13 fulfilling facts about Full House
Everywhere you look… the impact of Full House can still be found. The Olsen Twins are fashion icons worth half a billion. A Netflix reboot, Fuller House, has lasted five seasons. "You got it, dude!" memes pepper social media. The show — from its tone to its music — has become the ultimate example of early-'90s family sitcoms. It is a shared touchstone of Millennial and Gen-X youth.
Few people, if any, saw all of that coming when the show premiered in 1987. After first-season struggles in the ratings, the show skyrocketed to become the tentpole of the TGIF block on ABC Friday nights.
Let's jump into some fun facts that will have Uncle Jesse saying, "Have mercy!"
The sitcom's original title and concept was 'House of Comics'.
Jeff Franklin was writing and producing for Laverne & Shirley and Bosom Buddies when he had a concept for his own sitcom. What if three stand-up comics lived together in a house? Such was the premise of House of Comics. But the success of wholesome, all-ages fare like Family Ties led Franklin to retool the show to feature adorable kids and a sprawling clan.
There was a different Danny Tanner in the pilot!
Hey… that's not Bob Saget. Indeed, John Posey portrayed Danny Tanner in the pilot episode, seen here. It Posey's first foray into television. Saget, in the meantime, was doing comedy bits on CBS's short-lived A.M. experiment The Morning Program. After that flop got axed, Saget was freed and Full House got its man.
Jesse's last name was Cochran the entire first season…
The title and Danny were not the only unfamiliar elements to the show in its development phase. The hip young uncle was named Adam Cochran. John Stamos requested the name Jesse, but the "Cochran" surname remained for the entire first season — until Stamos had them change it to Katsopolis to reflect his Greek heritage.
…and his name was originally Adam. Jesse was a nod to Elvis.
Uncle Jesse was obsessed with Elvis Presley, which mirrored Stamos' very real fandom. He suggested "Jesse" in tribute to Jesse Garon Presley, Elvis' twin brother who died in childbirth.
Jesse Frederick was behind a bunch of TGIF theme songs.
Speaking of guys named Jesse, Frederick is the fellow singing that catching theme, "Everywhere You Look." He wrote it, too. He had a hand (and voice) in several sitcom earworms. He also sang "As Days Go By" for Family Matters. He wrote the Perfect Strangers theme. That him doing the duet in "Second Time Around," his Step By Step theme. Nearly two decades earlier, he had a solo career, released a self-titled album produced by Todd Rundgren in 1971.
The Olsens Twins were billed as one child.
For several seasons, the show billed "Mary Kate Ashley Olsen" as Michelle, trying to shroud the fact that twins played the kid. But twins were just much easier to work with, because you can swap them out. The Olsens got the gig because they didn't cry in the audition — at six months old!
Mary-Kate is left-handed; Ashley is right-handed.
There are some "tells" to figure out which Olsen you are watching. One of the clues is their hands. Mary-Kate is a lefty, unlike her sister. Pay attention when they're doodling. Oh… and the artwork on the fridge was reportedly made by the Olsens.
Dave Coulier brought his catchphrase from another show.
Catchphrases abound on Full House. Every character has one. For Joey, it is "Cut. It. Out." The saying predates the sitcom. Colier's friend and old comedy partner used it in a routine. Coulier got his blessing to borrow it — which he first used repeatedly on a Nickelodeon sketch show called Out of Control, seen here. Hey, he's even making scissor fingers! Cut. It. Out.
Dave Coulier dated Alanis Morissette.
Speaking of Nickelodeon, Colier once dated Canadian actress-turned-singer Alanis Morissette. Remember, before she became a '90s icon, she was an '80s child star on You Can't Do That On Television. Morissette and Colier dated. Colier has claimed that he is the "you" in "You Oughta Know," specifically the line "I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner." As for Alanis' take — she declines to spill the beans and secrets of her songs. She prefers to keep the mystery and it has never been confirmed by the songwriter.
D.J.'s boyfriend was the voice of Disney's Aladdin.
While we're on dating, let's talk Steve Hale, boyfriend of D.J. (well, aside from that time she went steady with a teenage millionaire Nelson Burkhard). Weinger played the role — and reprised it in Fuller House. He also voiced Aladdin alongside Robin Williams' Genie!
Air Bud stepped in to play Comet for an episode.
The Golden Retriever named Comet is one of the top dogs in '90s sitcomdom. In one episode, the regular canine "actor" stepped aside to let Buddy the Wonder Dog take cover. Yep, that's Air Bud in "Air Jesse." That pooch could truly hoop. No CGI needed. The internet claims Buddy played Comet for the entire series, but that does not appear to be the case. Sorry, Nineties nostalgia synergy.
Just one episode was filmed on location in San Francisco.
Sure the show takes place in San Francisco and features the famous "Painted Ladies" in the opening credits, but of course, the show was taped in Los Angeles. Well, one episode at least filmed in San Francisco — and it centered around Comet. You can see all the sites in "Comet's Excellent Adventure."
13
There was a Russian knock-off.
The Moscow-based STS (CTC in Cyrillic) network licensed Full House from Warner Bros. to make its own adaptation: Дом кувырком. That essentially translates into Topsy-Turvy House. Our version is a lot better, obviously. Especially the theme song.
Watch Full House on Catchy Comedy
Weekdays 6a ET | 3a PT