By mid-1980 season 1 had finished airing and was in re-runs, with planning/production for season 2 getting underway.

But the cast went from 7 girls to just 4---what happened?

We know some of the obvious details---Nancy McKeon was seen crying in a Hallmark commercial by NBC and they snagged her for the 2nd season.

"Mr. Bradley" was let go.

4 of the girls were let go, apparently* in this order:

Felice
Julie
Molly
Julie Anne

*I say "apparently" because this is the order stated in one documentary, but elsewhere we hear it mixed up a bit differently (such as the implication that Molly was the last let go). But I like to think of the above order indeed being fact, because I'm such a Julie Anne fan---I like thinking that they were hard-pressed to let her go and held onto her until the very end, lol.

Now, Lisa claims that she and Mindy and Kim had "no idea" about the severe paring down of the cast until they got to the table read. I believe Mindy even says that they walked in "and it's like, okay, where is ev'rybody??" (it's been ages since I've seen the various FOL documentaries, so I'm going on memory here)

But you have 7 girls with numerous parents among them, and agents/managers. And some of these girls forged friendships; even if that weren't a fact, there is still that bond of "family" in a TV cast. With all of these girls and all of these people in their lives connected to the show, would 3 of the girls really have not heard anything from anyone at all during the whole summer before the show returned? Could they really get to the table read having no idea there was such a butchering of the cast? Did none of them exchange phone #s after filming the last season 1 episode and keep in touch over the summer, or even get together at all if any of them lived within close proximity?

Not according to Lisa and Mindy, but if they and Kim really were that completely sheltered from word of the show, I find that amazing and almost unbelievable. I just find it very hard to believe that once Felice, Julie, Molly, and Julie Ann were let go, that phone calls didn't start flying around to everyone with "Did you hear??" "Is your girl still on the show??" "Have you heard what the show's doing??", etc.

Not only that, but if Lisa and Mindy are correct in their memories, that seems very unfair to those two and to Kim. I mean think of the astounding shock at "going back home" to your show to find that 1) the sets are completely different), 2) over half of your cast is gone, and 3), NO ONE TOLD YOU, lol...I mean, that is harsh! Had I been connected to one of the girls as an agent or what-have-you I would definitely have wanted to call them up or meet with them and let them know, "Okay, you're not going to believe this, but there have been lots of changes made to the show", and gently easy them into it. That would be much nicer than a cold walk-in to a completely different world and situation.

"The summer of 1980"---definitely an unforgettable one for the FOL family---and boy, wouldn't that make a great TV movie! lol

I don't believe no-one knew. Felice has said she got a call while she was in the basement, over the summer, and there were newspaper articles reporting on the news that some cast members were being axed. Molly says she was told, too, but that the producers changed their minds and hired Nancy McKeon.

Of course they knew. But cast revamps one of the realities of Hollywood, and I don't think anyone blames Lisa, Kim, Charlotte or Mindy for continuing on: the show must go on, is the expression.

Oo, great point about the newspaper articles! See? How could 3 of these girls show up to the first table read and be "completely surprised" wondering where everyone was?? lol

Yes, exactly.

I do, however, believe that the producers weren't forthcoming with details: that is consistent with what many of the girls say.

Yeah, I agree with that as well.

Poor girls...here it is summertime, the flower of the year for youths and maidens, and these 4 girls are told they're kicked off a TV show. Ouch.

At least they had the opportunity to enjoy parts of the summer, without having to worry about learning their lines, or keeping off "the weight".

I remember the summer of 1980, and it was a fun summer. We watched Facts reruns, and caught lightning bugs in jars in the evenings. I hope Felice, Molly, and the Julies could enjoy that summer, too!

I remember the summer of 1980, and it was a fun summer. We watched Facts reruns, and caught lightning bugs in jars in the evenings.

Now that would be a fantastic way of lighting the cafeteria for a summer dinner event at Eastland! :)

Perhaps this is the reaction among Lost Girls when they were first told they were being cut from the show [*sniff*] :

-

..

Hahaha, poor Nancy!

She should change her name to "Felice Schafter" because she really got the "shaft"!

Hahaha, poor Nancy!

She should change her name to "Felice Schafter" because she really got the "shaft"!

Wouldn't a schafter be giving the shaft? :lol:

Wouldn't a schafter be giving the shaft? :lol:

That's the cruel twist! :lol:

This imagining is well after 1980, but on topic...last night I started re-watching Molly Ringwald's 1988 movie For Keeps, and I forgot that it co-stars the actor who played Eastland's 3rd headmaster, Mr. Harris in "Gossip"!

-

:lol:

Aahahahaha! So funny!!!!!!

I had no idea Mr. Harris was in that!

:lol:

Aahahahaha! So funny!!!!!!

I had no idea Mr. Harris was in that!

Right? I had completely forgotten! (I've only seen the film once before, several years ago)

I'm finishing it right now as we speak---"Mr. Harris" is very good in his part!

I wonder if they talked about FOL while they were on the set of For Keeps. If so, what did they say?

I'd say the chances were slim since they weren't in the same episode, but boy, it would've been something to see Molly's reaction if Mr. Mars had brought it up! :lol:

"Were you just in one episode, too? With a bit part? Yeah, me, too."

Haha..."Don't rub it in, dude."

And how fortuitous is it that Molly was the first Lost Girl to appear? It's so interesting they only used 1 Lost Girl for TNGP2, and they happened to pick Molly P. If they hadn't gotten Molly M. to come back first, when the retooled series was brand new, who knows, she may have refused to come back without ever having made a cameo appearance. And then we never would have seen her. This way, we get to see all of our Lost Girls in the cafeteria. [phew!]

Haha..."Don't rub it in, dude."

And how fortuitous is it that Molly was the first Lost Girl to appear? It's so interesting they only used 1 Lost Girl for TNGP2, and they happened to pick Molly P. If they hadn't gotten Molly M. to come back first, when the retooled series was brand new, who knows, she may have refused to come back without ever having made a cameo appearance. And then we never would have seen her. This way, we get to see all of our Lost Girls in the cafeteria. [phew!]

That's a good point, although we don't actually know for certain how many episodes they offered her for the season. I assume she would have had two or three episodes, and I suspect she would have been in "Gossip" and "Sex Symbol" with the other girls, but I can't prove it.

But maybe if they had offered her a bigger role -- say the type of role Felice got in "Gossip" or the role Julie Pie got in "The Little Chill" -- she would have continued doing episodes.

But you make a great point about at least getting to see Molly in the S2 cafeteria.

That's a good point, although we don't actually know for certain how many episodes they offered her for the season. I assume she would have had two or three episodes, and I suspect she would have been in "Gossip" and "Sex Symbol" with the other girls, but I can't prove it.

True, I assumed she came back for just the 1 episode; well, we know after that that there would be no more! lol


But maybe if they had offered her a bigger role -- say the type of role Felice got in "Gossip" -- she would have continued doing episodes.

Maybe, we'll never know (unless we get to ask her, lol).

-

Molly: Oh great... what about me?

Mrs. G: "There's plenty of room for you with the other girls. Downstairs... in the basement..."

By mid-1980 season 1 had finished airing and was in re-runs, with planning/production for season 2 getting underway.

But the cast went from 7 girls to just 4---what happened?

We know some of the obvious details---Nancy McKeon was seen crying in a Hallmark commercial by NBC and they snagged her for the 2nd season.

"Mr. Bradley" was let go.

4 of the girls were let go, apparently* in this order:

Felice
Julie
Molly
Julie Anne

*I say "apparently" because this is the order stated in one documentary, but elsewhere we hear it mixed up a bit differently (such as the implication that Molly was the last let go). But I like to think of the above order indeed being fact, because I'm such a Julie Anne fan---I like thinking that they were hard-pressed to let her go and held onto her until the very end, lol.

Now, Lisa claims that she and Mindy and Kim had "no idea" about the severe paring down of the cast until they got to the table read. I believe Mindy even says that they walked in "and it's like, okay, where is ev'rybody??" (it's been ages since I've seen the various FOL documentaries, so I'm going on memory here)

But you have 7 girls with numerous parents among them, and agents/managers. And some of these girls forged friendships; even if that weren't a fact, there is still that bond of "family" in a TV cast. With all of these girls and all of these people in their lives connected to the show, would 3 of the girls really have not heard anything from anyone at all during the whole summer before the show returned? Could they really get to the table read having no idea there was such a butchering of the cast? Did none of them exchange phone #s after filming the last season 1 episode and keep in touch over the summer, or even get together at all if any of them lived within close proximity?

Not according to Lisa and Mindy, but if they and Kim really were that completely sheltered from word of the show, I find that amazing and almost unbelievable. I just find it very hard to believe that once Felice, Julie, Molly, and Julie Ann were let go, that phone calls didn't start flying around to everyone with "Did you hear??" "Is your girl still on the show??" "Have you heard what the show's doing??", etc.

Not only that, but if Lisa and Mindy are correct in their memories, that seems very unfair to those two and to Kim. I mean think of the astounding shock at "going back home" to your show to find that 1) the sets are completely different), 2) over half of your cast is gone, and 3), NO ONE TOLD YOU, lol...I mean, that is harsh! Had I been connected to one of the girls as an agent or what-have-you I would definitely have wanted to call them up or meet with them and let them know, "Okay, you're not going to believe this, but there have been lots of changes made to the show", and gently easy them into it. That would be much nicer than a cold walk-in to a completely different world and situation.

"The summer of 1980"---definitely an unforgettable one for the FOL family---and boy, wouldn't that make a great TV movie! lol

One thing that I wonder about the full time returning girls claims that they didn't know about the change of cast. Mindy and Felice had the same agent, Felice's mother Suzanne. Are you telling me Felice's mom did not tell Mindy about the change? "Mindy, my daughter got wallpapered, but you got to stay on full time for the next season. Do you still want me to be your agent?"

One thing that I wonder about the full time returning girls claims that they didn't know about the change of cast. Mindy and Felice had the same agent, Felice's mother Suzanne. Are you telling me Felice's mom did not tell Mindy about the change? "Mindy, my daughter got wallpapered, but you got to stay on full time for the next season. Do you still want me to be your agent?"

You raise a good point. How could Mindy not know? There's no way Suzanne wouldn't have told her.

Although, I can understand how Mindy phrases it, as "It was like, where did everybody go?", which is a little different than the way Lisa says it: "Nobody knew, that I know of, that they were going to [make the cut]." You can know that a casting change has been made, and still feel like "Where did everybody go?"

In her book, Kim says everything felt suddenly very empty, as she was abruptly only going to classes with Nancy McKeon, at the studio school: Lisa had graduated early, and Mindy went to Westlake. To go from having five schoolmates (presumably Lisa, Felice, Julie Pie, Julie Anne, and Molly) to just one (Nancy) was very hard for her. Clearly, she adapted, because she and Nancy became very close (she says it was Nancy who taught her how to shave her legs, and that she was in the back seat of Nancy's car during Nancy's driving lessons), but it would have been a bit of a shock for a ten-year-old: every person you went to school with is gone, replaced by someone else.

I often wonder if the show would have been as successful with all the 7 girls on it and JO?
And i feel bad for the 'lost girls': they must have felt like failures to be told to leave the show because they weren't 'good enough?!'

I often wonder if the show would have been as successful with all the 7 girls on it and JO?

I think it would have been successful. The show was already getting better ratings through the summer months. With moving the show to a better slot, following DS, they would have kicked butt in the ratings.


And i feel bad for the 'lost girls': they must have felt like failures to be told to leave the show because they weren't 'good enough?!'

I think Molly did. It took her decades to talk about the show again. Felice has also said that it felt like a "rejection". Julie Anne has said it was a "mixed blessing". Julie Pie has said, "one minute you're on a show, and the next... *snap* you're not."

I often wonder if the show would have been as successful with all the 7 girls on it and JO?
And i feel bad for the 'lost girls': they must have felt like failures to be told to leave the show because they weren't 'good enough?!'

Somewhere there has to be data on the rating of each individual show during the 1980-81 season. I wonder if shows like Gossip where the Lost Girls returned had a boost in ratings?

You raise a good point. How could Mindy not know? There's no way Suzanne wouldn't have told her.

But Mindy was only like 13 years old. I doubt Suzanne Schachter would have told her. I feel like she would have told Mindy's mother. But, who knows. (and then maybe Mindy's mom felt bad and didn't tell her, so she showed up to this new cafeteria going, "Where'd ev'rybody go??" lol)

But Mindy was only like 13 years old. I doubt Suzanne Schachter would have told her. I feel like she would have told Mindy's mother. But, who knows. (and then maybe Mindy's mom felt bad and didn't tell her, so she showed up to this new cafeteria going, "Where'd ev'rybody go??" lol)

The girls hung around together off the set. Mindy hung around Felice. Teen girls don't keep secrets very well. How could Mindy not know?

But Mindy was only like 13 years old. I doubt Suzanne Schachter would have told her. I feel like she would have told Mindy's mother. But, who knows. (and then maybe Mindy's mom felt bad and didn't tell her, so she showed up to this new cafeteria going, "Where'd ev'rybody go??" lol)

If Suzanne Schachter didn't tell her, then Felice Schachter (Mindy's soul sister) would. Also if they didn't know Mindy would be retained, it was in the best interest of the agent to tell the actress and her parents so they can look at other acting opportunities.

But Mindy was only like 13 years old. I doubt Suzanne Schachter would have told her. I feel like she would have told Mindy's mother. But, who knows. (and then maybe Mindy's mom felt bad and didn't tell her, so she showed up to this new cafeteria going, "Where'd ev'rybody go??" lol)

I guess it's possible, but why would Mindy's mom hide this info? Especially when it was already in the newspapers. Still, anything's possible...

You raise a good point. How could Mindy not know? There's no way Suzanne wouldn't have told her.

Although, I can understand how Mindy phrases it, as "It was like, where did everybody go?", which is a little different than the way Lisa says it: "Nobody knew, that I know of, that they were going to [make the cut]." You can know that a casting change has been made, and still feel like "Where did everybody go?"

In her book, Kim says everything felt suddenly very empty, as she was abruptly only going to classes with Nancy McKeon, at the studio school: Lisa had graduated early, and Mindy went to Westlake. To go from having five schoolmates (presumably Lisa, Felice, Julie Pie, Julie Anne, and Molly) to just one (Nancy) was very hard for her. Clearly, she adapted, because she and Nancy became very close (she says it was Nancy who taught her how to shave her legs, and that she was in the back seat of Nancy's car during Nancy's driving lessons), but it would have been a bit of a shock for a ten-year-old: every person you went to school with is gone, replaced by someone else.


I find it hard to believe that KIM FIELDS and NANCY MCKEON were close: i was always under the impression that on screen, as TOOTIE and JO they were rather distant (NAT and JO got on better on the other hand).:wave:

The girls hung around together off the set. Mindy hung around Felice. Teen girls don't keep secrets very well. How could Mindy not know?

I dunno, maybe the girls didn't see each other much over that first summer break. Who knows?

I find it hard to believe that KIM FIELDS and NANCY MCKEON were close: i was always under the impression that on screen, as TOOTIE and JO they were rather distant (NAT and JO got on better on the other hand).:wave:

I think they got on fine. It's just that Natalie was closer to Jo's age and Nat had a "street sensibility" to her that she could use to relate to Jo, that Tootie didn't have.

I dunno, maybe the girls didn't see each other much over that first summer break. Who knows?

There is also the phone that they could communicate with. We do know from photos that the girls (except for Molly who is missing from any photo) hung around with another off stage.

There is also the phone that they could communicate with. We do know from photos that the girls (except for Molly who is missing from any photo) hung around with another off stage.

Molly missing from any off-stage photos really disturbs me. We see Julie Anne hanging out with Felice, Lisa, and Melissa Gilbert; we see Julie Pie hanging out with Kim, Lisa, and Philip McKeon; we see Felice and Julie Anne hanging out together... And we see Molly posing with cinnamon buns. :eek:

Molly could have her own life away from the set. She always seemed happy and smiling in the cast photos and on the show in Season 1. You never heard her say anything bad about Season 1. Of course season 2 was a totally different story.

Poor Lost Girls---how much it must have sucked to be an adolescent and have your summer off ruined by being canned from a TV show!

Poor Lost Girls---how much it must have sucked to be an adolescent and have your summer off ruined by being canned from a TV show!

It turned out to be a plus for Molly (though she and her parents didn't know in the short term). In Season 3 she was in Greece filming the Tempest and 3 years later her career really took off. Plus she is still active in the industry today.

Would have loved to see Julie Pie, Julie Ann, and Felice to have similar careers. But they do appear happy and didn't end up in trouble.

Yes, but still, in the moment, that must have been one sucky summer---especially for poor Molly!

Yes, but still, in the moment, that must have been one sucky summer---especially for poor Molly!

Some of the producers told her to try something else besides acting. Then when she became a superstar, they spread some lies and propaganda that she left to do the John Hughes movies despite the fact that they didn't occur until 4 years later.

I found this article from way back in 1982 on Felice. Funny that Nancy O. said on career night in "Overachieving" that she wanted to be a psychiatrist and Felice majored in Psychology at Brown. While she never became a psychiatrist, she helps develop classes for special education students and teachers. https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/08/04/Scotts-World-Felice-Faces-Facts/3315397281600/

Some of the producers told her to try something else besides acting. Then when she became a superstar, they spread some lies and propaganda that she left to do the John Hughes movies despite the fact that they didn't occur until 4 years later.

Retro, have you ever heard anything like this?

Retro, have you ever heard anything like this?

I haven't heard anything about producers telling Molly to try things outside of acting. Though of course, she already was trying other things, having recently recorded the Disney songs, as well as occasionally participating in her father's Jazz band (https://iammollyringwald.com/music).

The thing I've noticed from articles and clippings about all the Lost Girls is that they were, all four of them, trying many different things. Julie Anne was doing some modeling, in addition to acting. Julie Pie was dancing as well as singing and acting. Felice was dancing (until her tragic accident), modeling, and acting. Molly was singing as well as acting, in addition to doing raisin commercials. I don't doubt that some FOL producers might have encouraged Molly to pursue singing, which IMO is a little different than telling her to try something else besides acting.

I do, however, remember one documentary (The Truth Behind the Sitcoms) where director John Bowab stated he felt as though Molly felt there was a "conspiracy" against her, from the production team. That word is his wording, not mine.

Felice was dancing (until her tragic accident)

:confused:


I do, however, remember one documentary (The Truth Behind the Sitcoms) where director John Bowab stated he felt as though Molly felt there was a "conspiracy" against her, from the production team. That word is his wording, not mine.

I wonder where/when he got this idea?? :confused:

:confused:

I know we talked about this in the FOL Retro Articles thread (or whatever it's called). Felice was in a terrible car accident when she was six. She lost part of her vision and was unable to even walk. Doctors told her mother she would never walk again.

You can read Felice's own words about the incident here (politicalmavens.com/index.php/2006/10/31/the-right-to-be-human/
). Felice recovered. But obviously, that put an end to her young aspirations as a dancer. However, the accident informed her decisions as a special ed teacher, later in life.


I wonder where/when he got this idea?? :confused:

I don't know. Molly herself didn't seem to speak about The Facts of Life for several decades, at least publicly. It's possible that Molly said some things in private... something sure happened, because Mr. Bowab spoke publicly about it.

Gosh, poor Felice, I totally forgot! You'd never know it by watching the show. And she sure moved gracefully enough in TGS during the play rehearsal.

I don't know. Molly herself didn't seem to speak about The Facts of Life for several decades, at least publicly. It's possible that Molly said some things in private... something sure happened, because Mr. Bowab spoke publicly about it.

Hmmm, I wonder if he saw the infamous 1986 magazine quote by her and read into it? But it sounds like there's more, substantially more. This is so interesting...

Gosh, poor Felice, I totally forgot! You'd never know it by watching the show. And she sure moved gracefully enough in TGS during the play rehearsal.

I don't remember Felice moving gracefully in TGS; mostly that was Dana. Felice was more about the bed-crying and acting-while-acting. :lol:


Hmmm, I wonder if he saw the infamous 1986 magazine quote by her and read into it? But it sounds like there's more, substantially more. This is so interesting...

It's possible he saw the magazine quote, but I do agree that it feels like there's more to it. Why would he say "conspiracy" if all she said was "worst job ever"? The two don't really match up.

I don't remember Felice moving gracefully in TGS; mostly that was Dana. Felice was more about the bed-crying and acting-while-acting. :lol:

Oh yeah, Dana does the flowing dancing.


It's possible he saw the magazine quote, but I do agree that it feels like there's more to it. Why would he say "conspiracy" if all she said was "worst job ever"? The two don't really match up.

Hey, I'm just thinking out loud (or, silently, while keying it out, lol).

I never heard that story about Felice's accident before. Her training in ballet can explain why she had such an interest in Baryshnikov.

I don't remember Felice moving gracefully in TGS; mostly that was Dana. Felice was more about the bed-crying and acting-while-acting. :lol:



It's possible he saw the magazine quote, but I do agree that it feels like there's more to it. Why would he say "conspiracy" if all she said was "worst job ever"? The two don't really match up.

Something happened between Molly and the producers/execs behind the scenes. Warren Littlefield taunted her in the one documentary by saying "Goodbye Molly".

I never heard that story about Felice's accident before.

Yeah, I read an article about it a few years ago, and shared it in the Articles thread. It's such a shame when a child's dream can't come true. But I suspect it helped Felice become a better special education teacher, so there have been positives as well.


Her training in ballet can explain why she had such an interest in Baryshnikov.

I believe so. But I also know, from Kim's book, that all the girls liked him when he came on set.

I believe so. But I also know, from Kim's book, that all the girls liked him when he came on set.

What's she talkin' 'bout?? He was never on the show! :lol: :crazy:

Why would he visit a set of a TV show about young girls at a boarding school?? :confused:

What's she talkin' 'bout?? He was never on the show! :lol: :crazy:

:lol:
Not on camera, anyway. And yet, she says he was there.


Why would he visit a set of a TV show about young girls at a boarding school?? :confused:

Well, this was at Metromedia Square, where hundreds of shows were taped. He could have been at the studio for any project.

Well, this was at Metromedia Square, where hundreds of shows were taped. He could have been at the studio for any project.

Maybe he heard gossip about his name in "Gossip" and thought, "Fine, they use my name on this American show, I will stop by and see what it is like!" lol

:lol:
Not on camera, anyway. And yet, she says he was there.



Well, this was at Metromedia Square, where hundreds of shows were taped. He could have been at the studio for any project.

In one opener, they got Baryshnikov answering machine. I wonder was that the real Barychikov's voice that we heard.