CHEERS Season 7, episode 6: “Norm, is That You?”
Hosted by Ryan Daly with special guest Tom Panarese from the Pop Culture Affidavit.
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I believe this one ran short and the opening joke was added in post. Because (post-credits) it starts on a wide shot of Boston, rather than the bar, because we were supposed to start on Frasier’s place, I think. And the way that initial scene plays out (with Rebecca), it could have been the opening joke. Maybe it’s too long (setting up Norm’s job), I dunno. It just felt like scenes were moved about to me.
A note on the episode’s title: While the reference may be obscure today, it’s a take-off of the title of the 1970 play “Norman…Is That You?”, an early LGBTQ+ themed play about a couple learning that their son is gay. There was a film adaptation starring Redd Foxx and Pearl Bailey as the parents (the original play was written with a white Jewish family, but the adaptation changed the ethnicity). The movie also included an appearance by Sergio Aragones in one of his occasional acting roles, playing a hotel desk clerk!
Was going to say the same thing as Erich about the title.
In regards to Ted Danson’s final line and it appearing to genuinely crack George Wendt, it may have been improvised by Danson but my understanding was that the cast didn’t improvise a lot, if at all. The other option is that it was an “alt”; an alternative line given to a member of the cast if a written line isn’t working once in front of an audience. It’s possible it was the first time Danson delivered it and it made Wendt laugh. On the other hand it just could have been good acting by Wendt.
A stellar Norm episode, agreed. Probably his best. What I especially loved is that this skill isn’t a new discovery for Norm. He’s known that he has a flare for it but has just chosen to very much keep it hidden, until Frasier and Lilith forced him to use it. The end joke was a very nice progressive-ish surprise.
Frasier’s use of ‘stylish’ and the mannerism that went with it is incredible.
Also, I think Frasier and Lilith’s place is maybe my favourite of any of their residences.
Frasier and Lilith’s apartment/townhouse is a very cool set. If the actual Frasier spinoff in Seattle never happened, they really could have done a Frasier and Lilith spinoff with their Boston home as the main set.
Frasier interacting with Norm away from Cheers is an early sign of how Frasier has potential for his own series. We see that Kelsey Grammar has the ability to act as sort of a nucleus like Ted Danson does in working with other actors. We see a similar dynamic in the next episode when Frasier and Cliff share a scene in a hospital room.