Sam’s Gone, but Cheers Is Back in Business

OK, not everyone will know your name at first. But already, the “Cheers� set-turned-public watering hole is going down smooth with Hollywood locals as well as tourists.

For 11 years, millions of viewers sidled up to their televisions on Thursday nights to watch the top-rated sitcom. Although the television show went off the air in 1993, “Cheers� fans can once again devote their Thursday nights to the legendary drinking establishment. Only this time they are sidling up to the original bar, now in the Hollywood Entertainment Museum.

Marketing director Geri Wilson came up with the idea of opening “Cheers� to the public as a means of raising funds for the museum.

“People were always fascinated by the set--and they wanted more,� Wilson said. “We saw it as a fun fund-raising opportunity.�

Like the “Cheers� bar on TV, Cheers, which opened recently in the Galaxy Theater complex on Hollywood Boulevard, is on the basement level.

Most patrons seem to come from one of two camps: Some are nostalgic, wanting to reminisce about the show, debate “Cheers� trivia or sit on Norm’s stool (the most popular seat in the house), where the character philosophized about the meaning of life--as it directly related to the consumption of alcohol. Others cite a reason that could have come from Norm himself: “I’m just here for the beer.�

While none of the show’s cast members have dropped by for a cold one, bartender Michael Corbett resembles Woody (as played by Woody Harrelson).

“I get that a lot,� said Corbett, who likens the bar to “some sort of a time warp.�

Already, Corbett is seeing his share of regulars--although none have been mail carriers or psychiatrists, at least to his knowledge.

“We had one guy from Cleveland with a video camera who had everybody yell ‘Norm’ when he came in,� Corbett recalled. “We get a lot of tourists walking in with cameras, and some locals just looking for a beer after work--which is what ‘Cheers’ is all about.�

The Galaxy complex was the first of the revitalization projects to get off the ground. Now, with the subway up and running and Cheers open for business, locals believe they have something to toast.

“I’ve been in this neighborhood, like, forever,� said Jimmy Martin, 42, perched on a stool at the wooden bar. “It’s gone from rock ‘n’ roll cowboy land to a Russian invasion to finally one of those revitalization projects actually happening.�

“I know a lot of people who’ve come to visit who would love this,� said Ken Miller, 29, who gathered with Martin and four other friends from the neighborhood on a recent Thursday for a drink at Cheers.

Opening the bar on Thursday nights has been so successful, the museum plans to expand on the idea. This fall, Cheers will be open for “Monday Night Football.�

How does it feel to kick back at the real Cheers?

“It makes me feel like having a beer,� said Rose Villasenor, a 35-year-old computer consultant.

Norm couldn’t have said it any better.

The Hollywood Entertainment Museum, 7021 Hollywood Blvd., is open from 6 to 10 p.m. on Thursdays through Sept. 2. Cover charge is a $5 donation; parking is $2 with museum validation. (323) 960-4806.