May 20, 2025

Remembering George Wendt: Cheers Beloved Norm Peterson

Show Notes
Transcript

George Wendt, best known for his iconic role as Norm Peterson on NBC’s 'Cheers.' has passed away at age 76, leaving behind a legacy admired by many. The episode highlights his career, including his six consecutive Emmy nominations, his work with Second City, and memorable moments from 'Cheers' and its spinoffs. Johnny Mac also shares personal anecdotes from Wendt’s life, including his family connections and a fun anecdote about Bono.

Become a supporter of this podcast:https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/daily-comedy-news--4522158/support.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:13.320
Caalaroga Shark Media. I'm Johnny Mack. George Went, best known

2
00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:17.199
for his role as Norm Peterson on NBC's Cheers, passed

3
00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:20.359
away Tuesday morning at his home. He was seventy six.

4
00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:24.039
His publicist, Melissa Nathan, shared a statement, George was a

5
00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:26.519
doting family man, a well loved friend, and a confidence

6
00:00:26.519 --> 00:00:28.359
who all those lucky enough to have known him. He

7
00:00:28.399 --> 00:00:31.160
will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during

8
00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:35.439
this time. When earned six consecutive Emmy nominations for his

9
00:00:35.520 --> 00:00:40.159
performance as Norm Peterson, Cheers coincidentally ended thirty two years

10
00:00:40.159 --> 00:00:43.640
ago today. George was part of the Second City in

11
00:00:43.679 --> 00:00:46.759
the nineteen seventies before becoming a TV actor. He had

12
00:00:46.840 --> 00:00:50.159
numerous guest spots and then landed the role of barfly

13
00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:54.799
Norm Peterson. He would later appear as Norm in The Tortellis,

14
00:00:54.920 --> 00:00:57.640
which was one of the spinoffs from Cheers and Frasier.

15
00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:01.399
After appearing in all two hundred seventy three episodes of Cheers,

16
00:01:01.759 --> 00:01:04.719
George went went to CBS to star in The George

17
00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:08.159
Wentz Show. He played a radio host car mechanic. That

18
00:01:08.280 --> 00:01:11.519
series only ran four a month. Born in nineteen forty

19
00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:14.959
eight in Chicago. George was on SNL as one of

20
00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:19.079
the Chicago Bears superfans. One of nine children, attended the

21
00:01:19.280 --> 00:01:23.159
University of Notre Dame before switching to Rockhurst College and

22
00:01:23.200 --> 00:01:27.239
graduating with a degree in economics. He married Bernardette Burkett

23
00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:31.079
in nineteen seventy eight. Bernetette interestingly voiced the character of

24
00:01:31.200 --> 00:01:34.159
Norm's wife on Cheers. She was never seen on camera

25
00:01:34.879 --> 00:01:39.000
so many credits, including Fletch Gung Ho, Spice World, the

26
00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:43.079
nineteen eighty five horror film House indie film from twenty nineteen,

27
00:01:43.200 --> 00:01:47.359
The Climb, guest appearances on Hot and Cleveland, The Twilight Zone,

28
00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:51.760
Colombo George Lopez Fresh off the Boat. In twenty twenty three,

29
00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:55.200
he appeared on the Masked Singer in Rolling Stone. Alan

30
00:01:55.239 --> 00:01:58.959
Seppenwall writes, the final scene of Cheers is a masterclass

31
00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:01.640
on how to end a beloved, long running show properly.

32
00:02:01.760 --> 00:02:03.480
It's just Sam alone and the rest of the gang

33
00:02:03.519 --> 00:02:06.760
hanging out, smoking cigars, swapping stories, and reminding the audience

34
00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:09.759
why this fictional Boston sports bar had become such a

35
00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:12.400
cherished place to virtually hang out for the last decade.

36
00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:14.520
They trade jokes and other different suggestions for what the

37
00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:16.919
meaning of life is. Then the bar's phone rings that

38
00:02:16.960 --> 00:02:19.599
everybody realizes they have somewhere else they should be. Everyone

39
00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:23.039
files out, except for Norm Peterson played by George Went,

40
00:02:23.479 --> 00:02:26.400
who says that the meeting of life is love. Yes, Sam,

41
00:02:26.439 --> 00:02:29.439
you know what I love? Sam replies beer Norm. Norm

42
00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:31.560
considers that promote and then says, yeah, I'll have a

43
00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:34.479
quick one. It's one more perfectly timed for re joinder

44
00:02:34.520 --> 00:02:36.360
from the character and actor who may have been better

45
00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:38.280
at it than anyone else in the long and storied

46
00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:42.479
history of TV comedy. His surviving family includes his sister

47
00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:47.400
Kathy Sidecas, mother of Jason Sidekas. Yeah, I didn't know this,

48
00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:51.280
George Went was Jason Sadakas'. His uncle. Sister Kathy is

49
00:02:51.280 --> 00:02:54.039
one of the organizers of the Big Slick Celebrity weekend

50
00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:57.120
that Jason and his fellow Kansas City celebrity's co host.

51
00:02:57.719 --> 00:03:00.960
This year's event is next week. He heard several times

52
00:03:01.039 --> 00:03:04.120
that Big Slick. Last year reprised his role as one

53
00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:08.919
of the de Bears super fans alongside Jason Sadegas, Robert Smigel,

54
00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:13.360
and Patrick Mahomes from the Chiefs. George told a story

55
00:03:13.400 --> 00:03:16.360
about his life in Kansas City as a student at Rockhurst.

56
00:03:16.400 --> 00:03:18.840
He said, Kansas City was sodom and gomore compared to

57
00:03:18.879 --> 00:03:21.280
South Bend Notre Dame. There was a bar right across

58
00:03:21.280 --> 00:03:23.000
the street, and I thought it was fantastic. I remember

59
00:03:23.080 --> 00:03:25.439
the payphone at Mike's tavern. You could rig it. I

60
00:03:25.479 --> 00:03:26.919
worked for AT and T back in the day, and

61
00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:28.599
we could see the kids were rigging it. They were

62
00:03:28.599 --> 00:03:31.800
getting free phone calls. He shared a story about shooting

63
00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:34.719
a film in Dublin. A friend invited him to go

64
00:03:34.759 --> 00:03:37.599
bar hopping. George didn't want to go. George gave in.

65
00:03:37.639 --> 00:03:39.520
They went to a place called the ferry Man, who

66
00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:43.120
was mostly empty except for one guy. That guy, Bono,

67
00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:46.439
was this amazing. Bono told George, I didn't want to

68
00:03:46.439 --> 00:03:48.479
meet you because you were Norm on Cheers. I wanted

69
00:03:48.520 --> 00:03:50.360
to meet you because you were Norman Cheers and you

70
00:03:50.439 --> 00:03:53.599
found this place. You corracked the code. George went once said,

71
00:03:53.599 --> 00:03:55.680
the Norm you see in Cheers has been years in

72
00:03:55.719 --> 00:03:58.240
the making. I have some characteristics in common with him,

73
00:03:58.400 --> 00:04:00.199
besides our fondness for beer. But I think I'm a

74
00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:02.919
lot happier than Norm. I was a beer drinker long

75
00:04:02.960 --> 00:04:05.000
before Cheers. When I put a couple of six packs

76
00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:07.199
on top of my grocery shopping cart. People are pleased,

77
00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:09.759
I tell him I'm taking them home to rehearse. He

78
00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:12.120
did say that the toughest part of his job was

79
00:04:12.199 --> 00:04:15.960
drinking the beer on the TV, which was actually warm, flat,

80
00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:18.279
and non alcoholic that was layered with a pinch of

81
00:04:18.360 --> 00:04:21.560
salt to create the illusion of a head on a beer.

82
00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:23.560
He told The Washington Post in nineteen eighty five. There

83
00:04:23.600 --> 00:04:25.839
I was slamming those down for a whole day. It

84
00:04:25.879 --> 00:04:28.519
not only tastes disgusting. I was afraid of keeling over

85
00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:30.639
from high blood pressure. Then I got the knack. I

86
00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:32.240
didn't have to put all those brus away. It only

87
00:04:32.279 --> 00:04:34.399
mattered when the camera was pointing my way. It took

88
00:04:34.439 --> 00:04:36.480
a couple of years, but now I watch the camera.

89
00:04:36.680 --> 00:04:40.519
That's how I make my money. That's acting. George Went

90
00:04:40.839 --> 00:04:41.759
was seventy six