I LOVE The Facts Of Life....but I can't stand it when Tootie is on. Out of all the other girls to keep on the show from the first season, why oh why did they choose her? Sure,she was cute in the first season....but after that, even in the later seasons, she was still trying to act cute, like she was still a little girl on roller skates. Maybe it was the writing, maybe it was Kim Fields awful acting (she always sounded like Tootie was going to have a panic attack with her heavy breathing when she wouldn't shut up). Funny how Tootie always wanted to be an actress.......when Kim Field's acting was medicore at best. JMO.....and hello to all :):wave:

I LOVE The Facts Of Life....but I can't stand it when Tootie is on. Out of all the other girls to keep on the show from the first season, why oh why did they choose her? Sure,she was cute in the first season....but after that, even in the later seasons, she was still trying to act cute, like she was still a little girl on roller skates. Maybe it was the writing, maybe it was Kim Fields awful acting (she always sounded like Tootie was going to have a panic attack with her heavy breathing when she wouldn't shut up). Funny how Tootie always wanted to be an actress.......when Kim Field's acting was medicore at best. JMO.....and hello to all :):wave:


You are probably talking about the 1st 2 seasons, but after that the character matured.

You are probably talking about the 1st 2 seasons, but after that the character matured.
Didn't seem like she matured to me. But, then again, Tootie was always a drama queen.

I agree with everyone so far: TOOTIE was definitely my least favourite & her acting was only good on season 1(which is why she probably got chosen to continue on the next season). My favourite of all the girls is BLAIR (she is so good at expressing herself & also a flirt). My other favourite is MRS. G (her acting is superb & her chemistry with the girls is powerful).
PS: i having written my 1st FOL FICTION story on this site if anyone wants to read it? (you only have to click on "download attachment" because i downloaded it from my USB-stick).:crazy:

Yeah, she was pretty irritating the first few years. The Jermaine Jackson episode was an all-time low.

I agree with everyone so far: TOOTIE was definitely my least favourite & her acting was only good on season 1(which is why she probably got chosen to continue on the next season). My favourite of all the girls is BLAIR (she is so good at expressing herself & also a flirt). My other favourite is MRS. G (her acting is superb & her chemistry with the girls is powerful).
PS: i having written my 1st FOL FICTION story on this site if anyone wants to read it? (you only have to click on "download attachment" because i downloaded it from my USB-stick).:crazy:
Thanks! I'll check it out....and Blair was my favorite FOL girl...right behind Natalie :)

Yeah, she was pretty irritating the first few years. The Jermaine Jackson episode was an all-time low.
Gotta agree with you there too, Catlover79 :)

That episode was pure pain - easily my least favorite of all the FOL eps. :eek:

The first four seasons she was really annoying. She mellowed out a bit afterwards but had her moments. She was my least favorite of the core five through the entire series.

That episode was pure pain - easily my least favorite of all the FOL eps. :eek:
Ranks right up there with mine too, Catlover79 :)

The first four seasons she was really annoying. She mellowed out a bit afterwards but had her moments. She was my least favorite of the core five through the entire series.
Yeah, mine too. The only episode I really liked and found her funny in was the one where they all played out an episode of The Twilight Zone :)

Tootie wasn't that bad I liked her. And she had a few good eps like the one where she learns to drive, the one where she's meets Jeff's grandmother, 7 little Indians and I didn't mind the Jermain Jackson ep even though my fav line was when Mrs G was looking for Tootie and said has anyone seen a young black girl, and a bunch of black Girls turn around and look at her like are you kidding. And I always loved it when Tootie said were in ttttrrrrooouuubbbllleee.

Yeah, she was pretty irritating the first few years. The Jermaine Jackson episode was an all-time low.

I remember that one. They should have taken her to a therapist after that episode.

I found her more annoying on Different Strokes:lol:

Tootie was extremely annoying and Kim Fields is a terrible actress.

I remember that one. They should have taken her to a therapist after that episode.

No - she should have been put in a straitjacket and kept in a padded room!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

No - she should have been put in a straitjacket and kept in a padded room!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:

:D

I guess getting Michael for that episode would have been too expensive and impossible, so they found a more affordable Jackson brother.

Bet Tito was steamed about that!

She could be annoying at times, but she wasn't that bad. Although Blair was my favorite characater, and Jo was my second favorite, I liked both Tootie and Natalie as well, and I can't really say I like one better than the other. I agree the Jermaine Jackson episode was kind of annoying, but I still watch it since I believe in perfect completion and don't believe in skipping episodes. They were all a great cast and I can't really say anything bad about any of them.

Tootie was extremely annoying and Kim Fields is a terrible actress.

Kim Fields is a very good actress. Her tv movie A Cross to Bear is some of her best acting work.

No - she should have been put in a straitjacket and kept in a padded room!!! :eek: :eek: :eek:
Tootie was a total MENTAL CASE in the Jermaine Jackson episode!

Tootie was a total MENTAL CASE in the Jermaine Jackson episode!

I consider that to be a good episode.

One episode I found Tootie particularly annoying was the episode when the girls got into a car accident with Tootie's brother. When Tootie kept defending her brother and telling them that he wasn't drunk, I just wanted to slap her.

Ugh, yeah she was annoying in the drunk driving episode for sure as well as the Jermaine Jackson one.

Naw Tootie was kinda fake she was always agreeing to what everybody was saying it got a little annoying at times since she was nice, i did find her really cute tho she was candy eye for boys back in the 80's lol

I prefer her rollerskating years, I thought the older she got the more annoying she got.

I prefer her rollerskating years, I thought the older she got the more annoying she got.

I agree: TOOTIE was such a great actress on season 1, as a little kid; Unfortunately some people as they grow lose their charm or get in trouble (like LINDSAY LOHAN).....:p

I don't even remember Tootie's brother's episode. What season was that from?

I don't even remember Tootie's brother's episode. What season was that from?

Season 4 episode "Let's Party"

:D

I guess getting Michael for that episode would have been too expensive and impossible, so they found a more affordable Jackson brother.

Bet Tito was steamed about that!
Exactly. She always mentioned loving Michael before and after that ep. Jermaine was never mentioned before and after that ep. Coincidence? I think not. :lol:

Exactly. She always mentioned loving Michael before and after that ep. Jermaine was never mentioned before and after that ep. Coincidence? I think not. :lol:

Even if it was Michael instead of Jermaine, Tootie still acted ridiculous.

^ :yeahthat

Season 4 episode "Let's Party"
Thanks. I even checked S4 out of the library and watched the whole set. I guess I must have blocked that episode out. :lol:

Haha yeah she still acted ridiculous even if it would have been Michael, I agree. Although, if Michael would have been on, I would at least have enjoyed watching that part of the episode! :D

I think Tootie was good in season 1, and not horrible in season 2. But then she got annoying basically until like season 7 when she started maturing a bit lol. I didn't mind her in the last few seasons because I feel like they gave her some funny lines.

Oh, and it always bugged me that they had two storylines about basically the same thing with her: almost having sex and then not doing it. Couldn't they use one of those on a different girl? lol

Yeah, she was pretty irritating the first few years. The Jermaine Jackson episode was an all-time low.
I completely agree.

I think a lot of the "Tootie hate" here, lol, largely stems from the fact that Tootie was the youngest of the core group, and the writers really carried that in the writing as far as they could since she was always the youngest of the Eastland girls (for the record Tootie was my favorite growing up, but now it's Blair).

Perhaps if they had introduced a new main character younger than Tootie, than they would have matured Tootie and had all the "youngest girl" stuff go to that new student (of course you'll notice when Tootie started maturing more, they had Andy on for her to be "older" over).

What annoyed me the most about Tootie? Those braces! lol I know she couldn't really help it, but I just find them so annoying when watching the show; I get used to them, but when she first gets them in "Growing Pains" it's annoying having to get used to hearing her talk like that (I had braces too, but not for quite as long).

I think Tootie was terrific in S1, great in S2, and great for the first half of S3 (she is so great in the "Teddy Lee Washington III episode, lol)---I liked her with her in that kind of "top knot" thing on her head, and flaring out at the bottom (best way I can describe it lol)---but once they give her the bowl cut, I hate that and it does not look good on her. So when I do find her being a little annoying, that's basically why---that stupid hair that I can't go through the screen and change! lol So I have to sit through that through the rest of S3 and all through the entire S4, then with S5 they finally give her a decent hairstyle again. What took them so long?!? :lol:

Tootie was cute the first year in a Scrappy-Doo kind of way but as soon as she became a core character it was just way too much. Fields had her share of decent moments, especially when you could tell the subject matter resonated with Fields personally. But the rest of the time she was "acting" and every thing was an overacted, overwrought mess. Yes, acting styles change decade by decade and everything was performed in a broad, wink wink, way. But Kim Fields, my lord almighty. Her version of acting was that volume equals emotion, add some arm crossing, stomping around, and big, huffy, whiny sighs. I can get past everyone else to enjoy the nostalgia but Kim Fields makes it nearly unbearable. I blame her parents, and her managers/directors/agents and the showrunners for not reeling her in and helping her become a better actress. I believe that's why the parts dried up for her once she was an adult. She never learned to to perform as a pouty kid.

Tootie was cute the first year in a Scrappy-Doo kind of way but as soon as she became a core character it was just way too much. Fields had her share of decent moments, especially when you could tell the subject matter resonated with Fields personally. But the rest of the time she was "acting" and every thing was an overacted, overwrought mess. Yes, acting styles change decade by decade and everything was performed in a broad, wink wink, way. But Kim Fields, my lord almighty. Her version of acting was that volume equals emotion, add some arm crossing, stomping around, and big, huffy, whiny sighs. I can get past everyone else to enjoy the nostalgia but Kim Fields makes it nearly unbearable. I blame her parents, and her managers/directors/agents and the showrunners for not reeling her in and helping her become a better actress. I believe that's why the parts dried up for her once she was an adult. She never learned to to perform as a pouty kid.

Welcome, Shady Pines! (Love the name, loved GG)

I think Kim was actually a very good actress, but she did overdo it in some episodes (like the Jermaine Jackson episode).

And I honestly don't think parts ever dried up for Kim. Her IMDb listing is quite extensive, and she has a pretty much continuous acting resume from 1977 to present. After Facts she did Living Single, and a couple of TV movies or guest spots every year. Her resume's solid.

I completely agree.

She was borderline nervous breakdown in that one. Mrs. Garrett should have taken her to counseling.

It's funny...Tootie was my favorite character when i was a child, (I was even younger than Tootie when the show first aired.)
But, as an adult, I absolutely LOVE Natalie!!!

Her acting is so natural. It never feels like she is acting.
She is funny and witty and you just root for her.

I also love Blair, because Blair. ;-)

Tootie was SO great in season 1, but she became such a whiny tattle tale who did nothing but pout, stomp around and be super nosy.
That worked when she was like, 10 or 11.
Not so much at 14.

I think Kim was actually a very good actress, but she did overdo it in some episodes (like the Jermaine Jackson episode).

Well she was subtle and tame compared to Julie P., who is for me what Kim Fields is to some people in this thread, lol (I also find some comments in this thread grossly exaggerated and unsubstantiated). As for the Jermaine Jackson episode, if you are referring to her breakdown, I always found that a very dramatic and stunning moment, because it's not---as some people see---a "tantrum", she is being fanatic and getting delusional about him, taking him MUCH too seriously. It wasn't Kim overacting, it was Tootie overreacting. That moment chilled me as a child and was embedded into my memory!

She was borderline nervous breakdown in that one. Mrs. Garrett should have taken her to counseling.

Exactly. That's what gave Mrs. Garrett's scene with the other girls at the cafeteria table following the meltdown its meat; it was a reflection on just how serious the situation was. The writers could have given Tootie real problems from this episode on out if they had made this fanatic, manic episode part of her overall character, so thank goodness they didn't!

Well she was subtle and tame compared to Julie P., who is for me what Kim Fields is to some people in this thread, lol (I also find some comments in this thread grossly exaggerated and unsubstantiated).

Julie Pie never has a moment where she chews scenery like Kim did in the Jermaine Jackson episode. That was just over the top. You can be manic without screaming. I think Kim was a great young actress, but that scene was OTT. Now if it had been Michael... ;)

Julie Pie was playing an earnest, naive girl from Kansas. In modern times, we have lost our sense of earnestness and replaced it with skepticism, but you'll notice Julie Garland plays the same type of character in The Wizard of Oz.

No doubt she was annoying and whiney. You just felt telling her to shut up once in a while. How about when she was caught drinking? Before that, she came off like a big baby because Natlalie, Jo and Blair wouldnt let her drink. How about when Jo and Blair were graduating from Eastland? She was crying because there friendship was breaking up even though Jo and Blair had problems of there own that day. Not to mention, how she guilt tripped Natalie into investing her money in Over Your Heads instead of going to Europe like she wanted.

Julie Pie never has a moment where she chews scenery like Kim did in the Jermaine Jackson episode. That was just over the top. You can be manic without screaming. I think Kim was a great young actress, but that scene was OTT. Now if it had been Michael... ;)

Julie P. had times where she was fine and convincing, and I freely admit that, but a large part of the time she was obviously overacting---to the degree that makes me cringe; she was just simply not a good actress. In Kim's most infamous scene, she had to play Tootie absolutely hysterical, like the girls Mrs. Garrett mentioned who screamed over The Beatles---and they scared her; we're talking actual frenzy here. She was a 13/14 year-old girl obsessed with a singer; hence, it was perfectly natural for her to escalate into a fit of hysteria.


Not to mention, how she guilt tripped Natalie into investing her money in Over Your Heads instead of going to Europe like she wanted.

Well, Natalie had that coming after investing Tootie's money into Jo's pizza business that bombed; take that, Nat. ;)

annoying at times, but she was the youngin' of the group. The older she got, the more she shouted. :lol:

Well considering the Stan culture with celebrities with minimal talent nowadays i.e. Kardashians, Justin Beiber etc, I think that Tootie's reaction towards Jermaine Jackson was very realistic.

One episode I found Tootie particularly annoying was the episode when the girls got into a car accident with Tootie's brother. When Tootie kept defending her brother and telling them that he wasn't drunk, I just wanted to slap her.

Maybe she felt: Family over everything. If this was Blair she would have done the same thing. Actually if it was any of them they would have given their family the benefit of doubt.

OMG, YES! I was hoping she'd get a little easier to take as the seasons went on (I'm currently on Season 4), but she's still annoying, although not as much as when she was younger.

I thought Tootie was adorable, funny & mischievous....so NOT annoying to me!

I thought Tootie was adorable, funny & mischievous....so NOT annoying to me!

Absolutely!