Cheers was one of the world’s most popular TV show when it aired from 1982-1993, and it still ranks as one of the best sitcoms of all time. But a series having such wide appeal can also lead to some strange incidents for the main cast. For Cheers, one of those moments came when a fan showed up to an episode taping with a samurai sword and an unnerving focus on Shelley Long and Ted Danson.
John Ratzenberger, who played Cliff Clavin for the entirety of Cheers’ run, recounted this story while appearing on Still Here Hollywood Podcast w/ Steve Kmetko. He was the one who noticed that something was off about this person in the audience, explaining:
There was one audience member, I remember just watching… again, the city I came from, you had to have eyes in the back of your head. And so I was looking at the audience and the show’s going on. And there was one guy, for some reason, he was looking at Shelley [Long] and Ted [Danson]. Just wherever they were, he was staring at them, but his eyes were just a little nuts. And I know something's wrong there, because the action of the stage play, Cheers going on there, and this guy's looking where the actors are standing off to the side.
Yeah, I can understand why this would have made Ratzenberger suspicious. The actor, who’s also voiced many Pixar characters, didn’t specify when this weird incident took place, although since Shelley Long was involved, that places it sometime during Cheers’ first five seasons, when she was a series regular. The warning bells going off in Ratzenberger’s head were strong enough for him to let someone know, which led to the following:
And I said to the head of the security, Tom, pointed the guy out, I said, ‘That seem odd you you?’ So they went and checked the guy out. He had, under his whatever, a samurai sword with I think it was Ted and Shelley's name written on it. It was creepy. So they got rid of him. I never heard anything else about it.
I really need to know the thought process behind this Cheers fan deciding to put Diane Chambers and Sam Malone performers’ names on a samurai sword, and then bring the blade to an episode taping. What did he think was going to happen? That they would be excited to see the sword and heap praises upon him? I also can’t help but think of that funny Step Brothers scene (though not the funniest scene in the movie) when Will Ferrell’s Brennan tells John C. Reilly’s Dale that he got his samurai sword autographed by Randy Jackson when he was at the mall.
If there’s a lesson to be learned from this, it’s that it’s not a good idea to express your enthusiasm for a movie or TV actor by putting their name on a weapon. It sends the wrong message. And if you’re like me, hearing this story will make you want to revisit Cheers, which can be streamed Paramount+ subscription.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
