Things Only Hardcore Fans Know About Full House
Everywhere you look, you can find the impact that "Full House" has had on television. John Stamos still has a successful acting career after his role as Jesse Kastopolis helped skyrocket him to stardom. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who rose to fame playing Michelle Tanner, continue to make headlines for their work in the fashion industry.
The original series aired on ABC from 1987 to 1995. After struggling to get good ratings during the first season, the show became a massive success. To this day, fans can't get enough of "Full House" and its reboot "Fuller House." They rewatch the series, visit the Tanner family's iconic home in San Francisco, and make memes out of scenes from the show.
Most people know basic things about the sitcom, like the Olsen twins sharing the role of Michelle, the funny catchphrases used by the characters ("You got it, dude!"), and Uncle Jesse being an absolute heartthrob. However, there is some fun trivia that only the cast members and hardcore fans know about "Full House." Read on to discover some surprising facts about the show.
The show's original title was House of Comics
It's hard to imagine the show being called anything other than "Full House," but the original title was supposed to be "House of Comics." You might be wondering why that would be the title, since Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier) was the only comedian in the Tanner household.
Jeff Franklin (the show's creator and executive producer) originally planned on making a sitcom about three comedians living together. The trio probably would've gotten into all kinds of hijinks, so it would've been a much different kind of show than what "Full House" eventually became.
ABC let Franklin know they were actually looking for a more wholesome, family-friendly show similar to "Family Ties," which was popular at the time. Franklin made some changes to his initial concept, but he admitted he didn't think the network would approve of his new idea. A widower asking his brother-in-law and best friend to help him raise his three daughters is definitely an unconventional idea for a family show. But clearly, something about it captured audience's attention.
A different actor portrayed Danny Tanner in the pilot episode
Franklin's first choice for Danny Tanner was Bob Saget, but he was busy making a show called "The Morning Program" on CBS. Franklin considered having Paul Reiser play the role, but that fell through when Reiser decided to star in the sitcom "My Two Dads" instead.
That's why John Posey ended up portraying Danny in the original pilot episode. This version of the episode was never aired, and few people realize that one of the most memorable characters on "Full House" was almost played by someone else. Dedicated fans can find different versions of this unaired episode online or in the bonus sections of some "Full House" DVDs, though.
So how did Saget end up landing the role? The show that he had been making wasn't very popular, and it got canceled after just nine months. He was suddenly available to take on a new, more promising project. He decided to join "Full House," Franklin re-shot the pilot episode with him in it, and the rest is history!
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were billed as one child
Most people know that Michelle was played by both Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. This was done because child labor laws limit the number of hours that a young child can work in a day: With two kids, there are suddenly twice as many available shooting hours. It also made it easier to get the right shot, since the twins could be swapped out if needed.
But although the Olsen twins became famous from their role on "Full House," the show originally credited "Mary-Kate Ashley Olsen" for portraying the spunky, lovable Michelle. Producers wanted to hide the fact that two actresses were sharing the role, which also explains why their names are listed as "Mary-Kate Ashley Olsen" in the credits — the word "and" was left out on purpose.
The talented little girls landed the role of Michelle because they were the only twins who didn't cry at their audition. This was quite a feat, considering they were only about six months old at the time.
The initial plan was for the producers to choose one of them to play the role once they grew a little older, since on-set restrictions were less strict for children than for infants and toddlers, and by that point, they would have a better idea of which twin performed more consistently for the camera. They were thinking about keeping Mary-Kate and firing Ashley, but Stamos reportedly convinced them to keep both twins on the show.
John Stamos and the Olsen twins didn't initially get along
Uncle Jesse and Michelle had a special bond that could melt even the coldest of hearts. They had tons of adorable moments together, whether Jesse was giving Michelle heartfelt advice, singing her a song, or just joking around with her. She even said her first word to Jesse when she called him "Dada" instead of her actual dad.
However, Stamos and the Olsen twins didn't initially have the same kind of bond. In fact, Stamos tried to get the twins fired because they cried a lot while the first few episodes of the show were being filmed. Producers tried having a different pair of twins play the role, but of course, that didn't work out and they brought the Olsen twins back. Stamos himself has admitted this was true (via NME).
"It was very difficult to get the shot, so that is 100 percent accurate. I said, 'Get rid of these kids.' They brought in a couple of unattractive redheaded kids, and we tried that for a while and that didn't work. So it was, 'All right, invite the Olsen twins back.' That's the story."
You can tell the Olsen twins apart if you watch Michelle closely
Although it's not easy to tell which twin is playing Michelle in a given scene, there are ways to tell them apart if you pay close attention. Mary-Kate and Ashley are fraternal twins, so they don't look exactly the same.
For instance, they have freckles on different parts of their faces. Mary-Kate has a freckle on her right cheek while Ashley has one above her mouth. Also, Mary-Kate's ears are more round, while Ashley's are ever-so-slightly pointy.
One more noticeable tell is that Mary-Kate is left-handed, while Ashley is right-handed. If Michelle is drawing in an episode, look at which hand she's using and you'll be able to tell which twin is on screen. The show got around this slight issue by saying that Michelle was ambidextrous, which would explain why she could use either hand while drawing, writing, or eating.
Aside from their different appearances, they were usually in different types of scenes. Mary-Kate was great at comedy, so she typically acted in the funny scenes, while Ashley handled more serious ones.
The original actors who played Becky and Jesse's twins were replaced after 12 episodes
In Season 5 of "Full House," Becky (Lori Loughlin) and Jesse Katsopolis had twin sons named Alex and Nicky. Since the Olsen twins played the role of Michelle for many years, you might expect the same to be true for this new set of twins, but that wasn't the case.
Kevin and Daniel Renteria originally portrayed the twins, but they were replaced after 12 episodes. Apparently, this was done so the boys could continue living normal lives, avoiding the negative impact of child stardom. Dylan and Blake Tuomy-Wilhoit stepped into the roles of the Katsopolis boys at this point, and they continued acting on the show until it eventually came to an end.
Dylan went on to become a foley artist, which is someone who makes and records sounds featured in movies, TV shows, and video games. Blake, on the other hand, left show business behind and decided to become a firefighter.
Kimmy and Becky were only supposed to be minor characters
With her outrageous jokes and eccentric personality, Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber) was an unforgettable character on "Full House." Not only was she DJ's (Candace Cameron Bure) best friend, but she was also the Tanner family's next-door neighbor, so she would stop by often to crack jokes and hilariously annoy members of the family.
Surprisingly though, Kimmy was only supposed to appear in a single episode. Producers liked her portrayal of Kimmy so much that they brought her back as a recurring character. She went on to become a main character on the show, since fans loved seeing all the crazy antics she'd get into.
Similarly, Becky was only supposed to appear on the show for a short amount of time. Loughlin was hired for six episodes, but fans couldn't get enough of her character and the undeniable chemistry between her and Stamos. That led producers to bring her back as a regular cast member and have her marry into the family in Season 4.
Years before they appeared together on the show, Stamos and Loughlin actually went on a date to Disneyland and shared a kiss. In an interview with HuffPost Live in 2013, Stamos said that he considers her to be "the one that got away" because the timing wasn't right for them, but the two remain good friends to this day.
Jesse Katsopolis' name was originally going to be Adam Cochran
Uncle Jesse was almost Uncle Adam until Stamos joined the cast. He didn't think Adam was the right name for the character, so he suggested Jesse instead. The name was a nod to Jesse Garon Presley, Elvis' twin brother who died during childbirth. Since Uncle Jesse was a huge fan of Elvis, the new name was the perfect fit for him. Interestingly enough, Jesse's last name was Cochran for the whole first season. It was later changed to Katsopolis to reflect his Greek heritage.
Besides having a nice ring to it, Jesse's new and improved last name opened up some interesting storylines for his character. In the episode "Greek Week" (Season 4, Episode 1), Jesse finds out he's actually been married to his ex-girlfriend for nearly 13 years because they took part in a "traditional Greek wedding." They have to reverse it before he can truly propose to Becky.
Are you confused by all these different names yet? We hope not, because we have another fun fact about Jesse's name. His mother reveals in "The Legend of Ranger Joe" (Season 5, Episode 6) that he was originally named Hermes. That was the name of his great-grandfather, as well as the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology. But young Jesse (sorry, Hermes) was teased so much in kindergarten for his name that he begged to have it changed.
Can you imagine the handsome bad boy with a heart of gold being called Uncle Hermes or Uncle Adam throughout the show? Neither can we.
The characters got their catchphrases in different ways
"You got it, dude!" "Have mercy!" "Cut. It. Out." "Oh Mylanta!" The show had so many memorable catchphrases it's hard to keep track of them all. But surprisingly, the characters' catchphrases weren't always planned by the writers and producers.
Coulier got Joey's catchphrase "Cut. It. Out." from his friend and former comedy partner, Mark Cendrowski, who used it in a bit.
He said in a 2014 interview with BuzzFeed, "I told [Cendrowski], 'I'm going to steal that. I'm going to use that someday,' And he said, 'Ah, you can't steal that.' So I starred on a show on Nickelodeon called 'Out of Control' and it became my hook on the show. And when 'Full House' started, I just brought it over and it stuck."
Stamos came up with Jesse's "Have mercy!" during the first episode of the show. He said in a 2021 interview with Insider that it was inspired by the verse in Roy Orbison's song "Pretty Woman" that goes, "No one could look as good as you, mercy." Stamos and his bandmates would use the phrase when they saw a pretty woman, which is what led Jesse to use it as well.
DJ's catchphrase was supposed to be "Oh my God!" but Candace Cameron Bure is Christian, and didn't want to take God's name in vain. The catchphrase was changed to "Oh Mylanta!" and DJ used it whenever she saw an attractive guy.
The iconic house from the opening credits sold for $4 million in 2016
Many viewers think that the Tanner household is one of the famous Painted Ladies in San Francisco, but it's actually located a mile to the north at 1709 Broderick Street. The beautiful Victorian-style home was built in 1892 and appeared in the opening credits for both "Full House" and the reboot "Fuller House."
Have you ever thought the Tanner household looks much bigger inside than it does from the outside? That's because the show wasn't filmed inside that home, but at spacious interior sets at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California.
In 2016, Jeff Franklin bought the iconic four-bedroom home for $4 million. He planned on turning it into a replica of the Tanner household and letting fans tour the place, but the neighbors didn't like that idea. Instead, Franklin renovated the house and put it back on the market. Even though it's not an official tourist attraction, it's still a popular destination for "Full House" fans, and people travel far and wide to take pictures in front of it.
Only one episode of the show was filmed in San Francisco
With the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge and Painted Ladies appearing in the opening credits, it has always been clear that the Tanner family lived in San Francisco. Despite that, only one episode was actually filmed on location in the Bay Area. That episode was "Comet's Excellent Adventure" (Season 8, Episode 1) and centered around the family dog Comet running away, prompting the Tanners to search the city for him.
Most of the other episodes were filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. The only exceptions were three episodes filmed in Hawaii and Walt Disney World. Since the producers chose to film on various sets rather than inside the actual house, there were some questionable parts of the Tanner household's floor plan. For example, there were two staircases on the lower story: One in the living room and one in the kitchen. However, there was only one staircase that led down from the upper story. Apparently, the second staircase was just there for décor.
Some fans have also questioned how it'd be possible for Jesse and Becky to live in the attic. Based on the exterior shots of the home, it's doubtful it'd have a big enough attic for a couple to live in, even temporarily. On top of that, there was supposed to be a basement that Joey lived in for a while. Although it seems unlikely that the house could be this big, anything's possible with the magic of Hollywood.
Several TV and movie remakes have been attempted
"Full House" was a hit, so it's no surprise that TV and movie remakes have been attempted over the years. Stamos suggested a "semi-remake" of the show in 2008, but that didn't come to fruition.
Stamos also said he was working on a movie idea in 2009. He told the New York Daily News' Gate Crasher, "I see Steve Carell as [Bob Saget's character] Danny Tanner and Tracy Morgan as [Dave Coulier's character] Joey Gladstone because he's funny." He went on to say that James Franco would be a great choice for his character, Jesse. Unfortunately, this project didn't go anywhere, either.
On the bright side, the reboot "Fuller House" aired in 2006 and lasted for five seasons. The show follows the widowed DJ Tanner-Fuller and her three sons as they live in her childhood home with her sister Stephanie, best friend Kimmy, and Kimmy's teenage daughter. Many members of the original "Full House" cast were either regular cast members or made guest appearances on the show. However, it wasn't as popular as the original series, and it was canceled in 2020. How rude!
Franklin mentioned the possibility of another show called "Fullest House," which would pick up where "Fuller House" left off. It's hard to say how serious he was about this, but it'd definitely be interesting to see all the new adventures the Tanner family would go on.