JLD on Cheers?

Last night after watching Seinfeld, I was flipping through the channels and paused when I saw Shelly Long (Diane from Cheers) on Arsenio. I watched just long enough to hear Ms. Long say that when she was trying out for the Diane character, so was JLD. How `bout that?

Shelly Long and JLD up for the same part?....

JLD would have been *sssooooooo* much better!

Alena

JLD is currently starring opposite Danny DeVitto in Jack The Bear which opned at movie theatres nationwide last Friday.

-Mark

In article , Alena Darling writes...

As much as I think JLD is great, I don't think she'd have been better than Shelly (Shelley?) Long as the Diane character in Cheers. Diane was a high-brow wannabe who couldn't help her attraction for low-brow stuff like Sam or acceptance by the group. I was watching a rerun a few nights ago where Diane started berating Sam for his inconsideration. "I made a 7-course Sichuan dinner for you, but you had a burger on the way." With Shelly Long, that came out funny in a vulnerable way. With JLD, I would think that would be funny in a whining or hysterical way, and I don't think that would be as good.

Of course, I'm very closely associating JLD with the Elaine character because I've never noticed her anywhere but on Seinfeld (and I don't have much desire to see Jack the Bear).

Richard Chen

You should try to catch some of the reruns of Saturday Night Live from the early '80's, she was a regular back then. I'm not sure which season(s), but I particularly recommend the Christopher Reed episode, there is a skit of the auditions for the Superman movie where she is the casting directors assistant that is hysterical.

Brian

[email] (Brian Bourgon) writes:

Goodluck seeing any of these unless you have them on video tape. They were the funniest ones, but of course, they only show the recent ones. In fact these are even harder to find than the Anthony Michael Hall, Joan Cusak, Randy Quaid, Robert Downy Jr. years.(which were quite good, I thought, but I was much younger then.) That episode was with Christopher Reeve, by the way. JLD was awesome as the secretary in the Superman spoof skit.

While I'm writing, I might as well voice my opinion on the best character. I have to agree with many who have sited that they all have their own merits and play well off of one another. However, I really like Elaine for her facial expressions and always well timed one-liners.

and please, by all means, feel free to call me Dave.
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In article , [email] (chen, richard) writes...

I agree totally with you Richard. It is hard to say to say if ELD would have been good a Diane Chambers but I highly doubt that she would have been as good as Shelly Long. Every actress brings there own unique characteristics to their characters and I think that Shelly Long could not play Elaine as good as ElD does. They are two totally different characters.

Richard, ELD use to be a regular on the Saturday Night Live cast with Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo etc..

In article , [email]

I agree with you. Her creation of Diane is a grossly underrated performance. Before she got that part, we in Chicago would see her on a local show as a sort of good looking side kick to a well known local celebrity. In that show, she was the perfect icon of the sweet innocent girl next door. About a 180 degs. from Diane. I've seen her on talk shows portray totally different characters with a lot of success. After all she was from our Second City and we all know how many great comics came out of that. But as good as she was, IMHO, she could never get past Diane. She could never find a vehicle to create another character in the publics eye. And so she was best in movies that again had her play Diane.

I understand somewhat why so many men dislike her. As Diane, she portrayed the essense of every neurotic girlfriend they ever had. The humor of her portrayal against Sam being the essense of every lovable jerk that women get stuck on is lost on them. I find it extremely funny. Classic humor to me.

Whether she could have lost to JLD I think rests upon the requirement of the Diane character. As much as I truly love JLD's work, I would imagine that Long could out neurotic even JLD. And I suppose that they would have to contend with IMHO JLD's edge of attractiveness over Long. which would have changed the basic story. It is amusing to think of what JLD would have made of the character and how the show might have been vastly different but it seems that the Charles Brothers had something else in mind.