Ratzenberger told the publication that he’d been writing and performing comedy for a decade in London. When he got the scenes from “Cheers,” he thought he was supposed to be talking to the people in the room about the show before auditioning, “because in England, that’s what you do.” However, that wasn’t the case here. Ratzenberger explained:
“So I walk in, and I’m looking around, and Jimmy Burrows (who created the series along with Glen and Les Charles) said, ‘What are you looking at? You’re not here to have a conversation; you’re here to audition.’ At that second, I felt all the blood rush out of my body. I did a horrible job.
“As I was leaving, the casting director says, ‘Thank you, John,’ and my eight-by-ten (a “headshot” or photo) was already in a wastebasket. But the writer part of me turned around and said, ‘Do you have a bar know-it-all?’ Because in the bars in my neighborhood where my father hung out, there was always a bar know-it-all. Glen said, ‘What are you talking about?’ I just launched into an improvisation of what (became Cliff).”
Though I cannot claim to have made a full study of barflies, I think most frequently gathered groups of people have a know-it-all like Ratzenberger describes (and plays in the show). You know, book clubs, bands, brunch buddies … there’s always that one person who provides constant fun facts, whether it’s asked for or not. It’s crazy to think about this series without Ratzenberger, who based this character on someone he knew in real life.
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