Frank's Place 

A professor from Boston runs his late father's New Orleans restaurant.

Creator:

Hugh Wilson

Stars:

Tim Reid, Robert Harper, Daphne Reid

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Tim Reid	...	Frank Parrish 22 episodes, 1987-1988
Robert Harper	...	Sy 'Bubba' Weisberger 22 episodes, 1987-1988
Daphne Reid	...	Hanna Griffin 22 episodes, 1987-1988
Francesca P. Roberts	...	Anna-May 22 episodes, 1987-1988
Frances E. Williams	...	Miss Marie 22 episodes, 1987-1988
Virginia Capers	...	Bertha Griffin-Lamour 22 episodes, 1987-1988
Tony Burton	...	Big Arthur 22 episodes, 1987-1988
Charles Lampkin	...	Tiger Shepin 22 episodes, 1987-1988
Lincoln Kilpatrick	...	Reverend Tyrone Deal 22 episodes, 1987-1988
William Thomas Jr.	...	Cool Charles 22 episodes, 1987-1988
Don Yesso	...	Shorty 22 episodes, 1987-1988

Storyline

Frank Parish is a professor from Boston, who has not seen his father since he was two. 35 years later, he is told that his father died and that he owned a restaurant in New Orleans, which is now legally Frank's. Frank goes there and was going to go back and sell the restaurant to the employees, but Miss Marie feels that the restaurant is his legacy, so she has a curse placed on him that would take effect when he returns to Boston. And when he does all sorts things happen to him, so he returns to New Orleans. He tries to make a go of it but frankly, it's a different place for him. The one bright spot is Hannah Griffin, whom Frank has the hots for but unfortunately for him, she's enganged. But when Frank meets him, he thinks that he has a shot.

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Plot Keywords:

restaurant | new orleans louisiana | african american | 

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Taglines:

A delicious new comedy. You'll be satisfied.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

El local de Frank

Company Credits

Production Co:

Viacom Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tim Reid and Hugh Wilson spent time in New Orleans for research. Many of things they encountered there were incorporated into the series. Chez Louisiane was based on a New Orleans restaurant named Chez Helene. The character, Big Arthur, was based on Chez Helene's owner, Austin Leslie. Other examples included the coffin with a phone and the slogan "Jesus Called" and being frightened by a mortician's cold hands.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: Jonathan Winters/Kristen Banerjee (1988)

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Soundtracks

Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?
Performed by Louis Armstrong
(opening theme)

User Reviews

A classic series set in New Orleans.

This series was the story of Frank Parrish, a Boston-based professor, who, upon his father's death, inherits a restaurant in New Orleans, the Chez Louisianne (called "The Chez" (pronounced shez) by the employees and patrons). He relocates to Louisiana and learns the restaurant business through fits and starts.

Other characters were Hanna Griffin, the object of Parrish's affections and the assistant to Bertha Griffin-Lamour, her mother and the owner of a prominent funeral home; Reverend Deal, a part-time entrepeneur and part-time preacher; Tiger Shepin and Cool Charles, bartenders of the Chez; Big Arthur, the Cook (NOT the Chef, he insisted) and Shorty his assistant; Anna-May, who was the waitress and Miss Marie, the senior waitress who only waited on customers of the Chez that were customers for 20 years or more; Bubba was a lawyer who was a regular customer (Hugh Wilson said in an interview that this was the character that was a representation of him in the show, "the White guy").

There was much talent to be had in front of and behind the camera; playwright Samm-Art Williams wrote an episode, Hugh Wilson not only helped write the show, but even made a cameo; guest stars included Conchata Ferrell, the late Rosalind Cash and boxer Joe Frazier.

The show could have easily relied on humor, which it certainly had a handle on (one wonderfully absurd episode, "The Body" has the restaurant trying to deal with a pesky corpse, ala, "The Trouble With Harry"), however, it addressed many topics; relationships within the African-American community, it featured Dizzy Gillespie on one show and another one show had a strong Voodoo influence.

The most famous episode (shown on Nick at Nite's TV Land) and the most lauded was "The Bridge", which won Emmys for the writer, Hugh Wilson and guest star Beah Richards.

BET (Black Entertainment Television) re-ran the show, but has since stopped. TV Land, by all appearances has the rights to show it, but does not do so regularly.

This was a truly great show, culturally enlightening, funny, touching and always engaging. It can be said that there was not a single clunker in 17 episodes. The cast was predominately Black, however, it was a show that anyone could watch and enjoy. As Tom Shales said in a review, "This was not a "Black" show, this was a "People" show."