"Cheers" Bar Finally Finds a Museum Home - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JamesG · 08-07-2014, 04:24 PM

"Cheers" Bar Finally Finds a Museum Home
8/7/14
by Bryn Elise Sandberg

TV memorabilia collector James Comisar spent 20 years chasing his holy grail: the bar from "Cheers". It wasn't until July that CBS donated the iconic set to Comisar's nonprofit Museum of Television.

"You would think that this bar that served up laughs for 275 episodes must have ended up in the Smithsonian, right?" says Comisar, 49. "Nope, they turned it down."

(The Smithsonian thought the 1,000-square-foot set would take up too much space.)

The functioning bar — custom-made by Paramount in 1982 of wood, brass and leather — is still home to Sam Malone's black touch-tone telephone and careworn cash register.

Corporate mergers and studio changes clouded ownership of the famed piece after the NBC sitcom ended in 1993. Following the 2006 Viacom split in which Paramount transferred its entire television studio to CBS, the latter gained the rights to the Cheers franchise.

The bar mostly was neglected in storage — apart from a stint at the short-lived Hollywood Entertainment Museum that allowed guests to sit at the bar, order drinks and even throw bachelor parties.

"No real museum lets its patrons party with the artifacts," Comisar protests.

The former television writer finally obtained the bar with assistance from series co-creator James Burrows (director of 237 episodes), whose office helped petition CBS on Comisar's behalf. One of Burrow's longtime assistants, Chris Connor, was particularly helpful in nudging the studio by calling and writing letters throughout the whole two-decade-long journey.

"Twenty years? That's nothing," Comisar scoffs. "I honestly wouldn't have stopped. I would have called them even when I was in assisted living."

Preserving the piece will be no easy feat. A team of former LACMA conservators soon will begin cleaning and restoring the set, a process Comisar estimates will run him at least $100,000. Not to mention the amount of time such a task requires — he's already clocked 200 hours figuring out how to repair the bar's deteriorated brass trim alone.

Comisar hopes by the time they're done he will have established a permanent home for his 10,000-item collection — which includes Johnny Carson's desk, George Reeves' Superman costume and "blue sky" meth from "Breaking Bad" — starting with a 5,000-square-foot preview space planned for 2015.

He is considering locations in Phoenix and Las Vegas, but Los Angeles is Comisar's first choice if he can secure funding: "These artifacts need to be exhibited, celebrated and discussed here in Hollywood."

Agrees "Cheers" star Ted Danson: "What a great home for the bar. We're all beginning to feel like museum pieces."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...finds-a-723417

Johnny be good! · 09-17-2014, 09:58 AM

That's fantastic!

mpride · 12-26-2014, 04:30 PM

Cool.

I hope they can keep it in LA. That's where I would want to visit the bar.

Johnny be good! · 12-18-2015, 05:19 AM

Agreed.

kclj520 · 12-18-2015, 03:12 PM

Great show, and a great article! How cool that it can be seen by fans for years to come!

08-07-2014, 04:24 PM	#1
JamesG Freakshow Moderator Forum Icon Join Date: Feb 01, 2008 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 57,129	"Cheers" Bar Finally Finds a Museum Home *"Cheers" Bar Finally Finds a Museum Home* 8/7/14 by Bryn Elise Sandberg TV memorabilia collector James Comisar spent 20 years chasing his holy grail: the bar from "Cheers". It wasn't until July that CBS donated the iconic set to Comisar's nonprofit Museum of Television. "You would think that this bar that served up laughs for 275 episodes must have ended up in the Smithsonian, right?" says Comisar, 49. "Nope, they turned it down." (The Smithsonian thought the 1,000-square-foot set would take up too much space.) The functioning bar — custom-made by Paramount in 1982 of wood, brass and leather — is still home to Sam Malone's black touch-tone telephone and careworn cash register. Corporate mergers and studio changes clouded ownership of the famed piece after the NBC sitcom ended in 1993. Following the 2006 Viacom split in which Paramount transferred its entire television studio to CBS, the latter gained the rights to the Cheers franchise. The bar mostly was neglected in storage — apart from a stint at the short-lived Hollywood Entertainment Museum that allowed guests to sit at the bar, order drinks and even throw bachelor parties. "No real museum lets its patrons party with the artifacts," Comisar protests. The former television writer finally obtained the bar with assistance from series co-creator James Burrows (director of 237 episodes), whose office helped petition CBS on Comisar's behalf. One of Burrow's longtime assistants, Chris Connor, was particularly helpful in nudging the studio by calling and writing letters throughout the whole two-decade-long journey. "Twenty years? That's nothing," Comisar scoffs. "I honestly wouldn't have stopped. I would have called them even when I was in assisted living." Preserving the piece will be no easy feat. A team of former LACMA conservators soon will begin cleaning and restoring the set, a process Comisar estimates will run him at least $100,000. Not to mention the amount of time such a task requires — he's already clocked 200 hours figuring out how to repair the bar's deteriorated brass trim alone. Comisar hopes by the time they're done he will have established a permanent home for his 10,000-item collection — which includes Johnny Carson's desk, George Reeves' Superman costume and "blue sky" meth from "Breaking Bad" — starting with a 5,000-square-foot preview space planned for 2015. He is considering locations in Phoenix and Las Vegas, but Los Angeles is Comisar's first choice if he can secure funding: "These artifacts need to be exhibited, celebrated and discussed here in Hollywood." Agrees "Cheers" star Ted Danson: "What a great home for the bar. We're all beginning to feel like museum pieces." http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...finds-a-723417 Attached Images

09-17-2014, 09:58 AM	#2
Johnny be good! Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 18, 2007 Location: Westland, Michigan Posts: 1,633	That's fantastic!
	__________________ Alex Bogue

12-26-2014, 04:30 PM	#3
mpride Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Aug 21, 2012 Location: Sugar Land Posts: 15	Cool. I hope they can keep it in LA. That's where I would want to visit the bar.
	__________________ Mark

12-18-2015, 05:19 AM	#4
Johnny be good! Member Senior Member Join Date: Feb 18, 2007 Location: Westland, Michigan Posts: 1,633	Agreed.

12-18-2015, 03:12 PM	#5
kclj520 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 15, 2015 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 80	Great show, and a great article! How cool that it can be seen by fans for years to come!