| Frank's Place | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy drama |
| Created by | Hugh Wilson |
| Written by | Richard Dubin David Chambers Samm-Art Williams Hugh Wilson |
| Directed by | Neema Barnette Richard Dubin Stan Lathan Max Tash Hugh Wilson |
| Starring | Tim Reid Daphne Maxwell Reid Tony Burton Virginia Capers Robert Harper |
| Theme music composer | Louis Alter Eddie DeLange |
| Opening theme | "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?" performed byLouis Armstrong |
| Composer | Richard Kosinski |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Tim Reid Hugh Wilson |
| Producers | Max Tash David Chambers Richard Dubin |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company | Viacom Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | CBS |
| Release | September 14, 1987 (1987-09-14) – March 22, 1988 (1988-03-22) |
Frank's Place is an Americancomedy-drama series that aired onCBS for 22 episodes during the1987-1988 television season. The series was created byHugh Wilson and executive produced by Wilson and series star and fellowWKRP in Cincinnati alumnusTim Reid.
TV Guide ranked it No. 3 on its 2013 list of 60 shows that were "Cancelled Too Soon".[1]Rolling Stone ranked it No. 99 on its list of the best sitcoms of the television era.[2]
Set inNew Orleans,Frank's Place chronicles the life of Frank Parrish (Tim Reid), a well-to-do African-American professor atBrown University, an Ivy League university inProvidence, Rhode Island, who inherits a restaurant, Chez Louisiane. In the premiere, Frank travels to New Orleans intending to sell the restaurant. However, waitress Miss Marie (Frances E. Williams), has avoodoo spin (curse) put on Frank ensuring that he will come back to carry on his family's business. Consequently, when Frank returns to New England, the life he's known there suddenly goes inexplicably haywire. Feeling he has no choice, Frank returns to New Orleans and makes many discoveries aboutblack culture in New Orleans, the differences between northern and southern lifestyles, and himself.
On its surface,Frank's Place was a fish-out-of-water story, likeThe Beverly Hillbillies orGreen Acres. However, the series' story lines featured weightier topics such as race and class issues.
The idea for the series came from CBS vice president, Gregg Maday. As a young man, Maday frequented a restaurant inBuffalo, New York named Dan Montgomery's. Maday also wanted a series based in New Orleans due to the mid-1980s interest inCajun cuisine andzydeco. The two ideas were combined. Wilson and Reid spent time in New Orleans for research. They found a restaurant named Chez Helene, and many of the things they encountered there were included in the series. Big Arthur was based on Chez Helene's owner, Austin Leslie. The series focused more onCreole cuisine andCreole culture rather than Cajun.[3]
Don Yesso was a real-life New Orleans native whom Wilson met on a flight to the city. Yesso was not an actor, but Wilson cast him because of his genuineYat dialect.[3]
Unlike most sitcom productions of the era,Frank's Place was filmed with a single camera and used nolaugh track.
The series theme song wasLouis Armstrong's classic "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?".
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Hugh Wilson | Hugh Wilson | September 14, 1987 (1987-9-14) | |
Brown University professor Frank Parrish inherits his estranged father's New Orleans restaurant, Chez Louisiane. | |||||
| 2 | "Frank Returns" | Hugh Wilson | Hugh Wilson | September 21, 1987 (1987-9-21) | |
A voodoo "spin" compels Frank to return to New Orleans and run the Chez. | |||||
| 3 | "Frank Takes Charge" | Stan Lathan | David Chambers | September 28, 1987 (1987-9-28) | |
Frank tries to get the hang of running a restaurant. | |||||
| 4 | "The Bridge" | Hugh Wilson | Hugh Wilson | October 5, 1987 (1987-10-5) | |
A man drives his truck off a bridge and dies after drinking at the Chez. A high-powered lawyer (Conchata Ferrell) with connections to the dead man's wife (Beah Richards) announces her intention to sue Frank for everything he's got. | |||||
| 5 | "Frank Joins the Club" | Neema Barnette | Samm-Art Williams | October 12, 1987 (1987-10-12) | |
Frank is recruited to be the token dark-skinned member of a club for light-skinned black people. | |||||
| 6 | "Eligible Bachelor" | Stan Lathan | Pamela Douglas | October 19, 1987 (1987-10-19) | |
Frank finds himself newly popular with women. | |||||
| 7 | "Disengaged" | Max Tash | David Chambers | October 26, 1987 (1987-10-26) | |
Hanna breaks off her engagement. | |||||
| 8 | "Cool and the Gang: Part 1" | Hugh Wilson | Richard Dubin | November 9, 1987 (1987-11-9) | |
Cool Charles is offered a part-time job by a 16-year-old boss. | |||||
| 9 | "Cool and the Gang: Part 2" | Hugh Wilson | Richard Dubin | November 16, 1987 (1987-11-16) | |
Cool Charles's friends get concerned about his involvement with gang life. | |||||
| 10 | "The Reverend Gets a Flock" | Neema Barnette | David Chambers | November 23, 1987 (1987-11-23) | |
The Reverend Deal gets a new job opportunity of his own. | |||||
| 11 | "I.O.U." | Roy Campanella II | Samm-Art Williams | November 30, 1987 (1987-11-30) | |
Frank is told that he's going to have to pay off his father's old gambling debts – or else. | |||||
| 12 | "Food Fight" | Hugh Wilson | Richard Dubin | December 7, 1987 (1987-12-7) | |
A dispute over recipes is settled by a boxing match between the chefs of the Chez and a rival restaurant. | |||||
| 13 | "Season's Greetings" | Helaine Head | Hugh Wilson (teleplay) Don Yesso (story) | December 14, 1987 (1987-12-14) | |
Frank goes to Bubba's family's place for a Hanukkah party, where Bubba pretends that he and Frank are lovers. | |||||
| 14 | "The Bum Out Front" | Frank Bonner | Hugh Wilson | January 4, 1988 (1988-1-4) | |
Frank develops an unusual relationship with a vagrant who lives outside the Chez and refuses to leave. | |||||
| 15 | "Dueling Voodoo" | Richard Dubin | David Chambers | January 11, 1988 (1988-1-11) | |
To get rid of a tenant who appears to have voodoo powers, Frank enlists the help of the voodoo expert who cursed him. | |||||
| 16 | "Where's Ed?" | Hugh Wilson | Hugh Wilson | January 18, 1988 (1988-1-18) | |
Tiger's buddies steal the corpse of an old friend and bring it to the Chez, and the body winds up in the restaurant's freezer just as the health inspector is visiting. | |||||
| 17 | "Night Business" | Max Tash | Hugh Wilson | February 3, 1988 (1988-2-3) | |
Frank hires a consultant to help the Chez improve its business and get a broader range of customers. | |||||
| 18 | "Shorty's Belle" | Max Tash | Craig Nelson | February 15, 1988 (1988-2-15) | |
Shorty tries to help a Southern damsel in distress. | |||||
| 19 | "Frank's Place – The Movie" | Hugh Wilson | Hugh Wilson (teleplay) Hugh Wilson & Tim Reid (story) | February 22, 1988 (1988-2-22) | |
A film director (Daniel Davis) uses the Chez as a set for a movie, and Frank has a shot with the movie's leading lady (Pam Grier). | |||||
| 20 | "Cultural Exchange" | Kevin Rodney Sullivan | Samm-Art Williams | March 7, 1988 (1988-3-7) | |
A group of African musicians visits New Orleans, and one of them is so impressed byDizzy Gillespie that he wants to stay in America and play jazz. | |||||
| 21 | "The Recruiting Game" | Richard Dubin | David Chambers | March 15, 1988 (1988-3-15) | |
Frank helps a high school basketball star field offers from various colleges. | |||||
| 22 | "The King of Wall Street" | Asaad Kelada | Samm-Art Williams | March 22, 1988 (1988-3-22) | |
While eating dinner at the Chez, a Wall Street tycoon learns that he's been the victim of a hostile takeover. | |||||
Frank's Place was cancelled after one season. Despite its strong beginning, ratings forFrank's Place declined. Viewers were reportedly puzzled by the show's changing timeslot and by how the show's style eschewed the traditional sitcom format. The show's large ensemble and film-style techniques made production costly.[8] Wilson remarked that: "We just didn’t please the Nielsen monster."[9]
Tim Reid was later told by CBS board memberWalter Cronkite that the show was cancelled becauseLaurence Tisch, the network's CEO at the time, was upset by the episode "The King of Wall Street." Tisch, who bought CBS viajunk bonds, viewed the episode as an insult since it depicted aWall Street tycoon condemning junk bonds. As a result, Tisch demanded that the show be cancelled despite the objections of Cronkite and other board members.[10]
Reruns aired onBET in 1990.[11]
In October 2008, CNN.com reported that because ofmusic licensing issues, a DVD release would be unlikely.[12] However, on November 11, 2008,TVShowsOnDVD.com reported that plans are underway for an eventual DVD release, althoughTim Reid has said that, due to the prohibitive costs of the music rights, a new musical score will be recorded that will "recreate the mood of the music." He adds, "it has to be the mood of the show or I'd rather not do it."[13] No date has been yet given for a release.