I happened to be watching the Diff'rent Strokes episode "The Trip part 1" the other day and was very surprised to hear Mrs. Garrett mention her sister, Beverly to the Drummonds. She actually says "Beverly"! It's great to see such tight continuity between the two shows. This was a 1979 episode and Beverly Ann didn't show up on The Facts of Life until 1986. I'm really shocked the writers remembered this episode of Diff'rent Strokes and then even getting her name right for The Facts of Life. Pretty cool.

It's cool when the writers actually remember something like that. Rare, really.

It was very awesome. I was flabbergasted needless to say.

That's right, folks...Mrs. Garrett mentioned her sister, Beverly Ann, in the first "Diff'rent Strokes"/"Hello, Larry" hour-long crossover, "The Trip."

Nice that they remembered the continuity. Its funny how they remembered that yet Mrs. G. had a son named Alex early on who was a musician and then she has a son named Raymond who is an attorney(?)

Nice that they remembered the continuity. Its funny how they remembered that yet Mrs. G. had a son named Alex early on who was a musician and then she has a son named Raymond who is an attorney(?)

Maybe she had more than one kid?

Maybe she had more than one kid?

Yes, Mrs. Garrett has 2 sons. She has stated this in more than one episode.

I thought Charlotte Rae had a real-life sister named Beverly... That's where the name came from, if memory serves.

I thought Charlotte Rae had a real-life sister named Beverly... That's where the name came from, if memory serves.

She did (she has since passed away), but once you read Charlotte's book, The Facts of My Life, you're amazed they named Mrs. Garrett's sister Beverly Ann. She never mentions the naming of Mrs. Garrett's sister in the book, but after reading the rotten way Beverly treated Charlotte for so many years, it's astounding to think she named her "unseen" sister after her (and not after her nicer one, Mimi). Luckily, things smoothed out in later years.

You even see both of Charlotte's sisters in The Facts of Life Goes to Paris: Beverly and Mimi are walking behind Mrs. Garrett and the girls at the New York airport in the beginning, having a very animated conversation (Charlotte discusses this in her book).

I guess I need to pick up a copy! :)

I guess I need to pick up a copy! :)

Yes, but just be aware that she only really talks about "Facts" for about 30 or 35 pages (out of 264).