Full House is widely regarded as on of the most popular comedy shows of the 1980s. PHOTOS: FILE
If you were a fan of Full House back in the day, you’d be happy to know that veteran TV producer Jeff Franklin — creator of the beloved sitcom — has purchased the iconic property depicted as the Tanner family’s home. Located in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood, the house went on the market in May and Franklin snapped it up for $4 million.
“I’m so sentimental about the house that I just had to buy it. It’s great to be able to preserve it for the fans,” The Hollywood Reporter quoted Franklin as saying. Built in 1883, the house is noted for its Italianate Victorian architecture and was handpicked by Franklin nearly 30 years ago to serve as the Tanners’ abode in stock shots featuring its exterior. Despite a recent redesign Franklin is planning to redo the interiors to match the sitcom’s heritage, making it appear as if the Tanner family really lives there.
“There are probably 250 fans per day that show up and take a picture in front of the hose,” Franklin noted. “It will be a lot more fun now because it will look like the Tanners really live there. It’s a gift to the fans, but it’s also fun for me to own it. But this will probably be about six months of construction and during that time, the iconic red door will not be there as I don’t want to ruin it.”
Franklin recalled that he picked the particular home after a location manager visited San Francisco to select options for the Tanner family residence before shooting began in 1987. “I wanted the family to live in one of those classic Victorian homes. For some reason, this one jumped out at me. There were lots of candidates but this was the winner.”
Franklin recalled that his team took a bunch of shots from the outside. “We didn’t need to return until years later but by that point the owner, I guess, had become annoyed with fans coming by and wasn’t cooperative,” he said.
Subsequent owners also were frustrated living inside a tourist magnet. “No one has allowed us to shoot there since we did our very first stock shoot back in ‘87. Our audience has watched the same cars drive by that house now for 29 years. It’s going to be really nice to see some new ones now,” Franklin joked. The producer is looking toward making the home part of the new incarnation of the show, Fuller House, which streams on Netflix. The reboot debuted in February and a second season is prepped and ready to roll out on December 9. He is hoping for a season-three renewal to shoot in and around the home. “We would take advantage of the fact that I now own the house and shoot some new footage, maybe bring the cast up too,” Franklin said.
In addition to some filming and fun cast events, Franklin also has an eye out to rent the property to the public. “It’s a shame to let it sit empty,” he stated. “I will be renting it out but I’m not sure yet what, where, when or how. At some point, I will figure it out.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2016.
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