former mentor Bennett Ludlow from "Whodunit?" (season 3, episode 13) never visited despite giving him financial support. Realizing that Ludlow is very intelligent and likes upper-class delights but does not do well in sports, the Cranes decide to borrow Ludlow to take him to the opera. Hours later, Ludlow arrives cheerful and glad to see the opera with the Cranes, so he wants to do more activities with them, like watching Koyaanisqatsi and hearing Peter and the Wolf at a sleepover. Carla, devastated that she has nothing in common with Ludlow, reluctantly agrees. The following day, the Cranes reserve a table with Ludlow at Magritte's, a fancy, upper-class restaurant, making Ludlow miss Carla's planned family dinner consisting of spaghetti and America's Most Wanted. Seeing Carla sad, Sam asks the Cranes to invite her. At first, Frasier refuses by calling Carla a bad person and friend, but then Frasier becomes pressured when Lilith hurtfully squeezes his hand and hurts his palm with her nails. Carla accepts Frasier's invitation but is told to dress and behave elegantly at Magritte's. At the restaurant, Carla dresses in a man's suit and mocks the language of the establishment, which entertains Ludlow but humiliates the Cranes. A short while later, when Ludlow does not taste a $32 shellfish entrée, Frasier pressures him into tasting it. However, Ludlow dislikes it and then ducks under the table. Carla tries to take him somewhere, but Frasier refuses to let her in order to wait for Ludlow to come out from underneath and the completely eat the meal. Ludlow burns Frasier's shoes, angrily prompting him to sever his ties with Ludlow. When the disturbed waiters come to the table, Lilith tells them the situation. Frasier, not wanting to go to a table in the kitchen, tells Carla to escort Ludlow out, so Carla takes Ludlow out to a hamburger joint. After the Tortellis leave, Frasier feels distraught over failing to father Ludlow until Lilith tells him that she is pregnant, cheering Frasier up. Meanwhile, while Rebecca is irritated by the gang's misassumptions that she slept with Sam in his red Chevrolet Corvette, Woody wants to use the car for his latest date with Kelly. Sam initially refuses until Woody tells him that Sam is his best friend, which Sam mistakes as Woody's scheme to guilt him, so Sam gives him keys. Fearing for his car's fate, Sam borrows Woody's car to closely follow the couple, giving him directions along the way.
16115"Don't Paint Your Chickens"James BurrowsKen Levine and David IsaacsFebruary 23, 1989 (1989-02-23)23.3 / 35[rat7 15]
Rebecca has failed to impress her corporate superiors, especially by showing her big ink stain on her skirt. Norm is unable to find clients for three months to hire him as a painter; she realizes that she can use Norm's painting skills to put her up to the top. Norm initially refuses her help per conflict of interest until she blackmails him with a record of his bar tab. However, Norm does not enjoy her promotional skills. Rebecca's tactics, i.e. use of gimmicks (like the colored drawing of "Carl Chameleon" the lizard and "AAAA Painting" as the name of the business, which will confuse customers with the existing AAA, the auto club), to promote the business costs him thousands of dollars. He is close to firing her but backs down when she hires a voice for Carl Chameleon. The following day, after a client answers the ad by hiring Norm, Rebecca receives the news that Henry Weinberg is promoted the advertising director, angrily prompting her to go to headquarters to confront Mr. Anawalt (Stefan Gierasch) for under-appreciating her. Then Norm receives the news that the same client from earlier had already signed a contract with other painters. Fearing that Rebecca would get fired and that someone else other than Sam will take over the bar, Norm rushes to headquarters to stop her. However, the security guard (Richard Epcar), called by the executive's secretary, (Sarah Marshall) arrives, so Norm uses a suspended platform to show Rebecca a "NO JOB" sign outside Mr. Anawalt's window. At first, Rebecca, who loses her client and passes Norm as an unemployed window washer, decides to stop for fear of losing her job, but then she finally confronts him for overlooking her talents. Mr. Anawalt is impressed with her courage to stand up to him and wants to hire her, but then he ends up arrested by the FBI for inside trading, dashing her hopes of being promoted. Norm is stuck on the platform in the middle of the rain, affecting its motor buttons. Meanwhile, Sam is exhausted by his casual partner Erin's (Lisa Aliff) sports activities, like cycling. Therefore, Sam breaks off the relationship. He then regrets it and tries to follow her from Cheers when she invites him to a bubble bath, but then he collapses out of exhaustion outside the bar entrance.
16216"The Cranemakers"Andy AckermanPhoef SuttonMarch 2, 1989 (1989-03-02)24.3 / 37[rat7 16]
In the cold opening, Carla receives a will from her late grandfather Antonio Lozupone's lawyer, Whitney Morris (James R. Winker), which was suppressed by Antonio's illegitimate son Paolo, who squandered the riches by gambling in horse racing and womanizing, leaving her just a quarter. In Act One, Frasier scolds Lilith for embarrassing him in front of the bar gang with her monologue theatrical speeches about her pregnancy, so she storms out. The following day, the Cranes make up when they use the stethoscope to hear the baby's heartbeat in the womb. Woody is sent on a one-week trip to Italy, arranged by Rebecca per corporate policy to give employees vacations. In Act Two, the Cranes decide to leave their civilized lives behind and settle in nature. Fearing that they are too urban and cultured to settle there, Sam lends them a cabin up in northern Maine for one week, so the Cranes postpone their permanent move. At the cabin in Maine, they have trouble adapting to nature. Frasier struggles to make a fire by using two rocks because they have no light matches, while Lilith sings the musical song "My Funny Valentine" as she does not know work songs enjoyed by her forefathers. A short while later, she sits, covers herself with a blanket, and continues singing until Frasier angrily tells her to stop. Shortly after, Frasier hurts his hand during struggle to make fire. However, he successfully create a spark but has not yet made fire. While they try to use old newspapers to start the fire, Frasier struggles to re-create a spark, and Lilith stumbles upon a review of an elegant restaurant called La Porta's. They end up discussing it and becoming homesick, so they decide to end the trip and then go back to Boston, particularly for La Porta's. Woody misses his flight to Italy, but then he joyously spends his whole week at the airport, where he meets a man from India. Then Woody returns to the bar and tells them his journey and his decision to have another vacation at a bus depot.
16317"Hot Rocks"James BurrowsKen Levine and David IsaacsMarch 16, 1989 (1989-03-16)22.7 / 36[rat7 17]
Sam and Rebecca are dressed up for the USS Constitution tour with their respective dates who eventually cancel. After Rebecca is reluctant to substitute Sam as her date, Sam brings Admiral William J. Crowe, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (himself), from the tour and introduces him to the bar patrons. Hours later, after the Admiral leaves, Rebecca finds that her $32,000 diamond earrings gone and assumes that the Admiral stole them. Therefore, Sam interrupts the gang's experiments on making noises (like stretching fingers, whistling, and doing armpit sounds) and a "blue spark" by chewing a Life Savers candy, and brings Woody, Cliff, and Norm along to reenact the scene where she lost the earrings. During the reenactment, Rebecca recalls that the Admiral had a glass of water while he was using the phone and then put it down next to the other glass that might have had earrings, leading Sam to realize that the earrings are still in an empty used glass. Sam retrieves the earrings and returns them to her, and then lies down on the table hoping for her to seduce him. Rebecca still resents him, so they have a heart-to-heart conversation about each other until they kiss just to test each other out. Rebecca secretly feels aroused and says "Maybe" but is embarrassed when Sam overhears that and then teases her.
16418"What's Up, Doc?"James BurrowsBrian Pollack and Mert RichMarch 30, 1989 (1989-03-30)24.3 / 37[rat7 18]
Sam is attracted to Frasier and Lilith's colleague, Dr. Sheila Rydall (Madolyn Smith), who rejects his advances. Sam has the gang participate in a plan to impress her by feigning impotence, leading him to an appointment with her. At the appointment, Sheila sees the ploy and foils it by planning to assign him to a group meeting with a group of self-identified impotent people, prompting him to admit the charade. To make up, she reluctantly goes out with him for the following night. After the dinner at Melville's, Sam and Sheila head downstairs to the bar at closing time. Their conversations goes well until she tells him under pressure that, as a psychologist, she thinks his life is empty and that he has meaningless sex to fill the void. Aghast, Sam tells Sheila to leave as she tries to excite him without avail. Then Rebecca enters the scene by exiting the office and sees Sam feeling down about himself. To cheer him up, Rebecca asks him what he does that does not revolve around sex or women. As Sam struggles to answer, Rebecca asks him about the Three Stooges; Sam struggles to grasp the guess until he realizes that the Stooges is another part of his life related to neither of them. Sam and Rebecca imitate the Stooges by pinching and slapping their noses until his nose bleeds.
16519"The Gift of the Woodi"James BurrowsPhoef SuttonApril 6, 1989 (1989-04-06)22.2 / 36[rat7 19]
Woody is invited to Kelly's birthday party by her father, Mr. Gaines, located at the manor. Woody is going to give her a book about Dutch humor; however, the gang convinces him that Mr. Gaines was using him to let Woody embarrass himself in front of Kelly's rich peers because Woody cannot afford expensive gifts. Woody changes his mind about going to the party until Frasier suggests that Woody give her something priceless, coming from his heart and unobtainable by a rich person. At the party, Kelly receives expensive gifts like a new Mercedes-Benz, embarrassing Woody. Regardless, Woody plays a piano and sings "Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly..." (also called "The Kelly Song") as his birthday gift. Although she likes the song, Kelly is unconvinced that it is his real gift but believes that the gift is physically elsewhere; humiliated, Woody tells her that it is out at the front entrance and then runs off. The following day, Kelly visits Cheers to wonder "where" his gift is. Realizing that she is still unconvinced, Woody tells her that both of them come from different class backgrounds and tells her to leave. After she exits, Sam, while consoling Woody, sarcastically suggests that Woody buy her jewelry, which Woody takes seriously as a smart idea. Shortly after, Woody rushes to buy a pendant sprinkled with crushed diamonds (resembling sand dust surrounding an opal) and gives it to Kelly at the manor. She is initially excited and hopes that Woody can afford a chain to carry the pendant around her neck. However, Woody convinces her that he is too poor to afford expensive things, leading her to feel bad and to give him back the pendant and they reconcile. However, she mentions that she is planning to give him a Porsche on his upcoming birthday but changes her mind, stunning him. Cliff annoys his friends with his plans to market "beetabega", a fictional combination of rutabaga and beetroot, and makes recipes made of that for the public to sample. Rebecca, feeling too attractive and sexy, dresses up like Lilith to impress her superiors at Melville's, but she is unsuccessful when they give Lilith a vice president position for the corporation's eastern seaboard.
16620"Call Me Irresponsible"James BurrowsDan O'Shannon and Tom AndersonApril 13, 1989 (1989-04-13)22.3 / 36[rat7 20]
Carla dresses up to surprise Eddie on their second anniversary but becomes devastated when he has not arrived in Boston. Therefore, she sends herself flowers to the bar to make the gang believe that Eddie sent them, until Woody notifies her in front of everyone that the florist phoned that the floral shop accepts cash rather than credit cards. A while later, Anthony off-screen drops off a box of laundry clothes, leading her to conclude that all hope is lost. Fortunately, Eddie calls to tell her that he was about to return to Boston until he was called to rehearse for the rewritten ice stage adaptation of The Three Little Pigs, which axes out the Wolf. Although she is pleased, Carla asks Sam in the office whether Sam told Eddie about the anniversary. Sam tells her that he did not. Carla curses Sam, telling him that his tongue will swell if he lies, though Carla believes him. When Carla exits the room, Sam's tongue becomes swollen. Meanwhile, Woody wins three illegitimate bets (one bet per quarter) on a basketball game, but then Rebecca wins the last betting round. The bar patrons are almost caught by the city police detective McGuinness (Fredric Cook) for illegal gambling, but then Rebecca convinces him that the whole situation is a charade and then gives the money back to the patrons. When Detective McGuinness exits, Rebecca retrieves the money from them. Frasier and Lilith hire Norm to redecorate their unborn child's room as gender-neutral (or unisex) and without popular children's icons, i.e. anything that would lower a child's intellect.
16721"Sisterly Love"James BurrowsDavid LloydApril 27, 1989 (1989-04-27)20.8 / 34[rat7 21]

Rebecca's sister Susan (Marcia Cross), who is an actress, arrives in Boston for a bank commercial and to reconcile with her. Rebecca is unpleased to see Susan again. Sam sees the estrangement between the two as his leverage to seduce either one and takes the women to Melville's to have them "reconcile". At lunch, the sisters argue until Sam stops them to investigate the reason for their fighting. Rebecca admits their battles over their love interests in the past and then storms out. To exploit their rivalry over romance, Sam falsely claims to Susan that Rebecca is "attracted" to him. Then he and Susan arrange a date, which he later notifies Rebecca about. Rebecca becomes furious and tells Sam to break it off so Rebecca can date him, albeit reluctantly. Therefore, he postpones his date with Susan and then decides to date Rebecca instead. At the bar's closing time, while Sam is expecting Rebecca, Susan enters the bar appearing too excited to wait for him and then kisses him in the office. Rebecca walks in and sees them kissing, so she apparently shoots Susan several times. Rebecca and Sam, who is shocked by the events, carry Susan's body until the bar gang surprises Sam by appearing themselves behind the counter. As it turns out, Susan is neither dead nor shot (the gun had blanks). Instead, the "murder" was a charade to spite Sam for his behavior, and the sisters finally reconcile. Lilith grounds Frasier for six weeks for making fun of her mother, though Frasier escapes from the women and has Susan write a disturbing note (supposedly Susan's autograph to Frasier) to Lilith's mother.

Joan Severance was originally cast as Susan Howe. She and Sam were supposed to have a whirlwind romance, and Sam was supposed to propose marriage in her. Producers found this unsuitable for promiscuous Sam. Also, Severance had scheduling conflicts. Therefore, the character and the story were rewritten as one-time, but producers picked Marcia Cross instead.[10]
16822"The Visiting Lecher"James BurrowsDavid LloydMay 4, 1989 (1989-05-04)20.8 / 33[rat7 22]

Dr. Lawrence Crandall (John McMartin), a marriage specialist who writes books about marriage, arrives in Boston for a book tour and to meet his former colleague Frasier for a drink. At the bar office, Dr. Crandall asks Rebecca whether she is attracted to him. Annoyed, she repeatedly rejects the idea. Sam and Frasier convince her that the asking was Dr. Crandall's part of his profession. Rebecca arrives to Dr. Crandall's table to apologize, but then is repulsed by his foot apparently contacting her leg. She tries to convince Sam and Frasier, without avail, that Dr. Crandall is sexually harassing her. Therefore, Rebecca drags Sam to a hotel room where Dr. Crandall is staying. There, they find a maid, Maria (Fabiana Udenio), in the closet and a violinist Zoltan (Nicholas Miscusi) entering the room. Dr. Crandall admits that he was going to seduce Maria and fears that his career and fifteen-year marriage with Valerie (Joanna Barnes) would be over if exposed. When Valerie arrives, the guests go inside the closet at Lawrence's behest. The Crandalls plan to have dinner together, but Valerie demands him to wear a coat. When Lawrence accidentally puts on Maria's blue coat, Valerie senses someone inside the closet and tells them to come outside. When Valerie threatens to ruin them all unless they explain, Rebecca comes forward and tells Valerie about Lawrence's conduct with Rebecca rather than with Marie (for his wife's sake). Unfortunately, Lawrence passes the claims as coincidences, so Valerie is unconvinced. Thus Rebecca insults Valerie and then physically attacks her. Sam and Zoltan restrain her and take her out of the room.

This episode originally intended to reprise Dr. Simon Finch-Royce, John Cleese's character from the fifth season episode "Simon Says". However, Cleese was unavailable, so this episode was re-written in order to replace his character with Dr. Lawrence Crandall.[11]

Production

Writers and producers David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee left the series in March 1989 for an upcoming production company, which became Grub Street Productions.[12][13]

Reception

This season landed in fourth place with an average 22.5 rating and 35 share as of April 20, 1989.[14] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described the character of Rebecca Howe as "annoying", and expressed pleasure at rumors that Joan Severance (originally set to play Susan Howe, a role eventually portrayed by Marcia Cross) could replace Kirstie Alley, contending that Shelley Long's departure in the fifth season was still affecting the series.[15] Another syndicate columnist Joe Stein found the sixth and seventh seasons "good [yet] somewhat watered down", and found Rebecca not as "compelling" as her predecessor Diane.[12] Conversely, Herb Caen of the San Francisco Chronicle praised this season, including the cast ensemble and their performances, but still missed departed characters Coach and Diane.[16]

Todd Fuller of Sitcoms Online called this season "strong".[17] David Johnson of DVD Verdict rated the story 90 percent and the acting 95 percent, praising its episodic approach and departure from story arcs, like Sam and Diane's relationship or Rebecca's failed attempts to win Evan Drake last season. He praised Alley as "a solid comic force" for her "over-the-top portrayal of neurosis".[18] Jeffrey Robinson of DVD Talk gave this season three and a half stars out of five and gave a replay value of four, calling it "good" and its episodes "fun and amusing".[19] Current Film called this season a "strong roll" with "fine performances".[20]

The scene of Woody Boyd singing "Kelly, Kelly, Kelly, Kelly..." (also called "The Kelly Song"[21]) at Kelly Gaines's birthday party from the episode "The Gift of the Woodi" has been discussed in the media. Andy Greene of Rolling Stone magazine called it memorable to Cheers fans. Greene also mentioned that the song was later performed by The Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon when Kelly Ripa was entering the set as Fallon's guest.[22] David Hofstede, in his book 5000 Episodes and No Commercials, called the scene one of "great moments" of the series.[23]

Accolades

In the 41st Primetime Emmy Awards (1989), this season won three Emmys: Outstanding Comedy Series of 1988–1989, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (Woody Harrelson), and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Rhea Perlman).[24] In the 3rd Annual American Comedy Awards, Perlman was awarded as the Funniest Supporting Actress for her character Carla Tortelli.[25]

DVD Release

Cheers: The Complete Seventh Season
Set Details[19]
Release Dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
November 15, 2005 May 18, 2009 April 27, 2009

Notes

  1. ↑ Stein, Joe (October 24, 1988). "Prime-time battles finally begin in earnest this week". Evening Tribune. San Diego. p. C-4.
  2. ↑ "Night Court tops Nielsens in Thursday time slot". The Daily Union. Junction City, Kansas. December 14, 1988. p. 12.
  3. ↑ Raftery, Brian (October 2012). "The Best TV Show That's Ever Been". GQ.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Bjorklund, pp. 375–389
  5. ↑ "Cheers – Please Mr. Postman (transcript)". mReplay. June 11, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  6. ↑ Brown, J.T. (June 4, 1993). "Bravo, Cheers" (Letter). Letter to Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  7. ↑ Wertheimer, Alan (2003). "Intoxication". Consent to Sexual Relations. Cambridge University Press. p. 237. Retrieved June 12, 2016 – via Google Books.
  8. ↑ "Monday's TV Programs". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 6, 1989. p. 13.
  9. ↑ "Thursday's TV Programs". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 9, 1989. p. 17.
  10. ↑ "Severance pay?". Los Angeles Daily News. April 25, 1989. p. L20. Record no. 8901190594. Under same article, "TV News & Notes - One Last Fling for Moonlighting", by Jim Benson.
  11. ↑ "Why John Cleese never appeared on Cheers a second time". ...by Ken Levine. November 12, 2010.
  12. 1 2 Stein, Joe (March 3, 1989). "Defections to Hurt Cheers: 3 Writers, Producers to Leave". The Press-Courier. Copley News Service. p. 10.
  13. ↑ "Obituaries: David Angell". The Telegraph. 13 September 2011.
  14. ↑ Feder, Robert (April 20, 1989). "NBC, ABC and CBS keep losing viewers". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 61. Record no. CHI349816.
  15. ↑ <surname illegible>, Gary (March 23, 1989). "Kirstie Alley may lose Cheers lead to 'another woman'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 21.
  16. ↑ Caen, Herb (March 23, 1989). "A Star Is Born". San Francisco Chronicle. p. B1. Record no. 569588.
  17. ↑ Fuller, Todd (November 9, 2005). "Cheers: The Complete Seventh Season". Sitcoms Online.
  18. ↑ Johnson, David (November 15, 2005). "Cheers: The Complete Seventh Season". DVD Verdict.
  19. 1 2 Robinson, Jeffrey (November 15, 2005). "Cheers - The Complete Seventh Season". DVD Talk.
  20. ↑ "Cheers: Season 7". Current Film.
  21. ↑ "Cheers". Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. 1 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc. 2011. p. 182. Retrieved June 18, 2016 – via Google Books.
  22. ↑ Greene, Andy (November 20, 2014). "Flashback: Woody Sings 'The Kelly Song' on Cheers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  23. ↑ Hofstede, David (2006). 5000 Episodes and No Commercials: The Ultimate Guide to TV Shows on DVD 2007: What to Watch, What to Buy. New York City: Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 57. ISBN 978-0823084562. Retrieved June 18, 2016 – via Amazon.com.
  24. ↑ Bjorklund, p. 461.
  25. ↑ "American director's 1st film wins top prize at Cannes". Milwaukee Sentinel. May 24, 1989. pt. 1, pg. 3.

References

Ratings notes

Unless otherwise, the main source of Nielsen ratings is the newspaper Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. According to that main source, ratings of 1988-89 were based on 90.4 million households that have at least one television.

  1. ↑ "Top 10: Oct. 24–30, 1988". November 2, 1988. p. 21.
  2. ↑ "Top 10: Oct. 31–Nov. 6, 1988". November 9, 1988. p. 19.
  3. ↑ "Top 10: Nov. 7–13, 1988". November 16, 1988. p. 33.
  4. ↑ "The Ratings (Nov. 14–20, 1988)". The Dallas Morning News. November 24, 1988. p. 21C.
  5. ↑ "The Ratings (Nov. 21–27, 1988)". The Dallas Morning News. December 2, 1988. p. 12C.
  6. ↑ "Top 10: Dec. 5–11, 1988". December 14, 1988. p. 27.
  7. ↑ "Top 10: Dec. 12–18, 1988". December 21, 1988. p. 25.
  8. ↑ "Top 10: Dec. 19–25, 1988". December 29, 1988. p. 15.
  9. ↑ "Top 10: Jan 2–8, 1989". January 11, 1989. p. 27.
  10. ↑ "Top 10: Jan. 9–15, 1989". January 18, 1989. p. 24.
  11. ↑ "Top 10: Jan 16–22, 1989". January 25, 1989. p. 19.
  12. ↑ "Top 10: Jan. 30–Feb. 5, 1989". February 8, 1989. p. 27.
  13. ↑ "Using this chart (Feb. 6–12, 1989)". USA Today. February 15, 1989. p. 3D.
  14. ↑ "Using this chart (Feb. 13–19, 1989)". USA Today. February 22, 1989. p. 3D. Record no. 170085.
  15. ↑ "Top 10: Feb. 20–26, 1989". March 2, 1989. p. 15.
  16. ↑ "Top 10: Feb. 27–Mar. 5, 1989". March 8, 1989. p. 21.
  17. ↑ "Using this chart (March 13–19, 1989)". USA Today. March 22, 1989. p. 3D.
  18. ↑ "Top 10: Mar. 27–Apr. 2, 1989". April 5, 1989. p. 21.
  19. ↑ "Top 10: April 3–9, 1989". April 12, 1989. p. 28.
  20. ↑ "Top 10: April 10–16, 1989". April 19, 1989. p. 21.
  21. ↑ "Top 10: April 24–30, 1989". May 3, 1989. p. 19.
  22. ↑ "Top 10: May 1–7, 1989". May 10, 1989. p. 19.
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