Frasier On Film – Details, episodes & analysis

Introductions are in order I suppose!

Welcome to Frasier On Film - the Frasier TV show podcast with a twist.

Each episode of the podcast visits each episode of Frasier across its 11-series run. But our main focus isn’t on the good Dr. himself. No, no! It’s going to be one of the guest appearances on the show that week. That could be one of the many A-listers who called into Frasier’s KACL radio show or just someone who made a fleeting appearance at Cafe Nervosa. 

We’ll delve into that actor’s backstory, look over their cinematic offerings and deep-dive into one movie specifically. By the end, we’ll see if we can make a connection between their character in Frasier and their character in the film we’ve just talked about.

So you’ll be hearing about icons and wash-ups. Legends and startlets. Sherry drinkers and beer guzzlers. Blockbusters and B-movies. It’s going to be an education in it all!

But what if you don’t really watch Frasier? That’s fine, you’ll probably know the actors we’re talking about. Don’t really know the actors we’re talking about? That’s fine too, you’ll know the movies! So whether you’re a fan of Frasier or you're a fan of film, this is the podcast for you.

So pull up your favourite bar stool at McGinty’s, tell the wine club you’ll be running late. Because this is Frasier On Film and I’m your host, Ben Murray.

And you’re listening...

Episode 1 arriving 26th December 

Thanks for listening!

To keep up with the Frasier odyssey I'm undertaking don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.

Just search for @frasieronfilm and I should pop up on all the main socials, or you can navigate using this handy hub: https://linktr.ee/frasieronfilm

Drop me an email if you have any comments or questions too! Or if you want to feature on an episode at some point: frasieronfilm@gmail.com

"Golden Acres. We care, so you don't have to."

Hi! Welcome, to the inaugural Frasier On Film episode. All first episodes of a podcast are infamously great, right? No chance I'll look back on this one and cringe in the years to come. Off to a great start - you'll have to excuse my voice as it succumbed to the mighty COVID in the second half of this episode.

Timestamps:

01:30 Intro

03:41 Frasier Talk: Our motley crew of companions assemble as Frasier settles into his new life in Seattle!

10:40 Linda Hamilton Talk: We learn more about the woman behind the iconic Sarah Connor in the Terminator franchise.

22:14 Dante's Peak Talk: We delve into what is arguably one of the greatest disaster movies ever made, pre-parody, in Dante's Peak!

Thanks for listening!

To keep up with the Frasier odyssey I'm undertaking don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.

Just search for @frasieronfilm and I should pop up on all the main socials, or you can navigate using this handy hub: https://linktr.ee/frasieronfilm

Drop me an email if you have any comments or questions too! Or if you want to feature on an episode at some point: frasieronfilm@gmail.com

“Well aren’t you a little hot house orchid!”

Episode 2! You came back?! Well, you’ll be glad to hear COVID still kicking my ass. The voice improves by episode 3, I promise. Until then let’s continue pulling out the big guns early, it’s Christopher Reeve’s turn to shine on this week’s Frasier On Film.

Timestamps:

01:30 Intro

02:42 Frasier Talk: Frasier struggles to carve out his own safe space as he adjusts to have family, co-workers and friends surround him on all sides! 

08:20 Christopher Reeve Talk: From Superman through to his tragic horse-riding accident, we explore the many layers that define Christopher Reeve.

17:20 Village of the Damned Talk: John Carpenter’s Twin Peaks-esque horror featuring all the white-haired creepy children you can shake a stick at!

Thanks for listening!

To keep up with the Frasier odyssey I'm undertaking don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.

Just search for @frasieronfilm and I should pop up on all the main socials, or you can navigate using this handy hub: https://linktr.ee/frasieronfilm

Drop me an email if you have any comments or questions too! Or if you want to feature on an episode at some point: frasieronfilm@gmail.com

"Sherry, Niles?”

Episode 3! Make or break time for the podcast! We’ve had the big guns come out to play in Episode 1 & 2 (Linda Hamilton & Christopher Reeve) - now it’s time to take a chance on a complete unknown (to me at least!). Have to say, it’s been my favourite episode to research and record so far. Hope that you guys have a similar experience!

Timestamps:

02:20 Intro

03:36 Frasier Talk: Frasier and Niles go full snob as their dad Martin takes them to his favourite restaurant, the Timber Mill (with all the 'fix ins')

08:52 Patti LuPone Talk: An absolute behemoth of Broadway, with some more than controversial takes on life.

18:08 Beau Is Afraid Talk: Easily the most enjoyable film I've seen on this podcast so far. Incredibly complex and layered but I do my best to capture in a nutshell what is so great about it. (SPOILER ALERT - Patti LuPone is!).

Thanks for listening!

To keep up with the Frasier odyssey I'm undertaking don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.

Just search for @frasieronfilm and I should pop up on all the main socials, or you can navigate using this handy hub: https://linktr.ee/frasieronfilm

Drop me an email if you have any comments or questions too! Or if you want to feature on an episode at some point: frasieronfilm@gmail.com

"There are a million stories in the naked city. Now if we could just find a naked one."

Episode 5 and I hope you're ready to unpack and rehash some childhood phobias and traumas because we're about to explore Jeff Daniels (yes, he of Dumb And Dumber fame), by way of revisiting Arachnophobia! 

Timestamps:

01:30 Intro

02:43 Frasier Talk: Frasier proves he is light years ahead of streaming platforms like Netflix, by combining telescopes and a desire for interesting stories in the building opposite!

10:57: Jeff Daniels Talk: Our first proper genuinely nice guy on the podcast? Let's find out as we work out how he balanced agents trying to prime him for his first Oscar-nomination alongside his desire to star alongside Jim Carrey and a bunch of New Zaaland tarantulas.

19:30 Arachnophobia Talk: The thrill-omedy that both terrifies and delights decades later. Why? Big ass spiders all over almost every frame. Real ones. And John Goodman doing a SpiderBuster impression too. Fear is real. 

Thanks for listening!

To keep up with the Frasier odyssey I'm undertaking don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.

Just search for @frasieronfilm and I should pop up on all the main socials, or you can navigate using this handy hub: https://linktr.ee/frasieronfilm

Drop me an email if you have any comments or questions too! Or if you want to feature on an episode at some point: frasieronfilm@gmail.com

"All that's missing is a mariachi band!"

Episode 4 and we tackle more than a few prickly issues today as we deep dive into Joe Mantegna's career (courtesy of a few David Mamet sidebars). Yes, most of us know him for his cartoonish embodiment of Fat Tony on The Simpsons. But how does he hold up as an actor in his own right? And what can we make of his politics?

Timestamps:

01:30 Intro

03:03 Frasier Talk: Frasier has to decide if he's man or chicken, when he's challenged to a fight by newspaper columnist Derek Mann(tegna)!

08:36: Joe Mantegna Talk: Gangster on screen, gangster in animated form, gangster in the sheets? We'll find out as we trace his path from Joey Zasa to Fat Tony and beyond. 

16:45 Homicide Talk: Mamet wrote and directed this complex exploration of Jewishness, Zionism, Anti-Semitism and everything in-between, through the eyes of Joe Mantegna's beaten down detective. What could possibly go wrong? 

(That full Mantegna interview I refer to in this episode can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa2ZNXv6VZk)

Thanks for listening!

To keep up with the Frasier odyssey I'm undertaking don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.

Just search for @frasieronfilm and I should pop up on all the main socials, or you can navigate using this handy hub: https://linktr.ee/frasieronfilm

Drop me an email if you have any comments or questions too! Or if you want to feature on an episode at some point: frasieronfilm@gmail.com

How much more appetizing food always becomes when you add the word "log."

What's this? Christmas in May? Well this is what happens when you plan way in advance. You end up recording a Christmas episode in December but releasing it in Spring. But who cares? We could all use a little Christmas spirit throughout the year. Nobody more, than the miserable wretch that Ben Stiller plays in this week's film of the week! 

Timestamps:

01:30 Intro

04:00 Frasier Talk: Frasier blows up with Martin and ends up in almost ruining his Christmas. But a turkey log, some ripped denims and some Christmas spirit might just save the day. 

14:30 Ben Stiller Talk: He was a comedy legend of the late 90s but of late he's switched his focus to behind the camera. Yes - everyone loves Severance - but do you know how and why he got into the business in the first place?

28:00 Permanent Midnight Talk: This is absolutely NOT a Christmas film!

Thanks for listening!

To keep up with the Frasier odyssey I'm undertaking don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.

Just search for @frasieronfilm and I should pop up on all the main socials, or you can navigate using this handy hub: https://linktr.ee/frasieronfilm

Drop me an email if you have any comments or questions too! Or if you want to feature on an episode at some point: frasieronfilm@gmail.com

"Niles, you don't even pump your own gas."

Frasier On Film welcomes our first-ever guest actor from the series!

Actress Maddie Corman joins us for today's episode to discuss a fascinating career spanning-several decades and including some career highlights from starring in a sitcom with George C Scott through to her iconic role as Polly in Seven Minutes In Heaven (starring opposite Jennifer Connelly). 

Timestamps:

01:30 Intro

04:37 Frasier Talk: Frasier contemplates his own mortality following the death of a doctor the same age as him!

15:15 Maddie Corman interview: The delightful Maddie Corman joins us to talk everything from her breakthrough role in the sitcom Mr. President through to her stage play Accidentally Brave (now available on HBO Max).

50:15 Seven Minutes In Heaven: A blind spot and a HUGE sigh of relief upon the film's end. What a great film! Simply must be seen by more people. 

Thanks for listening!

To keep up with the Frasier odyssey I'm undertaking don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.

Just search for @frasieronfilm and I should pop up on all the main socials, or you can navigate using this handy hub: https://linktr.ee/frasieronfilm

Drop me an email if you have any comments or questions too! Or if you want to feature on an episode at some point: frasieronfilm@gmail.com

"God, I wish I'd fired you when I had the chance!"

Frasier's big-mouth strikes again - he blabs and gets Bob Bulldog Briscoe's butt bounced right outta the bloody building. Too many b-word's, the last one was a reach. Anyway, that's the show this week and our focus, INCREDIBLY, is on Jay Leno this time! Leno made one feature film performance in his career, outside of his talk show. It was opposite Pat Morita in the film COLLISION COURSE. A white whale of a film to track down. But I did. And my God... If you have not seen it. Brace yourself!

Timestamps:

01:30 Intro

03:13 Frasier Talk: We get introduced to the whole gang from KACL in this Bulldog-centric episode!

10:36 Jay Leno Talk: Forget the film world, I delve into the genuinely fascinating Tonight Show Conflict which saw Conon O'Brien and Jay Leno at odds with one another!

24:55 Collision Course Talk: The film so bad it put Jay Leno off acting for life. Easy to see why, but it's without doubt a must watch for anyone with a passing interest in film. That ending!!!

Thanks for listening!

To keep up with the Frasier odyssey I'm undertaking don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.

Just search for @frasieronfilm and I should pop up on all the main socials, or you can navigate using this handy hub: https://linktr.ee/frasieronfilm

Drop me an email if you have any comments or questions too! Or if you want to feature on an episode at some point: frasieronfilm@gmail.com

"You make me want to stuff my face full of egg rolls and... I don't know what."

It's time to reach back into the past and check out one of the few Carl Reiner feature film performances. Russian suspicion, conspiracy and full-blown panic are afoot... But it's OK, because Alan Arkin has a funny moustache! Meanwhile, over on Frasier, we get the first appearance from the deliciously devilish Harriet Sansom Harris as Frasier's agent Bebe Glazer. 

Timestamps:

01:30 Intro

03:11 Frasier Talk: Frasier chows down on Chow Mein and blows bubbles in a Redwood hot tub. But he draws the line at dressing up as a nut. 

10:20 Carl Reiner Talk: Father of Rob, straight man for Mel, caller to Frasier. We scan through an insanely deep career. 

20:27 The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming Talk: What the world needs now is a Carl Reiner comedy about Russians taking over a small town in America!

Thanks for listening!

To keep up with the Frasier odyssey I'm undertaking don't forget to subscribe to the podcast.

Just search for @frasieronfilm and I should pop up on all the main socials, or you can navigate using this handy hub: https://linktr.ee/frasieronfilm

Drop me an email if you have any comments or questions too! Or if you want to feature on an episode at some point: frasieronfilm@gmail.com