Cheers is filmed before a live studio audience.
Woody, could I have a glass of water there, please?
You got a headache, Mr. Clavin?
No. just trying to clear up a little rash on my lower back.
Doc says it's stress-related.
You sure he didn't say diaper-related?
Cliff ie, you're stressing out, huh? What's the deal, buddy?
Ah, it's just job-related. You know how it is.
Oh, I thought you just delivered the mail.
Woody, Woody, Woody, AKA Joe Public.
You have got no idea what it's like out there in Postman's hell.
Illegible handwriting, parcels badly taped...
Boy, you can't even peek in a window anymore
without people going crazy on you.
But still, where would we all be
if your mailman just disappeared on you?
Probably just all fax things.
That way, everything would get there faster, cheaper,
and a lot more efficiently.
Some more water there, Woody.
Hello, fellow denizens.
Hey, Fras. How you doing?
Oh, my, Lilith, you look beautiful.
Yeah, Lilith. You look like a million bucks.
Thank you.
You didn't let me finish.
You look like a million bucks just stampeded across your face.
Carla, I hope you don't forget us
when you become president of Hallmark.
All right now, everyone. Pay attention.
I have a little announcement to make, and I only have a minute.
- In a hurry? - No. I was referring
to your relatively short attention spans.
Lilith has authored a new book. It hits the stands today.
- Oh, congratulations. - That's great.
You just had a baby. When did you have time to write a book?
Well, actually, I've been hacking away at it for years,
but I was finally able to polish it off during my 15 months of pregnancy.
Oh, yes. Took years of painstaking, high-level research.
It's called Good Girls, Bad Boys.
Isn't that cute?
That was my editor's idea.
I wanted to call it,
A Cross-Sectional Study of Control-Group Females
With a Tendency Towards Self-Destruction vis-a-vis Damaging Relationships
With Members of the Opposite Sex.
Oh, brother, not another one of those.
Yes, but, you see, my particular slant is that many women
are drawn to men who are bad for them,
those who represent danger.
Then, once they outgrow that need, they're free to make the mature choice
and live out their lives with upstanding, substantial men.
Not unlike my Frasier-doodle.
So what you're saying is that once guys like Sammy
are done sucking the juice out of babes,
hey can toss the shriveled husks to guys like Frasier.
In a nutshell, yes.
But my darling will explain it all in further detail
on live television this very afternoon.
Oh, you're going to be on TV.
Yes, some local women's talk show on Channel 13.
Teatime With Brenda that airs at 3:30.
Cliff ie, you watch the afternoon women's talk shows, huh?
I might have caught a glimpse of it, you know,
as I was jumping through the channels between Combat and the Playboy Channel.
Woody, could I have another glass of water, please?
Of course, I have my doubts
about appearing on a program of such a commercial nature.
Well, now, Lilith, this is a highly respected Socratic format
for the exchange and dissemination of ideas.
Besides, you know, that lady that dresses the parakeets is going to be on.
Well, I'll be watching you, Lilith.
You break a leg, all right?
Well, you know, Sam, as the guest's husband, I have 2 tickets to the show.
I was hoping maybe you'd come along and help me cheer Lilith on.
Oh, I don't think I want to be sitting in that audience.
What? ls your masculinity threatened by an audience full of women, huh?
No, it's not that.
Please. I don't want to be the only boy.
Thanks.
Well, if you'll escort my little starlet out to the car,
I will meet you momentarily.
You know how in those shows sometimes
they have that big opening shot of the audience?
I just want to head to the men's room, check my hair.
I already checked. It's not in there.
Hey, whoa, Cliff ie. Slow down on those things, buddy.
Are you sure they're safe?
Yeah, of course they're safe. Prescription.
Yeah, but you...
Can't be sure, you know.
I mean, it says here, "may cause dullness of the senses."
We better check his reflexes.
Where's that ball-peen hammer?
"May cause gynecomastia."
What the hell's that?
I don't know, let me see it.
Hey, doc, what's, uh... gynecomastia?
Oh, male breast enlargement.
Doc, uh... I've been taking these pills here.
Oh, well, Cliff, you'll be all right.
You'd have to take five times the prescribed amount here
to even begin to... well, shall we say, blossom.
Boy, that really steams me.
I mean, you go to some quack who gives you a prescription for a simple skin condition,
and you find out you might turn into a woman.
God, I'm so angry, I could cry.
That time of the month.
Ladies, let's hear it for Gloria Diefenbach and little Bluebell
as honest Abraham Lincoln.
Now, then, are we really attracted to men who are bad for us?
Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane's new book,
Good Girls, Bad Boys, will tell us.
Ladies, let's pour a cup of tea for Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane.
Dr. Sternin-Crane, welcome to the show.
Thank you.
Now, Dr. Sternin-Crane, what is it with these bad boys?
I mean, why are we women such pushovers for them?
Well, before addressing motivation,
I'd like to lay a basis for discussion
by explaining my data-gathering techniques
and statistical overview of my control-group females.
Well, we don't want to give away all the surprises.
Now, I noticed your book was dedicated to your husband.
Is he a bad boy?
Quite the opposite.
In fact, that would be him sitting right over there
with his hands folded neatly on his lap.
I think we could all see that your husband is the kind of man we should want.
- I think so, yes. - Then why don't we?
Well, according to my thesis, women, as they evolve,
will eventually seek out a relationship
such as mine and Frasier's.
You mean a relationship that's stable and secure...
Like a comfortable old shoe?
Well... yes.
Who's that sitting with your husband?
Another comfortable old shoe?
No. that's a friend of ours.
Coincidentally, the perfect example of the classic bad boy.
My...
This is too interesting to pass up.
Would you two gentlemen like to join us up here on the stage?
How about it?
Yeah, well...
Lilith, why don't you introduce us to the men?
Well, this is Sam,
an uncommitted, sexually active male.
Ooh!
And this is my husband Frasier,
committed to monogamy and a good little lover.
Thank you, dear. Thank you.
Well, let's get to know the boys.
First let's start with our bad boy.
Sam, just so we can picture this,
what could a woman expect from an evening with you?
Ha ha.
I don't think I can say that on TV, Brenda.
Why not?
Well, because basically...
Ooh.
You're the one who should write a book.
Frasier, how would a date with you go?
Brenda, I find this line of inquiry sensationalistic
and not at all pertinent to my thesis.
Oh, no, that's all right, dear. I think I'd like to answer the question.
Well, a date with me would, I'd say, be jolly good fun.
Ironically, actually, I might add,
that I used to date, actually, an old girlfriend of Sam's.
- So she preferred you to Sam. - Oh, yes.
Well, uh... that is, until she broke up with me
and got engaged... to Sam.
You know, I'd like to add in my defense, the woman was nuts.
Well, all right, we've met the men.
Let's put Dr. Sternin-Crane's thesis to the test.
How many of us would like to sleep with Sam?
And how many of you would like to sleep with Frasier?
In the back row.
Sam, we know you're bad for us.
Why do we want you so darn much?
Is it because you're forbidden, untamable?
You know, I think some girl could probably tame me.
For example, that blonde in the third row there.
No, no, nix that. Let's give the whole third row a shot at it.
What about the second row?
No, one row at a time, ladies.
Ladies, look, let's keep this a civilized discussion.
If you have points to make, We'll take them in an orderly fashion.
- Yes. - I have a question of a more serious nature.
Oh, good.
What does Sam look like with his shirt off?
Shirt! Shirt! Shirt!
Ladies, please. Let's get hold of ourselves.
This is the perfect example of what a bad boy like Sam
can do to a room full of good girls like these fine women.
One can't help but be attracted to
his steely glance and the strength therein,
to imagine the warmth of his skin pressed against ours,
his arms pinning us down so we can't move.
One sees his full lips
and imagines what they must feel like slightly moist...
tugging at ours.
Before long, one's feeling a little dizzy,
and, oh, for God's sake, Sam, let the buttons fly.
I got to warn you, ladies. I'm a pretty bad boy.
I'm going out with you at 10:00,
and I'm going out with you at 12:00,
and they both know.
Do something else bad.
- No. - Why not?
'Cause you want me to.
Thank you, thank you.
Besides, you know, starting tomorrow, I'm going to be a good boy.
Aw!
I'm just lying. Boy, is that bad, or what?
Lie to me, lie to me.
All right, sure.
- Hey, good show, Dr. Crane. - Yeah, except for they cut to a commercial
right before it started getting good, you know. Right when your wife
was about to pants Sammy with her teeth.
I just couldn't believe that that group got so excited.
It was such idiotic behavior and all because of Lilith's stupid book.
Wait a minute. I thought you liked Lilith's book.
Oh, I did till I reread it with a scientific eye
and the impartiality of a fellow empiricist,
and I decided it's pure crap.
Where's Dr. Sternin-Crane now?
Oh, probably at home...
Working on pure crap, volume two.
What are you doing, Dr. Crane?
Just compiling some notes for a book of my own.
Oh, now, you're not jealous of Lilith here, are you?
Norm, please. give me some credit.
I've been planning to do this for years.
"Nice psychiatrists who marry castrating,
shrew, battle-ax, harridan fishwives."
So what's it about?
Excuse me, Rebecca,
may I have your honest opinion about something
you know, as a woman who has fatally bad taste in men?
Do you think I'm a... good boy?
Frasier, you have to stop doing this to yourself.
Why do you feel inferior to Sam just because you're good?
You know, I agree with that talk-show host.
Give me a comfortable pair of old ratty house slippers any day.
So that's how it is.
Now I'm a pair of ratty old house slippers.
At least this afternoon, I was an old shoe.
You could wear me outside, maybe do a little gardening.
- Frasier, I did not mean to imply-- - You think I can't be dangerous?
Is that it? You all think I'm just an old slipper?
Well, am I a good boy?
Would a good boy do this?
I am running with scissors.
I'm going swimming right after lunch.
I'm leaving now. I'm going outside.
I'm going to pet strange dogs,
no matter where they've been.
Look out, world, Frasier Crane's going to raise some hell.
You know, Frasier's helped each and every of us at one point or another.
And now he's going out to do something he just may regret.
I think we should try to do
exactly what we always hoped Frasier would do in the same situation.
- What's that? - Mind our own business.
Good call, Mr. Peterson.
Hey, pet him if you want to, Frasier,
but you don't know where he's been.
I'm telling you, it's only a hundred times faster.
What are you talking about? It's got to be a thousand times faster.
- What's this, a discussion on the bullet train? - No, fax machine versus the mailman.
Glass of water there, please, Woody.
What are you looking at?
What? What are you talking about?
I saw you casting furtive, sidelong glances at my chestal region.
And I'll have you know, it's no larger than it was yesterday.
- And I don't want to hear any more about it. - Cliff, please.
We'd forgotten all about that stupid side-effect stuff.
Oh, Clavin, it's Jane Russell. She wants to talk shop.
Come on, you guys.
Why do you have to pick on Cliff all the time?
He's a nice man.
And if he's worried about the side effects of some medication,
- I think we could be sensitive to his concerns. - It's very nice of you, Rebecca,
- but you don't have to come to my defense. - No, I want to do this.
Why does Cliff always have to be the butt of our stupid jokes?
You know, Cliff, I went through a very similar situation myself.
- Really? - Yes, I did.
I was taking the exact same medication for a skin problem,
and it cleared up beautifully.
I just hope that puts your mind at ease.
Well, it does that, and I thank you.
So when did all this happen to you?
It was years ago.
I was just a little boy at the time.
Has anyone seen Frasier? He canceled an 8:30 appointment.
- Wow, he sees patients at night. - No, we were going to make love
to celebrate my new book.
Yeah, as a matter of fact, he was in here a couple hours ago.
He ran out pretty upset, too.
Oh, it's all my fault.
My behavior this afternoon was unspeakable.
I embarrassed myself, and even worse,
I humiliated the man I love in front of thousands of people.
I will never, ever forgive myself.
I saw you on TV today. You were terrific.
- Oh, thank you very much. - Sure.
I'm telling you, Sam, if anything happens to Frasier because of this,
I will never, never forgive myself.
I hope he didn't go do something foolish.
Rebecca, can I use your office phone?
I've got to call the hospitals and emergency rooms.
Boy, I've never seen Lilith that upset.
I think she's overreacting.
I mean, what kind of trouble could a weenie guy like Frasier get into, anyway?
Come on in, Viper. Meet the gang.
Gang, this is Viper.
My real name is Ellen. He just likes to call me Viper.
She likes to call me Slash.
That's right, Frasier.
So where did you two meet?
Well, actually, truth be told,
Viper kind of picked me up.
Yeah, he was crossing against the light and slipped on an icy patch.
Darn near split my pants.
Could I speak to you for a second?
What are you, nuts? What the hell are you doing?
Sam, I am simply expressing my inner Gonzo self.
Viper's the perfect kind of girl for me. She's wild, she's free.
Hair smells of Pennzoil in the summer.
You know, Ms. Viper, I used to belong to a bikers' gang.
Really? What kind of bike?
Schwinn.
3-Speed, banana seat.
Boy, Frasier, you were right when you said,
"Next stop-- Dweebville."
Yeah. This is state headquarters.
Come on. It's time for us to hit the road.
Yeah, from now on, this is the kind of life I'm living.
Out on the highway doing 180 miles an hour with bugs in our teeth.
- So, where we heading? - Florida.
Florida? That's far.
Yeah, so what?
You love riding the bike, barreling down the highway
with the wind screaming in our ears.
Well, kind of a confession to make, Viper.
That wasn't the wind screaming in your ears. That was me.
I should have guessed that. It was the first time
I heard the wind scream the Lord's prayer.
You know, besides, I've already missed one appointment with Lilith to make love.
I'll be lucky if I get another one.
Who's Lilith?
- My wife. - Somebody married you?
Well, not somebody.
A woman whom I respect and love.
A woman with the intelligence to realize that the measure of a man
is not how many studs you've got on your leather jacket
or how many women you've been bad to.
The measure of a man is how much love and comfort you've given.
You're getting dull on me, Slash.
Listen, Viper, if caring for the one you love,
If caring for your children, if paying attention to your career and home,
if these things be dull,
then may I be the dullest man who ever lived.
You are, Frasier, you are.
Viper, I'm sorry, you're gonna have to go to Florida on your own.
So you're just blowing me off?
Well, I'm sorry, Viper.
But I'll always remember the good times we had on the bike,
even after my kidneys fall back into place.
Come, Frasier, let's go keep that appointment.
You're rescheduling me? It must be love.