CHEERS: COACH BURIES A GRUDGE (TV)
Summary
One in this comedy series about a group of regulars at a Boston bar.
Norm is somewhat glum that Vera is out of town visiting her parents, who dislike the fact that he is currently unemployed. Coach is out of town as well, attending his best friend “T-Bone’s” funeral in Phoenix, Arizona. Sam did not attend as he did not get along with T-Bone. Coach returns with a cardboard standee of T-Bone, hoping to set it up in Cheers as a memorial to him. Sam takes the standee into his office while Coach talks about the funeral; he feels that the service did not talk enough about T-Bone’s real personality and life. Diane gets the idea of having a proper memorial for T-Bone in Cheers, and Coach concurs. Diane writes a flattering eulogy for T-Bone, assisted by Coach. Vera calls Norm to inform him that she never actually left town, and that he simply didn’t notice her presence. Sam reveals that he knows a “sleazy” secret about T-Bone unknown to anyone else, but Diane cannot get him to share it with her. She finally persuades him to reveal it to her: years ago, T-Bone once tried to seduce Angela, Coach’s wife. Angela was afraid to tell Coach for fear that he would become enraged. Unbeknownst to them, Coach accidentally overhears their conversation and knocks the standee to the floor.
Sam and Diane try to put Coach’s mind at ease, but he is still angry about his discovery and wishes that Angela had told him about it. Coach’s old friend Artie arrives and they greet each other. Coach is still frustrated over the situation with T-Bone and Sam pulls him aside to talk in his office. He asks Coach to forgive T-Bone for his actions, but Coach wants to know why he did it. Coach is unable to get over his anger, and Sam asks Diane to help him. She encourages him to perform a psychological exercise where he speaks to Sam as if he were T-Bone. Sam reluctantly participates and acts like T-Bone, apologizing to Coach. However, Coach does not accept the apology and vows to “get even” with T-Bone by disgracing his memory in front of all his friends. He gets up at a podium and prepares to insult T-Bone, but cannot bring himself to do so. He ends up giving a heartfelt tribute to T-Bone, remarking that he was “a human being” and should be forgiven for his mistakes. His speech leaves the assembled guests in tears, and Artie reveals that T-Bone also tried to sleep with his wife. The others note that T-Bone did some harm or insult to all of them at one time or another, and they conclude that he was a terrible person. Despite Sam’s attempts to calm them down, they decide to hang the standee of T-Bone as an effigy. However, they stop and join in when Diane starts singing “Amazing Grace,” seemingly leaving their hatred aside. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: February 16, 1984 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:24:54
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:70011
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1982-1993
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- James Burrows … Producer, Director, Created by
- Glen Charles … Producer, Created by
- Les Charles … Producer, Created by
- Tim Berry … Associate Producer
- David Lloyd … Writer
- Craig Safan … Music by
- Judy Hart Angelo … Theme Music by
- Gary Portnoy … Theme Music by
- Ted Danson … Cast, Sam Malone
- Shelley Long … Cast, Diane Chambers
- Nicholas Colasanto … Cast, Ernie "Coach" Pantusso
- Rhea Perlman … Cast, Carla Tortelli
- John Ratzenberger … Cast, Cliff Clavin
- George Wendt … Cast, Norm Peterson
- Fred Carney … Cast, Tom
- Arthur Lessac … Cast, Art
- Don Bexley … Cast, Charlie
- Jack O'Leary … Cast, Lefty
- Bob Lobel … Cast, Customer #1
- Albert Rosen … Cast, Al