View source for Sam Malone

{{short description|Fictional character in the series Cheers}}
{{other people}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2013}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2013}}
{{Infobox character
| name               = Sam Malone
| series             = [[Cheers]]
| image              = Sam Malone flirting with a woman.png
| caption            = Sam flirting with a woman in "Behind Every Great Man" (episode 63, 1985)
| first              = {{Plainlist|
* '''''Cheers''''':
** "[[Give Me a Ring Sometime]]" (1982)
 }}
| last               = {{Plainlist|
* '''''Frasier''''':
** "[[The Show Where Sam Shows Up]]" (1995)
 }}
| creator            = [[Glen and Les Charles]]
| portrayer          = [[Ted Danson]]
| occupation         = Owner/Bartender
| spouse             = [[List of Cheers characters#Debra|Debra]] (divorced)
| gender             = Male
| family             = [[List of Cheers characters#Derek Malone|Derek Malone]] (brother)
| nationality        = American
}}

'''Samuel''' "'''Mayday'''" '''Malone'''<ref>Bjorklund e-Book, p. 141</ref> is a fictional character and the [[protagonist]] of the American television show ''[[Cheers]]'', portrayed by [[Ted Danson]] and created by [[Glen and Les Charles]]. Sam is a former [[relief pitcher]] for the [[Boston Red Sox]] baseball team who owns and tends the bar called "Cheers". He is also a recovering alcoholic and a notorious womanizer. Although his celebrity status was short-lived, Sam retains that standing within the confines of Cheers, where he is beloved by the regular patrons. Along with [[Carla Tortelli]] and [[Norm Peterson]], he is one of only three characters to appear in all episodes of ''Cheers''.{{citation needed|date=August 2016}} Sam has an [[Sam and Diane|on-again, off-again relationship]] with the bar waitress [[Diane Chambers]] ([[Shelley Long]]) for the series' first five seasons until [[I Do, Adieu|her departure from the series]]. Then he tries to seduce Diane's replacement, [[Rebecca Howe]] ([[Kirstie Alley]]), who frequently rejects his advances. Sam also appears in "[[The Show Where Sam Shows Up]]", a crossover episode of the spin-off ''[[Frasier]]''.

Other actors auditioned for the role. Producers decided to give Danson the role primarily for his chemistry with Shelley Long as Diane. Critical reception for the character has been mostly positive. Some academics considered Sam an example of satirizing [[masculinity]]. For his performance as Sam, Ted Danson won two respective [[Emmy Award]]s as an [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series]] in 1990 and 1993 and two [[Golden Globe Award]]s as a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy|Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series]].

==Role==
At the time the series debuted in 1982, Sam has been the bartender and owner of Cheers for five years.<ref group=e name=ring>"[[Give Me a Ring Sometime]]." ''Cheers: Season 1: The Complete First Season on DVD''. Paramount, 2003. DVD.</ref><ref group=e name=eleven>"Sam at Eleven." 1982. ''Cheers: Season 1: The Complete First Season on DVD''. Writ. [[Glen Charles]] and [[Les Charles]]. Paramount, 2003. DVD.</ref> Chronologically within the series, Sam, who is [[Irish Catholic]],{{sfn|Bjorklund|2014|page=141}} dropped out of high school in his senior year to play professional baseball.<ref group=e name="Teacher's Pet">"Teacher's Pet". 1985. ''Cheers: Season 3: The Complete Third Season on DVD''. Paramount, 2004. DVD.</ref>  He has one older brother, Derek, who seems to be a [[polymath]] and is a highly successful international lawyer.  Derek and Sam are not close, and Sam is also not close to his parents (who it is implied, always favored Derek.)

Sam began his career in the minor leagues, where he met [[Coach Ernie Pantusso]] ([[Nicholas Colasanto]]). He eventually became a relief pitcher for the [[Boston Red Sox]], wearing number 16. His major league career lasted approximately five years; he specifically mentions having pitched in 1973, and was a member of the 1975 AL champion Red Sox team. As well, Martin Crane saw him pitch at the [[Kingdome]], which opened in 1977 – also the year that he became the owner of Cheers. Although his baseball career is not highly detailed throughout the series, Sam was at times a good-to-very-good pitcher (stories of him retiring star batters occur during the series), and was the team's bullpen ace for a while. Sam's baseball career declined when he became an [[alcoholic]], and there are also numerous stories of him pitching poorly and giving up tape-measure home runs. Over time, Sam's role as a bartender turns him into the "resident ringleader for an assortment of poor souls and wanna-be's".<ref>Davis, Walter T., Jr., et al. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=hUzT6EIkNZ0C&dq=cheers%20sam&pg=PA16 Watching What We Watch: Prime-Time Television Through the Lens of Faith]''. Louisville, KY: [[Westminster John Knox]] Press, 2001. Web. February 11, 2012. {{ISBN|0-664-22696-5}}.</ref>

Throughout the series, Sam has had casual female partners, usually one-dimensional or sexually very available, and sometimes takes them along in his red [[Chevrolet Corvette]]. But, all his advances are not successful. Sam is often rejected or humbled or even humiliated. However, in "Sam Turns the Other Cheek" (episode 49, 1984), Sam reveals that he avoids "married, underage, and comatose" women, so he does have some ethical standards. Sam is very kind-hearted and always stands by his friends. In "Teacher's Pet" (season 3, 1985), Sam earns his high school diploma despite an overall bad grade from the high school geography teacher, with whom he had a brief affair while he was her student. The episode "Sam's Women" (episode 2, 1982) reveals that Sam was married to his somewhat more sophisticated ex-wife, Debra ([[Donna McKechnie]]). (In some syndicated prints, Sam's past marriage is omitted, although it is mentioned again in the 5th-season episode, "Young Dr. Weinstein".) Notably, he has an [[Sam and Diane|on-and-off relationship]] with "a bright, attractive graduate student", Diane Chambers (Shelley Long).<ref>Carter, Bill. [https://www.nytimes.com/1990/04/29/arts/television-the-tonic-that-keeps-cheers-bubbling-along.html "TELEVISION; The Tonic That Keeps 'Cheers' Bubbling Along"]. ''[[The New York Times]]'' April 29, 1990. Web. January 4, 2012.</ref><ref>Brooks, Tim, and Earle Marsh. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=BbOsChMSlpoC&pg=PA243 The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows: 1946 – present]''. Paperback ed. New York: Ballantine-Random House, 2007. ''Google News''. Web. January 31, 2012.</ref> One time after Sam and Diane ended their on-and-off relationship, in "Rebound, Part One" (episode 45, 1984), Sam relapses into alcoholism and excessively womanizes. Diane finds this out from Coach, and involves her new love interest [[Frasier Crane]] ([[Kelsey Grammer]]) in helping Sam slowly regain his sobriety in the following episode, "Rebound, Part Two". In the three-part episode "Strange Bedfellows" (episodes 93–95, 1986), Sam dates an intelligent, attractive politician Janet Eldridge ([[Kate Mulgrew]]), who eventually ends the relationship because of Sam's visible feelings for Diane. Throughout the [[Cheers (season 5)|fifth season]] (1986–87), Sam cyclically proposes to Diane, but she rejects every proposal until, in "Chambers vs. Malone" (episode 108, 1987), Diane finally accepts his latest proposal. In "[[I Do, Adieu]]" (episode 121, 1987), Sam and Diane try to marry but call off the wedding to let her start a supposedly promising writing career.

In the following episode "[[Home Is the Sailor (Cheers)|Home Is the Sailor]]" (episode 122, 1987), Sam sells Cheers to the Lillian Corporation six months before the episode and later returns to the bar to work under employment of the "voluptuously beautiful"<ref name="Masculinities 15"/> new manager, [[Rebecca Howe]]. Within this period, Sam constantly flirts with and attempts to seduce Rebecca, but she rejects all of his advances.<ref name="Masculinities 15"/> In "Cry Harder" (episode 194, 1990), Sam is able to buy back the bar from the Lillian Corporation after Sam has saved the corporation from financial victimization by [[Robin Colcord]] ([[Roger Rees]]), Rebecca's lover. At the last minute, Sam and Rebecca embrace and kiss. However, in the following episode "Love Is a Really, Really, Perfectly Okay Thing" (episode 195, 1990), Sam devastatingly tells Rebecca that he has no feelings for her. In "The Days of Wine and Neuroses" (1990), Sam rejects Rebecca's advances one night while she is drunk over her doubts when now-impoverished Robin proposed to her. In the tenth season (1991–92), they try to conceive a child, but by then, they have decided to stay friends. In "The Guy Can't Help It" (1993), Sam plays with the idea of marrying Rebecca (as a safety net "in case no one better comes along"), but several bar patrons and even Carla tell Sam his womanizing is getting him nowhere, prompting him to join Dr. Robert Sutton's ([[Gilbert Lewis (actor)|Gilbert Lewis]]) group meetings for sex addicts, a referral made by Frasier. In the series finale, "[[One for the Road (Cheers)|One for the Road]]" (1993), Sam reunites with Diane after six years of separation. They try to rekindle their relationship, but just before they fly off together to California, Sam and Diane begin to have doubts about their future together, and they re-separate. Sam returns to the bar, where his friends celebrate his return. Then, when Norm and Sam remain while everyone else leaves, Norm reassures Sam that Sam would return and never leave his one "true love"{{mdash}}which the ''[[TV Guide]]'' implies is the Cheers bar.<ref name=tvguidefinale>[http://www.tvguide.com/special/finale-preview/PhotoGallery/TVs-Best-Finales-1004611/1004625 "TV's Best Finales Ever"]. ''[[TV Guide]]'', 2010. Web. 1 June 2012.</ref><ref name=geronimo>{{cite news|title=TV's favorite bar turns off the tap|author=Liner, Elaine|page=A1|date=May 21–22, 1993|newspaper=[[Corpus Christi Caller-Times]]|location=Texas}} Record no at ''[[NewsBank]]'': 113001A60C3FB35B {{registration required}}.</ref>

In a ''Frasier'' episode, "[[The Show Where Sam Shows Up]]" (1995), Sam is engaged to Sheila ([[Téa Leoni]]), a fellow sex addict whom he met during group therapy, but he breaks off the engagement after she admits that she slept with two regular Cheers customers{{mdash}}Paul Krapence and [[Cliff Clavin]]{{mdash}}during their engagement. Unbeknownst to Sam, she slept with Frasier, which she does not reveal to Sam.

===Skit appearances===
Ted Danson reprised the role of Sam Malone in pre-game segments of the [[Super Bowl XVII|1983 Super Bowl]]<ref name=1983superbowl>{{cite news|title=Cast of ''Cheers'' with special material about the Super Bowl|at=Part VI (Calendar), page 7|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=February 2, 1983}} Microfilm.</ref> and of one of the baseball games of the [[1986 World Series]],<ref name=1986worldseries>{{cite news|at=Section D (Sports), page 12|title=TV-Radio - NBC could use some more of 'the rat stuff' in Series coverage|newspaper=[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]|date=October 25, 1986|author=Rosen, Karen}} At ''[[NewsBank]]'': {{registration required}}. At official website: {{subscription required}}. Record no. 861005579.</ref> ''[[The Magical World of Disney]]'' episode "[[Mickey's 60th Birthday]]",<ref name=60mickey>{{cite news|title=Mickey approaching 60th birthday|author=Apikian, Nevart|page=D13|publisher=[[The Herald Company]]|date=November 11, 1988|newspaper=[[The Post-Standard]]|location=Syracuse, New York}} ''[[NewsBank]]'': {{registration required}}. Syracuse.com: {{subscription required}}. Record no. 8811110139.</ref> and ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[Fear of Flying (The Simpsons)|Fear of Flying]]".<ref group=o name=Simpsons>{{Cite episode|title=Fear of Flying|episode-link=Fear of Flying (The Simpsons)|series=The Simpsons|network=Fox Broadcasting Company|station=KTTV|date=1994}}</ref> In the Super Bowl pregame skit, Sam and his customers at the bar chide Diane for not knowing and ridiculing football. They meet [[Pete Axthelm]], an NBC sportscaster who visits the bar.<ref group=o>''Super Bowl XVII Pregame''. NBC. January 30, 1983. Television.</ref> In the pregame skit of the 1986 World Series game, [[Bob Costas]] interviews Sam at the bar.<ref name=1986worldseries/> In "Mickey's 60th Birthday", Sam forgets Rebecca's birthday and begs [[Mickey Mouse]] to sing "[[Happy Birthday to You]]" as her birthday present. Rebecca chooses Mickey over Sam, who still wants to seduce her.<ref group=o>"Mickey's 60th Birthday". ''[[The Magical World of Disney]]''. NBC. November 13, 1988. Television.</ref> In ''The Simpsons'', Sam is dating twins while trying to marry Diane without Rebecca knowing.<ref group=o name=Simpsons/>

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==First-run reception==
{{quote box|width=25em|salign=right|2=&mdash;[[John Ratzenberger]], actor|1=Ted's a true leading man [...] If there's any kind of ripple in the chemistry of the show, he'll address it personally. He doesn't just read his lines and go back home.<ref name="Rosenthal" />}}

Woody Harrelson, who played Woody Boyd, called Sam the person who brings an ensemble together. [[Roger Rees]], who portrayed Robin Colcord in ''Cheers'', said that no other character could fill in Sam Malone's spot if he was written out of the show.<ref name=Rosenthal/> Rees also said that the show would not survive without Sam and Danson.<ref name=Rosenthal/> Television critic Phil Rosenthal from ''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]'' said Danson's performance as Sam was irreplaceable and that no other actor could capture Sam's "sexiness, vulnerability, and goofiness". Rosenthal credited Sam Malone for helping the series survive by becoming the show's central character.<ref name=Rosenthal>{{cite news|page=L21|date=1990-11-04|df=mdy|title=Barkeep Sam Keeps Show, Cast at the Top |first=Phil |last=Rosenthal |work=[[Los Angeles Daily News]] |via=NewsBank }}</ref>

According to the April 1–4, 1993, telephone survey of 1,011 people by the Times Mirror Center for the People and the Press (now [[Pew Research Center]]),{{#tag:ref|The margin of error in the survey was ±3, according to the polls.<ref name="Gazette survey"/>|group=N}} Sam Malone was a top favorite character by 26%. The survey asked which character Sam should marry. 21% voted Diane Chambers, 19% voted Rebecca Howe, 48% voted Sam to stay single, and 12% had "no opinion" on this matter.<ref name="Gazette survey">Mills, Kim I. "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UpYxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RuEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1185%2C331083 TV viewers glad Sam stayed single]." ''[[The Daily Gazette|The Sunday Gazette]]'' [Schenectady, NY] May 2, 1993: A3. ''Google News''. Web. January 21, 2012. In this web source, scroll down to see its headline.</ref><ref name="Morning Call survey">Leefler, Pete. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120724214649/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/mcall/access/92139221.html?dids=92139221:92139221&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT Show Piles Up Viewer Cheers]." ''[[The Morning Call]]'' [Allentown, NY] May 2, 1993: A01. Web. January 17, 2012. {{subscription required}}</ref> When asked which character should star in a spin-off, 15% voted Sam, 12% voted [[Woody Boyd]] ([[Woody Harrelson]]), 10% voted [[Norm Peterson]] ([[George Wendt]]), and 29% voted no spin-offs.<ref name="Morning Call survey"/> [[Frasier Crane]] ([[Kelsey Grammer]]), whose own spin-off ''Frasier'' debuted in September 1993, was voted by 2% to have his own show.<ref>"[http://www.people-press.org/1998/05/10/mixed-reaction-to-post-seinfeld-era/ Mixed Reaction to Post-Seinfeld Era]." ''Pew Research Center for the People & the Press''. ''[[Pew Research Center]]'' May 10, 1998. Web. February 10, 2012.</ref>

According to a 1993 article in ''[[People (magazine)|People]]'' magazine, newspaper columnist [[Mike Royko]] chose Diane to be with Sam. Novelist [[Jackie Collins]] picked Rebecca. Celebrated personality [[Zsa Zsa Gabor]] chose both as Sam's potential partner. Tennis player [[Martina Navratilova]] found Sam too good for either of them. Novelist-archaeologist [[Clive Cussler]] said Carla Tortelli (Rhea Perlman) was "Sam's best bet."<ref>{{cite web|last=Lipton|first=Michael A.|title=Lights Out at Sam's Place|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=May 24, 1993|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20110481,00.html}}</ref>

Sam's appearance in ''Frasier'' received mixed notices. Scott D. Pierce from ''[[The Deseret News]]'' found him too "old and [tiring]."<ref name=deseret>{{cite news|author=Pierce, Scott D.|date=February 21, 1995|page=C8|title=Sam visits ''Frasier'', but reunion is sort of a letdown|newspaper=[[The Deseret News]]|location=Salt Lake City}} Record no. at ''[[NewsBank]]'': 9502210256.</ref> Nevertheless, John Martin, a syndicate writer from ''[[The New York Times]]'', enjoyed Sam's interaction with main characters of ''Frasier''.<ref name=john-martin>{{cite news|author=Martin, John, from ''[[The New York Times]]''|page=D2|newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]]|title=''Cheers'' star visits ''Frasier''|date=February 21, 1995|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IV1WAAAAIBAJ&pg=4508%2C154049}} ''[[Google News]] Archive''.</ref> Frazier Moore from ''[[The Associated Press]]'' called Sam's appearance a ratings ploy but a must-see for a ''Cheers'' fan and any other viewer who lacks interest in the show ''Frasier''.<ref name=frazier-moore>{{cite news|date=February 18, 1995|author=Moore, Frazier|title=Dumb and Dumber: Television's interactive craze|newspaper=Ludington Daily News|location=Ludington, Michigan|access-date=June 23, 2012|page=18|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VjRQAAAAIBAJ&pg=7295%2C4159423}} ''[[Google News]] Archive''.</ref>

==Retrospective reception==
[[Bill Simmons]] writing for [[ESPN]] praised Danson's performance for giving life and color to Sam Malone.<ref name=simmons>{{cite news|work=[[ESPN]]|date=February 21, 2002|url=https://proxy.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/020221|access-date=June 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210085522/http://proxy.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons%2F020221|archive-date=December 10, 2008|author=Simmons, Bill|title=Page 2: Dear Sports Guy...|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In ''The [[Complete Idiot's Guide]]'' book, John Steve and Carey Rossi said Sam Malone "[brings] magic to establishment" and is praised for "successfully running [''Cheers'']."<ref name=Idiot>John Steve, and Carey Rossi. ''The [[Complete Idiot's Guide]] to Starting and Running a Bar''. New York: Alpha, 2008. ''Google Books''. Web. January 14, 2012.</ref> ''The Shark Guys'' website ranked Sam at number three on its list of the "top ten coolest bartenders of all time".<ref name="ten coolest">"The Top 10 Coolest Bartenders of All Time (Part 2)." ''The Shark Guys'' February 29, 2008. Web. May 21, 2012 {{cite web |url=http://www.thesharkguys.com/lists/the-top-10-coolest-bartenders-of-all-time-part-2/ |title=Movie and Television Bartenders |access-date=2012-05-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222123442/http://www.thesharkguys.com/lists/the-top-10-coolest-bartenders-of-all-time-part-2/ |archive-date=February 22, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}.</ref> In a 2009 [[NPR]] interview, [[Terry Gross]] called Sam "the opposite of intellectual".<ref name=NPR>{{cite interview|work=[[NPR]]|subject=Danson, Ted|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=112884242|access-date=January 11, 2012|date=September 17, 2009|title=Ted Danson, On Life (And 'Death') After ''Cheers''|interviewer=David Bianculli}}</ref>

In a January 2023 episode of an [[NPR]] radio talk show ''Pop Culture Happy Hour'', a radio listener calling remarked how Sam's "relentless predatory behavior toward his female coworkers" in "a show about sexual harassment in the workplace" would disturb today's contemporary viewers. In response, a cohost [[Linda Holmes (writer)|Linda Holmes]] said, despite the series's "hard" portrayal of [[Sam and Diane]] as a "mutual" relationship: <blockquote>Sam is, in a bunch of different ways, a completely inappropriate person. He's an inappropriate boss. He's also inappropriate to women who come into the bar. He hits on every woman who comes into the bar. He is a very bad example of how you would want an actual person to behave.</blockquote> Another cohost [[Aisha Harris]] also described him as "a vapid horndog" in the series "about people who, for the most part, are pretty terrible". However, Holmes and Harris further said that Sam has some depths, layers, and feelings, like other characters of the series.<ref>{{Cite episode |series=Pop Culture Happy Hour |network=[[NPR]] |date=2023-01-23 |title=Has ''Cheers'' aged like fine wine? Or has it gone bitter? |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1150757863 |last=Thompson |first=Stephen |last2=Holmes |first2=Linda |author-link2=Linda Holmes (writer) |access-date=2025-03-09 }}</ref>

==Accolades==
The role of Sam Malone earned Ted Danson two [[Primetime Emmy Award|Emmy Awards]] as the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series|Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series]]: one [[47th Primetime Emmy Awards|in 1990]]<ref>Bjorklund e-Book, p. 461.</ref> and another [[50th Primetime Emmy Awards|in 1993]].<ref>Bjorklund e-Book, p. 463.</ref> It also earned Danson two [[Golden Globe Award]]s as the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor &ndash; Television Series Musical or Comedy|Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series]]: one [[47th Golden Globe Awards|in 1990]]<ref>{{cite news |author=Hollywood Foreign Press Association |date=January 22, 1990 |title=47th Annual Golden Globes |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=foIwAAAAIBAJ&pg=6977%2C3568381 |agency=The Associated Press |page=29 |newspaper=[[The Free Lance-Star]] |location=[[Fredericksburg, Virginia]] |access-date=July 31, 2012 |via=Google News Archives |author-link=Hollywood Foreign Press Association }}</ref> and another [[48th Golden Globe Awards|in 1991]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NK1JAAAAIBAJ&pg=2236%2C1859045 |title=''Dances with Wolves'' shuts out gangster movies at Golden Globes |page=22 |agency=The Associated Press |newspaper=[[Bangor Daily News]] |location=[[Bangor, Maine]] |date=January 21, 1991 |access-date=July 31, 2012 |via=Google News Archives }}</ref> Danson was awarded an [[American Comedy Awards|American Comedy Award]] as the Funniest Male Performer in a TV Series.<ref>{{cite news |title=Awards presented |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VVYaAAAAIBAJ&pg=5561%2C2489440 |agency=The Associated Press |page=11 |date=March 11, 1991 |newspaper=[[Times-News (Hendersonville, North Carolina)|Times News]] |location=[[Hendersonville, North Carolina]] |access-date=July 31, 2012 |via=Google News Archive }}</ref>

==References==
;Notes
<references group=N/>

;Primary sources
From ''Cheers'':
<references group=e/>
From others:
<references group=o/>

;Non-primary sources
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book|last=Bjorklund |first=Dennis A|edition=e-Book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pEN6sTeG20AC|title=Cheers TV Show: A Comprehensive Reference|publisher=Praetorian Publishing|isbn=9780967985237|date=September 2014}}
* Craig, Steve. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20070625104942/http://www.rtvf.unt.edu/html/craig/pdfs/gender.PDF Selling Masculinities, Selling Femininities: Multiple Genders and the Economics of Television]." ''The Mid-Atlantic Almanack'' 2 (1993): 15–27. ''[[Internet Archive]] Wayback Machine''. 1–21. Web. January 14, 2011.
* Hecht, Jennifer Michael. ''The Happiness Myth: Why What We Think is Right is Wrong: A History of What Really Makes Us Happy''. New York: [[HarperCollins]], 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-06-081397-0}}.
* {{cite book|author=Hundley, Heather|editor1-last=Winn|editor1-first=J. Emmett |editor2-last=Brinson|editor2-first=Susan L|title=Transmitting the Past: Historical and Cultural Perspectives on Broadcasting|year=2005|pages=205+|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-_Ugz8LozusC|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-_Ugz8LozusC&q=carla+cheers+tortelli&pg=PA205|publisher=[[The University of Alabama Press]]|chapter=Sex, Society, and Double Standards in ''Cheers''|isbn=0-8173-1453-9}}
* [[Ben Shapiro|Shapiro, Ben]]. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ymAWgveoxW8C Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV]''. New York: [[HarperCollins|Broadside–HarperCollins]], 2011. ''Google Books''. Web. January 15, 2012. {{ISBN|978-0-06-193477-3}}.
* Tankel, J. D., and B. J. Banks. "The Boys of Prime Time: An Analysis of `New' Male Roles in Television." ''Communication and Culture: Language, Performance, Technology, and Media'' 4 (1990): 285–95. Print.

==External links==

{{Cheers}}
{{Boston Red Sox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malone, Sam}}
[[Category:American male characters in sitcoms]]
[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1982]]
[[Category:Cheers characters]]
[[Category:Fictional bartenders]]
[[Category:Fictional baseball players]]
[[Category:Fictional businesspeople]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from Boston]]
[[Category:Fictional alcohol abusers]]
[[Category:Fictional American people of Irish descent]]