Cheers From Backstage : Emmys: First-time winners Ted Danson of ‘Cheers’ says it ‘feels funny’ to finally win the award while Keenen Ivory Wayans of ‘In Living Color’ says, ‘It’s nice to be recognized.’

On a night when there was no dominant winner, the talk backstage at the Emmy Awards in Pasadena Sunday was narrowly focused on the individuals bestowed with the statuettes. Those who trekked back to meet the press--not everyone did--were happy but not always expansive.

One of the happiest was Ted Danson.

Veteran loser Danson, finally a winner after eight previous Emmy nominations, said that it felt good to be recognized finally for his work on “Cheers.” But he also noted that, “It’s new to my body; it feels funny.”

Danson is committed through this season to the NBC comedy, the No. 1-rated show over the course of the past year. Beyond that: “It’s tough to say goodby to it,” he said.

He attributed his success and that of the series to great writing. “It’s the writing, come on. Funny things are coming out of our mouths,” he said.

In addition, he said, some of the success is due to the fact that “we don’t rehearse until the very last second and we play a lot of football.”

He said that he had no plans to donate his Emmy to the “Cheers” bar: “I’ll carry it everywhere.”

Marg Helgenberger had definite plans for where to put the golden statuette that she picked up at the 42nd annual ceremonies celebrating TV’s best nighttime programs and personnel. “I think I am going to put the Emmy in my baby’s room,” she said, after winning as best supporting actress in a drama series. Helgenberger, who is expecting a baby boy in seven weeks, plays the cynical prostitute K.C. on “China Beach.”

Her pregnancy is being written into the series. “They tried to shoot around me,” she said for a laugh. “But only on the first episode.”

Asked if this will be the last season for her series, she said, “It’s so hard to hear things like that. We try so hard.”

“My fingers are turning white, I have been gripping this (the Emmy) so hard,” said Keenen Ivory Wayans, whose funky Fox series, “In Living Color,” copped the Emmy as best variety, music or comedy series.

“It’s nice to be recognized,” he said. “We came on in midseason and only have done 13 shows.”

No, Peter Falk said, he has no idea why his “Columbo” is such a continuing success.

“It’s hard for me to understand why an Eskimo and a descendant of the Aztecs all relate to him. From Bulgaria to Minneapolis, it’s all the same.”

Falk, who won as best actor in a drama series, said that he was pleased with the show’s scripts because “we don’t cheat as much (on the mystery clues of the plots) as some other shows,” he said. There are “genuine twists” and most of the plots are plausible.

“Columbo” was dropped from the regular ABC schedule but is scheduled to continue in the form of occasional TV movies, in the vein of NBC’s “Perry Mason.” The actor said that he believes he can continue playing the character for many years, because age will give the tricky detective all kinds of new opportunities. Then, he launched into a very old-man Columbo, asking a suspect, “Now, give me a minute. I’m not sure what case I’m on.”

Candice Bergen veritably apologized for not having much to say, because, she claimed, she didn’t feel she’d win again this year for lead actress in a comedy series--especially after “Murphy Brown” lost earlier in the evening in other categories. She figured that Delta Burke of “Designing Women” or Kirstie Alley of “Cheers” would win.

But, generously, she said that it was the whole crew that helped win the Emmy and she will “try to not be too piggy and take it too personally.”

Bergen reflected over earlier years when the film community generally frowned on the television community. When someone such as herself departed the former to join the latter, she said, “I thought you would have to eat at other tables in restaurants.”

Nor did Jimmy Smits have much to say. He was a very sullen winner for outstanding supporting actor for “L.A. Law”; the charm with which he infuses his character of Victor Sifuentes was definitely not in evidence.

“I don’t do this very well,” he told reporters. “All the four nominations have been special and winning this has been especially special. Thank you.”

It was some sort of cruel justice that Alex Rocco won the Emmy as best supporting actor in a comedy series for his memorable Al Floss, the ultimate Hollywood agent--since his first-year show, “The Fabulous Teddy Z,” was canceled by CBS because of low ratings.

In an effort to explain the show’s demise, Rocco said that he figured “the little guy in Idaho didn’t get it, I guess,” he said. He invoked the language that Al Floss might have understood: “Maybe it was too inside. Out in the boonies (the boondocks), it went right in the toilet.”

As there are men without countries, one reporter pointed out that Rocco, a veteran of 25 years in the acting wars, is an actor without a series.

He firmly gripped his golden award as he faced 50 photographers screaming for him to look this way and that, and told reporters that many possible options for Al’s afterlife have been discussed by agents and producers. But nothing’s been signed, he said, and now it’s up to “The Big Guy,”’ as in the Deity.

Eva Marie Saint couldn’t figure what was more rewarding, her Oscar for “On the Waterfront” in 1954 or Sunday night’s Emmy for best supporting actress in a miniseries. She played Lil Altemus in NBC’s “People Like Us.” It didn’t matter: Her finest moment, she said, is being a grandmother.

Saint has had her ups and downs, and she quoted Cary Grant on the best acting attitude--that it’s important “to stay on the bus . . . that some days you have to give up your seat, and even stand around a while.”