During the final season of TV’s Frasier in 2004, I went to Paramount studios with a friend to be part of the studio audience for two different episode tapings. As is customary at these tapings, a stand-up comedian usually jokes with the audience between scene set-ups. But at Frasier, we were entertained during one of our visits by the dog who played Eddie on the show. The animal’s trainer came downstage and they performed tricks while cast and crew prepared to film the next part of the story.
Most sources will tell you that Eddie was portrayed by Moose. But the reality is the NBC sitcom ran so long (for eleven seasons) that Moose had simply become too old and sick to continue in the role. So Moose’s son Enzo took over during the last two years. And Enzo is the one my friend and I watched perform tricks and “act” in the show. Though it’s a bit difficult to see in the photo where the dog is posing with star Kelsey Grammer, Moose had light brown spots on his lower front area. But Enzo did not. And the trainer told us she had to add the spots with some sort of hair coloring dye before they filmed the newer episodes.
I remember being quite impressed with the talent Enzo had, and how his trainer was able to make sure he was always camera ready. Of course, that was their livelihood, and as a member of the cast, the dog had to be able to perform each scene to the letter. And this was nothing new in Hollywood, because for years dogs and other animals had been used in movies and television series. Lassie, trained by Rudd Weatherwax, is probably the most famous example.
Rudd came from a family that specifically bred and trained dogs for Hollywood shows. He often worked with his brother Frank, and there was another brother named Jack who trained the animals, too. Some of their “clients,” besides Pal who played Lassie in several MGM movies as well as the pilot for the long-running TV show, included Rommy the son of Terry (Toto in THE WIZARD OF OZ); and Spike who starred in Disney’s OLD YELLER.
According to an article I read online, there is a certain method used to make sure the animals can perform on cue. My guess is that on the set of Frasier, Enzo’s trainer probably subscribed to this approach. In this case, the dog was rehearsed to move in a way that suggested emoting. While the viewer watching at home could not see it, those of us in the audience witnessed how she used hand signals, eye contact and voice inflections to elicit the desired performance. It also helped that in her bag she carried a lot of doggie treats that were earned for each trick or stunt performed. As we could tell, a lot of work went into transforming a scamp from kennel row into a canine star.
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