Frank's Place

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."

I've got to agree, this is closer to real Louisiana folks & New Orleans than anything else you'll find, and there's a lot of heart to it. I sense that the series was a labor of love, and I wish I could have it on DVD, along with Evening Shade.

The classiest sitcom ever on television, Frank's Place did not insult the intelligence of the American public, but used humor to make people think and perhaps come away from the thirty minute episode a better person for having watched. Perhaps the most innovative idea was the casting of Don Yesso, who was so fluent in the native tongue of New Orleans that sometimes captioning was used so that viewers could follow the dialogue! Wonderful. I can remember waiting all week for the show to come on, and taping each one, but over the years the tapes were worn out and/or lost. What a shame to not be able to buy this wonderful show on DVD. Someone who has influence, please help those of us who have a jones on for a Frank fix!

Frank's Place is one of my favorite shows. Very underrated, very unappreciated and quite ahead of its time. The episode in which the corpse shows up sitting in the back row at his own funeral, with Bach's marvelously macabre "Toccata in D Minor" as the stinger, is pure genius. The episode in which the homeless man stands at the back door singing "Daaaaaaaaaaayyyyy-OOOOOOOO!" (Harry Belafonte, eat your heart out) is classic. And who could believe that Shorty! The use of subtitles to translate that spicy-as-gumbo Louisiana gush - what a hoot! My husband, whose father was from Louisiana, could always understand every word Shorty said. I had to rely on the subtitles. Why, why, why wasn't this show given a chance? Because it was sensitive, intelligent and enormously funny, that's why. Diversity, the dearth of which is so lamented today, came to TV in 1987 and was shuffled off with less finesse than was the missing corpse. Our loss. TV Land, bring it back! I promise to set my VCR!

Going on twenty years later, and it was one of a kind. Best show hands down.

Too funny, without being sexually explicit with adult material. Brilliant.

Beah Richards would deservedly win the guest actress Emmy as the widow of the man who "may" have killed himself, but to this day I enjoy fellow nominee Conchata Farrell from the same episode as the lawyer representing Richards. The lines "I spit up on her. My mother died in her arms" is a chilling, stunning setup.

"In other words, gentlemen, I am your worst nightmare come true."

Fantastic.

The Rosalind Cash-Lynne Thigpen episode. Subtle, yet memorable. Cash was the old voodoo ways, Thigpen was the updated voodoo ways. Too classic.

Loved the "spell" being carried in by Thigpen in a paper bag covered in aluminum.

I had forgotten about the dead body being removed from the funeral home. The "body" would tip his hat and smile at the very end after credits rolled.

The boxing match. Sensational.

I suppose my fave was the restaurant episode with the country band, the drag queens, the white family and "Pick a bale of cotton." Around the same time, Robin Williams had pulled the same joke on a special "Carol, Carl, Robin & Whoopi" but it was still funny here.

My brother managed to record most of the episodes, only missing a two parter dealing with drugs.

I still think about this grand show.

Daphne Maxwell-Reid and Virginia Capers. Hilarious when she got mad and was in that wheelchair.

And the reverend! How could I forget him! "But the Lord loves me!"

He would have a quick scene in the boxing match that was too funny.

Toward the end, Frank would be told that Daphne was getting married to a football player and he would meet the guy, who had a voice like a cartoon character. Frank felt vindicated. At the very end, he mimicked MIckey Mouse giving football calls.

This show would be replaced with that horrendous retirement community show that starred Glynis Johns, Alan Young and the fellow who played Wimpy in the Robin Williams-Shelly Duvall Popeye movie.

Was Frank's Place ahead of its time? Who knows?

It would receive numerous nominations in the only year it was on, and other than Richards' guest win, it would only receive writing.

Yes, it seemed to be because they were Black. Even in the eighties it could be too much. It was a shame.

But thankfully the show was done for that year.