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Birthday Bears Still Standing

Apr 19, 2004  •  Post A Comment

You can take the producers out of Chicago, but you can’t take Chicago out of the producers. Diane Burroughs and Joey Gutierrez, creators and exec producers of CBS sitcom “Still Standing,” are injecting a little bit of Chicago lore into the May 17 episode, which will feature former Chicago Bears Willie Gault, Mike Tomczak and Tim Wrightman from the Super Bowl championship team of 1985. Parents Bill (Mark Addy) and Judy (Jamie Gertz) go to a children’s birthday party at Mr. Gault’s house where Bill tries on Mr. Gault’s championship ring and accidentally wears it home. Getting the Bears to do a cameo wasn’t a tough feat. Mr. Gutierrez went to high school in Calumet City, Ill., with Mr. Tomczak. Mr. Gutierrez and Ms. Burroughs first met Mr. Wrightman when he was doing stand-up at the Chicago Improv, which was run by Ms. Gertz’s father. The cast and crew were excited to meet the Bears but they did have to explain it all to Mr. Addy, who is from England. The players let the cast and crew try on their Super Bowl rings. “Unless you’re a big person they don’t really fit you,” Mr. Gutierrez said. “I could have fit two fingers into the ring.” And unlike in the episode of “Still Standing,” he said, “If someone else is trying it on, they make sure to get it back.”