A dog’s life with Frasier
QUESTION In the TV sitcom Frasier, how many dogs played Eddie?
The first eddie was played by a Parson Jack Russell Terrier called Moose. Born in 1990, Moose was owned by a Florida family, Sam and Connie Thise, but when he proved too hard to handle he was taken on by Mathilde de Cagny.
De Cagny is one of hollywood’s top animal trainers, and her most famous pooch is eddie.
Moose appeared in the first eight series of Frasier in 192 episodes between 1993 and 2000. his fictional owner is Frasier’s father, the retired policeman Martin ‘Marty’ Crane (John Mahoney), who claimed eddie’s full name was eddie Spaghetti: ‘Because he has worms.’
Moose’s ability to stare balefully at lead actor Kelsey Grammer for long periods made for hilarious TV. Much to Frasier’s annoyance, his ex-wife Lilith is the only one eddie will obey.
At one point, Moose got more fan mail than any other cast member. There is an official Moose calendar and a biography, eddie: My Life As A Dog, by Brian hargrove, husband of actor David hyde Pierce, who portrays Niles Crane.
Moose retired in 2000 and spent the last six-and-a-half years of his life in West Los Angeles with Mathilde de Cagny.
he died of natural causes aged 15 on June 22, 2006.
his replacement was his own son, enzo, who had been bred specifically for the role. his mother was called Chelsea Marvin and enzo was blessed with similar facial markings to his father. he had already appeared in a few episodes as a stunt double for Moose.
enzo remained on the show until it ended after 11 seasons in 2004. he died on June 23, 2010, aged 14.
Penny Casey, Margate, Kent.
QUESTION Were two-handed swords ever used in serious combat?
THERE were two principal users of such weapons, the German Landsknechts and the Scottish clans.
The former were mercenaries of the late 15th and early 16th centuries, given to elaborate and colourful clothes and hats. They formed armies from 4,000 to 12,000 men. These large swords were called Zweihander (two-hander) and could be up to 6ft long. Their reputation was fearsome. The Zweihander (left) was used to beat aside the long pikes of the enemy to open up a break in the lines for troops to advance. Other weapons included a shorter cutting sword with a blade about 30in long and distinctive horizontal fiveshaped guard. This was the Katzbalger, signature blade of the Landsknecht.
The Scottish two-hander was the ‘claymore’, an Anglicisation of the Gaelic claidheamh-mor or ‘great sword’. The blade was about 42in long. The clans also used the basket-hilted broadsword, with a blade of about 33in, sometimes known as the claybeg. For a long time this was erroneously called a claymore, but now the names are correctly used. Claymores were in use from the 15th to 17th centuries. There were two basic types, one having a crossbar guard ending in quatre-foils; the other having a curved cross-guard with upturned clam-shells (of iron) to give the user hand protection. James C. Madgin, British Academy Of Fencing, Durham.
QUESTION Is it true that Who drummer Keith Moon passed out on stage and was replaced by an audience member?
ON NOVEMBER 20, 1973, The Who opened their Quadrophenia U.S. concert tour at San Francisco’s Cow Palace.
About 70 minutes into the show, Keith Moon, well known for his substance abuse, began to falter during Won’t Get Fooled Again. he eventually flopped over his drum kit and passed out.
In the crowd was Scot halpin, 19, a drummer from Muscatine, Iowa, who was visiting the West Coast when a friend invited him to the show. When his friend saw what was happening to Moon, he pushed halpin forward, which got the attention of promoter Bill Graham.
Graham asked: ‘Can you play?’ When halpin replied ‘yes’, Graham turned him over to the drum roadie, who showed halpin around the set-up.
Meanwhile, guitarist Pete Townshend asked: ‘Is there anybody out there who can play drums?’ however, halpin was now in place and singer Roger Daltrey introduced him to the crowd before launching into Smokestack Lightning.
halpin accompanied The Who on two further tracks, Spoonful and Naked eye, before the show ended. According to Daltrey, he did a great job. halpin later admired The Who’s stamina, admitting: ‘I only played three numbers and I was dead.’
Subsequently, halpin became composer in residence at headlands Centre For The Arts, in Sausalito, California. Sadly, he died on February 9, 2008, in Bloomington, Indiana, of a brain tumour, aged 54. he left a wife, Robin, and son, James.
There is a tribute to halpin on The Who’s official webpage.
James Winston, Leeds.