Who Knew? A 'Cheers' Character Was Killed Off Because Of A Radio Interview?!? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Brian Damage · 02-12-2012, 01:11 PM

Cheers — The Zamboni Accident

When Carla Tortelli married Eddie LeBec, he earned a living by playing goalie for the Boston Bruins. But then his game started going downhill, so he retired and joined a touring show called “The Wonderful World of Ice.” Eddie played a penguin in the show and died a noble death when he was run over by a Zamboni while pushing a fellow cast member out of the machine’s path. It was later revealed that Eddie probably wouldn’t have been killed off had actor Jay Thomas not, during a radio interview, responded to a caller’s question about life on the Cheers set by saying: “It’s brutal. I have to kiss Rhea Perlman.”

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Retro4Life · 02-12-2012, 01:41 PM

Well, that was certainly classless.

Then again, in the few interviews I've seen with him and the times he's guested on shows, he's never struck me as a particularly 'sensitive' guy.

Brian Damage · 02-12-2012, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retro4Life

Well, that was certainly classless.

Then again, in the few interviews I've seen with him and the times he's guested on shows, he's never struck me as a particularly 'sensitive' guy.

I agree with you 100% there retro. I mean no offense, but it wasn't like Jay Thomas looked like George Clooney either. lol

Retro4Life · 02-12-2012, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

I agree with you 100% there retro. I mean no offense, but it wasn't like Jay Thomas looked like George Clooney either. lol

lol, absolutely NOT!

Brian Damage · 02-12-2012, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retro4Life

lol, absolutely NOT!

As we say in the broadcasting business...He has a face for radio. lol

ThomasE · 02-13-2012, 12:07 PM

OMG. That is messed up. LOL.

visaman666 · 04-04-2012, 12:06 AM

As a Canuck fan, I have to say that the Bruins deserved him as their goalie

Just My Show · 04-30-2012, 10:50 PM

Here's more on the Jay Thomas incident in a blog post by Ken Levine, the Cheers writer who co-wrote his first episode as well as the one they killed him off in.

http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2006/0...die-lebec.html

Lots of other great Cheers stories in his blog as well.

Schmoopie · 04-30-2012, 11:26 PM

Whoa! I had no idea! Was he being sarcastic or sincere? Sounds like it could have gone either way but it must have come out sincere if they fired him over it. Thanks for this bit of trivia!

PrettyinPink55 · 05-01-2012, 01:08 AM

Ouch!!! I had no idea that was the reason behind it!!

JackTripper25 · 05-21-2012, 03:57 PM

I read that he went to the 200th episode and was heckling the actors and producers from the audience. I watched the episode on Netflix and I'm guessing it has been edited out. Anybody know of where the original footage can be found. I'm interested in seeing what happened. I watched the 200th episode when it originally aired, but it's been so long ago that I don't remember this situation happening.

Latka Gravas · 05-06-2019, 02:44 PM

Yes, I recently heard this as well.

However, I don't see this as a big deal at all. Thomas was in only a handful of episodes as LeBec before the character was killed off, and so his absence from the show doesn't affect anything at all. As a matter of fact, Death Takes a Holiday on Ice (the LeBec funeral episode, where's it's revealed he was married to another woman - in addition to Carla - LOL) is definitely one of the funniest episodes of the series - and if the LeBec character hadn't been killed off, we wouldn't have gotten this episode. So, if anything LeBec's death on the show actually added a lot of additional humor to the series - ha ha.

Adamantium · 05-06-2019, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Latka Gravas

Yes, I recently heard this as well.

However, I don't see this as a big deal at all. Thomas was in only a handful of episodes as LeBec before the character was killed off, and so his absence from the show doesn't affect anything at all. As a matter of fact, Death Takes a Holiday on Ice (the LeBec funeral episode, where's it's revealed he was married to another woman - in addition to Carla - LOL) is definitely one of the funniest episodes of the series - and if the LeBec character hadn't been killed off, we wouldn't have gotten this episode. So, if anything LeBec's death on the show actually added a lot of additional humor to the series - ha ha.

Also it was Thomas Haden Church's appearance in this episode that got him the role of Lowell Mather on Wings. So if not for this episode, who knows if that would have even happened or not.

Chocolate Moose · 05-06-2019, 04:54 PM

WOW

KatieAnn · 05-13-2019, 10:29 PM

I always thought that Eddie and Carla looked a lot alike. He commented himself out of a job, and I do think that his funeral episode was one of the best eps of the series, very memorable.

02-12-2012, 01:11 PM	#1
Brian Damage I'm Rich Bitch Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 03, 2002 Location: What Ain't No Country I Ever Heard Of...They Speak English in What? Posts: 63,107	Who Knew? A 'Cheers' Character Was Killed Off Because Of A Radio Interview?!? Cheers — The Zamboni Accident When Carla Tortelli married Eddie LeBec, he earned a living by playing goalie for the Boston Bruins. But then his game started going downhill, so he retired and joined a touring show called “The Wonderful World of Ice.” Eddie played a penguin in the show and died a noble death when he was run over by a Zamboni while pushing a fellow cast member out of the machine’s path. It was later revealed that Eddie probably wouldn’t have been killed off had actor Jay Thomas not, during a radio interview, responded to a caller’s question about life on the Cheers set by saying: “It’s brutal. I have to kiss Rhea Perlman.” Read the full text here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/arc...#ixzz1mBjo7CD3 --brought to you by mental_floss!
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02-12-2012, 01:41 PM	#2
Retro4Life Accept No Substitutes Forum Veteran Join Date: Feb 04, 2009 Location: IL Posts: 6,708	Well, that was certainly classless. Then again, in the few interviews I've seen with him and the times he's guested on shows, he's never struck me as a particularly 'sensitive' guy.
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02-13-2012, 12:07 PM	#6
ThomasE Member Moderator Forum Fanatic Join Date: Apr 04, 2000 Location: New York, New York, U.S.A. Posts: 10,857	OMG. That is messed up. LOL.
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04-30-2012, 10:50 PM	#8
Just My Show Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jan 28, 2006 Posts: 102	More on This from Cheers Writer Ken Levine Here's more on the Jay Thomas incident in a blog post by Ken Levine, the Cheers writer who co-wrote his first episode as well as the one they killed him off in. http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2006/0...die-lebec.html Lots of other great Cheers stories in his blog as well.
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04-30-2012, 11:26 PM	#9
Schmoopie Keep Calm and Love Snoopy Forum Star Join Date: Jul 13, 2008 Location: Lynnwood, Washington Posts: 15,697	Whoa! I had no idea! Was he being sarcastic or sincere? Sounds like it could have gone either way but it must have come out sincere if they fired him over it. Thanks for this bit of trivia!
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04-04-2012, 12:06 AM	#7
visaman666 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Jan 06, 2007 Posts: 818	As a Canuck fan, I have to say that the Bruins deserved him as their goalie

05-01-2012, 01:08 AM	#10
PrettyinPink55 Member Forum Celebrity Join Date: Feb 11, 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 24,601	Ouch!!! I had no idea that was the reason behind it!!
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05-21-2012, 03:57 PM	#11
JackTripper25 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: May 09, 2008 Posts: 63	I read that he went to the 200th episode and was heckling the actors and producers from the audience. I watched the episode on Netflix and I'm guessing it has been edited out. Anybody know of where the original footage can be found. I'm interested in seeing what happened. I watched the 200th episode when it originally aired, but it's been so long ago that I don't remember this situation happening.

05-06-2019, 02:44 PM	#12
Latka Gravas Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 27, 2019 Location: United States Posts: 396	Yes, I recently heard this as well. However, I don't see this as a big deal at all. Thomas was in only a handful of episodes as LeBec before the character was killed off, and so his absence from the show doesn't affect anything at all. As a matter of fact, Death Takes a Holiday on Ice (the LeBec funeral episode, where's it's revealed he was married to another woman - in addition to Carla - LOL) is definitely one of the funniest episodes of the series - and if the LeBec character hadn't been killed off, we wouldn't have gotten this episode. So, if anything LeBec's death on the show actually added a lot of additional humor to the series - ha ha.

05-06-2019, 04:54 PM	#14
Chocolate Moose Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Jan 21, 2007 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 4,900	WOW
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05-13-2019, 10:29 PM	#15
KatieAnn Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 15, 2011 Posts: 520	I always thought that Eddie and Carla looked a lot alike. He commented himself out of a job, and I do think that his funeral episode was one of the best eps of the series, very memorable.