All Episodes Talk: You Take Them Both and There You Have

[txhorns79]

Quote

Googling this is bringing up all kinds of fun stuff.  I'm seeing several '70s series that had at least three successful spinoffs like Happy Days and All in the Family but I'm not getting a definitive answer on shows that had most failed attempts at it, although Facts of Life does pop up again there. 

Don't forget that The Facts of Life is a spin off of Diff'rent Strokes. 

[nodorothyparker]

Even if I'm able to imagine that any of these shows would have succeeded in today's TV field, I cannot picture any network or its executives now saying yes, let's build an entirely new project around a supporting player from one of our popular shows who happens to be a somewhat frumpy older female housekeeper.  TV was very different then.  Charlotte Rae was 53 that first season of Facts of Life, a full half a decade before The Golden Girls would get so much attention and acclaim for being "groundbreaking" in starring older actresses.

[GHScorpiosRule]

17 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

Don't forget that The Facts of Life is a spin off of Diff'rent Strokes. 

@nodorothyparker mentioned that on the previous page.

[Bort]

Yeah, that's what really baffles me, that The Facts of Life was not only greenlighted, but that it was a hit. Also, how did Kimberly from Diff'rent Strokes go there, anyway, if she lived at home and it was a boarding school? Was boarding optional?

[GHScorpiosRule]

8 minutes ago, kariyaki said:

Yeah, that's what really baffles me, that The Facts of Life was not only greenlighted, but that it was a hit. Also, how did Kimberly from Diff'rent Strokes go there, anyway, if she lived at home and it was a boarding school? Was boarding optional?

Plot contrivance? To set up Facts of Life?

[nodorothyparker]

As a kid that never even registered with me.  Now that I live in the same general area of the country, though, it doesn't make sense unless the Drummonds' limo driver was really really into commuting.  Peekskill is a good 50 miles from NYC through NYC traffic.

Without going back and watching old episodes of Diff'rent Strokes (and I'd really rather not), I want to say I think she disappeared for stretches of episodes where she could have been "away at school"  But this was also the era of the Very Special Episode where she had bulimia and various other things happen to her, so who knows.  I don't think we ever saw her actually at Eastland, did we?  I seriously can't remember now.

[GHScorpiosRule]

18 minutes ago, nodorothyparker said:

Without going back and watching old episodes of Diff'rent Strokes (and I'd really rather not), I want to say I think she disappeared for stretches of episodes where she could have been "away at school"  But this was also the era of the Very Special Episode where she had bulimia and various other things happen to her, so who knows.  I don't think we ever saw her actually at Eastland, did we?  I seriously can't remember now.

The bulimia story line didn't happen until she was in her late teens, though. And we know that Tootie had been there since she was 11? I don't ever recall seeing her at Eastland. And I don't feel like checking, either.

[txhorns79]

Quote

Without going back and watching old episodes of Diff'rent Strokes (and I'd really rather not), I want to say I think she disappeared for stretches of episodes where she could have been "away at school"  But this was also the era of the Very Special Episode where she had bulimia and various other things happen to her, so who knows.  I don't think we ever saw her actually at Eastland, did we?  I seriously can't remember now.

I think maybe the Eastland girls "visited" Kimberly once on Diff'rent Strokes, but I don't recall her ever appearing on The Facts of Life except the backdoor pilot at the end of the first season (Garrett's Girls) and the first episode of the actual show.  I want to say Kimberly was college age when she was actually written off Diff'rent Strokes as a regular character. 

Quote

Even if I'm able to imagine that any of these shows would have succeeded in today's TV field, I cannot picture any network or its executives now saying yes, let's build an entirely new project around a supporting player from one of our popular shows who happens to be a somewhat frumpy older female housekeeper.  TV was very different then.  Charlotte Rae was 53 that first season of Facts of Life, a full half a decade before The Golden Girls would get so much attention and acclaim for being "groundbreaking" in starring older actresses.

In the late 70s, NBC was doing very poorly in the ratings and Diff'rent Strokes was one of its most successful shows.  I think that played a role in why they were willing to spin off Mrs. Garrett.

Quote

Charlotte Rae was 53 that first season of Facts of Life, a full half a decade before The Golden Girls would get so much attention and acclaim for being "groundbreaking" in starring older actresses.

 

In fairness, The Golden Girls was an entirely different show, where all the regular characters were in their 50s/60s/80s, and their age was a big facet of the show.  With Facts of Life, Mrs. Garrett was more housemother to teenagers, who were the main focus of the show.      

Edited October 17, 2017 by txhorns79

[Bort]

Kimberly showed up in the first episode of Facts of Life. Nothing after that. The girls from this show appeared on the mother show quite a few times. Blair twice, Tootie five times, Natalie twice, Jo zero. 

No, I didn’t know this from memory, imdb was a big help. Though I did remember Kimberly showing up here once. 

[nodorothyparker]

Very true on all your points, @txhorns79.  It would be years before NBC managed anything close to "Must See TV" and that probably made the network people more willing to take a risk.

The Golden Girls was very much a different animal entirely but it's still worth noting that Mrs. Garrett was the known quantity they started with as the basis for this new show.   We never got to see much of her life outside of her official role at Eastland but they still threw in stuff occasionally to let us know she had more going on in her life than just sitting in that prim little room across the hall in her down time.  I didn't notice it so much as a kid when I was watching primarily because I loved Blair and Jo, but rewatching it as an adult it's definitely there.  The Jo shoplifts a Hawaiian shirt for Mrs. Garrett's birthday episode ends with her gleefully going out with the security guard who arrested her when she tried to exchange the stolen shirt at the store, for example.

And as we saw, by the second season they'd dumped most of that first batch of girls and retooled in a way that specifically kept Mrs. Garrett as the sole adult regular heavily in the mix.

[SnarkySheep]

Just saw the episode where Jo wants to marry her friend Enrico, after finding out he's in the US illegally and about to be deported...

I dunno, but the whole thing just struck me as ridiculous. Did Jo REALLY believe that she and Enrico would only have to be married for "two days" before getting divorced and then he'd be able to stay? Jo is a smart girl; I find it really hard to believe that she wouldn't have researched the whole thing inside and out.

[Ubiquitous]

Yeah, I thought Kimberly Drummond attended Eastland as well but never thought about it until now. I remember all the Drummonds were there in the pilot but we never saw Kimberly again. I thought maybe she moved there and lived somewhere else and I vaguely recall she was missing for periods of time on Diff'rent Strokes, but the actress could have been in rehab for al I know.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I just saw the episode where Natalie made up someone who had had an abortion to support the statistics she had found in the Eastland newspaper. I went back to watch it twice, and I don't recall if her article stated the girl was from Eastland or not. I'm thinking yes, because Blair was asking her to reveal her name. And it turned out there really was one--Annie, who had had an abortion.

Aside from the parents of our core cast, it seems to me, upon rewatching this series as an adult, all other parents are like the adults in a Charlie Brown cartoon: "WAHWAHWAHHWAHWAHWAH." So uptight and non-progressive. Just look at the book banning episode--the parents didn't want their girls being taught "immoral" things. And then the paternalistic and condescending line from Mr. Parker in the abortion article episode about how he "knew" his "girls." And that no one would EVER get an abortion.

Of course I'm going to continue to watch, but Natalie was fired as editor or was she just suspended? Because I seem to recall that was the one thing she continued to do throughout high school/Eastland years.

And OMG, was that Paris movie AWFUL. What was the point of it? Other than Mrs. Garrett going to Cordon Bleu?

[MarkHB]

On 10/18/2017 at 6:42 PM, SnarkySheep said:

Jo is a smart girl; I find it really hard to believe that she wouldn't have researched the whole thing inside and out.

I am sure she would have, but what I do not find hard to believe is that a bunch of 70's sitcom writers would not have researched the whole thing inside and out.

 

On 10/23/2017 at 9:54 AM, Ubiquitous said:

I thought maybe she moved there and lived somewhere else and I vaguely recall she was missing for periods of time on Diff'rent Strokes, but the actress could have been in rehab for al I know.

I'm pretty sure that TPTB were just trying to get her off the set by that point, unfortunately.

[GHScorpiosRule]

So, I just watched the second season premiere on YouTube and it struck me again, what a good actress Nancy McKeon is.  She had me in tears in the second half, when she told Mrs. Garrett, that she was going to stay after all in Eastland because she loves her mom. And then I just watched "Double Standard," the one where that high tone would be rapist childhood friend of Blair, Harrison, asked Jo to the Cotillion. But not to actually take her to the dance. And the scene where she told Mrs. Garrett what happened, and what she hoped the dance would be like, and that she wanted for Mrs. Garrett to be proud of her. GOD! I lost it, and the tears just gushed.

And Nancy's actually a child actor, who started doing voice work--I remember her doing the voice of the girl in those Saturday Morning Cartoons? The One about Miss Switch. Who was a...witch! And she was also on The Love Boat, though I didn't remember seeing her there until I watched it in syndication years later when she was already on this show. I remember when she and her brother, Phillip hit it big, and seeing an article in...Teen Beat? with a headline about telling Jimmy and Kristy McNicol to move over, there was a new brother/sister team in town!

Now I know why Tootie being obsessed about Jermaine Jackson bugged me--in the premiere, after the girls were busted, she said how she needed eight hours of sleep; unless she was dreaming about Michael Jackson--then she would need nine hours. Of course, I suppose in the next two years, she went from Michael to Jermaine, and I still have to ask: WHY?

I go back and forth over whether I should get this on dvd. Because there are some episodes that I just cannot stomach. I really dislike the ones that are centered on the Bates Academy. UGH. The only decent looking guy was Chip--the guy who hurt his ankle and was supposed to be Jo's date. But the writing is just so, so bad and cringeworthy. But Nancy really is beautiful, and I find her better looking than Lisa. Go figure. I don't know, her beauty is just more natural, I guess?

[Snow Apple]

3 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Now I know why Tootie being obsessed about Jermaine Jackson bugged me--in the premiere, after the girls were busted, she said how she needed eight hours of sleep; unless she was dreaming about Michael Jackson--then she would need nine hours. Of course, I suppose in the next two years, she went from Michael to Jermaine, and I still have to ask: WHY?

The thing is, I could swear Tootie gushed about Michael sometime after the Jermaine episode too.

Though I guess I'd also go back to Michael after meeting Jermaine and got back my senses.

[ivygirl]

Yeah, that Jermaine episode is crazy, but I’ll be honest: I did basically the same thing, around the same age. Simon le Bon’s my favorite! No, John Taylor is! No, Simon! And I can’t explain why, either. Maybe it was how they looked in their different videos? Maybe Simon got a bad haircut at some point? Not sure.

In itself, flipping out over Jermaine was weird. It was clearly driven by “this is the Jackson we can get for the show.” But flip-flopping, I can see. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

And so I decided to watch the first season (YouTube!) last night, and I don't know how I forgot that not only are the lyrics slightly different, but Charlotte Rae sings a few of the bars!

Mr. Headmaster is SKEEVY to the point that I'm surprised he was headmaster. And how he was drooling over Blair's mother in the second episode. I am SO GLAD they recast with Marj Dusay as Blair's mom. Sorry to sound unPC, but that first actress was nothing short of a...I don't even know the word, but she disgusted me, and brushing off having an affair with an "old school friend" (Yeah riiiight) was perfectly okay. Or that it was justified by Mrs. Garrett! as being "flirty."

That said, in the pilot, I loved how Mrs. Garrett showed Blair how judgmental she was being, by insinuating that Blair must give it out, based on how she dresses and acts.

[SnarkySheep]

I decided long ago that Season 2 - the first with the main regular cast - would be Season 1 in my mind. The actual Season 1 just feels like a totally different show.

[GHScorpiosRule]

18 hours ago, SnarkySheep said:

I decided long ago that Season 2 - the first with the main regular cast - would be Season 1 in my mind. The actual Season 1 just feels like a totally different show.

Truth!

The first season had Natalie not as an only child, but that she had a sister. Well, according to the pilot. Was she like Chuck Cunningham? And I guess they weren't too confident about this show because Mrs. Garrett as den mother was supposed to be a temporary gig and she would then return to Mr. Drummond's household. I'm just skimming over them, but I do remember loving the one where Sue Ann got high on pot, and thus her "report" on Moby Dick was hilarious!

Watched season four episode last night...blanking on the title, but we met Tootie's drunk driving ass of a brother, who nearly killed Tootie, Natalie and Blair. How old is Tootie supposed to be now? 14? 15? How she could be blind and not even see that Marshall wasn't in any condition to drive a car...I really liked Jo here, how she hugged Natalie, who couldn't stop shaking from the shock.

[Bort]

In the first season, Blair was like a hybrid of <season2 Blair and Jo: spoiled rich girl, but also wild and rebellious. Then they brought Jo along, gave her wild and rebellious qualities and just left Blair with the spoiled and rich traits.

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 11/3/2017 at 8:28 PM, Snow Apple said:

The thing is, I could swear Tootie gushed about Michael sometime after the Jermaine episode too.

She did! It was in the fourth season finale, "Graduation," when Blair and Jo graduated from Eastland. Tootie was talking about how she now had more room to put more of her stuff, like a "Michael Jackson poster" here, and then she pointed to the opposite wall and said she'd put another one there, so she'd be surrounded by Michael. Yep, Jermaine was an aberration. Or maybe she wuz mad at Michael for leaving the Jackson Five?

Anyhoo, I just realized that I cannot STAND Tootie. Her whiny, clingy, high-pitched voice. How she is totally clueless and blind about some things. And I actually loved her during her first two seasons. Actually, I loved her during the weird first season, with her "There's gonna be troublllllllllllle!"

I got pissed at both her and Natalie for destroying that ceramic vase Jo had made for her mom, in the episode (second part) when Jo decided she was going to be a nun, just like Blair's stepsister Jan Brady. They weren't five year old children, who could be forgiven for dropping or breaking something like that.

And I just love that Blair's parents are Lionel Lockridge from Santa Barbara, and the recast Alexandra Spaulding on Guiding Light AND the recast of Pamela Capwell on Santa Barbara! And of course, Jo's dad was Mo Green from The Godfather! And look! Jo's aunt Evelyn, from her mother's side was Mrs. Rossini from Who's the Boss?! Funny how Jo and Charlie (her Pop) had the Bronx accent, but not her mom!

Nancy looked really awkward in the skirt and blouse she wore in "Graduation." And I hated that the show didn't at least have her hair styled differently during her graduation! So glad she changed that look shortly after her first year in college. Or was it the second year? Did they want to make Jo look "ugly" compared to Lisa's Blair?

[psychoticstate]

On 11/8/2017 at 4:50 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Anyhoo, I just realized that I cannot STAND Tootie. Her whiny, clingy, high-pitched voice. How she is totally clueless and blind about some things. And I actually loved her during her first two seasons.

I like Kim Fields but despise Tootie.  Everything seems to revolve around Tootie -- heck, even when Natalie's father dies, it's about how it's affecting Tootie.  Worse maybe is that Mrs. Garrett and the other girls always wave away Tootie's ridiculous behavior and never hold her accountable.  They know she has a big mouth and can't keep confidences and yet the others continue to tell her confidential information and then react as though she's a five year old child who slipped up.

I'm not sure why the writers were so focused on Tootie.  She's the weak link in the cast IMO - - Kim Fields was really good in "Living Single" but she's constantly whining, gasping and pouting here.  Maybe it was poor direction but it's all I can see in so many episodes (especially when Nancy, Lisa and Mindy really shine.) 

[Snow Apple]

In addition to all that, Tootie seriously could not understand why 20 year old Blair had a different set of rules than her 16 year old self.  That's not Faaaaair!!!111!!!

[CeeBeeGee]

On 11/6/2017 at 11:28 AM, GHScorpiosRule said:

And so I decided to watch the first season (YouTube!) last night, and I don't know how I forgot that not only are the lyrics slightly different, but Charlotte Rae sings a few of the bars!

Mr. Headmaster is SKEEVY to the point that I'm surprised he was headmaster. And how he was drooling over Blair's mother in the second episode. I am SO GLAD they recast with Marj Dusay as Blair's mom. Sorry to sound unPC, but that first actress was nothing short of a...I don't even know the word, but she disgusted me, and brushing off having an affair with an "old school friend" (Yeah riiiight) was perfectly okay. Or that it was justified by Mrs. Garrett! as being "flirty."

That said, in the pilot, I loved how Mrs. Garrett showed Blair how judgmental she was being, by insinuating that Blair must give it out, based on how she dresses and acts.

Charlotte Rae was an old musical hand on Broadway--she played Mammy Yoakum in the original cast of Lil' Abner and a few other things.

Yes, the skeeve factor is OFF THE HOOK in the first season. All those nubile girls running around in short shorts in upstate New York! I love the first season but am glad they retooled the cast and started writing much more believable scripts for the girls. I have a osft spot for the original Mrs. Warner though--I love it when she says (almost through clenched teeth)  "Men are attracted to beautiful women, Blair, and whether you like it or not, yo're going to have to deal with that too." Can you just imagine your mother saying that to you! "You're going to be hit on, honey, so you might as well give in. If it swells, ride it, right?"

[GHScorpiosRule]

I don't know that I would call this one of my least favorite episodes, but it's certainly not one I like because of the many eyerolls I did. I'm blanking on the name, Season five, episode when Tootie's cousin, Michael asks Natalie out to a dance. And she hems and haws and lies that she and Tootie have something to do. Considering that Archie Bunker's Place (which changed from All in the Family by 1983) was still on the air, albeit another network, it's so ridiculous that NO ONE could say the word racist. It was either "THAT" or "You know what!" "I'm not...THAT!" and only say "prejudiced" and have Natalie think she was a bigot. And the way she ran off the number of things her parents did to prove she was liberal was so cringe worthy. And how did I forget that Tootie's aunt and Uncle MacGyver divorced? And that she was GLAD that they didn't have any children. UGH.

Another episode that turned Jo into a power hungry bully was "All or Nothing" when she became a member on the Board or Regents. Where was ALL that anger coming from? Where she refused to accept the $100,000 for the scholarship, but just fell into the mob mentality of NO SCOREBOARD! AT ALL!!!! I recognized the Football Quarterback as the doofus who played the new "Jon's" younger brother on ChiPs after Larry Wilcox left; and look! It's BIFF! from Back to the Future! And Blair was the voice of reason? And Jo became this person I didn't recognize within a week? PUH-LEAZE.

[Maverick]

I thought Jo was true to character in that one.   She always had a chip on her shoulder about rich people would never give an inch.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

So "Dream Marriage" was on yesterday, and OMGEEE, how did I not notice that 16 years, that's 16 YEARS, when the girls and Mrs. Garrett meet at "the turn of the century, 2000" that Tootie STILL is wearing BRACES! I DIED. I'm cringing while I'm watching this show's take on Buck Rogers. Of course, it's all about Cliff proposing to Blair, and she's just "very, very Happy" and not working, but just Mrs. Cliff whatever Cliff's last name is. Jo looks the absolute BEST. Again I wonder why the show continued to downplay her beauty, and we had to wait another year before Jo would actually style her hair, instead of keeping it tied and braided back from her face. Natalie ended up as some Hippie who had two kids, but adopted five. I just...no words. 

I think Lisa was supposed to be the star, because the opening credits had two different themes. One where everyone is featured, but they're from past and current episodes, and another one, where Charlotte Rae is smiling into the camera a la Brady Bunch when her name shows up, as does Lisa does, when her face shows up, but Mindy, Kim and Nancy are just shown as their characters from different episodes.

[GHScorpiosRule]

How could I forget that John Astin also appeared on  the show? Now I’m bummed that neither Sean or Patty Duke guest starred.

Edited January 4, 2018 by GHScorpiosRule

[Bort]

37 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

How could I forget that John Astin also appeared on  the show? Now I’m bummed that neither Sean or Patty Duke guest starred.

Mackenzie was a regular for the last few seasons. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Just now, kariyaki said:

Mackenzie was a regular for the last few seasons. 

I know. That’s why I posted being bummed the rest of the family didn’t also appear.?

OOH! The unknown/least famous Cassidy on that computer dating episode!

And good Grief! How many years did Kim have to wear braces???!

[SnarkySheep]

Did anyone know that Lisa Whelchel released an album of Christian music in the '80s??

https://www.metv.com/lists/8-tv-stars-from-the-1980s-who-recorded-one-hit-wonder-pop-songs

[GHScorpiosRule]

Okay, so season six just finished airing, and that was a mess in terms of airing episodes out of order.

What I mean is, the original airing--Kim Fields clearly still had her braces, yet they would air an episode or two with her braces, then no braces, then another episode with her braces! Then there was "The Interview Show" which was the second to last? episode, and it was so OBVIOUS, just from Jo's hairstyle, that it was filmed in the beginning of the season, yet aired at the end of the season. And at the end, during the last few, Charlotte Rae wasn't even in the episodes. Edna was off having her romance with Kevin's dad and travelling, so her comment about being alone, didn't make sense, since we, the viewers knew she wasn't alone.

And it's interesting that Ryan Cassidy wasn't more successful in front of the camera. He's like a mixture of David and Patrick, in terms of looks.

[imjagain]

On 10/9/2017 at 8:41 PM, SnarkySheep said:

See, and to me, Blair never looked like a teenager, especially around the other girls...with her looks and the style of dressing, she always looked about 35.

I agree as the season went on she appeared so much older. It was her style, that made her seem older. However that first season she definitely had that late  70's sexy girl look. She looked so different 2nd season.

Watching all the episodes, Natalie style was the best as the show came to an end. The 80's weren't easy on anyone but she never had the big puffy hair that the other girls had. They ALL wore the big shoulder pads but Natalie clothes looked good on her (for the time)sweaters and jeans. I could never figure out why Blair dressed like a 40-year-old. 

Edited February 1, 2018 by imjagain

[Maverick]

 Natalie had some pretty tragic outfits in the Over Our Heads era.   There were several times she was in those baggy jumpsuits that made anyone who wore them look like a half-deflated Macy's parade balloon.  

[JAYJAY1979]

I do agree Natalie had the teased side ponytale look plus some weird jumpsuit outfits that were baggy on her... but by the final season, her hair was straight and thick while the over sized sweater and jeans looked great on her.  Jo, in the final season, had the huge permed hair and oversized clothes... I guess in an attempt to show she'd grown up and wasn't the biker girl anymore.

[jumper sage]

On 10/17/2017 at 4:37 PM, kariyaki said:

Yeah, that's what really baffles me, that The Facts of Life was not only greenlighted, but that it was a hit. Also, how did Kimberly from Diff'rent Strokes go there, anyway, if she lived at home and it was a boarding school? Was boarding optional?

Apparently Kimberly went to Eastland/Eastlake and then transferred to public school to be with her brothers.

 

On 11/7/2017 at 12:30 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Watched season four episode last night...blanking on the title, but we met Tootie's drunk driving ass of a brother, who nearly killed Tootie, Natalie and Blair. How old is Tootie supposed to be now? 14? 15? How she could be blind and not even see that Marshall wasn't in any condition to drive a car...I really liked Jo here, how she hugged Natalie, who couldn't stop shaking from the shock.

Have been watching the Decades marathon for the last 2 days.  Just caught the drinking/driving episode.  It really shows how much time has passed and our opinions have changed.  Thanks to MADD.  I was aghast at how no one stopped Tootie's brother from driving.  Even Mrs. Garrett who knew he was drunk.  Now days someone would have taken the keys or called the police to head him off.  Back then it wasn't even a crime.  My dad got 2 drunk drivings back in the 70s and the police chuckled and even drove him home - no arrest.

Speaking of changes.  The bakery delivery guy would literally sexually harass Jo on a daily basis.  This was comedy?  We have come a long way.  These shows would be good in a high school current events class.

[GalvDuck]

On 1/15/2018 at 11:42 PM, SnarkySheep said:

Did anyone know that Lisa Whelchel released an album of Christian music in the '80s??

https://www.metv.com/lists/8-tv-stars-from-the-1980s-who-recorded-one-hit-wonder-pop-songs

Yup, I own the cassette and the LP.  I also have "Do Something Now," the Christian artists' version of "We are the World" and a Stormy Omartian workout video in which Lisa appears. 

Me?  A fan?  No, not really.....  ;)  

[GHScorpiosRule]

So "62 Pick Up" was on today. I've been waiting for this! I remember the promo the show did for this, with all the girls dressed in '60s dresses, I think it was, with Jo/Nancy sitting on the top of the piano and ending it with "doo wa" or something like that. I TOTALLY forgot that the real Fabian and Bobby Rydell were guest stars as themselves? And I was ????? SO HARD at Tootie not knowing who they were, or that she had never heard of them. They were really popular about 20 -25 years previously. I was roughly the same age as Tootie, so I saw GREASE! and even if I hadn't, I knew about the Beatles and all the groups and songs from that period. And Tootie, someone who wanted to be an actress, and was into music, had never heard of them? Really?

They really shoulda had Patty Duke guest star in this.

Though both Fabian and Bobby looked RIDICULOUS in those horrid wigs in the flashback!

[GalvDuck]

14 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

They really shoulda had Patty Duke guest star in this.

My favorite sitcom growing up WITH my favorite actress of all time?  That would have been over the top...far out....to die for...the most!

[SnarkySheep]

On 3/7/2018 at 7:41 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

I TOTALLY forgot that the real Fabian and Bobby Rydell were guest stars as themselves? And I was ????? SO HARD at Tootie not knowing who they were, or that she had never heard of them. They were really popular about 20 -25 years previously.

Right?? Like today's kids might not be totally familiar with John Travolta or somebody, but they'd certainly have HEARD of him

 

On 10/17/2017 at 4:37 PM, kariyaki said:

Also, how did Kimberly from Diff'rent Strokes go there, anyway, if she lived at home and it was a boarding school? Was boarding optional?

Well, I live in CT, the land of a thousand boarding schools (never been to one myself, or even known anyone who did, LOL). But I do know that pretty much all of them have both day students and boarders, so I'd imagine Eastland was no different.

[JAYJAY1979]

So the show had Blair, the typical rich girl and Jo, the girl from the wrong side of the tracks... yet I always sided with Blair over Jo because Jo had such a nasty attitude.  I loved that the show showcased that even people from the wrong side of the tracks had entitlement/classist issues just as much as the wealthy.  

[GHScorpiosRule]

So we had the episode where Blair crashed her car and had that hugeass “scar” on her forehead. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more shallow episode. And today, Jo got married! And NO SIGN of the dreaded scar post plastic surgery!

But more importantly for me, is WHY THE RUSH for Jo’s wedding? They managed to get the church, dresses all in one week! Or within the one day after Jo said yes.????

What I found to be the most egregious was the absence of Mrs. Garrett. Not even a throwaway line about letting her know. Or maybe it was edited out? But still. She should have been there!!! And no moments between the girls? No ‘something new...something blue...something borrowed?’ 

I’m not sure what was going behind the scenes at the time, but this was lazy, sloppy and insulting.

There are only a handful left, so I hope they start with season one next week, and not season two.

Edited April 5, 2018 by GHScorpiosRule
Stoopid Autocorrect! “The” is not the same as “they!”

[GHScorpiosRule]

8 hours ago, 17wheatthins said:

Next week is season one! Starting with "weird" Cindy. 

And the irony in that is that Cindy became a glamorous model!?

My favorite part of that was Mrs. Garrett putting Blair in her place/taking her down a peg or three.

[ivygirl]

I hadn’t seen the atrocious “Blair accident” episode until a couple years ago, when I got the dvds. That whole last season or so just felt so tacked on and untrue to most of the characters. I’m glad I didn’t see those when I was a kid, because they’d have ruined my perception of the show, in some ways. 

[GalvDuck]

56 minutes ago, ivygirl said:

I hadn’t seen the atrocious “Blair accident” episode until a couple years ago, when I got the dvds. That whole last season or so just felt so tacked on and untrue to most of the characters. I’m glad I didn’t see those when I was a kid, because they’d have ruined my perception of the show, in some ways. 

I guess I'm in the minority of fans who liked that episode.  Blair was my favorite and Lisa Whelchel rocked in my book.  

Wait...holdup!...the whole series is finally out on DVD?  When did that happen?  Last I heard, it was only four seasons and I was holding out for the whole thing.  Is it just the series or are there any extras -- bloopers, commentary, behind-the-scenes?

[ivygirl]

Yep! Looks like it was released in 2015? I got it maybe 2016. They have the episodes in France and Australia, and stuff from the Paley Center on 2014. Some other stuff also, listed on Amazon. Quality is not bad. It’s worth it if you love the show :)

[GHScorpiosRule]

YESSSSSS!!!!!!! We’re back to season one and I’m reliving my tween? Years! Loved Mrs. Garrett putting Blair in her place! And they’re so young! Babies! I remember that Lisa Welchel and the one who played Sue Ann (I always forget her name) from The Mickey Mouse Club that aired-and Lisa was a deep brunette!???

Now I’m irked that I stopped the dvring for Diff’rent Strokes if only to see the backdoor pilot that explained why Mrs. Garrett was leaving and how in the pilot here, she promises she’ll return to the Drummonds after they find a replacement for her at Eastland.

[GalvDuck]

I completely forgot that Monica Warner was played by two different actresses.  I saw the description for this morning's episode on MeTV and couldn't picture it until I watched my DVR recording today.  Then I was like, Oh yeah...it was blonde Pam Huntington, not brunette Marj Dusay!  That's why I couldn't remember the scene.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I think it was a very smart choice to recast Blair's mother. Huntington couldn't convince me she was a mother; and that episode just pisses me off. It was CLEAR and OBVIOUS Monica had no problem in starting an affair or a weekend night stand with a married man, and that she was so weak, and tried to justify it to Blair. What was worse was Mrs. Garrett explaining it away as a "flirtation." Marj Dusay gave Monica more layers and gravitas---you saw how she was this affluent woman, but she wasn't shallow or weak, or, and I'll say it, a slut.

Moving on, rewatching the first season, I never realized how creepy and sleazy Mr. Bradley was. UGH. Coming on to Blair, his complete inability to communicate/talk with the girls under his charge. And it wasn't until today's episode, "IQ," that I learned Jenny O'Hara's character is a teacher. But does she teach both biology and history? Or just history?

I'm not looking forward to this weekend's episode that has Tootie's father coming to the school; and deciding that Mrs. Garrett is a bad influence on Tootie. Blech. BUT, I still prefer these episodes to the ones with Beverly Ann.