I consider the TV show Cheers to be one of the all-time classic sitcoms, and it hovers right near the top of the list of my favorites. So when I heard that the actor who portayed the unsung sardonic, chubby dude who typically sat at the end of the bar by Norm and Cliff was going to be at the Hollywood Show in Burbank on February 11, 2012, I moved up to the top of my priority list for this show. He might not of been swarmed with fans and had lines out the door, but there’s no doubt that he was one of the big highlights for me.
Paul Willson started on Cheers playing two bit part, the first as Glen, the second as Tom, but by 1986 his character of ‘Paul Krapence’ had begun to be featured as a regular, although his name never appeared in the credits. Soon he would even get his own story lines, most notably when Carla, while drunk, sleeps with him. In all he starred in 55 episodes.
One of my favorite stories involving Paul was when he was feeling downtrodden and left out when he felt that Norm and Cliff were excluding him from their activities. In an effort to get under his skin, Norm reports that he and Cliff had had a morning full of activities without him: such things as skydiving and attending a beauty contest. Paul nearly loses it at this news before Norm lets him in on the joke, “No, Paul, we went to McDonald’s.” This was equally as disturbing to Paul, and he responded with, “What? You went to McDonalds?!”
Paul remembered this line when I presented him with the unusual request of writing this snippet of dialogue on my picture. He was happy to do it, but concerned with how to punctuate it. I put forth my suggestion, and he countered it by using the interrobang (his word, not mine) only at the end of the sentence. Once we had agreed, he quipped in his dry Paul-ness, “I’m glad we could come to an agreement on that.”
I also told him how happy I was that It’s Garry Shandling’s Show had finally come to DVD. He had played the neighbor Leonard in 47 episodes of that classic. I won’t even recount the number of great TV shows and films that Paul Willson starred in, but if you care to check it out, you might be pleasantly surprised. Ok maybe just a few: George & Leo, Coach, Frasier, Office Space, The King of Queens, Curb Your Enthusiasm. OK, I’ll stop. Ally McBeal, Malcolm in the Middle, Laverne & Shirley. Ok, now.
Paul Willson may not have been such a big draw to the other fools of the secular world, but to me, I was thrilled to meet this television icon.
Celebrities of the Winter 2012 Hollywood Show will continue…
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