Down At The End Of The Bar Quiz | Television

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Jay Thomas played a character that first wandered in on the show's fifth season. He was a minor celebrity at the time, and he ordered a club soda with no ice, two slices of lime and a red straw. He eventually became Carla's husband. Who was he?

Answer: Eddie LeBec

Thomas played Eddie LeBec, a goalie for the Boston Bruins. Very superstitious, he ordered a specific drink when he came in before a game. Carla fell in love and the two became a couple. Eddie's career fell apart, which the equally superstitious Carla thought was her fault, but he stuck around and married her. Everyone thought him to be a man of good character, but we found out when he died that he was secretly a polygamist. Thomas, equally famous as a radio host and actor, was written out of the show following alleged negative remarks on his radio show, causing his character's unseemly demise.

2. Keene Curtis played this snooty fellow, who often showed up at Cheers, but was rarely happy about it. Nobody liked him, although Carla had a sort of "love-hate" relationship with him. In eleven years, only Diane drove Sam crazier than this fellow did. Who was he?

Answer: John Allen Hill

Curtis played John Allen Hill, the proprietor of Melville's from the ninth season on. Hill was a sharp-tongued gentleman who considered Cheers too low-brow for his tastes, and he and Sam did not get along well, but circumstances often forced them to talk. Hill might have been the only person who could match the sassy Carla retort for retort, and he managed to both excite and repel her.

A popular character actor, Curtis died of Alzheimer's in 2002.

3. Jackie Swanson played the naive little rich girl that won Woody's heart. She didn't spend a lot of time at Cheers, but in one episode she took a waitress job there for the experience. Who was she?

Answer: Kelly Gaines

Swanson played Kelly Gaines, the daughter of the wealthy Walter Gaines. Kelly was very naive, especially about anything involving money. She didn't seem a good match for the working class Woody, who barely made a living, but he won her over and made it work. His naivety probably helped! Jackie Swanson has been a model as well as an actress.

4. Paul Willson played this barfly, a chubby, bespectacled afterthought to most people at the bar. Seen through much of the series in the background, he became a regular character in the last season, often moping about being left out. Who was he?

Answer: Paul Krapence

Willson played Paul Krapence, a divorced man without many friends or much of a life. He hung out with Norm and Cliff and tried to get himself included in the goings-on at the bar, but he was often forgotten. Paul Willson, a Christmas baby, is a talented comic actor and said to be very good at improv comedy.

5. Frances Sternhagen played this character, a formidable woman who sent poor Cliff into fits. She didn't often visit the bar; she was more discussed than seen. But when she did she wasn't hesitant to offer her views on everything, many of which embarrassed the poor mailman. Who was she?

Answer: Esther Clavin

Sternhagen played Esther Clavin, Cliff's domineering mother. Cliff lived with her for much of the series, being unable to "cut the cord". Like Cliff, Esther was a know-it-all who wasn't shy about offering her opinions. Frances Sternhagen is an accomplished actress of stage and screen, with two Tony Awards to her credit. She received two Emmy nominatons for playing Esther.

6. Dan Hedaya played this hairy bloke, who supposedly had a way with women in spite of his Neanderthal appearance. He didn't often visit the bar, since his ex-wife worked there, but in one episode he was briefly employed there. Who was he?

Answer: Nick Tortelli

Hedaya played Nick Tortelli, Carla's ex-husband and deadbeat father of most of her kids. Nick didn't have many scruples and always seemed to have some get-rich-quick scheme going. Carla loathed him, but admitted she found him attractive, and insisted he just had a way with women. Hedaya is a popular character actor who plays a lot of sleazy characters.

7. Joel Polis and Robert Desiderio both played this character, a rival of Sam's who was never welcome at Cheers. He was the owner of a neighboring bar that bested Cheers over and over, until he finally got his comeuppance in the last season. Who was he?

Answer: Gary

Gary owned Gary's Olde Towne Tavern, a few blocks away from Cheers. The bars had a rivalry, and Gary almost always won, which drove Sam crazy. When Gary came to Cheers, it was usually either to gloat or to goad Sam into another bet, which might explain why no one ever wanted to see him. Polis was initially cast in the role, but when he was unavailable for a subsequent appearance, the role was given to Desiderio.

The two alternated for the rest of the series, each making three appearances.

8. Harry Anderson played this huckster, occasionally sneaking into the bar to play confidence tricks on the patrons. The regulars all knew what he was and didn't trust him, but he often found ways to make money anyhow. Who was he?

Answer: Harry "The Hat"

Anderson played Harry "The Hat". Harry was charming but could not be trusted, and got himself thrown out by Sam on more than one occasion. But his... skills, shall we say, actually proved useful to Sam in a couple of episodes as well. Harry Anderson, an actor and magician, is best known for playing Harry Stone on the show "Night Court", which followed "Cheers" on NBC for several seasons.

9. Anthony Cistaro played this suave character, a friend of Woody's girlfriend and a sketchy guy. Most of Cheers' patrons didn't like his visits, but as a running joke they always enthusiastically greeted him anyhow. Who was he?

Answer: Henri

Cistaro played Henri, the Frenchman who followed Woody's girlfriend Kelly home from her European trip. Henri seemed to be more than just friendly with the naive Kelly, which irked Woody and annoyed most of the other bar patrons. Anthony Cistaro was born in Missouri, and earned a degree in French from Loyola Marymount. According to Wikipedia, he also studied in Paris for a time.

10. Last, a bit of a change-up: this person was never seen at Cheers, yet everybody knew her name! Bernadette Birkett played this long-suffering character. Who was she?

Answer: Norm's wife

Bernadette Birkett, George Wendt's wife, played his character Norm's wife, Vera. As a running joke on the show, Vera was heard about but rarely seen. We never saw all of her, but we sort of see her in a couple of episodes, once at Carla's house and once as a hat check girl at Melville's. We did learn in one episode, though, that Vera used to visit the bar when she and Norm were still newlyweds.

The other three in the list all visited at least once.

Source: Author bisaacs90

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor guitargoddess before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Down At The End Of The Bar Trivia Quiz

Every "Cheers" fan knows Norm, Cliff, and Frasier, but how much do you know about the other visitors to the Boston bar "where everybody knows your name"?

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