Coach Ernie Pantusso
Encyclopedia
Ernie "Coach" Pantusso is a fictional character on the American
television
show Cheers
, portrayed by Nicholas Colasanto
for the first three seasons.
Coach appeared in 70 episodes of Cheers between 1982-1985.
. He got his nickname from his tenure as a baseball
coach; he had coached Sam Malone
with the Boston Red Sox
before Sam bought Cheers. He once said he thought he got called coach because he always flew in the coach section
of an airplane and never in first class
. He claimed his other nickname was "Red", not because he had red hair, but because he had read a book. Quotes like this were characteristic of Coach. While with the St. Louis Browns
he led the American League
in hits by pitch
es for two consecutive seasons. It is possible that too many beanball
s led to his being slow and forgetful. Despite his kind, affable personality off the field, he could be a tyrannical coach, as found out when he coached a little league team and worked them so hard that they all threatened to quit.
As a young man, Ernie dropped out of high school and joined the Navy. He then played both minor league baseball, and with the Browns. He later ended up with Boston
's farm team, the Pawtucket Red Sox
as a coach, and also managed
in the minors. He moved back to the Majors as Boston's third base coach when Sam Malone was pitching, and Sam hired him as a bartender when he bought Cheers. He loved the job so much that he spent his days off working at the bar. Coach's wife Angela had died before the show took place; they had a daughter, Lisa (Allyce Beasley
), whom he encouraged to end an engagement to a fiancé he disliked. In season three he became engaged to a widow named Irene Blanchard, but she broke off the engagement after winning the lottery.
ings - so as to make Coach's absence less obvious. For the episodes where Coach did not appear, excuses were often made for his absence. In one instance it was explained he was visiting his sister. In another he re-took his driving test in Vermont
. Sam is seen congratulating Coach on the telephone. When Carla asks if Coach passed his test, Sam says that he was congratulating Coach for finding Vermont. In one episode the regulars receive a letter from Coach, who is at his annual family reunion. The photograph attached shows Coach with a black family. Sam explains to Carla and Cliff Clavin
that Coach got an invitation by mistake and went so as not to appear rude. He had proceeded to be invited back every year since and was considering hosting next year's gathering at his home. The family, Sam explained, knew him as "Uncle Whitey".
Coach's final appearance is in the cold opening to the final episode of season 3, "Rescue Me", which had been cropped from an earlier episode (this is clear as Carla is not pregnant in this clip). The scene involves Coach meeting an old baseball buddy whose nickname was "The Blind Man." Coach sings the man's praises to everyone at the bar, speaking of the enormous skill it took for a blind man to play professional baseball. His friend informs him that he is not blind at all but got his nicknames from selling venetian blinds door to door, but Coach is unswayed and proclaims "My God! How did he find the doorbell?!" The man gives up and leaves, with Coach warning him to watch out for the steps. After he leaves, Carla suggests "Coach, I think he can see as well as we can." In his final line in the series, Coach replies "Carla, in some ways...he can see more." The audience laughter was edited from the end of this scene and the silent screen freezes on Coach for a moment before cutting to the episode's theme song (though this is not always the case in repeat showings).
Following Colasanto's death the show's cast and crew honored him by hanging a portrait of Geronimo
on the show's set. The picture had previously hung in Colasanto's dressing room behind the scenes. The picture had special meaning to him, and has been used at cast reunions to represent the actor.
comes to Cheers in search of Coach, explaining that they were pen pal
s (exchanging pens rather than letters). Sam is forced to explain that Coach died some months ago. Boyd replaces Coach, who had sponsored him in a correspondence course in bartending. Coach was referenced frequently throughout the show's run. Diane, working in a nunnery, expresses grief that she only heard of Coach's death from afar. Sam consoles her by telling her what Coach said of the afterlife
: "I hope there aren't too many stairs." Diane replies, "It's wise in its way."
In "Fools and Their Money," Sam ends up costing Woody a lot of money. To resolve their differences over the matter, Sam suggests they do what Coach would do – sing Home on the Range
together for a half hour straight. (The belief being that if you could do that with someone then you can't hold a grudge.) The rest of the bar hears them singing and – aware that it was Coach's method – join in. Sam also mentions to Woody that he was protecting him like Coach used to do for him.
Coach is later referred to in "Thanksgiving Orphans." After each character toasts a loved one(s) not present for the meal, they all toast Coach.
Much later in the series, during Season 9's "Pitch It Again, Sam," Malone goes to Yankee Stadium to pitch against an old rival in an exhibition. Before the event, Sam laments Coach's absence, while Carla launches into an impression of a fiery Coach in an attempt to motivate Sam, but before she can finish the imitation, she breaks down crying. She does this once more in the same scene.
In the season 11 episode "The Last Picture Show," Gus, the previous owner of Cheers pays a visit. Sam introduces him to his staff and Woody ends up making a comment regarding the ownership of the bar. Gus replies with "You must be Coach's boy." Sam explains that he isn't and mentions that Coach passed away several years ago.
In the last scene of the series finale, "One for the Road," after telling a late arriving customer that the bar is closed, Sam walks to the back of the bar. On his way, he pauses to straighten the portrait of Geronimo.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, portrayed by Nicholas Colasanto
Nicholas Colasanto
Nicholas Colasanto was an American actor and television director, known primarily for his role as Coach Ernie Pantusso on the sitcom Cheers...
for the first three seasons.
Coach appeared in 70 episodes of Cheers between 1982-1985.
Character overview
Coach was slow and forgetful, but always genial, warm, and caring, a marked contrast to the tough, plain-talking Carla TortelliCarla Tortelli
Carla Maria Victoria Angelina Teresa Apollonia Lozupone Tortelli LeBec, known as Carla Tortelli, is a waitress on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Rhea Perlman. Outwardly, at least, Carla is a mean-spirited woman who expresses disdain for many people...
. He got his nickname from his tenure as a baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
coach; he had coached Sam Malone
Sam Malone
Sam "Mayday" Malone is a fictional character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Ted Danson. The central character of the series, Sam is a former relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox Major League Baseball team who owns Cheers and tends bar there. He is a recovering alcoholic and...
with the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
before Sam bought Cheers. He once said he thought he got called coach because he always flew in the coach section
Economy class
__FORCETOC__Economy class, also called coach class , steerage, or standard class, is the lowest class of seating in air travel, rail travel, and sometimes ferry or maritime travel....
of an airplane and never in first class
First class travel
First class is the most luxurious class of accommodation on a train, passenger ship, airplane, or other conveyance. It is usually much more expensive than business class and economy class, and offers the best amenities.-Aviation:...
. He claimed his other nickname was "Red", not because he had red hair, but because he had read a book. Quotes like this were characteristic of Coach. While with the St. Louis Browns
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
he led the American League
American League
The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, or simply the American League , is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league based in the Great Lakes states, which eventually aspired to major...
in hits by pitch
Hit by pitch
In baseball, hit by pitch , or hit batsman , is a batter or his equipment being hit in some part of his body by a pitch from the pitcher.-Official rule:...
es for two consecutive seasons. It is possible that too many beanball
Beanball
"Beanball" is a colloquialism used in baseball, for a ball thrown at an opposing player with the intention of striking him such as to cause harm, often connoting a throw at the player's head...
s led to his being slow and forgetful. Despite his kind, affable personality off the field, he could be a tyrannical coach, as found out when he coached a little league team and worked them so hard that they all threatened to quit.
As a young man, Ernie dropped out of high school and joined the Navy. He then played both minor league baseball, and with the Browns. He later ended up with Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
's farm team, the Pawtucket Red Sox
Pawtucket Red Sox
The Pawtucket Red Sox are the minor league baseball Triple-A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and belong to the International League...
as a coach, and also managed
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in the minors. He moved back to the Majors as Boston's third base coach when Sam Malone was pitching, and Sam hired him as a bartender when he bought Cheers. He loved the job so much that he spent his days off working at the bar. Coach's wife Angela had died before the show took place; they had a daughter, Lisa (Allyce Beasley
Allyce Beasley
Allyce Beasley is an American actress. She is known for her role as rhyming, love-struck receptionist Agnes DiPesto in the television series Moonlighting. For several years , she has been the announcer on Playhouse Disney, a morning lineup of programming for toddlers on The Disney Channel...
), whom he encouraged to end an engagement to a fiancé he disliked. In season three he became engaged to a widow named Irene Blanchard, but she broke off the engagement after winning the lottery.
Death, on and offscreen
Colasanto died in 1985, shortly after filming the season 3 episode "Cheerio, Cheers". This episode was the 59th to be produced, but was moved following Colasanto's death and shown as the 66th episode. Production was halted for three weeks. After his death, episodes were moved around - in particular the cold openCold open
A cold open in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown...
ings - so as to make Coach's absence less obvious. For the episodes where Coach did not appear, excuses were often made for his absence. In one instance it was explained he was visiting his sister. In another he re-took his driving test in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. Sam is seen congratulating Coach on the telephone. When Carla asks if Coach passed his test, Sam says that he was congratulating Coach for finding Vermont. In one episode the regulars receive a letter from Coach, who is at his annual family reunion. The photograph attached shows Coach with a black family. Sam explains to Carla and Cliff Clavin
Cliff Clavin
Clifford C. Clavin, Jr. is a character on the American television show Cheers, co-created and portrayed by John Ratzenberger.- Character history :...
that Coach got an invitation by mistake and went so as not to appear rude. He had proceeded to be invited back every year since and was considering hosting next year's gathering at his home. The family, Sam explained, knew him as "Uncle Whitey".
Coach's final appearance is in the cold opening to the final episode of season 3, "Rescue Me", which had been cropped from an earlier episode (this is clear as Carla is not pregnant in this clip). The scene involves Coach meeting an old baseball buddy whose nickname was "The Blind Man." Coach sings the man's praises to everyone at the bar, speaking of the enormous skill it took for a blind man to play professional baseball. His friend informs him that he is not blind at all but got his nicknames from selling venetian blinds door to door, but Coach is unswayed and proclaims "My God! How did he find the doorbell?!" The man gives up and leaves, with Coach warning him to watch out for the steps. After he leaves, Carla suggests "Coach, I think he can see as well as we can." In his final line in the series, Coach replies "Carla, in some ways...he can see more." The audience laughter was edited from the end of this scene and the silent screen freezes on Coach for a moment before cutting to the episode's theme song (though this is not always the case in repeat showings).
Following Colasanto's death the show's cast and crew honored him by hanging a portrait of Geronimo
Geronimo
Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...
on the show's set. The picture had previously hung in Colasanto's dressing room behind the scenes. The picture had special meaning to him, and has been used at cast reunions to represent the actor.
Posthumous references
In the first episode of the fourth season, Woody BoydWoody Boyd
Huckleberry Tiberius "Woody" Boyd is a lovable, albeit extremely naive and unsophisticated, character on the American television show Cheers, portrayed by Woody Harrelson. Woody came to Cheers at the beginning of the fourth season of Cheers in 1985....
comes to Cheers in search of Coach, explaining that they were pen pal
Pen pal
Pen pals are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail.-Purposes:A penpal relationship is often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to make friendships...
s (exchanging pens rather than letters). Sam is forced to explain that Coach died some months ago. Boyd replaces Coach, who had sponsored him in a correspondence course in bartending. Coach was referenced frequently throughout the show's run. Diane, working in a nunnery, expresses grief that she only heard of Coach's death from afar. Sam consoles her by telling her what Coach said of the afterlife
Afterlife
The afterlife is the belief that a part of, or essence of, or soul of an individual, which carries with it and confers personal identity, survives the death of the body of this world and this lifetime, by natural or supernatural means, in contrast to the belief in eternal...
: "I hope there aren't too many stairs." Diane replies, "It's wise in its way."
In "Fools and Their Money," Sam ends up costing Woody a lot of money. To resolve their differences over the matter, Sam suggests they do what Coach would do – sing Home on the Range
Home on the Range
"Home on the Range" is the state song of Kansas, U.S.Home on the Range may also refer to:* Home on the Range , a drama directed by Arthur Jacobson* Home on the Range , a Disney animated feature film...
together for a half hour straight. (The belief being that if you could do that with someone then you can't hold a grudge.) The rest of the bar hears them singing and – aware that it was Coach's method – join in. Sam also mentions to Woody that he was protecting him like Coach used to do for him.
Coach is later referred to in "Thanksgiving Orphans." After each character toasts a loved one(s) not present for the meal, they all toast Coach.
Much later in the series, during Season 9's "Pitch It Again, Sam," Malone goes to Yankee Stadium to pitch against an old rival in an exhibition. Before the event, Sam laments Coach's absence, while Carla launches into an impression of a fiery Coach in an attempt to motivate Sam, but before she can finish the imitation, she breaks down crying. She does this once more in the same scene.
In the season 11 episode "The Last Picture Show," Gus, the previous owner of Cheers pays a visit. Sam introduces him to his staff and Woody ends up making a comment regarding the ownership of the bar. Gus replies with "You must be Coach's boy." Sam explains that he isn't and mentions that Coach passed away several years ago.
In the last scene of the series finale, "One for the Road," after telling a late arriving customer that the bar is closed, Sam walks to the back of the bar. On his way, he pauses to straighten the portrait of Geronimo.