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Cheers

How to Win Friends and Electrocute People

Season 7, Episode 7, Aired Dec 15, 1988

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Cliff drastically alters his personality after no one from the bar comes to visit him during his hospital stay with appendicitis. Sam gives Lilith driving lessons.

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Cast & Crew

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GUEST STAR
Robert Benedetti

Dave
GUEST STAR
Steve Bean

Reporter
GUEST STAR
Edward A. Wright

Mr. McManus

Rhea Perlman

Carla Lozupone Tortelli LeBec
George Wendt

Hilary Norman "Norm" Peterson
Ted Danson

Sam "Mayday" Malone
Bebe Neuwirth

Dr. Lilith Sternin-Crane
Kirstie Alley

Rebecca Howe
John Ratzenberger

Clifford C "Cliff" Clavin, Jr

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A comedy gold mine

9.8

"Superb"

By Ummagnumma, Jan 26, 2006

I'll never ask Cliff how to make friends. But I'll laugh at his efforts to do so.

In fact, there is no sequence on television that has tickled me more than John Ratzenberger's unbelievably hysterical performance as Cliff when he returns to the bar after "major" surgery.

Wanting to win over his bar buddies, he decides to resort to minor electroshock therapy to improve his behavior in front of his friends. In typical Cheers fashion, this plan goes south very fast. Especially when the person controlling the electric shocks becomes power hungry (or lustful, regarding Rebecca, that is). John Ratzenberger absolutely nails the scene. In the final cut filmed for the episode, you can see a few of the cast members giggling (Pay particular attention to George Wendt). I doubt any take occurred without uncontrollable laughter from the cast and crew.

Cheers was great at throwing in subtle hints of "moral lessons" while surrounding them with "mindless" humor. The show was never too serious, and you knew there was skullduggery at work whenever a "things are all better" scene occurred. So when Cliff and his friends make up, wouldn't you know someone's taken control of the "shock remote". And who better than Pete? "Dance, mailman!"

Kudos also to Bebe Neuwirth in this episode, who played the maniac-behind-wheels Lilith. Ted Danson and Neuwirth had a tremendous scene in the episode (when Sam tells Frasier that Lilith is a menace to drivers everywhere).

Cheers to this series masterpiece.moreless
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- We never do find out what Rebecca does about her being in the obit section of the newspaper.
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QUOTES (8)
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- Carla: Hey Cliff, when you were in the hospital did they give you a lobotomy? I mean it suits ya.
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- Woody: Sam's giving Dr. Sternin driving lessons. Cliff: Shouldn't he be giving her personality lessons. (gets shocked)
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- Frasier: Where is Mr. Clavin? Nurse: He was just discharged. Frasier: Oh great! Just my luck. (Cliff walks in behind him) I'm the one who gets to run all over town to find a stupid card for the idiot Clavin and he isn't even here. (Turns around and sees Cliff) Just a token of how much we care.
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- Norm: Yeah, why wasn't it the stupidest? Frasier: Well frankly it lacks meaningless statistics and inane historical trivia. Say where is Cliff anyway? Sam: Yeah is he still in hospital? Norm: I don't know. How's he doin'? Sam: I thought you were gonna go see him. Norm: Well I tried. I mean I got as far as the hospital lobby but you know that smell of alcohol makes me really queasy. (motions for a beer refill)
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- (Lilith asks Sam to teach her how to drive.) Lilith: How do you think I'll do? Sam: I've never had a woman in a car that didn't do great. Lilith: Wonderful. You teach me to drive and I'll help you with your sense of humor.
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- Frasier: Great news everybody. Lilith and I have just gotten back from the auto club. Lilith: We have the complete itinerary for our motoring trip through the USA in our Chevrolet. Frasier: It's a Mercedes, dear. Lilith: That was a joke, Frasier. Frasier: Oh I forgot I married a madcap.
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- Rebecca: The Globe's doing an article on women who run pubs and now he wants to take my picture. I really dread this. Sam: Why? Rebecca: Because I get so tensed up in front of a camera. All of a sudden I look like something the cat coughed up. Carla: Ooo, can I have an 8x10 for my mantlepiece? Rebecca: How about a 2x4 for your bridgework?
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- Al: (pressing the shock therapy button) Dance, mailman, dance.
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NOTES (0)
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- The episode title is a play on "How To Win Friends and Influence People", a self-help book by Dale Carnegie written in the 1930s. It was on the New York Times best-seller list for 10 years.
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