Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 24, 1994 TAG: 9411050008
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: 10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE DUFFY KNIGHT-RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I decided I wanted to get them to know the real me. And the best way to do that is feed them," cracked Drescher, the forthright and savvy actress with the distinctive Queens, N.Y., vocal honk.
A little schmooze, a little booze. And oodles of great food.
"It cost me a bloody fortune," said Drescher, who invited such hotshot CBS corporate suits as chief program re was even a bit of scary serendipity to the evening.
Drescher, wearing a fuzzy angora sweater, had little votive candles on all the tables to supply friendly night-time illumination. Alas, the hostess leaned a wee bit too close to a burning candle while trying to ignite Stringer's enthusiasm for "The Nanny."
"My whole sweater went up in flames," said Drescher, who fortunately was uninjured in the mishap. "I looked like a Roman candle. Howard pulled my sweater off and there I was, naked before all these network executives." Pause. "And then we got picked up!"
Say it loud and say it proud: "There's no business like show business."
Especially when the subject is Fran Drescher, one of television's most engaging new stars.
"The Nanny" - which has indeed been renewed for the full 1994-95 season - has permanently move to 8 p.m. Mondays (on WDBJ-Channel 7) this fall following strong rerun ratings this summer on Mondays.
Drescher isn't just some hired hand, either.
She and her husband, Peter Marc Jacobson, created "The Nanny," drawing rich inspiration from Drescher's own Jewish roots. And Drescher, with one of the sharpest business minds you'll find in an actor's body, is a producer on the show.
As Fran Fine, Drescher portrays a beyond-colorful character you might describe as the nasal Hazel. The divine Ms. Fine is a chatty, streetwise ex-salesgirl who improbably winds up serving as a nanny to the three children of rich, handsome Broadway producer Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy).
"We don't really think about Mary Poppins as much as we do `I Love Lucy,' " said Drescher, acknowledging the late Lucille Ball as her major comedic influence.
"Lucy was able to be the centerpiece of every show as well as the clown of every show. That's what we strive for."
In a refreshing, witty manner, "The Nanny" simultaneously manages to be a throwback to old-style sitcoms and a rambunctious, contemporary portrait of one very dizzy, do-right woman.
"The silhouette of this show is very traditional," says Drescher, sounding like the producer/writer that she is. "Then when we fill in the spaces, it begins to take on a more interesting, edgy urban scope.
"Children like `The Nanny' because she has a childlike quality, and she's more fun than any adult they would ever meet. Adults like `The Nanny' because there's humor that goes over the kids' heads."
There isn't much that ever goes over Drescher's head.
She may be best known for her array of hip, eccentric character roles in such films as "American Hot Wax," "Cadillac Man" and "This Is Spinal Tap." But while developing a devoted cult following, she's been following a more entrepreneurial blueprint for life since she and Jacobson first met in a New York City high school drama club two decades ago.
"Peter and I always looked at show business as more a business than a show," Drescher said. "I'm not really in it to be a star. We always wanted to have like a Desilu enterprise," a reference to the famed production company Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz founded.
"The show is our baby now," said Drescher, who is in her mid-30s, explaining why she and her husband have delayed starting a family.
Drescher first honed her entrepreneurial skills with a successful line of designer croutons based on a longtime family recipe. She and Jacobson are planning to use "The Nanny" as a launching pad for other productions in the United States and Europe, including movies and TV series.
Honestly perplexed and a little bit angry is how Drescher feels about certain critical knocks that "The Nanny" presents Fran Fine as "a stereotypical New York Jew."
"I think the character is rooted in such positive values and is such a loving character," Drescher explained. "She treats the children as equals. She's comfortable with her body and is still womanly.
"This girl was me in high school. ... This is my life that I had when I was growing up," she added, growing pleasantly indignant.
"Our show is funny. Funny is funny. It's blue collar meets blue blood."
by CNB