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AUTHOR Hlynka, Anthony; Knupfer, Nancy Nelson TITLE A Thinking Person's : A Study of Intertextuality in "." DATE Jan 97 NOTE lip.; In: VisionQuest: Journeys toward Visual Literacy. Selected Readings from the Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (28th, Cheyenne, Wyoming, October, 1996); see IR 018 353. PUB TYPE Reports Evaluative (142) Speeches/Meeting Papers (150) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Comedy; Literacy; Popular Culture; Programming (Broadcast); Social Influences; Television Research; Television Viewing; Visual Literacy IDENTIFIERS *Cheers (Television Series); *Intertextuality

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the television program "Cheers" and demonstrates one way of interpreting the complexity of messages within the program. The interplay of visual messages within the "Cheers" programming is referred to as intertextuality, or the relation of one text to another to express an idea. Two basic types of intertextuality--horizontal and vertical--serve as a framework for this analysis of "Cheers." Horizontal textuality refers to relations between primary texts "along the axis of genre and content." In "Cheers," genre intertextuality means examining how the show works as a situation comedy, and in particular how it differs from other situation . Content intertextuality refers to the use of specific allusions to other texts. The second type of intertextuality is vertical, defined as the relation between a primary text and those texts which refer to and discuss the primary texts. In the case of "Cheers," this includes analyses in the popular press. These secondary texts work to promote the circulation of selected meanings of,the primary text. The carefully crafted comedic statements in "Cheers" carry social and cultural overtones, presenting an intellectual challenge to the viewer who actively attends to the interplay. After a description of the characters, this paper includes a general and an episode analysis. It then shows how the titles of the shows have been gleaned from classic literature and places "Cheers" in the comedic perspective with other television comedies. (Contains 18 references.) (AEF)

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Intertextuality In "Cheers" Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent Anthony Hlynka and Nancy Nelson Knupfer official OERI position or policy. Abstract This paper explains the of intertextualityconcerning television programming, then analyzes the modern television comedy Cheers,comparing and contrasting it to classic works. The lead author of this paper is a 17-year-oldhigh school student.The paper is a commentary on the level of critical expertise aproperly motivated and visually literate high school student can display.

As society places more emphasis on the Historical works of literature can be visual media and less emphasis on reading, portrayed in many ways while maintaining educatorsmust examinethemessages theintendedmessage. Shakespeare's carried through the visual media.Further, great plays are an example.Intended as they must learn to read visual media and in visual works, many people read these plays turn, teach their students to practice critical inbooksandstudy theliterature viewing skills. Televisionisavisual accordingly. Now the video versions are medium that carries powerful messages to available for check-outat most public people and helps to shape their actions, libraries and are indeed often beliefs, and empirical knowledge recommendedasastartingplaceto (DeVaney, 1994).Commercial television understanding a play, prior to reading the employs story, along with visual effects, to text. impart cultural influence upon the viewers. Television programs are not that much li Commercial television is one of today's different. They begin as plays written for major transmittersof culture. Many screenpresentation,buttheviewing aspects of social roles are reflected and usually has no chance nor desire even exaggerated in television to read and analyze the printed version of I programming.For example, patterns of theprogram. Thus,visuallyliterate speech, dress, fashion, family rituals, group television viewers must learn to interpret behaviors, andothersocialrolesare the visual and verbal text of what they see simultaneously present in television onthescreenatthetimethatitis programs (DeVaney, 1994).Further, the displayed. visual message employsthe power of In the1600s,there was evidence of motion combined with color and sound to people first believing what they read in call upontheaffectivedomain,thus print through their reactions to employingpowerful,emotionalimpat Shakespeare'sworks. Todaythereis that can greatlyinfluencethe viewers ample evidence of people believing what Advertisers and political campaign, theyseeinthevisual media of , managers know this and thus, theyutilize television, computer, and other the television medium to its fullest capacity communications media. For example, see to deliver specific messages to targeted the collection ofliteraturedevotedto groups of people. analysis of campaign advertisements on As more television, videos, and television. multimediacarry visuallydependent Toadequatelypreparepeople to messages intoschools and homes, understand visual messages and then to consumers will need to educate themselves, critique their value and believability,it is their children, and their students about necessary to prepare them to bevisually how to read visuals and their literate!This literacy calls upon various accompanying auditory text. The text of theories that are beyond the scope of this television includes thestorywithin the paper, butatitsheart depends upon visual and verbal channels, which work viewers to be able to receive, understand, together to impart the message. Thus, the and critically examine the messages to the grammar of television is one that mustbe point where they can interprethe visual studied, analyzed, and interpreted. media on their own. "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Alice D. Walker 401

EST COPY MAMALE 2 TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." Thispaperaddressesthetelevision In Cheers,genre intertextuality program Cheers and demonstrates one way examining how Cheers worksas a simei*, of interpreting the complexity of messages comedy, andinparticularhowit h within the program.While Cheers indeed different from other situationcomedies,' properly belongs within the domain of Content intertextuality refersto the oat. pop culture,theexaminationof such of specific allusions to other texts.C programs is critical if one is to fully grasp is full of such allusions and that relationh the impact of television media on society. the major focus of thispaper. Jul Serious analysis of television programs is intertextuality within great literature, underutilizedinmostvisualliteracy as works by Ibsen, Checkov, Dickens, and_ curricula. Yet, it provides a rich variety of Shakespeare, deconstructs the traditional' material from which to choose. opposition of versus culture. Ta's series constantly brings culture into the bat,' Intertextuality Defined setting, which of course, is in real life This papershows how studentscan incongruous. The Cheers bar is a cultured examine television content as the literature bar.However, this statement itself canbe of ourtime. Such-visualliterature historically deconstructed.The origina employs interplay among text, imagery, medieval tavern and coffee house was culture, and meaning.This interplay of indeeda centerforlivelyintellectual messages within the Cheers programming debate. -10 willbereferredtoasintertextuality. The second type of intertextualityis Intertextuality is the relation of one text to vertical.Fiske defines this as the relation another in order to get across an idea. In between a primary text and those texts theory, intertextuality proposes that any which refer to and discuss the primary , one text is necessarily read inrelationship texts."Vertical intertextuality consists of to others and further, that a range of a primary text's relations with other texts textual knowledge is brought to upon. which referspecificallytoit. These -4-- it. Intertextualityexistsinthe spaces secondarytexts,suchascriticismor between texts and their meanings (Fiske, publicity, work to promote the circulation 1987). of selected meanings of the primary text." The term intertextuality is used in this (Fiske, 1987,p.117). These include' paper according to the usage of Scholes secondary texts, such as critical studies. In andFiske. Scholeswritesthat"the the case of Cheers this includes analyses in principle is that just as signsrefer the popular press such as Life, TV Guide, toothersigns, rather thandirectlyto SportsIllustrated,andothersources. . things, texts refer to other texts" (Scholes, These secondary texts, such as criticism or 1982, p. 145).Fiske, likewise, prefers to publicity, work to promote the circulation use the word intertextuality to describethe of selected meanings of the primary text. natureoftelevisiontext. Hewrites, All these attempt to explain the functionof "Reading and talking about television are the series from a particular point ofview. part of the process of making a text out of The idea of a visual mediumbeing it and are determinants of what textis described as textis not new. Reading actually made...The textuality of television visual information is a skill that mustbe is essentially intertextual" (Fiske, 1987, p. developed. Interpreting, analyzing, and 15). Fiske further writes that a textual critiquingvisualinformationdepends visual study of television includes "the uponproperreadingofthe information. intertextual relations of television within put itself,withother media, and with Television is composed of scripts, conversation" (p.16). Thus the term into verbal and visual formalong with intertextuality is central to the discourse of othertrappings. Thefieldof visual this paper. literacy includes the study ofvisual and verbal information.Consistent with this John Fiske (1987) identifies two basic the types of intertextuality which can serve as approach, Ann DeVaneydiscusses a framework for our analysisof Cheers. "grammar" oftelevision (DeVaney, horizontal and vertical 1991).In turn, Michael Appledescribes These are program textuality.Horizontal textuality refers to the Channel One television news relations between primary texts "along the as one of the new "texts"of education axis of genre and content" (Fiske, 1987). (Apple, 1993). Thus the idea oftelevision

402 EST COPY AVAILALE 3 programming as a verbo-visual medium common, owned by ex-Red Sox pitcher, fits well with its analysis considering the .Together with Sam was a concept of intertextuality. variety of bar regulars, the small pub was their home. Cheers was a window into the Television Viewers and Cheers lives, troubles, and adventures of these Televisionviewers "arenotcultural people. There was no needtohave dupes lapping any pap that is produced intricate plots and complex storylines; for them"(Fiske,1986,p.214)and "Just open the door, and the stories will Cheers is not merely a mindless comedy. walk in" (Darrach, 1993, p. 64). Rather, the writers took much care and In the first season, however, despite rave effort in molding it to fit their idea of an reviews and testaments of its impending intellectual comedy, aimed at an intelligent success, Cheers ranked in the last place out audience.Jokes are not pulled out of a of seventy-seven programs. But when gag file, but are carefully craftedinter- Cheers won five Emmies in its first year, textual statements with visual and literary the directors decided to give it a second allusions. These allusions carry social and chance. "It was like holding our own feet cultural overtones, presenting an to the fire.We could have been badly intellectual challenge to the viewer who burned" (Darrach, 1993, p. 64).Happily, actively attends to the interplay. in its second season, the show's ratings More than a simple comedy striving to began to improve, and in its fourth season, keep viewers entertained, Cheers is full of Cheers had popped into the top ten.For intertextual references, which engage the the rest of its seven seasons,itwould intellectandmake itallthemore remain there, never more than four shows humorous. This makes Cheers a thinking- away from the top, and frequently the person's comedy.It becomes clear that number one television show in America. when watchingCheers,oneneedsto At the end of its impressive run, Cheers considermorethanjustthesurface hadaired 275 episodes duringeleven appearance. seasons, won 26 Emmies, and obtained a record 111 Emmy nominations. The Cheers Program Timing also contributed to the success of Cheers was the creation of Glen Charles,Cheers. In the time of slapstick and even Les Charles, and .Their crude comedies, such as Three's Company, goal was to create an American FawIty Cheers was one of the first television shows Towers,JohnCleese'sclassic1980s tobreakthiscomedicmold,toget slapstick comedy set in a British inn. The television out of the rut of the seventies in show itself was full of comic characters. which it seemed to be stuck. Cheers was the source of some of the greatest comic talent since The Characters of the sixties.Director James Burrows Tounderstand Cheers,you must calls the show "lightningin a bottle" understand its characters, who are the bar (Darrach, 1993, p. 64). regulars. These barfliesinclude Sam In early versions of the show, Cheers was Malone, , Clifford Claven, to be set in a country club, or a hotel in Carla LeBec, , , Las Vegas, but the writers finally settled on Crane, Lilith Sternin-Crane, Diane a bar, primarily because "no one had to Chambers, and Ernie Pantuso. have an excuse to come intoa bar" (Darrach, 1993, p. 58).On September Sam Malone 30th,1982,asemi-intellectualcollege Sam Malone, played by , is student walked into a bar.This marked the owner of Cheers andthecentral the beginning of Cheers, soon to become character of the show.His parents were one of the most popular television shows Irish immigrants and he was brought up in in history. This watering hole humble stirroundings.Sam's big break would be frequentedvicariouslyevery came to him during his senior year of high Thursday night bymillions of viewers school, when he was recruited to play class acrossNorth America,Europe and A for the .He . left high school and joined the team as a The setting of the show was a simple for only a few years.He one: A bar in the middle of the Boston ended up an alcoholic. After his recovery,

403 he bought the bar.Sam Malone casts a reduced to carrying a cigarbox fullof vision of a classic male chauvinist playboy. receipts around.She's a moneyjunkie who just wants to marry a richman so she Norm Peterson can goof off the rest of her life. Norm Peterson () may be one of the funniest characters on all of Frasier Crane modern television.Once an accountant, Frasier Crane ()"is a and then a painter, he now is shrink who shrank"(Darrach,1993, p. professionally unemployed. His whole life 63). Originally, he came into Cheersas an is the bar, living vicariously through Sam accomplished and renowned psychiatrist, Malone, and making Cheers his home. and as Diane Chamber's new boyfriend. "Every night he bellies up to the bar with However, Diane left him, he developeda a froth of beer, making notes on what drinkingproblem,andhisreputation fools these mortals be. Norm's one-liners tumbled.To pay off his overdrawn bar have become so popular that they have tab, he ends up scrubbing Cheers' toilets. beencollectedandareknown as Frasier is pompous and inept, yet longs "Normisms." to be "one of the boys." He marries Lilith Sternin- Crane, regains his reputation and Clifford Claven career, and remains an outstanding and Clifford Claven (John Ratzenburger)is influential member of Boston society. He the bar know-it-all. There is not a subject takes it upon himself to introduce culture, in this world on which he is not an expert. knowledge, and literature into the bar. Heisanencyclopediaofirrelevant information and misinformation. A forty- LilithSternin-Crane seven-year-old mailman, Cliffstilllives Lilith Sternin -Crane () is with his mother in a apartment. Frasier Crane's wife, and a physiotherapist. With pitch black and absolutely no Carla LeBec skin pigment whatsoever, most would say CarlaTorte lli(RheaPerlman)isa that she should come with a set of bat survivor. After going through at least two wings. However, actress Neuwirth says, husbands, countless lovers, and eight kids, "There'ssomething sweet about Lilith. she is outspoken and honest, but not mean. She just doesn't know how to be with Carla isn't afraid to say things that most people" (Darrach, 1993, p. 62).Unlike people would love to say, but do not. the rest of the people who walk into Everybody likes Carla even though she Cheers, Lilith is not sucked into their world never runsoutof venom. Perlman of idle thoughts, beer, and stupid ideas. explains, "It'ssuch a pleasure to hear somebody say all the vicious things you don'thave the gutstosay yourself" Diane Chambers (Shelly Long) came to (Burrows, 1990b). Cheers as a stop off and remained at the bar for five years, becoming a waitress. A Woody Boyd perpetual college student, she attempted to Woody Boyd (), Sam's civilize the bar patrons, but to no avail. As bartending partner, "must have sucked on thefirstintellectualinthebar,sheis the seltzer nozzle until-wheeeeeee!-all the noticeably out of place, and is frequently bubbles went to his brain" (Darrach, 1993, the butt of the others' jokes. Throughout p. 62).Woody is naive and childlike. the time in which Diane was at Cheers, she M!" From a small farm town, he is a country and Sam were mad about each other, but hick who is just happy to live in the city. not made for each other.She was " a culture snob in graduate school," and he Rebecca Howe was "a galoot who had wasted his youth Rebecca Howe (KirstieAlley)isthe on the mound" (Darrach, 1993, p. 59). manager of Cheers. She came into the bar as a no-nonsense business women, and like Ernie Pantuso others,soon became auseless,pitiful ErniePantuso(Nick Colasanto)was blubbering mass of her former self.She Sam's baseball coach when in the major used to have responsibilities, importance leagues, and holds the record of being hit and demandrespect,butshe nowis the most times in the head by a pitch. He

404 BEST COPY MAILABLE EST COPY AVAILABLE becomes the bartender at Cheers. the viewer from being someone who is Nicknamed"Coach," heisagood passively watching, to someone who is listener, very sweet, and longs to be smart. actually involved in the show, and able to laugh with the characters. This intellectual General Analysis transportation from the audience to the Once the characters are understood, then show itself is what makesCheersgreat. A the structure of this television comedy can testament of thesuccess ofCheersis be examinedingreaterdetail. When illustrated by noted author Kurt television comedy is being analyzed, the Vonnegut'sstatement thatCheersisa majority of programs fall in to one of two comic masterpiece, which he would rather major humorcategories,slapstick and have written than all of his other works intellectual. combined, because each line is significant Slapstickisbasicallyhumoratthe and funny (Bianculli, 1992). expense of others.The jokes are not Cheersdraws on a number of intellectual necessarily tasteful, and the only thing that resources to make it funny.The writers they are really good for is a cheap laugh. employintellectualhumorinmany Examples ofslapstick humorincludes different ways. The use of intertextuality Rowan & Martin's Laugh-InandThree's inCheers isitslife blood.Cheersuses Companyduring the seventies. In general, intertextuality in the form of literary and slapstick humor requires no thought. The cultural allusions, drawing upon the visual joke does not have to be turned over in the aspects of the program to enhance the mind to understand it, but rather it receives meaning. This makesCheersa comedy of an instantaneous response of laughter. thought, rather than actions. On the other hand, intellectual humor Tertiary texts are those produced by the consistsofjokesthatrequiresome viewers. "Tertiary texts occur at the level deliberation, and some degree of of the viewer and his/her social relations. intelligence to understand: They are not Studying them gives us access tothe common jokes that are used until they meanings that are in circulation at any one become clichés, but are original and fresh. time" (Fiske, 1987, p.117).In the case of The writers of these jokes take great care Cheers,thisisbest examinedthrough in their structure, and it is important for electronic discussion groups available on them to be well-written and contrived. the Internet. Cheersbecame one of the The audience of intellectual humoris very early programs to have an electronic verydifferentfromthatofslapstick discussion group,specifically a listserve humor, for intellectual jokes are directed at connected with the series. Cheersfans the thinking person. Many of these jokes from around the world could comment on allude to literature, historical events, and issues of interest to them.ThusCheers current happenings.Interestingly enough, pioneeredthisgenreofdiscussion. when a viewer ofslapstickwatches a UnfortunatelyCheerscame toan end programthatincorporatesintellectual before the influx of electronic humor, themajorityof the jokes go newsgroups. Today, electronic discussion uninterpreted, and are not understood. groupsexist for , David Therefore, one must wonder why the Letterman,and situation comedies such as writers ofCheerswould use intellectual SienfeldandThe Simpsons. However, humor since it is so much more involved. searchingtheInternetstillcanreveal The answer issimple:the rewards are genericCheerstrivia, sound, documents greater.Cheerscould reach millions of such as Norm quotes, and episode guides. people every week and did the toughest The importance of these secondaryor thing there is to do; it made them laugh. vertical intertextual documents is that they The rewards of using your mind to watch circulate selected meanings of the text. television rather than using your eyes is Cheers is unusual in that itseems quite somethingthatthewritersofCheers immune t6 contemporary events.Existing caught on to.When a member of the from 1982-1993, it makes no references to viewing audience understands a joke, not major issues of the day such as the Gulf becauseitis painfullyobvious, but by War and the U.S. presidential elections of drawing upon accumulated knowledge to George Bush or . Cheers understand it, the viewer finds happiness in did not coexist in the real world.Oddly, his or her own intelligence.This changes however,Cheersexistedinthesame

405 6 universeasothertelevisionprograms. Homicidal Ham Charactersfrom other shows have The episodeHomicidal Ham(Burrows: appearedon Cheers, orviceversa. 1983b),intertwinesplay actingwith ExamplesincludeCarla goingtoSt. reality. Diane made the mistake oftrying Eligius Hospital fromSt.Elsewhereto to help an ex-convict with his dreamof deliver her baby, or Norm and Cliff taking becoming an actor.Once convicted foi. a fishing holiday on Sandpiper airlines murder, Andy Andy attemptedto rob from the television seriesWings. Cheersso he would be sent back to prison On the other hand,Cheershas been where he was more comfortable. Diane establishedasnotbelongingtoother helped him pursue his dream of acting by universes. This is accomplished by having guiding him in presenting a scene from other television shows appear prominently WilliamShakespeare'sOthello,which onCheers inthe role of television shows. couldleadtoa jobif Andy Andy These television shows includeSpencer for performed well enough. Before Andy and Hire, Jeopardy, the Tonight Showwith Diane present the "strangulation scene" and theArsenio Hall Show. fromOthello,Andy confessed that he Cheersmost definitely co-exists in a world loved Diane. Diane believed that he only of pop culture and real culture. meant this as a friend.Yet when And witnessed Sam giving Diane a good luck Episode Analysis kiss, his jealousy overpowered him, and he To illustrate the role of intertextuality in vowed to kill her in the scene. Diane Cheers,a number of episodes can be realized this while introducing the scene analyzedtoshow howtheuseof during its presentation to the bar patrons. intertextuality makesCheerseven more She attempted to stall, but to no avail, and humorous. Theevolution ofthe mid-way through the scene, Andy began characters occurs gradually, and patterns strangling Diane. The viewers believed it of change emerge from season to season. was part of the play, until Diane screamed Show Down, Part 1 of 2 forhelp,atwhichpoint,Andywas The first such example is of a character restrained. trying to bring culture into the bar setting This episode ofCheersisespecially is seen in the episodeShow Down, Part I important because it exhibits dual content of2, (Burrows, 1983a).Here, Diane told intertextuality. Not only is the scene from thebar patronstherewas "something Othellobeing acted out in the episode, but extraordinary"on the television. The the episode itself runsalong a similar barflies quickly surrounded the television theme ofOthello,andincludeslove, expectingtoseea hockeygame, or deception, and vengeance. In this episode, something similar. They were surprised to Diane was not only attempting to help a seeWagner'sDas Rhiengold infront of fellow human at reestablishing his life, but them. They were about to go back to their in the process, she was also introducing beer and idle chatter, when Diane insisted Shakespearean theater to the bar. The that they watch at least ten minutes of it. patrons were willing to miss their boxing They agreed to do so, but gave up with a match on televisioninorderto watch groan in a matter of seconds. Diane and Andy's presentation, which was OnCheers,only Diane was aware of this received with littlecomplaining or television event, and was determined to sarcasm. Diane's attempt tointroduce have the bar patrons watch it. Inthis -Shakespeare to the audience of barflies is attempt, she was unsuccessful in best summed up in Diane's introduction enlightening them.Were this the only of the play and Cliff'sresponse,"Now, I incidentofculturalintertextuality,we know I don't have to explain the play to would think nothing of it.However this DeWit, but it might be helpful, to was followed by many more intertextual some of you, if I explained whatyou'rere references to culture, literature, and even about to see.""Duhhhh, I wun-der who intelligence.During the first season of sheeee's tal-king a-bout N000rm. ? Cheers,the only cultured character in the Duheehuh" (Burrows, 1983b).In earlier bar was Diane, who persisted in trying to episodes, such as "Show Down, Part1 of makethebarfliesappreciateculture 2"(Burrows,1983a),thebarpatrons although she was largely unsuccessful. would not even give Diane's suggestionsa

406 7 EST COPY AVMLA chance,butnowtheywerewillingly Diane, however, they are remembering the watching Othello. wrong things. For the first few years of Cheers, Diane Old Flames Chambers wastheonlyculturaland Inthenextexample,OldFlames intellectual influence in the bar.Because (Burrows,1983c),Dianeattemptedto of this, her goal to make Cheers a cultured reveal to Sam the pleasures of art, and took bar had little chance of being fulfilled. him gallery hopping.When she told the However, intheshow'sthirdyear,a barflies that "Mr. Malone is on his way to second cultural influence came into the developinganappreciation ofnon- bar,inthe form of Diane's boyfriend representationalart"(Burrows,1983c), Frasier Crane.An increasing number of they were doubtful of course. To test him, people of a higher class than the regular Carla asked Sam to name any piece of art barfliesbegantofrequentthebar, that he saw. When this was met by silence, including Lilith-Sternin Crane, and Robin she asked him to name any piece of art in Colcord,RebeccaHowe'sbillionaire the world.To the everyone's surprise, boyfriend. Thus,theculturaland Sam actually provided an answer, intellectualawarenessofthebarflies "Michaelangelo's twomuscularguys exhibited a more pronounced change. touching fingers" (Burrows, 1983c). This example of Diane'scontinuing Feeble Attraction questto widen Sam'sappreciationof The episode Feeble Attraction (Burrows, culture, was met more or less halfway. 1989), brings into focus, the bar patrons' Sam went to the art galleries with her, with value of material worth over historical and no complaint. The old Sam would never culturalvalue. RobinColcordsent have been done that.Unfortunately for Rebecca an antique desk as a gift.With it Diane, not much of her work actually sunk he enclosed a note saying that there was a in, but it was evident that she was slowly secret hidden in the desk, but he would not getting the bar patrons to appreciate, or at reveal it. He merely gave a one-word hint, least not complain about art and culture. ring. Rebecca interpreted the message to Humor also lies in the fact that Norm and mean an engagement ring was hidden Cliff thoughtSam's answerof"two somewhereinthedesk,andinher muscular guys touching fingers" excitement, began dismantling the desk (Burrows, 1983c), was correct. piece by piece.Later, a message arrived, stating that the desk had been Bar Bet authenticatedashavingbelongedto In the episode Bar Bet (Burrows, 1985), GeorgeBernardShaw. AfterShaw Norm and Cliff are seen having a heated completed the novel Man and Superman, debate about Anton Checkov and Henrick he rested his teacup on the desk, where it Ibsen. Norm said, "It was Checkov Cliffy, left a distinct mark, and henceforward I can remember what it was, it was the became known as the ring desk.To this CherryOrchard,"andCliffreplied, discovery, Sam has onlyone question, "You're full of it Norm, it was Ibsen and pertainingto Man andSuperman," I theMasterbuilder" (Burrows, 1985). wonder if that's the one where he fought Diane was amazed and somewhat flattered the mole people" (Burrows, 1989). that they were having an inquiry of such a This example illustrates that many of the caliber, and offered to help.They agreed barflies did not understand the value of and Cliff asked Diane if she remembers history and they were only concerned with what she was watching on television "that materialism.When they discovered that night that Norm stuffedhisfacewith the desk was worth thousands of dollars, cheese doodles and whistled The Way We theytried tostop Rebecca beforeshe Were" (Burrows,1985). Dianewas inflicted any more damage on the desk. disappointed and answered "Ibsen. And it The bar pattons did not yet appreciate the was taco chips" (Burrows, 1985). historical value of culture. This vignette reveals that the bar patrons whom Diane attemptstoenlightenare Fifty-Fifty Carla retaining some of her attempts at cultural The Fifty-Fifty Carla episode (Burrows, improvement.Much to the chagrin of 1990a),focuseson Woody's needto

407 EST COPY AVAIILABLE prepareapresentationforasimple sensedthatthegangwas supremely audition and the resulting cultural one- uninterested, and changed the plot to cater ups-manshipthatensues. Frasier and to their likes."There was a king with a Robin, suggested various possibilities for a large jaw, and a queen with a fair face on performance. Frasier suggested a dramatic the throne of England... and there was a monologue, such as Cyrano De Bergerac. blood-thirsty clown who beckoned Robin does better by suggesting Richard innocentchildrenintothesewer and II, and quoted a passage from it.The bar swallowedthemwhole" (Ackerman, patrons were impressed, and Frasier not 1991). Frasier had adjusted Dickens' wanting to be outdone, quoted a segue famous classics so thatthey would be from Cyrano. Robin was about to defend relished by the mostly uncultured crowd. himselfby producing yet another By the end of the episode, he had them quotation and a literary brawl could be felt chanting"Dickens!"andaskingfor brewing betweenthem. But Woody more. interrupted them, saying that he would just This episode illustrates that the barflies go with what he had thought of in the first did not have a grudge against high culture, place, and put his head between his legs, but they merely disliked the way it was lockedhis arms aroundhislegs,and commonly delivered. Cheers had not waddled out of the bar. butchered a famous ,classic, but instead it This episode reveals an evolution of the had actually managed to present it in a barflies as appreciative of great literary styleacceptedbythebaraudience. works. Rather than scoff at the recitations Therefore, culture otherwise out of grasp, by Frasier and Robili, which would have was now within their reach. been the case earlier on in the series, they were now impressed by this feat. Baby Balk The episode Baby Balk (Burrows, 1991), Get My Act Together bringsa team of bowlers tothebar, In the episode I'm Gonna Get My Act proudly boasting that their friend had just Together And StickItInYour Face bowled a 300 game. They were extremely (Ackerman, 1991), Frasier was shocked to jubilant,and oneofthemwas even learn that the gang has never heard of handing out cigars to all the men in the Charles Dickens. He discovered this when bar. Accidentally, the bowler gave a cigar RebeccahadbrokenupwithRobin to Lilith, and realizing hismistake, he Colcord, and was moping about the bar in apologized. Lilith replied, "You think her dress.Frasier remarked that that because I'm a woman I won't enjoy "her walking around in that wedding dress this? I'll save it for the George Sand film was justatadtooMiss Havisham." festival." (Burrows, 1991).The bowler (Ackerman,1991),thuspromptingan wassomewhatconfused,andFrasier inquiryasto whom he was referring. attemptedtoclear him up bystating, Frasier explained that Miss Havisham was a "What you don't understand is that my characterinCharlesDickens' Great wife just made averyfunnyliterary Expectations, and he was drawn aback to reference to a woman that used to dress as realize that they had no idea what he was a man and live in France."The bowler talking about. "Surely you know... Great asks, "Was he a bowler?" to which Frasier Expectations... Pip, Miss Havisham, replies, "Sure, what the hell"(Burrows, Magwige... and four pizza-lovingturtles 1991). who practice martial arts in the sewers" This segment emphasizes that whereas (Ackerman,1991). Frasier couldnot some people who frequent the bar, such as believe that they really had no ideal who Frasier and Lilith, are of highculture, Charles Dickens was, and asked them "are others will just never be able to understand you really this ignorant, or do you just do them completely.The bowlers' attitude this to torture me." and it was met with toward culture was similar to that which Norm's reply, "Sometimes the two go dominated Cheers at the beginning of its hand inhand" (Ackerman, 1991). first season. Realizing that the barflies had never been exposed to Charles Dickens, Frasier took it Cheers and Cultural Intertextuality upon himself to read them A Tale Of Two These episodic examples have illustrated Cities. However, by the first two lines, he that the common barflies have slowly risen

408 9 to a higher level of cultural awareness, with incorporated the style of the much earlier the aid of external cultural and intellectual Show, with more social and influences. As isolatedincidents, these political humor. Theirsubstancewas segments would not have any effect of probably made possible by the pioneering raisingCheerstothelevelofan style of the ' social and intertextual tour de force. Itis when political humor on CBS (Inge, 1978). incident after incident is examined, that Cheers is not truly a personality comedy, one realizesthattheauthors'cultural nor does it supply the puritanical morals commentary is not accidental, but most and the good natured family fun of the definitely intentional. comedic second type. One might be Yet another level of this intertextuality inclined to groupitwith theslapstick can be gleaned from an examination of shows based on its surface appearance, but the titles of the episodes. Again and again, acloseexaminationeliminatesthat they reflect high culture.Examples are: category as well,primarily due toits Norman's Conquest which refers to the references to high culture and intertextual Norman Conquest of 1066, The Coaches allusions. Nor does Cheers poke fun at Daughter which refers to Pushkin's The authorityfiguresorpeopleof power, Captain's Daughter, and The Peterson although it does occasionally satirize and Principal whichreferstothefamous poke fun at cultural snobs. Cheers is most management motto known as the Peter in its element when grouped in the fourth Principal. The Peter Principal states that category, but oddly enough, it does not one is promoted until one reaches one's display any of thepolitical humor so level of incompetence. This is the theme typical to this genre.It does however of the episode in which Norm and an Ivy- display social humor, in the clash between leaguer compete for the same promotion. bar and culture. Both The Book of Samuel and Honor Thy Cheers is set in Boston and is stocked by Mother have biblical connotations. a microcosm of American society.The Puddin' Head Boyd refers to the Mark characters of the show consist of a mix of TwainclassicPuddin'HeadWilson. cultural and ethnic backgrounds, but are Crash of the Titans is a play on the movie predominantly Irish, Jewish, Italian, White Clash of the Titans. Anglo-Saxon Protestants, blue-collar workers,white-collarsociety,innocent Cheers in Comedic Perspective farmtypes, andintellectuals. All are In the vast sea of television comedies, exaggerated through the visual and textual one wonders where Cheers reallyfits. representations, thus playing upon cultural Commercial television has engaged in four stereotypes thatare recognized by the distinct types of comedy (Inge,1978). viewing public. The earliest was the comic personality, Thus, Cheers can not be placed wholly in such as Gracie Allen or George Bums, with one category of television comedy.It is a the Burns and Allen Show.Next, there blended style, including some of the third developedsituationcomedies,such as. genre of slapstick and authority mocking, Leave it to Beaver or Donna Reed, wihch \ mixed with a majority of the fourth genre, were generally viewed as basic puritanical of the political and social .In that moralisms sprinkled with mild doses of respect it most resembles Mash with its fun. During the late 1950s, a third type of central characters placed in a home-away- comedy emerged, which generally from-home,sharingintimatesituations employed slapstick humor and throughdailycontactandfamiliarity, characteristically poked fun atauthority mockingauthority,andincorporating symbols, such as the law, or the banking some high culture while at the same time profession. Thistypeof comedyis making the culturally elite the butt of embodiedinshows such as The Real everyday jokes.Both Cheers and Mash McCoys and this genre peakedinthe make culturalandpoliticalstatements, 1960s with programssuchas Car 54 althoughpoliticsare much milderin Where Are You? and Gilligan's Island. Cheers than in Mash. The fourth type of comic television began When all of the intertextual references to dominate in the late 1960s and . within Cheers are examined, itis evident This type included The that they serve a higher purpose than just Show, andAllintheFamilywhich to make us laugh. Thus, the show goes far

409 10 BEST COPY AVAILABLE beyondasimple,mindless comedy Burrows, J., Director.(1983c, Nov. 17). targeted atpassiveviewers. The Old flames. In L. Charles, G. Charles & intertextual references raise the intellectual J. Burrows (Producers), Cheers, NY: level of the program, make it stand out in NBC; Winnipeg, Can: CKND. thevastseaofpre-moldedsituation comedies, and present an active mental Burrows, J., Director. (1985, Feb.14). challenge to viewers.Those who possess Bar bet.In L. Charles, G. Charles & J. the background,cultural knowledge see Burrows (Producers), Cheers, NY: NBC; many references to literature, history, and Winnipeg, Can: CKND. popular culture within the programming. While Cheers can be enjoyed at any level Burrows, J.,Director. (1989,Dec.7). of viewing entertainment, it is particularly Feeble attraction. InL.Charles, G. stimulating when the influences of other Charles,J.Burrows (Producers), T. textsarerecognizedandunderstood. Berry (Co-Producer). Cheers, NY: Further,thevisualstimulithatare NBC; Winnipeg, Can: CKND. employed go hand-in-hand with the verbal banter, thus creating a very interesting and Burrows, J., Director.(1990a, Aug. 3). intermingledset of challengesforthe Fifty-fiftyCarla. InL.Charles, G. mentally-alert viewer who attends to the Charles &J.Burrows(Producers), variety of intertextual messages. Certainly, Cheers, NY: NBC; Winnipeg,Can: thevarietyofcuesleadtogreater CKND. understanding for the intelligent viewer, thusrevealingthetremendoustalent Burrows, J., Director.(1990b, Oct. 25). employed in creating the Cheers series. Cheers 200th anniversary special.In L. Charles,G.Charles &J.Burrows References (Producers), Cheers, NY: NBC; Ackerman, A., Director.(1991, Feb. 7). Winnipeg, Can: CKND. I'm gonna get my act together and stick it in your face. In L. Charles, G. Charles Burrows, J., Director.(1991, Sept. 19). & J. Burrows (Producers), Cheers,NY: Baby balk.In L. Charles, G. Charles & NBC; Winnipeg, Can: CKND. J. Burrows (Producers), Cheers, NY: NBC; Winnipeg, Can: CKND. Allen, R. C., ed. (1987).Channels of discourse: Television and contemporary Darrach, B. (1993, May).Closing time. criticism.Chapel Hill:University of Life, 54-64 North Carolina Press. DeVaney, A. (1991). A Grammar of Apple, M. (1993). Official knowledge: educational television.In Denis Hlynka Democratic education in a conservative and John Belland,(Eds.),Paradigms age. , NY: Rout ledge. Regained, 241-83. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications. Bianculli, D. (1992).Tele literacy: Taking television seriously. New York: Fiske, J.(1986,Juile). Television and Continuum Publishing Company. popular culture. Critical Studies in Mass Communications, 3, 200-20. Burrows, J., Director.(1983a, Mar. 24). Show down (Part I of 2).In L. Charles, Fiske, J. (1987).Television culture. New G. Charles & J. Burrows (Producers), York: Methuen & Co. Cheers, NY: NBC; Winnipeg,Can: CKND. Inge, Thomas M., (Ed.), (1978). Handbook of American popular culture. Burrows, J., Director.(1983b, Oct. 27). Westport,Connecticut: Greenwood Homicidal ham. InL.Charles, G. Press. Charles &J.Burrows(Producers), Cheers, NY: NBC; Winnipeg,Can: Scholes, R. (1982). Semiotics and CKND. interpretation. NewHaven: Press. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) 1EIC1

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