EDITORIAL ROUTING 3-30-93 To: ENTERTAINMENT Three cheers! Long returns with ‘Good Advice’ By Frank Lovece Like it says in the theme song to her old show, “Cheers,” sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, And for come ac- tress Shelley Long, that means taking a break from movies for a while to return to her television roots, Long — the inimitable Diane Chambers on the first five years of “Cheers” — is back in a TV’ comedy with “Good Advice” (CBS, Fridays), playing a best-selling author and marriage counselor whose own mar- riage is ironically on the skids. Co- star Treat Williams plays her professional nemesis, a divorce lawyer with offices in the same build ing. The supporting cast includes George Wyner from “Hill Street Blues” and Estelle Harris, who was so memorable as George's grousing mother on a couple of episodes of “Seinfeld.” Long, 43, helped initiate the show herself, a point evident in the name of one of the two companies produc ing it: Itzbinso Long Productions “+I don't take a producer credit (otherwise),” the actress says cheer fully. “T gave that to one of the part ners in my production company. But this show was actually my idea; took itto CBS, which liked it and gave me ‘contract, and eventually we ended up at TriStar,” which is their studio distributor partner. “The show natu: rally had an evolution of its own,’ Long continues, “but we stayed with the same character I suggested and the same situation: a working mother.” Co-star Williams came aboard through “Good Advice” executive producer Danny Jacobson, who off tially ereated the show with Norma Salford Vela. “I had expressed inter: est in working with Treat years ago, even before this project,” Long re- members. I had myself gone up to him a few years ago and said 1 was ‘fan and would love to work with him, ‘Then it turned out Danny Ja- ccobson had worked with Treat doing ‘Grease’ on Broadway years ago,” which made it all seem sort of pre- ordained. ‘The same might be said of Long's return to television, She had left “Cheers” in 1987 after having won an Emmy Award and having taken her character — self-important intellect al barmaid Diane Chambers — prob- ably as far as one could. She had been ‘moonlighting in movies, with the mid: dling “Irreconeilable Differences’ (1984) and “The Money Pit” (1986), plus the hit “Outrageous Fortune™ (1987), and wanted to pursue a film career. Ironically, her departure in- Vigorated “Cheers,” while Long found herself saddled with mediocre movies like "Hello, Again” (1987) and “Troop Beverly Hills” (1989) ‘1 always did projects I felt a connection with. I don’t know anybody who can pick a hit.’ “always did projects I felt a eon- nection with,” Long says thoughtfully fof her ehoices. “I don't know anybody ‘who can pick a hit. I wouldn't want to be performing on that basis anyway.” ‘And Hollywood, she argues, has backed off somewhat from her forte, romantic comedy. “Movies have taken on a lot of lence, a lot of extremes, a lot of sen- sationalism, a lot of heavy metal, alot of high-tech,” she says. “Occasionally a character piece emerges, but I think ‘movies now are dealing with very big porportions — bigger than life, car {oon life. And that’s OK, audiences are boeing entertained by that. But I think it's starting to change, and we'll come ‘back around to a few more romantic ‘comedies than we've seen for the past few years.” In the meantime, she says, “There are some wonderful opportu nities in television, and I've been taking advantage of them.” Those op- portunities have included dramatic roles in the TV movies “A Message From Holly” (CBS, 1992) and “Fatal Memories” (NBC, 1992), Long got her show-business start in Chicago, after having dropped out of Northwestern University “because I ‘wanted to act, not listen to people talk about acting.” She became what's known as a junior model, appearing in ads for Marshall Field and other department stores, and also began working for Encyclopaedia Britanni- 2, producing educational film strips. "That led to her becoming an asso- ciate producer, and later co-host, of the magazine show “Sorting It Out” ‘on the local NBC affiliate, WMAQ. ‘She also landed a place in the famous Chicago comedy troupe, Second City. Jim Belushi, a fellow alum of her Second Cily company, remembers her as “the cutest, funniest thing on that stage. I always had a crush on her. Fused to walk her to her car and try and kiss her, and she'd say, “Someday, Jim, when we're not work: ing together.’ But by then she had a boyfriend.” Today, Long lives with her second husband, investment ad- visor Bruce Tyson, and their 8-year old daughter, Juliana. ‘Long had originally gone to Los An geles to be in an ABC comedy-vari ety pilot that aired in 1978. She went fon do to a string of films and TV ‘movies, a couple of TV guest spots (neluding "M"A*S"H"), and no less than three sitcom pilots before Cheers" — to which she's returning for the final, one-hour episode on ‘Thursday, May 20, Ul be bittersweet — on her last outing with the old gang, for a “Cheers” retrospective special two years ago, she says there wasn't even 2 reunion party. “But people have been saying good things about the new show,” Long says happily. “And you know, we are all so insecure, we ‘ll need to hear anything positive that ‘comes our way.” “is0 NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN STAR VIEW FRANK LOVECE nanny woman ons poet wed a 20 a 9186-122 (008) 99TOL AN SHOR MON “ony 5Ted 002 NOLLVIOOSSY SSMHdUALNG WAdVaSMAN