Alex Carson
Dr Frasier Winslow Crane, one of the most memorable and long-lived TV characters. And was introduced during season three of NBC sitcom Cheers. The character supposed to last only a few episodes, but Kelsey Grammer‘s magnificent portrayal of the role and the show’s remarkable writing made Frasier a regular on Cheers. By the time Cheers went off the air in 1993, Frasier had become so popular that NBC had no qualms about giving the character a spin-off series. Frasier premiered in 1993 and registered an 11-year-long successful run before coming to an end in 2004.
In this video, we share with you 18 surprising facts about the show. For instance, did you know Kelsey Grammar played Dr Frasier, not on two but three different shows? Or, do you know why the show set in Seattle instead of Boston? In this video, we give you all the answers you need.
Paramount Convinced the Show’s Creative Team to Build the Series Around Frasier Crane from Cheers
Kelsey Grammer, who portrayed Dr Frasier Crane, believed that a series with Dr Crane at the helm would inevitably draw comparisons to Cheers. Thus, when he and Frasier’s creative team which included David Angel, David Lee and Peter Casey, decided to do a spin-off series, they conceived the idea with Kelsey playing a media magnate instead of a doctor. They pitched the idea to Paramount but the television production company convinced everyone on the team that it would be stupid to make Kelsey play anything other than Frasier and not cash on his popularity.
There Is a Reason Why the Show Was Set in Seattle and Not Boston
Paramount may have convinced the show’s creative team to once again cast Allen Kelsey Grammer as Dr Frasier Crane. But the creative team understood well that if they continued filming in Boston, the television production companies involved would also eventually ask them to accommodate other regulars from Cheers into the show. It is, thus, that Frasier was set in Seattle and not Massachusetts.
And yet Cheers Cast Members Appeared Often on the Show
Even though the writers based the show in Seattle instead of Boston, most of the Cheers members managed to make guest appearances on Frasier. Since Lilith was Frasier’s ex as well as the mother to his son Frederick.It became impossible not to invite her often on the show — of all Cheers members, she appeared most often on Frasier. Other than Lilith. Diane, Sam and Woody also appeared often on Frasier. Kristie Alley, who played Rebecca Howe, was a Scientologist and therefore, decided against appearing on the show. Funny it is because the creative team never asked her to make a guest appearance either.
Frasier’s Apartment Interiors Cost the Producers $500,000
In the very first episode, Frasier tells his father how expensive everything in his home is and he wasn’t lying — turns out the show’s set designer spent close to $500,000 on Frasier’s apartment. From the Coco Chanel replica couch to the lamp by Corbu, everything in the apartment was super expensive. In fact, the recliner that Martin so terribly hated was also an overpriced piece of furniture. When the set designer couldn’t find anything ugly in a second-hand furniture shop, they decided to buy a new chair and cover it with fabric and tape to make it look unsightly.
Kelsey Grammer Played Dr Frasier for 20 Consecutive Years
Kelsey Grammer played Dr Frasier Crane for two decades. His character was introduced during season three of Cheers. And his run was supposed to last for only a few episodes. However, the audiences and producers loved his performance so much that he was retained for the entire series and then later given his own show. At the time, James Arness of Gunsmoke was the only other actor to have achieved this feat.
Given how popular Kelsey was, one would imagine that he was the most popular cast member from the series. In truth, he wasn’t — there was someone else who the audiences loved more than Dr Frasier. We will reveal the name of this cast member in just a while. So, keep watching. Meanwhile, if you are enjoying this video, do not forget to like and subscribe to our channel.
Kelsey Grammer Played Dr Frasier on Three Different Series
Kelsey Grammer not only played Dr Frasier on Cheers and Frasier but also played the same character on Wings. And he scored Emmy nominations for all three series, making him the only actor with this remarkable achievement to his credit.
The Pilot Episode Was 60 Seconds Longer than It Should Have Been
Even after undergoing several cuts, the pilot episode still ended up being 60 seconds longer than it should have been. The creative team tried everything but couldn’t trim the episode further. Thus, they went to the NBC executives and shared the problem with them. NBC executives told Frasier’s creative team that they would somehow make the extra time. And they did so not by cutting advertisements but by reducing the length of each of the other four shows that aired that night by 15 seconds.
Grammer Wanted Daphne Moon to Be a Latina
On the show, Daphnie Moon, played by Jane Leeves, is hired by Frasier to care for his father. Grammer believed that making the character a Latina would make the show more successful. Thus, he was pushing for Rosie Perez to be roped in for the role. He was initially completely opposed to the idea of the British Leeves. However, after he heard and saw the actress during the narrations, he became convinced that she would do a good job. Further, not many people know that the character of Roz Doyle was named after one of the executive producers of Wings who lost her life to breast cancer at the age of 49.
Jane Leeves Worked with a Coach to Make Sure Her Accent Was Understable to American Audiences
Once Leeves got Grammer’s approval, she knew she had to do something about her accent. Leeves was from the north of London but her character came from Manchester and therefore, Leeves adopted a Mancunian accent. More importantly, she worked hard with her coach to make sure her accent was understandable to the American audiences.
Here’s another fun fact, when Frasier aired in the UK, Leeves’ Mancunian accent drew a lot of criticism from the viewers in the UK.
Jane Became Pregnant with Her First Child While Season 7 of Frasier Was On
Jane Leeves married Marshall Coben in 1996. And became pregnant with their first child while season 7 of Frasier was in progress. The writers of the show justified Leeves’ weight gain by making Daphne resort to compulsive overeating as a way to deal with her tumultuous relationship with Frasier’s brother. Her leave from the show was explained by stating that Daphne had gone to a spa to relax for a few days. Here’s another interesting fact when Jane Leeves delivered her daughter, Peri Gilpin was in the room. In fact, Gilpin is Jane’s daughter’s godmother.
Lisa Kudrow Was Supposed to Play Roz Doyle on the Show
In Frasier, Dr Crane hosts The Dr. Frasier Crane Show on the radio network KACL and Peri Gilpin plays the role of Roz Doyle, the executive producer of the show who eventually becomes great friends with the show’s protagonist. Not many people know that Lisa Kudrow was the first choice for the role. And though Lisa was quite funny, she was unable to match Grammer’s vigorous timing. Thus, on the third day of rehearsals, the producers decided to let Kudrow go and instead, hire Peri Gilpin.
Darryl Phinnesse Came up with the Phrase ‘Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs’
Composer Bruce Miller was given the onerous task of creating the show’s theme song. The problem was he was categorically told not to use any words that in any way gave away the theme of the show. Bruce Miller hired Darryl Phinnesse to write the lyrics. And Darryl was the one who came up with the phrase ‘tossed salad and scrambled eggs’. Bruce had originally wanted Mel Torme to sing the theme song of the show. But the producers decided to go ahead with Grammer.
The Show’s Writers Often Drew Inspiration from
Cheers
The creative team of Frasier often paid homage to Cheers through Frasier. The scene in Frasier where Frasier becomes embroiled in an argument with financial analyst Julia Wilcox was inspired by the sequence in Cheers where Sam and Diane get involved in a terrible argument but end up passionately embracing each other.
Niles Took over His Brother’s Radio Show After Grammer Went into Rehab
In 1996, Kelsey Grammer was arrested for DUI and had to go to Betty Ford Clinic for a three-week session. In the absence of Grammer, the writers of the show rewrote the scripts to make Niles, Frasier’s brother, take over his brother’s radio program to allow Frasier to go and attend a convention.
Niles Was Introduced Because David Hyde Pierce Greatly Resembled Kelsey
When the show was being conceptualized, the character of Niles, Frasier’s younger brother and a psychiatrist by profession didn’t even exist. However, one of the assistant casting directors stumbled on a photo of David Hyde Pierce. And was baffled to see how much he resembled Kelsey Grammer. He, therefore, showed David’s picture to the creative team. The creative team did their research and found that David had done a short-lived sitcom called The Powers That Be in which he had played a Congressman. The creative team decided to meet David and after the meeting went well, he was hired to play Niles.
Eddie the Dog Was the Most Popular Member of the Cast
Though the show made the entire cast popular, the most popular member of the cast, not very surprisingly, was Eddie the dog. A Jack Russel Terrier named Moose was chosen to play Eddie. Moose was adopted by a family that didn’t know how energetic and exuberant Jack Russel Terriers can be. Unable to cope with Moose’ rambunctious nature, the family put him up for adoption and Mathilde de Cagny, a professional trainer, adopted him and began training him. Turned out Moose was an excellent student and followed every command Cagny gave him. While auditioning for Frasier, Cagny instructed Moose to continuously stare at Grammer, which Moose did perfectly until Cagny ‘released’ him. It is not very surprising that Moose got the part.
Moose Retired After the Seventh Season and His Son Enzo Took His Place
After Frasier became hugely popular, it became clear to Cagny that the show would go on for long. And eventually, Moose will become too old to play the role. Cagny, therefore, bred Moose — he had essentially wanted a Moose look alike and he got one in the form of Enzo, Moose’ son. Enzo had two siblings: Miko and Moosie. Moosie looked different than Moose but Peri Gilpin fell in love with him and adopted him. Moose was retired after the seventh season. He was 10 at the time and his son Enzo took his place on the show.
But Moose Was Called for the Final Curtain Call
When the last episode of Frasier aired on television, Moose was 14 and already in retirement. His coat had turned white and he had become almost deaf. For the final stage call, the Frasier team asked Moose’ trainer to bring him on to the stage. Years later, David Hyde shared that seeing Moose react to applause and attention was one of the most moving moments from the show.
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