Kirstie Alley was a godsend for “Cheers” when she joined the NBC sitcom in 1987, noted director and producer James Burrows said Monday when he paid tribute to the comedy star.
“She was funny and she was great,” Burrows told Variety of Alley, who died Dec. 5 at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer. Off-camera, Burroughs recalls, she was by nature “light-hearted” in a way that endeared her to the comedy community.
Alley signed on “Cheers” in the middle of its 11-season run on NBC, from 1982-1993, as the show sought to make the difficult detour from years of romance between the characters of Sam Malone and Diane Chambers played by Ted Danson and Shelley Long. Long’s exit from the show after the fifth season prompted the change brought about by Alley. “It reinvigorated the show,” said Burrows.
The new hire made a strong impression on her colleagues when, on the first day of filming, Alley showed up dressed as Shelley Long’s character Diane Chambers.
“It defined her style of presentation,” Burroughs recalled.
On camera, Alley’s strength was her unpredictability. “When she walked into that bar, everyone went with her. The surprise was that she was funny which made her jokes even funnier.” Alley has received five Emmy nominations and one win (in 1991) for her work on “Cheers” as ambitious corporate executive Rebecca Howe.
Burrows, co-creator, executive producer, and lead director of Cheers on its 271 episodes, also referred to Alley as “the biggest screamer in the world. She can cry funny and make it real.”
The core “Cheers” squad at the time Alley joined — Ted Danson, Rhea Perlman, Woody Harrelson, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, John Ratzenberger, and George Wendt — was a killer row of comedic talent. “Kirsty became ‘one of the boys’ literally, overnight,” said Burroughs. She had some of her greatest moments in Cheers.
Burroughs and Ally later worked together on the pilot for her NBC comedy “Veronica’s Closet” (1997-2000). The two have kept in touch over the years but have not seen each other since the “Cheers” gang reunited for a series of 30th anniversary celebrations in 2012.
“I will miss the energy you brought into the room,” said Burrows.
Other Cheers alumni paid tribute to Alley with statements:
Ted Danson: “I was on a plane today and did something I rarely do. I watched an old episode of ‘Cheers.’ It was the episode where Tom Berenger proposes to Kirsty, who keeps saying no, even though she wants so badly to say yes. “Kirsty was really great at it. Her ability to play a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown was touching and hysterically funny. She made me laugh 30 years ago when I shot that scene, and it makes me laugh just as much today. When I got off the plane, I heard Kirsty had died.” I am so sad and so grateful for all the times you made me laugh. Sending my love to her children. As they know all too well, their mother had a heart of gold. I will miss her.”
Rhea Perlman: “Kirsty was such a unique, wonderful person and a friend. Her joy in being there was boundless. We became friends almost immediately when she joined the cast of ‘Cheers’. She loved the kids and my kids loved her too. We had a sleepover at her house, while hunting for the treasures she had created.” “She threw huge parties for Halloween and Easter, and invited the entire cast of the show and their families. She wanted everyone to feel included. She loved her children deeply. I’ve never met anyone like her. I feel so grateful to have known her. I will miss her so very much.”
Kelsey Grammer: “I’ve always believed that mourning a public figure is private, but I will say I loved it.”
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