The Facts Of Life - General Discussion

[Guest]

This topic replaces the old The Facts Of Life forum which has been vaulted at the location below:  http://forums.previously.tv/forum/480-the-facts-of-life-v/

[Ubiquitous]

Did anyone catch the marathon of Lisa Welchel's fav eps leading to her new show on MeTV?

[Bort]

I did, although I only caught the last two episodes they ran. The last one was Seven Little Indians, so I got in right under the wire to see the best episode.

"Tootie."

[qtpye]

I have been watching a show called Good Girls and people have commented how refreshing it is to have lead actresses who are attractive and not all size zeros. Watching some of the reruns I was struck about how ahead of its time the show was in that department. These were nice looking healthy girls and having a variety of body shapes was not that common even now. Ironically, the show often got lampooned for it with all those horrible Fats of Life jokes. The only thing was that some of those eighties fashions really did make the ladies look far more mature than high school and     college girls.

[ivygirl]

I’m catching up on some episodes on my DVR and I’ve hit the “Cliff Era.” I really liked him, and liked him with Blair. I wish they had ultimately ended up with each other. I get that there were issues with timing (and her not feeling ready for his kind of life), but I thought he was a much better match than that guy at the shelter in the later episodes.

PS the episode “Dream Marriage” was especially prescient. It even captured how Kim Fields would look in the 2000s. LOL

[RealHousewife]

I loved this show for the warm fuzzies. 

[Was-MArsenault]

Nancy McKeon's guest appearance on Touched By An Angel is going to be tomorrow morning on Start TV at 8 AM.

[ivygirl]

MeTV recently showed “Front Page,” the episode where Jo gets angry at her journalism instructor for being tougher on her than the other students, so she writes a hit piece for the school paper based on a rumor that he’d been busted for coke.

The episode has always bugged me and I finally figured out why. I understand the concept of giving a talented or advanced student more of a challenge. But usually as a student, you FIRST know that the instructor believes you have potential and that they’re being tougher on you for a reason. Or, that you have a particular goal and NEED a serious push, like a sports coach training a young athlete who wants to go pro. Not that they’re being highly critical just giving you C’s in order to push you harder with no indication that that’s what is happening—and in a way that impacts your GPA! 

Jo was certainly not in the right by pushing that story through. But that teacher really should have let her know that he was challenging her with a purpose (and done so in a way that penalized her for having talent).

Edited July 23, 2019 by ivygirl

[Ubiquitous]

This morning,  MeTV played the ep in which Natalie tried to get even for Blair revealing it was she who wrote some anonymously complementary about a jock by tricking a guy they called "Pizza Face" (hey, it's  Dan Fleicher!) behind his back into a lunch date with Blair. It was a shitty thing to do, but I was totally distracted by the bad makeup job that made his face look purple instead of acne poxed.

It turned out OK at the end when they discovered they loved art watching at MoMA.

[Snow Apple]

2 hours ago, Ubiquitous said:

It turned out OK at the end when they discovered they loved art watching at MoMA.

This show is where I first heard of the MoMA. Funny yet sad that I can't remember what I had for lunch two days ago but I can still remember all these acronyms from 80's sitcoms. 

[MelloYellow]

It goes without saying that the 4 main 'Garrett Girls' had a special bond as a group.

Within that group, Jo & Blair and Natalie and Tootie were BFF's; however that didn't stop Natalie from starring in many stories with Blair (especially during the middle seasons) and/or exchanging plenty of jokes with Jo (especially during the later years).

But, unlike Natalie, Tootie never really has any significant friendships with Blair and/or Jo (beyond the collective as a whole) during the run of the show.

[ivygirl]

On 8/8/2019 at 4:34 PM, MelloYellow said:

It goes without saying that the 4 main 'Garrett Girls' had a special bond as a group.

Within that group, Jo & Blair and Natalie and Tootie were BFF's; however that didn't stop Natalie from starring in many stories with Blair (especially during the middle seasons) and/or exchanging plenty of jokes with Jo (especially during the later years).

But, unlike Natalie, Tootie never really has any significant friendships with Blair and/or Jo (beyond the collective as a whole) during the run of the show.

Good point—but interestingly it seemed like Tootie had the most friends *outside* the main group, especially in the Eastland episodes.

[Snow Apple]

I don't remember Pippa much but I didn't mind her. The scene I remember most about her was there was some sort of crisis and she started using Australian slang. Tootie was giving out instructions to everyone and ordered Pippa to "speak English" lol

[Glendenning]

It's a real shame Lisa became a fundie Christian. Look at how Kirk Cameron quickly destroyed Growing Pains.

[Dr.OO7]

On 9/30/2019 at 5:51 AM, Glendenning said:

It's a real shame Lisa became a fundie Christian. Look at how Kirk Cameron quickly destroyed Growing Pains.

I know she refused to appear in the episode where Natalie lost her virginity (and refused to play it out herself, it was actually supposed to be Blair) and had her character talk her mother out of having an abortion, but other than that, I don't think she got as self-righteously cruel and overbearing as Kirk Cameron did.

[nodorothyparker]

So ... a reunion of the cast but not the characters themselves apparently.

https://ew.com/tv/2019/10/21/fact-of-life-reunion-lifetime-holiday-movie/

[Glendenning]

Be a bit hard to do an "in-character" reunion with Mrs. Garrett no longer available. At least, one that would work well. 

[Scout Finch]

I recently bought a used hardbound copy of Charlotte Rae's autobiography off Amazon, hoping to read more about her time on Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life. Because of her long career there weren't that many pages about them. However, what makes the book really special is that when I opened it I discovered that it was autographed! The seller hadn't mentioned it in the description. It appears to be from a book signing.

Edited November 3, 2019 by Scout Finch
And I just discovered that it's selling for $199 on eBay and there are two people watching the auction. Hmmm...

[SnarkySheep]

On 10/22/2019 at 10:44 PM, Glendenning said:

Be a bit hard to do an "in-character" reunion with Mrs. Garrett no longer available. At least, one that would work well. 

They could just simply say she passed away...considering how many years have gone by, it wouldn't really be a shock.

I want to say some other show wrote in the actor's death, but I'm drawing a blank at this moment.

[Snow Apple]

13 hours ago, SnarkySheep said:

They could just simply say she passed away...considering how many years have gone by, it wouldn't really be a shock.

I want to say some other show wrote in the actor's death, but I'm drawing a blank at this moment.

I remember they wrote in Aunt Bee's death in the Andy Griffith Show reunion movie. I think Andy visited her grave because he misses her advice.

[SnarkySheep]

50 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

I remember they wrote in Aunt Bee's death in the Andy Griffith Show reunion movie. I think Andy visited her grave because he misses her advice.

YES! That's a great example. They not only addressed the death, but brought it into the storyline in a poignant way that felt very true to the show.

[Glendenning]

it's very telling that the production team wanted to do the "lost her virginity" storyline with the thin, white blonde. I guess Tootie losing it would have raised a lot of racial issues they didn't want to touch with a ten foot pole.

[SnarkySheep]

On 11/24/2019 at 2:28 AM, Glendenning said:

it's very telling that the production team wanted to do the "lost her virginity" storyline with the thin, white blonde. I guess Tootie losing it would have raised a lot of racial issues they didn't want to touch with a ten foot pole.

TBH I would have thought the girls had lost their virginity already at that point, considering each had been in numerous serious relationships. They could simply have not addressed the issue and let the viewers draw their own conclusions.

[Snow Apple]

14 hours ago, SnarkySheep said:

TBH I would have thought the girls had lost their virginity already at that point, considering each had been in numerous serious relationships. They could simply have not addressed the issue and let the viewers draw their own conclusions.

I thought the same thing even when I was a teenager when that episode aired. Most of the girls has been engaged at least once. Tootie was engaged during that episode. Jo dated that older professor and they were even talking long term because of his son.

[FormerMod-a1]

Yeah, I thought for sure Jo wasn't a virgin, between Eddie(?), the older professor, and some others I'm forgetting.  Not that I thought about it much, but when this episode came up I was surprised they were all supposed to be virgins.  I agree, they should have just not talked about it and let us assumes whatever made sense for us.

[Bort]

Same here. By the time that virgin episode came out, Blair and Jo were both well into college and I didn’t think either of them were virgins at that point. 

[Glendenning]

Someone on a baby name board reports that their husband vetoed the name "Natalie" because of the Facts of Life. The husband must be a time traveler if he think kids in the playground in the 2020s will care about a 40 year old TV show...

[Snow Apple]

It looks like Antenna TV is showing this on their new schedule. I saw the first season episode (pre-Jo) about parents night and Blair's mother practically forced a teenage Blair to kiss an old boyfriend of Monica's who they ran into. Gross.

[PaulBMA]

@Snow Apple Yeah. That's why I'm puzzled at adult women who openly idolize (their) mothers. They leave out the times their mothers were arseholes to them or forced them to wear things or do things they did not want to do. Feminism shouldn't mean uplifting crappy female human beings.

[Was-MArsenault]

Marj Dusay, who played Blair's mother passed away.

https://tvline.com/2020/01/29/marj-dusay-death-dies-guiding-light/

She died yesterday according to this Facebook post.

https://m.facebook.com/laura.wagner.1694059/posts/10157038828806139

[Was-MArsenault]

 

[ivygirl]

Last week “Collector’s Call,” a show on MeTV hosted by Lisa Whelchel, visited the home of Charlotte Rae’s son and showed some of Charlotte’s memorabilia. Geri Jewell also turned up and talked for a while. Anyone else see it? I thought it was kind of fun.

Here’s some info and quick extra clips from the show.

[CeeBeeGee]

On 1/6/2020 at 1:06 AM, PaulBMA said:

@Snow Apple Yeah. That's why I'm puzzled at adult women who openly idolize (their) mothers. They leave out the times their mothers were arseholes to them or forced them to wear things or do things they did not want to do. Feminism shouldn't mean uplifting crappy female human beings.

.......what??? What does this even mean and what does it have to do with this show?

What a strange comment.

[Maverick]

 The Little Chill was on today and I'm sure I've ranted about this before, but this episode is like something from Bizzaro world.   

 This episode was from season 8 when Blair and Jo are seniors in college yet Sue Ann has already graduated?  And Sue Ann was just as annoying--and screechy-- as she was in season 1.   

 Molly would have been part of this supposedly super tight-knitted sisterhood (and was even shown in a flashback) but not even a throwaway line about where she was?  To be fair, maybe it was in but cut for syndication?

 But the biggest WTF is....Jo didn't know these women??   Not, didn't know them well.   She literally has a line in the episode "It was nice to met you all."    Um, no.  Jo was at Eastland the same time as them.   Just because she lived in the kitchen, she still went to classes with them, participated in activities with them and interacted with them in the dining room--a fact we actually saw on screen.   She may not have lived with them (and how long were we supposed to believe they were in the same dorm before the first season) but they would have been more than passing acquaintances.   Jo as well as the other 3 girls would have had plenty of experiences in common after Jo arrived.   

[Snow Apple]

15 hours ago, Maverick said:

 

 Molly would have been part of this supposedly super tight-knitted sisterhood (and was even shown in a flashback) but not even a throwaway line about where she was?  To be fair, maybe it was in but cut for syndication?

The lines about Molly was cut. I don't remember what the lines were but I remember they mentioned her in the original showing of this episode.

It always drove me crazy about Jo "meeting" the other girls too. During Eastland when Tootie gossips about Mrs. Garrett being drunk, Blair made Jo promise not to tell anyone that she had a date with Nancy's boyfriend. Then Jo was seen sitting and talking with the other original girls later while Tootie confessed.

[psychoticstate]

I own the DVD box set of FOL and I've been rewatching episodes during the lockdown.   I used to post on the old board and I have to say, I am still annoyed by early seasons Tootie.  I like Kim Fields but her early acting was terrible.  Unless, of course, you count shouting out your lines, sighing loudly and overexaggerated eyerolls as acting.  Clearly the writers loved her character because it seems like almost everything is about Tootie or somehow involves Tootie.  Example:  The girl who beat out Blair for student council president commits suicide and it becomes all about Tootie, with her even saying that SHE found the girl.  Um, no -- - Tootie was with Natalie, who was there to interview the girl for the student newspaper; Tootie was tagging along.   And it seemed like every episode where Tootie did something she shouldn't have done, excuses were made for her.  I don't know, I just didn't understand why the writers were so fascinated with her.

I also found it a bit unrealistic that in the episode where Alison, the former Eastland student who had gotten married and had a baby and was something like 17 years old, would be hugging Natalie and Tootie like they were her old friends.  Blair, yes, because Blair was supposed to be 16 or 17 at the time, which would make Natalie 14 or 15 tops and Tootie 12 (which I think was already established in the episode where Tootie, of course, was going to be the next big model).  Maybe girls' boarding schools are different but when I was in school, no 16 or 17 year old girl would be hanging out with a 12 year old -- never mind that Tootie might have been all of 11 when Alison was still in school at Eastland.  She would have been more likely to be friends with Nancy and Sue Ann, who we saw here and there in episodes in Season 2.  So it's really ridiculous to think that if Alison had one day to spend back at Eastland, she'd spend it with Natalie and Tootie, in addition to Blair.  Why wouldn't Mrs. Garrett and the girls have invited some other girls to see Alison and her baby?  Just didn't ring true.  

And yes, the episode -- The Little Chill? -- where the OGs return and rewrite history like Jo never knew any of them insulted our intelligence.  Of course Jo may not have known some of the things they were talking about if those things happened before she got to Eastland but she at least knew of them!  Did the writers not remember what they had written a few seasons earlier?  

As far as the losing the virginity episode goes, I noticed in The Little Chill episode it's pretty much insinuated that everyone is still a virgin -- except Nancy who is getting married because Roger knocked her up.  This was in 1986 so again, not highly realistic.    And FWIW, I don't think the writers shied away from having Tootie lose her virginity first because of her race.  I think they initially chose Blair because she was the oldest and she was in a longer term dating relationship. Since Lisa Whelchel didn't want to portray that, I think Natalie was a good choice, since she had been dating Snake for a year.  I also like that even though Snake freaked out and ghosted Natalie for a bit, she never regretted her decision and it was shown to be a good experience for her.  Although Beverly Ann freaking out about it was just stupid.   Natalie was something like 20 or 21 at the time so she wasn't a minor.  

That said, I still appreciate that FOL handled issues that were important to teen girls, as well as serious topics like rape, adultery and addiction.  Some of the best episodes were the ones that didn't necessarily have oodles of things going on - - the episode where the girls are cramming for finals at Eastland remains one of my favorites, as well as the episode where they are cruising in Blair's car.   

 

Edited May 2, 2020 by psychoticstate

[GHScorpiosRule]

6 minutes ago, psychoticstate said:

She would have been more likely to be friends with Nancy and SueEllen,

You a secret Dallas fan? Or do you mean...SueAnn?😉

But yeah, totally agree with your entire post!

[psychoticstate]

10 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

You a secret Dallas fan? Or do you mean...SueAnn?😉

But yeah, totally agree with your entire post!

Doh! 

[Snow Apple]

16 hours ago, psychoticstate said:

 Some of the best episodes were the ones that didn't necessarily have oodles of things going on - - the episode where the girls are cramming for finals at Eastland remains one of my favorites.

A classic! "AU give me back my watch!"

I still yell that out when the opportunity arises. The last was a recent episode of the game show Catch-21 and AU was the answer of one of the trivia questions.

Edited May 3, 2020 by Snow Apple

[psychoticstate]

On 5/3/2020 at 7:36 AM, Snow Apple said:

A classic! "AU give me back my watch!"

I still yell that out when the opportunity arises. The last was a recent episode of the game show Catch-21 and AU was the answer of one of the trivia questions.

I only remember the symbols for gold and mercury on the periodic table because of this episode.  So see, you can learn things from FOL! 

I watched the Runaway episode yesterday and it infuriates me more each time I see it.  Tootie wants to be treated more like an adult but whines and stomps her feet like a baby when she doesn't get to go to New York to see a matinee with Blair, Jo and Natalie.  Which in itself makes zero sense because earlier in the same season (3), Tootie was going to go to the Bruce Springsteen concert on a Saturday night, which presumably would have been in New York City, in the episode where Natalie was attacked, as well as going to see The Stray Cats in the episode where student Miko was introduced.  Again, they probably weren't playing in Peekskill. Never mind that in season 2, when Tootie was all of 12, her parents were apparently okay with Tootie going to New York to model.  

Anyhow, the Runaway episode made me angry not just because Mrs. Garrett and the girls totally ignored the fact that Kristy, the hooker who befriended Tootie, was probably all of 15 but because when Mrs. Garrett found out that Tootie had disobeyed her and the Ramseys, she got angry with Miko.  MIKO.  She even snapped at Miko for not stopping Tootie.  What is Miko?  14?  She wasn't Tootie's keeper and it wasn't her responsibility to keep Tootie from doing stupid shit (good luck with that).  And although we never saw what happened after Mrs. Garrett and the girls left the hooker-happy diner, we just know that Tootie probably got in zero trouble, as per usual.  

I'll admit I'm biased because Tootie was my least favorite character throughout the series but did she ever really get in trouble?  She did more dumb shit than the other girls combined and the only real punishment I remember (other than the working in and rooming over the kitchen which all the girls had to do) , the other girls felt "guilty" and helped her out.  

I also watched the episode from season 5, where we were first introduced to Jeff.  Tootie not only gives him a sandwich "on the house" but makes the sandwich with her bare hands, after doing inventory.  Gross.  The cost of the sandwich should have been deducted from Tootie's pay but we all know that didn't happen.  

Okay. Rant over!  

 

[Maverick]

 The syndication package Logo aired dropped a lot of 8th and 9th season episodes, so I haven't seen many of these episodes Antenna is showing in forever.   Some I have no recollection of, like the 60s fantasy episode with Bobby Rydell and Fabian.   Others, like the Australia movie, I probably haven't seen since they first aired (all I really remember is Blair and Jo being chased through the Sydney Opera House).

 The writing in these last two seasons was pretty bad.   I've already complained about The Little Chill, but you also have other inconsistencies like meeting Andy's plagiarizing grandmother and learning that his uncle paid for his trip to Australia and wanted him to be a farmer.  Yet a few episodes later we find out he's a foster kid who's going back into the system because his foster parents are getting a divorce.   Blair was basically written as a characterture more often than not.   She was always vain, but she was also written to be caring and have integrity.   Yet she acts like some flighty debutante think she can get into law school on just her name,    When Blair and Jo graduate, her grandfather travels from Poland to see her.   But Jo's father is very American, so did his parents immigrate to the US and then move back?   I'm sure there are several explanations but the writing is so bad with the characters and their histories it stands out.

[Snow Apple]

I watched a marathon on Antenna TV last weekend and found it hilarious Tootie brings up her love for Michael Jackson in multiple episodes but it was Jermaine who guest starred and Tootie went insane to the point of scaring Mrs. Garrett. I mean seriously, Jermaine?! 

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

I watched a marathon on Antenna TV last weekend and found it hilarious Tootie brings up her love for Michael Jackson in multiple episodes but it was Jermaine who guest starred and Tootie went insane to the point of scaring Mrs. Garrett. I mean seriously, Jermaine?! 

Jermaine had like, a one hit wonder in '84, I think. That Another World used as Cass and Kathleen's love theme.

And clearly Michael Jackson was too big of a star at this point to make a guest appearance. Though even in TV Land, it would be ridonkulous, because his security would be treble the number that Jermaine had.

[Snow Apple]

6 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Jermaine had like, a one hit wonder in '84, I think. That Another World used as Cass and Kathleen's love theme.

And clearly Michael Jackson was too big of a star at this point to make a guest appearance. Though even in TV Land, it would be ridonkulous, because his security would be treble the number that Jermaine had.

The only songs I remember of Jermaine's was Dynamite (I think that's what it's called) and the duet with Pia Zadora. I need to look them up to see if I still like them as much as my pre-teen self did. LOL.

Even back then, I knew there was no way they could get Michael, but it would have been less embarrassing if Jermaine played a fictional singer.

Maybe they learned their lesson years later when Michael Damien played a fictional singer named Flyman.

[GHScorpiosRule]

7 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

Maybe they learned their lesson years later when Michael Damien played a fictional singer named Flyman.

I LOVED seeing Michael Damien! I remember watching Friday Night Videos (don't JUDGE ME!), the late, late, late, late Friday night show that played music videos before cable was available, and ergo MTV, to the masses. Michael and Nancy hosted, and talked about how Nancy and Kim were besties, and his time on this show.

[readster]

Watching the show all these years later and also seeing it from beginning to the last season. You really do see a natural progression of the characters and show. However, there were classic "misunderstandings" however they made sense in a realistic sense. I do think that Blaire in the final few seasons needed at: "Get over yourself" attitude adjustment. Though it was amazing a show that spun off from Different Strokes and the only reason it didn't get a true conclusion and a 10th season was that half the cast was ready to call it quits. Ratings and critics still enjoyed the show, but the cast was burned out going for a decade. Too bad shows these days don't do that even when the cast is constantly showing they are either phoning it in or are long done with the characters. 

[Snow Apple]

22 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

I LOVED seeing Michael Damien! I remember watching Friday Night Videos (don't JUDGE ME!), the late, late, late, late Friday night show that played music videos before cable was available, and ergo MTV, to the masses. Michael and Nancy hosted, and talked about how Nancy and Kim were besties, and his time on this show.

The best thing was that Nancy and Michael had the exact same hairdo and looked like brother and sister.

I miss the 80's.

[Snow Apple]

Antenna TV is now up to the Pippa years. I didn't mind her back in the day but I find her annoying now. Maybe it's because she keeps speaking in Australian slang? Is that how Australians speak?

Of course every country has slang, but every other word?

[swissair100]

27 minutes ago, Snow Apple said:

Is that how Australians speak?

Of course every country has slang, but every other word?

Haha .... NO!  That's one of the things that made the FoL:DU cringe worthy. It was the over emphasis of the Aussie slang.  

Of course, they were capitalizing on everything Australian at that time with the increased popularity of Crocodile Dundee, Men at Work/INXS, Olivia NJ, tourism, etc - so the show went out of its way to teach the rest of the world what the locals may say.  However, I still enjoy watching the Down Under movie if only it brings back memories of my time there, & Sydney specifically.

 

[Snow Apple]

The DU movie! I caught bits of it the other day and so much secondhand embarrassment when Tootie automatically assumed the guy was aboriginal.