Peri Gilpin as Roz Doyle, with one of her trademark sassy expressions!
This will be a short, but sweet, one. Over the holidays, I’ve had the chance to visit my family and truly partake in the joy that is Frasier. Seriously, what an amazing show!!! I first got the hint to start watching it when I totally fell in love with Cheers two years ago, and then Amb recommended Frasier to me as an example of a great comedy that doesn’t have to rely on a “stupid” character as a comedic crutch. For the record, How I Met Your Mother is another example of a show meeting that description, and the series that spawned Amb’s and my conversation.
Anyway, several seasons in, I’m hooked on the psychiatrist from Seattle, and although I’m likely going to be profiling Kelsey Grammer in a future post, I’ve totally fallen for Dr. Crane’s badass producer Roz Doyle, played by the singular Peri Gilpin.
Peri, an alum of University of Texas at Austin (Earth to extremely tall Kerbey!) actually got her start during an episode in the eleventh season of Cheers, but didn’t have her big breakthrough until she landed a role as a series regular on Frasier, playing the spunky and hilarious Roz.
Gilpin and series co-star Jane Leeves (who played the unsinkable Daphne Moon, who was a little bit psychic) became fast friends as a result of the show, and did all sorts of awesome things like become neighbors, and then later become godmothers of each others’ daughters. The two also formed a production company called “Bristol Cities” (which was based on the Cockney Rhyming Slang of “Bristols” for “titties”).
Hi Roz!!!!
If you don’t understand the absurdly peculiar constructions of Cockney Rhyming Slang, it’s totally worth taking the apples over to Wikipedia, reading up on Cockney Rhyming Slang, and then buying me a few Britneys to celebrate the joy of learning about culture!
Since Frasier left the air, Gilpin has raised her two children with her husband – painter Christian Vincent – worked to raise money for cancer research, and continued to have a busy acting career with roles in such shows as Desperate Housewives, Medium, and as a series regular on the ABC Family drama Make It Or Break It.
Apparently the longest war in US history is now over. Crack open some champagne and have a hap-hap-happy New Year if I don’t chat with you all before then!
The Blog of Funny Names 
No silly character on ‘HIMYM,’ Barney? Er, Dave? Anyway, Roz did rock ’em on ‘Fraser,’ and somehow escaped hooking up with pops in that incredible Seattle condo with little Eddie the dog watching the whole thing. I thought the writers were gonna take us there some episode.
Silly, yes, but idiotic, no! Barney was a smart man who knew how to PLEASE!
I never thought about Pops and Roz, but I think it’s a good thing the show didn’t take us there… I feel like that would have been an awkward episode… although awkwardness was part of the show’s charm, I suppose!
I thought Barney did a lot of idiotic things, but that’s just me. Let’s agree to disagree. I loved the show nevertheless. Also I loved Fraser, and always rooted for Pops and Roz to have better luck in love than they did. Just a wild idea on my part. 🙂
i loved this show too. smart writing, smart characters. even with their quirks and challenges, you grew to like them and care about them, and that’s the ticket.
Yes! I’m surprised I’m only now getting into it… it’s a fantastic show, and so intelligent!
Yeah, the war is over, like my BoFN activity is over.
But I’m still stuck in my expat time warp. A sitcom with a psychiatrist? Oh, c’mon. What was wrong with Bob Newhart?
Australians, deep in the Cockney rhyming tradition, once told me they called Americans “Seppos.” I aksed, but, how do you get Seppo for American? And they said, “Yank” rhymes with “septic tank,” which got shortened to “seppo.” Hence U.S. citizens are “seppos.”
Anyway, you said “titties”!
You said “titties”!
There’s nothing wrong with Bob Newhart…. that’s why they bring him back for shows like The Big Bang Theory, and the film Horrible Bosses!
I love Cockney rhyming slang, and the term seppos! (And yes, I did say “titties” – I like that you brought out the blurb generator italics for that one 🙂 )
I hope the war is truly over, and your BoFN activity remains not really over! 🙂 You have the green light to post whenever you want… no need to even run it past me!
Well, I’m glad those boys are coming home. War is hell.
Peri is from Waco, the home of Dr Pepper, just a stone’s throw from here. And by “here,” I mean where the male cedars are exploding, and I am in a ferocious allergy war, surrounded by tissue and Theraflu. A pox on cedars! So more than usual, I don’t get it today. Or as the Cockneys would say, “I haven’t a Scooby.”
I always did like Roz’s hair and the sharp, witty banter on that show. I wager that she was named after the Disney movie “Perri,” which came out in 1957, 4 yrs before her birth. I say this because about 20 yrs ago, I was waiting tables at a seafood restaurant in Texarkana (half in Texas, half in Arkansas) and a waitress there, several years older than I and with a lot of miles on her, asked me about my odd name. When I then asked her about hers, she said she was named after a squirrel. The one in the movie.
And one more thing: Peri Gilpin didn’t have kids until she was 43. That gives me hope!
Wow Kerbey!!! Your Peri Gilpin knowledge is impressive!!! I get the sense you could have written this post from memory, whereas I had to do some research.
War is hell, and I’m glad the troops are coming home as well.
I’m sorry about your allergies, but I’m grateful it led to the phrase “a pox on cedars” – sometimes adversity is necessary for creativity! Clever Cockney-ing too!
I’m super excited to hear you worked in Texarkana! Did you ever happen to spend any time in Ark-La-Tex?!? I like those hybrid Texan place names!
Of course I am not that smart to know all this at the ready. These BoFN posts usually make me want to do more research on these folks and get the name juices flowing. Hopefully I will retain these facts for the future.
The tri-state area was called the Ark-La-Tex, as it was right next to upper Louisiana as well (my first foray into gambling was a fellow waitress who talked me into accompanying her to nearby Shreveport casinos). I did enjoy it with the weathermen talked about a cold front coming to the Ark-La-Tex, since it is a funny term. Good job knowing that one, Dave!
how tall are you, Kerbey?
I was 5’7″ for 20 yrs but I have shrunk to 5’5″.
Wow–I am only 1 1/2″ shorter than that.
Are you shrinking, too? Or standing tall?
Down 1/4″ in the last few years, but attributing that to their measurements.
Always blame the scale! 🙂
Fraiser fan myself, Dave. Clever, funny, strong physical comedy, great character development. You’ll be shocked to learn that I might just happen to own the Fraiser cookbook 🙂 Cafe Nervosa, it’s called. Good research on Peri. What a cute name.
HIMYM had me until the end, but stopped watching a few episodes before it was over. Word on the street that it was going to go all sad and stupid. Rumor was right. Worst ending ever. What did you think?
I liked the ending, as did a few others. In a way, I think it was the only logical ending. That being said, I can see how some people *cough* amb *cough* could be disappointed. I enjoyed the end though, and I think that final scene is going to be one of the iconic scenes of 2000’s-era television.
As for the Frasier Cookbook… that sounds awesome! Knowing his sophisticated tastes, I’m sure there are a lot of good recipes in there. One of the few cookbooks I could see myself buying and using. Is it worth it?