Frasier Appreciation Thread

Author
Discussion

GALLARDOGUY

8,160 posts

219 months

Saturday 29th September 2012
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I may be wrong but it must be one the instance, where a spin off eclipses the series that spawned it.

Saying that Cheers is bloody good too.

bennyboydurham

1,617 posts

174 months

Sunday 30th September 2012
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Love it. Especially when I realised that Frasier and I drive the same car (E65 in black with 19" star spoke alloys) although I haven't fallen out with any car park attendants in mine. He had a couple of 5 Series in the earlier episodes and didn't Niles drive a Merc?

tractorguy

765 posts

159 months

Sunday 30th September 2012
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bennyboydurham said:
Love it. Especially when I realised that Frasier and I drive the same car (E65 in black with 19" star spoke alloys) although I haven't fallen out with any car park attendants in mine. He had a couple of 5 Series in the earlier episodes and didn't Niles drive a Merc?
From what I remember Niles always had the equivalent Mercedes to Frasiers Bmw's, it was another part of their rivalry like one going to Oxford while the other went to Cambridge.

Not sure if this scene has been mentioned yet,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCMH8L6whlk&fea...

CarCluster

183 posts

138 months

Wednesday 10th October 2012
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Watched every episode when C4 repeated it a year or so ago, and even now if I stumble upon it, still fresh.
Best lines:
"Honey if that's her bra I can spot her myself!" (Sherry)
"It was a valise!" (Niles)

And thousands more...

Pappa Lurve

3,827 posts

282 months

Wednesday 10th October 2012
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In the one with the 1930 play where Bulldog is supposed to bring some girl who does not turn up for rehersal. F ask why

"She's ill"
"Nothing serious I hope" - or something like that anyway
"Nah, she just wrestled in some bad jelly!"

Brilliant.

BTW - am I missing something in that I have no idea what the reference is to tossed salad and scrambled eggs in the theme tune?!

Zwolf

25,867 posts

206 months

Wednesday 10th October 2012
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Pappa Lurve said:
BTW - am I missing something in that I have no idea what the reference is to tossed salad and scrambled eggs in the theme tune?!
If so, you're not alone. Mind you, it took me many years to even realise it was Kelsey Grammer singing it. getmecoat

VinceFox

20,566 posts

172 months

Wednesday 10th October 2012
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Die, Bart Simpson.


Evening Zhehe

Zwolf

25,867 posts

206 months

Wednesday 10th October 2012
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Evening V. smile

Pappa Lurve

3,827 posts

282 months

Wednesday 10th October 2012
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Zwolf said:
Pappa Lurve said:
BTW - am I missing something in that I have no idea what the reference is to tossed salad and scrambled eggs in the theme tune?!
If so, you're not alone. Mind you, it took me many years to even realise it was Kelsey Grammer singing it. getmecoat
Nice to know I am not alone with the song. Anyone know?

Flip Martian

19,667 posts

190 months

Wednesday 10th October 2012
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Only just seen this thread. Nothing to add except Frasier is probably one of my favourite sitcoms ever and Niles usually had me corpsing every episode... Wonderful scripts, brilliant timing.

And Niles and Daphne finally getting together did spoil things a bit!

Zwolf

25,867 posts

206 months

Wednesday 10th October 2012
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Flip Martian said:
And Niles and Daphne finally getting together did spoil things a bit!
Balanced out perfectly by Frasier and Roz only ever almost getting there. I think that's my favourite episode of the lot.

FourWheelDrift

88,510 posts

284 months

Wednesday 10th October 2012
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How Eddie and Martin hear the others - http://youtu.be/2MqQcOEVxmE

smile

FiF

44,072 posts

251 months

Wednesday 10th October 2012
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One scene that always gets me is the one where Niles has been getting Daphne to try ona couple of rather tight cocktail dresses in red and black ostensibly as she is the same size as Maris and he's trying to decide which one as a gift.

It goes along the lines that he asks her to try the black one on again, whereupon Daphne announces it's so tight she has to take her underwear off to do the zip up. Niles immediately falls off the sofa.


Flip Martian

19,667 posts

190 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
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FiF said:
One scene that always gets me is the one where Niles has been getting Daphne to try ona couple of rather tight cocktail dresses in red and black ostensibly as she is the same size as Maris and he's trying to decide which one as a gift.

It goes along the lines that he asks her to try the black one on again, whereupon Daphne announces it's so tight she has to take her underwear off to do the zip up. Niles immediately falls off the sofa.

Exactly the kind of thing that always made me corpse. David Hyde Pierce was a perfect fit for that role.

prelude4ws

590 posts

274 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTdD_dVyteA

"A Valentines for Niles"

Niles was by far the best character, and this is one his best scenes.

Pappa Lurve

3,827 posts

282 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
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Cant recall the episode but Niles does a silent scene involving ironing his trousers at Fraisers flat, ends up passed out on the sofa. Superbly shot, brilliantly written and DHP executed it flawlessly. Still makes me chuckle just thinking about it....

Off to youtube methinks

prelude4ws

590 posts

274 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
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Pappa Lurve said:
Cant recall the episode but Niles does a silent scene involving ironing his trousers at Fraisers flat, ends up passed out on the sofa. Superbly shot, brilliantly written and DHP executed it flawlessly. Still makes me chuckle just thinking about it....

Off to youtube methinks
Let me get that for you.. wink

prelude4ws said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTdD_dVyteA

"A Valentines for Niles"

Niles was by far the best character, and this is one his best scenes.

98elise

26,575 posts

161 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
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Pappa Lurve said:
In the one with the 1930 play where Bulldog is supposed to bring some girl who does not turn up for rehersal. F ask why

"She's ill"
"Nothing serious I hope" - or something like that anyway
"Nah, she just wrestled in some bad jelly!"

Brilliant.
I love Bulldogs explosive "THIS IS TOTAL BS" rants when he's missing something, normally ending in ".....oh there it is"

Davel

8,982 posts

258 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
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It's one of the very few series that I can watch over and over again.

Perfect casting, timing and acting.

Shilvers

599 posts

207 months

Thursday 11th October 2012
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Pappa Lurve said:
BTW - am I missing something in that I have no idea what the reference is to tossed salad and scrambled eggs in the theme tune?!
Sorry for the blatant copy and paste:

What's the story of the song "Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs" that Kelsey Grammer sings at the end of the show? Who wrote it? What does it mean? Who's idea was it to put it at the end of the show and for Kelsey to sing it?

To answer I went to the source, the extremely talented, Bruce Miller. (Bruce also did the music for ALMOST PERFECT so you know I'm more than a fan.)

Having been the composer on a show called "Wings", I was asked by the creator's of that show to try to come up with a song for their next effort….that is to submit as one of three submissions for the "prize" in a blindfold test to chose the one they liked best!

I was told they wanted something pretty eclectic and jazzy, but to avoid any direct references to specific subject matter. So it was necessary to stay away from words about psychiatry, radio shows, the name "Frasier", and anything else directly indicating aspects of the show.

I immediately wrote the song/music itself, but then needed a lyric that would work, so I called my friend Darryl Phinnesse who is really talented and really smart. I gave him the idea of the show and he called back with the idea of "Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs". At first I was a bit baffled myself until he explained that these were things that were "mixed up"….like Frasier Crane's patients. Once we agreed on this premise (by the time I fully understood it), we went into completing the song. I actually did contribute a couple lines, but the heavy lifting here was Darryl, and lucky for me that I went to him to him in the first place.

"Hey baby I hear the blues a-callin"-refers to patients with troubles calling into the radio show
"Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs"
"But maybe I seem a bit confused"-Frasier's personality was a bit????
"Maybe, but I got you pegged"-Frasier does understand these people and helps them.
"But I don't know what to do with those Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs"-it's a tough business….gotta deal with these "crazies" every day.
"They're calling again"-oh, oh….should be self explanatory.

When I first wrote the song, I instantly thought of the great jazz singer, Mel Torme. He would have been perfect, but the producers wanted me to try Kelsey….and of course, he really made it his own with his interpretation.

As you can see, there were elements of this whole process that came to me from others. Those elements are what eventually helped to make the song successful on the show.

I'd assume the network wanted to get right into the show as quickly as possible (just my guess), so the song needed to go where it could be played full length. When the short little graphics of the Seattle skyline were created for the open of the show, I was asked to compose several different short pieces in the style of the theme, which were alternated each episode, depending upon the particular graphic used for that episode. I recall having composed about 25 of those little main titles by the end of the show's run.