Spring Break
Star of 'Frank's Place' speaks about civil rights, culture
Josh Kurtz
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: News
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Acclaimed actor Tim Reid, one of the most prolific television actors ever, spoke to the University community and fans interested in his career on Feb. 26 in the Ruth Auditorium. College students will recognize Reid from his roles as Ray Campbell on the show Sister, Sister and Hyde's Dad on That '70s Show.
The talk, which was sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Culture and Communication, and the program for Africana Studies, focused on Reid's critically acclaimed show Frank's Place. He also commented on the state of society as a whole, criticizing the media and the youth generation, including college students, for what he believes is a lack of passion in today's world.
Frank's Place, which first aired in 1987, was only on television for one season, but Reid said he believes the fact that people are still talking about it today illustrates he show possesses "cultural longevity." The show was a comedy-drama hybrid and the first sitcom ever without a laugh track.
Reid explained that one reason for making Frank's Place was to create a more positive image of the South. In the show, a history professor from Boston moves to New Orleans to take over his father's restaurant. Reid showed an episode of Frank's Place as part of his presentation.
Critics adored the show. It was nominated for nine Emmy awards, winning three. However, it was doomed in part by poor ratings and also by the new head of CBS, who didn't like an episode of Frank's Place that was critical of highly risky "junk bond" investments. CBS did pick the show up for another season, but cancelled it before any more episodes were aired.
"Frank's Place," Reid said, "was my favorite television experience so far."
The show's poor ratings shared blame for the cancellation. The industry "would not accept something so strangely different," Reid said. The viewers "gave themselves too much time to respond to it. They liked it, but it was so different and quirky they didn't know what to do, and by the time they fell in love with it, we were off the air."
The talk, which was sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Culture and Communication, and the program for Africana Studies, focused on Reid's critically acclaimed show Frank's Place. He also commented on the state of society as a whole, criticizing the media and the youth generation, including college students, for what he believes is a lack of passion in today's world.
Frank's Place, which first aired in 1987, was only on television for one season, but Reid said he believes the fact that people are still talking about it today illustrates he show possesses "cultural longevity." The show was a comedy-drama hybrid and the first sitcom ever without a laugh track.
Reid explained that one reason for making Frank's Place was to create a more positive image of the South. In the show, a history professor from Boston moves to New Orleans to take over his father's restaurant. Reid showed an episode of Frank's Place as part of his presentation.
Critics adored the show. It was nominated for nine Emmy awards, winning three. However, it was doomed in part by poor ratings and also by the new head of CBS, who didn't like an episode of Frank's Place that was critical of highly risky "junk bond" investments. CBS did pick the show up for another season, but cancelled it before any more episodes were aired.
"Frank's Place," Reid said, "was my favorite television experience so far."
The show's poor ratings shared blame for the cancellation. The industry "would not accept something so strangely different," Reid said. The viewers "gave themselves too much time to respond to it. They liked it, but it was so different and quirky they didn't know what to do, and by the time they fell in love with it, we were off the air."
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