The One Frasier Co-Star That Frustrated Kelsey Grammer
In Entertainment Weekly's 1993 cover story on Moose, the beloved Jack Russell Terrier that played Eddie on "Frasier," the dog was described as "the hottest pooch to be unleashed on the airwaves in years." The story itself was proof of Moose's popularity — what other TV pet was getting an EW cover story? On the show, Eddie belonged to Frasier's dad, Martin (John Mahoney), and was just as beloved by the characters in the series as he was by the audience. The only character that wasn't too fond of Eddie was Dr. Frasier Crane himself.
Moose appeared in 192 episodes of "Fraiser," with his son, Enzo, also standing in as Eddie in the later seasons. As such, he was arguably just as integral a part of the series as any other member of the ensemble cast, and one of the best characters on "Frasier." However, in the world of the show itself, Frasier and Eddie started off on the wrong foot when Martin moved into his son's apartment and brought his canine companion with him. The good doctor famously liked to think of himself as a man of refined taste, and was dismayed to see his tastefully-decorated Seattle apartment taken over by a Jack Russell who made a point of staring at him for prolonged periods. This would become a running gag, with the two remaining frenemies throughout the entire show's run, although Dr. Crane softened on the little guy towards the end of the series, which wrapped up in 2004.
Interestingly enough, behind the scenes, Kelsey Grammer and Moose seemed to share a similar relationship that didn't wrap up in quite as heartwarming a way.
'He's not an actor, he's a dog!'
2023 saw the return of Dr. Crane in the neither disappointing nor remarkable "Frasier" revival show. Unfortunately, a big weakness of the new series is its lack of the original cast, nearly all of whom, besides Kelsey Grammer, chose not to return. That hasn't stopped the show from trying to rekindle some of the original's dynamics. Aside from making numerous references to previous "Frasier" episodes, by its fourth installment, the "Frasier" revival finally gave us what we'd been missing most: a dog frenemy. Alas, like most of its attempts to evoke the spirit of the original series, all it really did was make us all miss Eddie and remind us that things aren't how they once were.
Moose himself was owned by Hollywood trainer Mathilde DeCagney and sadly passed away back in 2006. As such, we were never going to see him return in the "Frasier" revival. But it seems the one upside to this might be that Grammer no longer has to worry about being upstaged by a dog.
In 1994, The Washington Post interviewed the "Frasier" star and asked him whether any of the faux animosity between Dr. Crane and Eddie carried over into real life, to which the actor replied:
"Of course! Well, it's just so silly. He gets so much attention. I do draw the line when somebody says, 'Oh, he's such a good little actor.' That's it! He's not an actor, he's a dog!"
Writer Tom Shales made sure to add that there was "a hint of the Frasier sulk, the peevish petulance, but also a self-mocking grin," suggesting the actor was partly joking here. Still, it seems Grammer certainly had an ongoing issue with Moose.
I think he's joking ...
Kelsey Grammer went on to tell The Washington Post about Moose receiving fan mail, saying "I know it's very popular for them to say he gets more than I do. I don't know." As Entertainment Weekly noted in their 1993 cover story, Moose did indeed get fan mail. A lot. NBC handlers told the outlet that the dog "receives hundreds of fan letters each week from across the country, including dozens of breeding requests and untold job offers." The Jack Russell also had a ton of media interest, according to the article, which claimed that Moose was "fielding as many interview requests these days as the show's human stars are."
So perhaps Grammer's tongue-in-cheek remarks had a hint of sincerity to them? The man certainly has a not-so-modest view of his own importance to the "Frasier"-verse and there's no doubt Moose often made his job harder, with the actor telling The Washington Post:
"I love dogs. I don't have any particular feeling about that dog because I just work with him. It takes twice as long to finish a show when the dog's in it. It's a dog. It's not a hardship, you know, it just takes longer. He doesn't always get it the first time and we have to stop and go back."
Of course, this story was published in 1994, a year after "Frasier" first started airing. Grammer had plenty of time to get to know Moose over the following decade and probably warmed up to the little guy, just like his on-screen character ... right?
Calm down, Kelsey
In 1995, Kelsey Grammer's autobiography, "So Far..." was published, in which the actor seemed to confirm he was joking about his animosity towards Moose. He wrote, "It's widely rumored that I hate the dog, and it's kind of fun to perpetuate the myth. The truth is, I have nothing against Moose." But wait! There's more. Grammer went on to write, seemingly without irony:
"The only difficulty I have is when people start believing he's an actor. Acting to me is a craft, not a reflex. It takes years to master, and though it does have its rewards, the reward I seek is not a hot dog. Moose does tricks; I memorize lines, say words, even walk around and stuff. But I don't need a trainer standing off-camera, gesticulating wildly and waving around a piece of meat, to know where I'm supposed to look."
Glad you cleared that one up, Kelsey. This statement makes it seem less and less likely that the "Frasier" star was joking, and things didn't really get much better from there. As late as 2017, Grammer was slandering Moose, having the absolute gall to tell TV Guide that Martin actor John Mahoney "hated" the dog because Moose used to bite him. It's true that Mahoney's relationship with Moose wasn't quite the same as Martin and Eddie's, with the actor telling the LA Times in 2009 that the dog was so highly trained that his trainer Mathilde DeCagny, "was the only one he would listen to, the only one to whom he showed any affection." But did Mahoney "hate" Moose? Can we really trust the man who starred in "Money Plane" — the "dumbest movie of 2020," according to the Daily Beast?
Rest easy, old pal
John Mahoney, who passed away in 2018 and was memorialized in the first episode of the "Frasier" revival, also told the LA Times in 2009:
"I swear to God, for eight years [Moose] didn't know me from Adam. If I'd say: 'How are you doing, Moose?' and scratch his head, the tail would never wag or the tongue come out or anything like that, because he had to be told to do that."
It sounds like the difficulty came more from the fact that Moose was incredibly loyal to his trainer, Mathilde DeCagney, than outright hostile toward the other cast members. If anything, Mahoney certainly gave the dog a heck of a lot more respect than Kelsey Grammer, telling the LA Times, "I never thought of Eddie as a dog. I thought of him more as an actor." Take that, Kelsey.
Despite Grammer's difficult relationship with Moose, the old pooch did at least get the farewell he deserved when "Frasier" wrapped up in 2004. As Mental Floss noted in 2019, for the final episode, Moose was brought back to the studio even though he'd retired three years earlier and been replaced by his son, Enzo. At the time, the Terrier was 14 and had reportedly gone almost completely deaf while his coat had turned completely white. But that didn't stop him from responding to the studio audience's applause one last time before "Frasier" came to an end. Two years later, Moose would be gone, leaving behind a legacy that at least doesn't include "Money Plane."