We all know The Facts of Life was retooled over and over: there was the "Edna's Edibles" retooling (season five), the "Over Our Heads" retooling (season seven), the post-"Over Our Heads" year (season nine), and of course the retooling which ripped the cast in half like a black and white photo: the Cast Purge between seasons one and two: the jarring departure of half of The Facts of Life cast, when Nancy, Sue Ann, Cindy, Molly, and Mr. Bradley were shown the door.

But did you know that there was an even earlier retooling? According to Kim Fields, there was!

According to Kim's book, Blessed Life, which you can get at your local bookstore, ISBN 978-1-4789-4754-7, the show was retooled before the halfway mark in season one. The network was worried that the show would not be successful, and kept making changes. According to Kim, "ratings were disappointing, and after only four episodes, the show went on a three-month break so the network could rework it."

Network executives hadn't bothered to promote the show (careful observers can see that cast photos promoting the show weren't even taken until after these episodes had already aired), but these same executives were now apoplectic over the show's poor ratings. The decision was made to trim down the large cast. This was only the first of many cast trimmings or character discontinuations.

During this time, Jenny O'Hara, who had played Miss Mahoney, was let go. The writers didn't even explain what had happened to the character, which became a typical thing on this show: the character was just gone, with no explanation, and no further mention.

It's also my belief that this is when Felice (Nancy) went from having a role on the show to having almost no role. Julie Anne (Cindy) also went from having a role to having a much smaller part (she would get only one more episode in which to shine: "Running", which she shared with Julie Pie). After these first four episodes, Felice never had more than (I believe) ten lines per episode.* Sometimes she only had five lines. In some scenes, she became living wallpaper: there with the others, but with no lines.

The writers then focused more on Blair, Tootie, Sue Ann, Natalie, and Molly, roughly in that order. A TV promo for FOL from the Spring 1980 era mentions "Blair, Tootie, Natalie and Molly". Julie Pie (Sue Ann) was picked to be on Hollywood Squares with Charlotte Rae.

Further changes would be made at the end of the season, and the producers telegraphed their intentions to reduce the cast further when they wrote into the final episode of the season that the character of Nancy had not made it into "The Group"; the final scene of the first season showed Charlotte hugging just four girls. The show would continually be retooled throughout its years on NBC, but First Season viewers would witness two cast purges within a single season.


*With the exceptions of second season episode "Gossip", more than a year later, and "The Little Chill" in season eight.

Living wall paper would probably be a good term to describe Judy Winslow. Mainly in seasons 3 and 4

Living wall paper would probably be a good term to describe Judy Winslow. Mainly in seasons 3 and 4

Definitely: there, but few or no lines. In both cases, I believe the producers were signaling their intentions to do nothing with those characters.

In Felice's case, she had played an important part in the backdoor pilot, "The Girls' School", and had had quite a few lines in "IQ" and "Like Mother, Like Daughter". But she'd never again have center stage after those episodes. Someone at the network, I suspect, didn't like her, leading to what Mindy called the "bum deal". Frantic about "too many girls", Felice's role was quickly trimmed to a minimal role.

In the case of little Judy Winslow, the producers of that series, Miller-Boyett Productions, had no qualms with writing out characters, and had been doing so since the 1970s.

The last scene of the first season shows what I think the producers planned for season two:

Yup, perfect with their expressions, lol. Who knows? It could very well be.

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Haha! ...But sad. All because Brandon Tartikoff saw a commercial.

Haha! ...But sad. All because Brandon Tartikoff saw a commercial.

True, just seeing a TV commercial...who knew?

While I don't say NM "saved" the show, the Jo character did end up working out very well. Who knows, if they hadn't trimmed down the cast, maybe the show wouldn't have lasted as long? (not taking into account, of course, the fact that they moved the show in season 2 to where it should have been in the first place!)

True, just seeing a TV commercial...who knew?

While I don't say NM "saved" the show, the Jo character did end up working out very well. Who knows, if they hadn't trimmed down the cast, maybe the show wouldn't have lasted as long? (not taking into account, of course, the fact that they moved the show in season 2 to where it should have been in the first place!)

Oh, I think the character of Jo struck a chord with audiences: all the people who felt like outcasts had someone to root in, with Jo. But I agree that Nancy McKeon didn't singlehandedly save the show: NBC scheduled FOL on a better night (immediately following DS, its parent series); they got better writers; they got female writers; NBC invested in nearly a full season instead of spreading 13 episodes out over a full year; they got rid of the short shorts.

But this idea that Nancy M somehow saved the show is fiction, and we know this because ratings immediately improved in FOL's new timeslot, before audiences had even seen much of Jo.

NBC invested in nearly a full season instead of spreading 13 episodes out over a full year

I was surprised years ago to discover there are only 16 episodes in season 2, just 3 more than in season 1. Maybe they ordered more but Tiamat--I mean, Warren Little"facts"--thought there were "too many episodes". ;)

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I was surprised years ago to discover there are only 16 episodes in season 2, just 3 more than in season 1. Maybe they ordered more but Tiamat--I mean, Warren Little"facts"--thought there were "too many episodes". ;)

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Yeah, it's clear NBC was trying to go the cheap route, but also I suspect the writers' strike of 1980 also caused fewer episodes to be produced: FOL didn't debut until November... and didn't start taping until October, so no new episodes debuted in September or October of 1980.

Oh that's right, I forgot that it got such a late start.

And in this "photo", that's vintage Tiamat flame ;)

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Looks like he's talking about Molly Ringwald... Wonder what gets him so angry when talking about her.

Maybe he saw her flip him off in The Breakfast Club? :lol:

Looks like he's talking about Molly Ringwald... Wonder what gets him so angry when talking about her.

Maybe he saw her flip him off in The Breakfast Club? :lol:

Haha, who knows?

Yup, perfect with their expressions, lol. Who knows? It could very well be.

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They pretty much created Jo by morphing tomboy Cindy and Blair foil Sue Anne into a singular character.

They pretty much created Jo by morphing tomboy Cindy and Blair foil Sue Anne into a singular character.

I somewhat agree, and also at the same time disagree.

Yes, they took the tomboy aspect of Cindy's character and welded it onto Sue Ann's opposite-of-Manhattan-socialite character to come up with FrankenJo. They might have even added pieces of Nancy's scholarship-student character.

Yet there were also distinctive parts of Cindy, Sue Ann, and Nancy that were left on the scripting room floor. For example, we never again had a frank conservative/liberal discussion of divorce or sex or family values, because without Sue Ann, there was no one to bring those issues up. And Sue Ann wasn't on screen enough for those issues to be tackled. Jo's parents were already divorced, so she couldn't be an advocate for couples staying married, unlike Sue Ann. Jo and Eddie almost had sex in the most dirty motel room I've ever seen (the bedspread had tire marks on it), so Jo couldn't realistically be an advocate for abstinence. With Sue Ann fading away from the show, The Facts of Life lost a powerful conservative voice that could have cautioned viewers about some of the issues they tackled.

Similarly, with Cindy being written out, The Facts of Life lost the gymnast character during an era when female athletes were rarely represented on television. We hear, anecdotally, that Jo plays hockey, but we never see it. Cindy, on the other hand, was shown running, jump-roping, and doing back-flips on camera. The physicality of the tomboy role was lost with the loss of Cindy, and in turn a powerful role-model for young kids was snuffed out.

Finally, we lost Nancy, who we know far less about than most of the other girls. Yet even the loss of Nancy had an impact on the show, which we can see in "Gossip": it would be difficult for the series to have love triangles post-season one, as the Core Four girls couldn't be believably best friends while still stealing each other's boyfriends. Having a jealous Nancy on the show provided for fireworks that we wouldn't see once Nancy (and Roger) exited stage left.


Of course, the writers took pieces of Molly and used them in Tootie and Natalie, too: Tootie became the photography buff, a characteristic inherited directly from Molly, and Natalie became fascinated by journalism, a field in which Molly was previously interested. Tootie's interest in acting seems to have been spliced over from Nancy.

The loss of the Lost Girls had some major consequences on the series, not just with the characters being gone, but also the types of stories that could be told after they left the show. Worst of all, nearly every scene would have to be shot in the cafeteria, as scenes in the school outside the cafeteria would naturally need to show the Core Four interacting with other students, while network executives were having fits about showing more than four characters at the same time, in a show supposedly set at a girls' school, where there would normally be dozens of characters.

Restricting the scenes to the cafeteria only made the show feel somehow smaller, more claustrophobic, as the writers had to come up with pretexts for every event to take place in the cafeteria: Jo's parents argue in the cafeteria instead of in a private area, the girls learn self-defense training in the cafeteria instead of in a gym, and all discussions of book banning happen... in the cafeteria. Selling cosmetics? Let's do it in the cafeteria. School dance? Cafeteria. Famous photographer visiting? Cafeteria. Comedian appearing? Cafeteria, cafeteria, cafeteria.

^---Did you do your dissertation on The Facts of Life? :eek: Really, those are some excellent points. :clap

With Sue Ann fading away from the show, The Facts of Life lost a powerful conservative voice that could have cautioned viewers about some of the issues they tackled.

Something I hadn't even considered until recently (because you brought it up in another post).


Jo and Eddie almost had sex in the most dirty motel room I've ever seen (the bedspread had tire marks on it)

Yeah, you were really disgusted by that this summer! :lol: (and with good reason!)


The physicality of the tomboy role was lost with the loss of Cindy, and in turn a powerful role-model for young kids was snuffed out.

[sigh], foolish producers...



it would be difficult for the series to have love triangles post-season one, as the Core Four girls couldn't be believably best friends while still stealing each other's boyfriends. Having a jealous Nancy on the show provided for fireworks that we wouldn't see once Nancy (and Roger) exited stage left.

How true!


Of course, the writers took pieces of Molly and used them in Tootie and Natalie, too: Tootie became the photography buff, a characteristic inherited directly from Molly, and Natalie became fascinated by journalism, a field in which Molly was previously interested. Tootie's interest in acting seems to have been spliced over from Nancy.

Don't forget Molly's feminism and activism, which found its way to Natalie with her outrage over "Ms." magazine being banned, library censorship, and her boycott of the Sadie Hawkins dance (until a boy comes along, lol).


Worst of all, nearly every scene would have to be shot in the cafeteria, as scenes in the school outside the cafeteria would naturally need to show the Core Four interacting with other students, while network executives were having fits about showing more than four characters at the same time, in a show supposedly set at a girls' school, where there would normally be dozens of characters.

Restricting the scenes to the cafeteria only made the show feel somehow smaller, more claustrophobic, as the writers had to come up with pretexts for every event to take place in the cafeteria: Jo's parents argue in the cafeteria instead of in a private area, the girls learn self-defense training in the cafeteria instead of in a gym, and all discussions of book banning happen... in the cafeteria. Selling cosmetics? Let's do it in the cafeteria. School dance? Cafeteria. Famous photographer visiting? Cafeteria. Comedian appearing? Cafeteria, cafeteria, cafeteria.

Welllllll...while I do respect your opinion, and I see what you mean and can agree in a way, I can't fully agree. I mean, yes, I agree it would be realistic to show other buildings on campus for scenes, but, at the same time, Retro---I :heart: that cafeteria! :lol: That set is just beautiful to me, and perfectly exemplifies the feeling of Eastland being a good school, yet having to be shown as a home for wayward probationary girls, lol.

Also, if Retro will forgive my "borrowing" here, I was inspired by his mock-ups on page 1 regarding the "changing of the guard", so to speak:

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^---Did you do your dissertation on The Facts of Life? :eek: Really, those are some excellent points. :clap
Why thank you! You make some great points below, too. Let's get to them, shall we?


Don't forget Molly's feminism, which found its way to Natalie with her outrage over "Ms." magazine being banned, and her boycott of the Sadie Hawkins dance (until a boy comes along, lol).

That's a very good point. Natalie does seem to inherit the feminism mantle.


Welllllll...while I do respect your opinion, and I see what you mean and can agree in a way, I can't fully agree. I mean, yes, I agree it would be realistic to show other buildings on campus for scenes, but, at the same time, Retro---I <3 that cafeteria! :lol: That set is just beautiful to me, and perfectly exemplifies the feeling of Eastland being a good school, yet having to be shown as a home for wayward probationary girls, lol.

I am not disrespecting the cafeteria. It was not only a beautiful set which fit well with the setting of Eastland, it also could be used realistically for many different activities, and it was clever of the producers to set the show mostly in the cafeteria. But they pushed it too far with some things such as gym, theater, library, etc. The show needed other sets and other recurring girls to interact with, and this becomes painfully obvious by season four, when every episode is set in the cafeteria, but the only other recurring girls to even appear briefly are Alex and Emily, in a handful of scenes over a full-length season.

At that point, the writers must have realized they'd cramped these girls into the cafeteria long enough, and it was time for the show to spread its wings.

Also, if Retro will forgive my "borrowing" here, I was inspired by his mock-ups on page 1 regarding the "changing of the guard", so to speak:

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:lol:

That's a very good point. Natalie does seem to inherit the feminism mantle.

And her general activism, as well (I amended my original point above). But then, they also take some of Molly's activism and stick it on Tootie, as she is suddenly an animal rights advocate when the squirrel invades their room.


I am not disrespecting the cafeteria. It was not only a beautiful set which fit well with the setting of Eastland, it also could be used realistically for many different activities, and it was clever of the producers to set the show mostly in the cafeteria.

Yeah, I knew you weren't "totally dissing" it, lol, as I knew from the seasons 2-4 props/sets thread that you really appreciated the beauty of that set. :heart: ... like we all do! :grouphug:


At that point, the writers must have realized they'd cramped these girls into the cafeteria long enough, and it was time for the show to spread its wings.

Came just in time too, as "half" the girls were graduating! lol

Its true, do they even show a class scene outside of Front Page? Obviously Cindy and Sue Ann were there, and Nancy was there when they had drama club as well. The original set wasn't exactly realistic, but it did give the girls a home where they could realistically interact and retreat for private moments.

Its true, do they even show a class scene outside of Front Page?

Yes! At the end of "Teacher's Pet" they show Jo in class seeing the new teacher there after Gail DIED :eek: :( (they say death is a "fact of life"---eek!)

So that's 2 out of 64 episodes in the cafeteria years that show a classroom. Jeez Lorsie, how much more do you want?? :lol: :p


The original set wasn't exactly realistic, but it did give the girls a home where they could realistically interact and retreat for private moments.

Well, it was realistic enough for what it was. They just continued to cling onto it with everything they had! lol

Yes! At the end of "Teacher's Pet" they show Jo in class seeing the new teacher there after Gail DIED :eek: :( (they say death is a "fact of life"---eek!)

So that's 2 out of 64 episodes in the cafeteria years that show a classroom. Jeez Lorsie, how much more do you want?? :lol: :p




Well, it was realistic enough for what it was. They just continued to cling onto it with everything they had! lol

OMG thats right! I forgot about Gail! Poor Gail, first she's stoned out of her mind and then.... :rip:

Geez the cafeteria years was only 64 episodes?! Thats insane to me.

OMG thats right! I forgot about Gail! Poor Gail, first she's stoned out of her mind and then.... :rip:

No no no! Not that Gail! :lol: Teacher Gail! Remember?? Jo's favorite teacher??

(Oh Lord, wait until Retro sees the show had TWO Gails! First all those Emilys parading through, now this! :lol: )

Geez the cafeteria years was only 64 episodes?! Thats insane to me.

Well, it won't seem that insane when you remember that season 2 was only a 16-episode season!

No no no! Not that Gail! :lol: Teacher Gail! Remember?? Jo's favorite teacher??

(Oh Lord, wait until Retro sees the show had TWO Gails! First all those Emilys parading through, now this! :lol: )

LOL I know that Eights, just making a joke about there being two Gails ;)

And her general activism, as well (I amended my original point above). But then, they also take some of Molly's activism and stick it on Tootie, as she is suddenly an animal rights advocate when the squirrel invades their room.

Now that's another good point. Tootie also gets a cat during that era, becoming quite the animal lover.


Yeah, I knew you weren't "totally dissing" it, lol, as I knew from the seasons 2-4 props/sets thread that you really appreciated the beauty of that set. :heart: ... like we all do! :grouphug:

Yes, it's a beautiful set, but it definitely was overused for things it shouldn't have been. They should have been in the classroom more, and they should have had more recurring students at Eastland. There was no need to limit the school to just four students, as even Saved By the Bell, the cheapest of the school-based sitcoms, had six students.


Came just in time too, as "half" the girls were graduating! lol

Well, clearly that, too, was a catalyst for the sweeping changes that happened in season five.

Now that's another good point. Tootie also gets a cat during that era, becoming quite the animal lover.

She does?? :confused: Is this just mentioned in passing conversation?



They should have been in the classroom more, and they should have had more recurring students at Eastland.

Silly Retro! What would students be doing in a classroom at a school?? :lol: :crazy: :p ;)

All kidding aside, I know what you mean, and of course I can agree, but I still love it for what it is; an intimate look at these girls' lives and how, as being stuck on probation, they come to form their own little family on campus. :) It's like we get a private look at something no other school sitcom could provide.


the sweeping changes that happened in season five.

Yeah, like the girls "sweeping" up the shop into Edna's Edibles! :lol: :D

Well, it was realistic enough for what it was. They just continued to cling onto it with everything they had! lol

I'm pretty sure Lorimar was talking about the Dorm Set when he mentioned the "original set". That set was hardly clung to, as we didn't see it after the first season.

She does?? :confused: Is this just mentioned in passing conversation?

No, it happens in season five (http://cousingeri.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-cats-of-life.html).


Silly Retro! What would students be doing in a classroom at a school?? :lol: :crazy: :p ;)

All kidding aside, I know what you mean, and of course I can agree, but I still love it for what it is; an intimate look at these girls' lives and how, as being stuck on probation, they come to form their own little family on campus. :) It's like we get a private look at something no other school sitcom could provide.

Oh, I don't disagree that FOL did way more than what a typical school-set sitcom does. And that makes the producers' decision to set nearly every episode in the cafeteria, with only occasional one-off students, even more mind-boggling.


Yeah, like the girls "sweeping" up the shop into Edna's Edibles! :lol: :D

:lol:

No, it happens in season five (http://cousingeri.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-cats-of-life.html).

Ahh, misunderstanding; you said "the same era", so I took that to mean the cafeteria era.


Oh, I don't disagree that FOL did way more than what a typical school-set sitcom does. And that makes the producers' decision to set nearly every episode in the cafeteria, with only occasional one-off students, even more mind-boggling.

I guess after having "10, 12 girls" in the first season, they were really scared to go outside the smaller core group, lol. But I do really enjoy seeing the interactions of that small group. Don't get me wrong, I'd take my Lost Girls back in a heartbeat! It's just that on another hand I really enjoy the intimate ensemble feel of the "fab five".

No no no! Not that Gail! :lol: Teacher Gail! Remember?? Jo's favorite teacher??

(Oh Lord, wait until Retro sees the show had TWO Gails! First all those Emilys parading through, now this! :lol: )

Yes, once I realized that "Girl #3" had also been named Gail, I did briefly think of the Parade of Emilys and Steves on this show.

The writers must have had a Mad Libs-style list of first names and last names (Emily, Gail, Steve, Howard, Harris, Parker, Muldoon, etc), and then just thrown darts. :lol:

THUNK!

"Steve? I don't think we've used that name before. Let's go with it!"

Season 5? Hmm it must be late in the season, I just finished ep 20 where Blair dreams what they'll be doing in 2000....

Season 5? Hmm it must be late in the season, I just finished ep 20 where Blair dreams what they'll be doing in 2000....

Natalie's "baguette" hair! :lol:

Natalie's "baguette" hair! :lol:

The long braid, yes. Cindy would be jealous. ;)

The long braid, yes. Cindy would be jealous. ;)

Oh no! Wasn't "Running" enough? Now we have to have "Braiding"? :lol:

Oh no! Wasn't "Running" enough? Now we have to have "Braiding"? :lol:

I mean she WAS always in braids her first 3 seasons on the show, minus the pilot and LMLD. That brings up an interesting thing: the girls main hairstyles weren't really determined til episode 3. Tootie and Cindy had different dos until they settle on pigtails for Tootie and braids for Cindy.

I mean she WAS always in braids her first 3 seasons on the show, minus the pilot and LMLD. That brings up an interesting thing: the girls main hairstyles weren't really determined til episode 3. Tootie and Cindy had different dos until they settle on pigtails for Tootie and braids for Cindy.

Oh wow, great point, Lorsie! Braided Cindy wasn't Braided Cindy until the 3rd episode! Wow! So we'll note, then, that she traded the ball cap in for braids! (I mean she didn't wear the ball cap all throughout RH and LMLD, but you know what I mean)

Oh wow, great point, Lorsie! Braided Cindy wasn't Braided Cindy until the 3rd episode! Wow! So we'll note, then, that she traded the ball cap in for braids! (I mean she didn't wear the ball cap all throughout RH and LMLD, but you know what I mean)

Yep, Cindy had her hair tucked in her cap, til Mrs. G took it off and put it down for her. Then she had it down for LMLD. Tootie had her hair down in the first ep, and in a ponytail in LMLD.

Yep, Cindy had her hair tucked in her cap, til Mrs. G took it off and put it down for her. Then she had it down for LMLD.

Ah, but she still had the cap on in LMLD even with her hair down! (at least for part of it)

Ah, but she still had the cap on in LMLD even with her hair down! (at least for part of it)

Yeah I remember

When I read the title of this thread, I thought it was going to be about the new reboot :lol:

But anyway, I definitely never thought that the cafeteria was overused, but now that I do, I would agree with the assessment that it was. It was a beautiful set but honestly, it seemed like them using it over and over again would be an inexpensive way for them to save money on other sets they could have been using.

On a side note, I will give Facts of Life credit though, it's one of few school-aged shows that actually showed students studying and doing homework assignments, and actually had actual that fit the age of the actual students.

The Edna's Edibles set was fun, so was the Over Our Heads set, but yeah, when they did the remodel late in the series, the kitchen made absolutely no sense. Honestly, I feel like producers/writers by this times in the show don't give a hoot whether or not it made any practical sense, at this time, they were just trying to stay on TV! :lol:

When I read the title of this thread, I thought it was going to be about the new reboot :lol:

Haha! No, just the original show's various retoolings.


But anyway, I definitely never thought that the cafeteria was overused, but now that I do, I would agree with the assessment that it was. It was a beautiful set but honestly, it seemed like them using it over and over again would be an inexpensive way for them to save money on other sets they could have been using.

That's a good point. And because the show was taped, during this era, at Metromedia Square, where they would have had access to dozens of soundstages and a hundred sets, it's still mind-boggling to me that they didn't bother to use any of those resources.


On a side note, I will give Facts of Life credit though, it's one of few school-aged shows that actually showed students studying and doing homework assignments, and actually had actual that fit the age of the actual students.

I like that, too. "Take My Homework, Please" was brilliant. I definitely learned "AU" from that episode.

Also, talking about age-appropriateness, so often in the 1980s and 1990s, it was common to see (like Head of the Class) 30-year-old high school students. (Arvid from Head of the Class was about 32 when that show ended)


The Edna's Edibles set was fun, so was the Over Our Heads set, but yeah, when they did the remodel late in the series, the kitchen made absolutely no sense. Honestly, I feel like producers/writers by this times in the show don't give a hoot whether or not it made any practical sense, at this time, they were just trying to stay on TV! :lol:

:lol: It definitely felt that way to me, too.

I like that, too. "Take My Homework, Please" was brilliant. I definitely learned "AU" from that episode.

"Take My Finals, Please" ;) I know you know that though, lol.

And yeah, I think a whole generation learned "AU!" from that episode. :lol:

"Take My Finals, Please" ;) I know you know that though, lol.

And yeah, I think a whole generation learned "AU!" from that episode. :lol:

Wait what was AU?

Wait what was AU?

The periodic table elemental symbol for gold! :mrt:

"A, U! Gimme back my watch!" :lol:

The periodic table elemental symbol for gold! :mrt:

"A, U! Gimme back my watch!" :lol:

Ohhhh that’s right!

Lorsie needs to study some more before his final! :read: :lol:

"Take My Finals, Please" ;) I know you know that though, lol.

*slaps forehead* D'oh!


And yeah, I think a whole generation learned "AU!" from that episode. :lol:

I'm pretty sure of it.

The periodic table elemental symbol for gold! :mrt:

Ah, at long last, the Mr. T emoji comes in handy! :lol:

Lorsie needs to study some more before his final! :read: :lol:

LOL I’m not THAT young! :lol:

LOL I’m not THAT young! :lol:

Then why did I bring you milk 'n cookies??

"Oh sure, milk 'n cookies for the little Lorsie! :angryfire"

:baby:

Then why did I bring you milk 'n cookies??

"Oh sure, milk 'n cookies for the little Lorsie! :angryfire"

:baby:

BECAUSE milk and cookies is enjoyable at any age! :gary:

:yeahthat

Hey Nancy has her own emoji- phone2:

:lol:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/attachment.php?attachmentid=235462&stc=1&d=1546235153 Really Nancy? First you drag me to the basement with you, and then you get an emoji too?!

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/attachment.php?attachmentid=235462&stc=1&d=1546235153 Really Nancy? First you drag me to the basement with you, and then you get an emoji too?!

Hahaha! And she's not even listening to her! :lol:

Let's see, some possible Eastland Emojis™:

Mr. Crocker: :crazy:

Mr. Bradley: :singer:

Mrs. Garrett: :grouphug:

Blair: :snob:

Nancy: phone2:

Sue Ann: :clap:

Cindy: :basket:

Natalie: :happyface or :stooges:

Molly: :guitar:

Tootie: :baby: or :gossip

Jo: :rolleyes:

Lol I think the 3 stooges for Nat and chatty for Tootie work best

Me Crocker got one and not Miss Mahoney?

Those are pretty good choices for emojis, guys! At least, I sure got a laugh!

I think we could put together a proposal for real, official emojis, if we wanted.

Me Crocker got one and not Miss Mahoney?

I just didn't see much of a Mahoney one. :confused:

We could also do emojis for our members here! Such as:

Retro: :typing:

'80s: :typing:

Lorsie: :baby:

(:lol:)

We could also do emojis for our members here! Such as:

Retro: :typing:

'80s: :typing:

Lorsie: :baby:

(:lol:)
:cuss::crybaby::rofl:

:rotflmao:

:D

I just didn't see much of a Mahoney one. :confused:
Where is :giantperm when you need it!? :lol:

Lmao

or maybe :slimgoodbody ;)

^---eek!! Only the muscle/bone half of him! :lol:

I somewhat agree, and also at the same time disagree.

Yes, they took the tomboy aspect of Cindy's character and welded it onto Sue Ann's opposite-of-Manhattan-socialite character to come up with FrankenJo. They might have even added pieces of Nancy's scholarship-student character.

Yet there were also distinctive parts of Cindy, Sue Ann, and Nancy that were left on the scripting room floor. For example, we never again had a frank conservative/liberal discussion of divorce or sex or family values, because without Sue Ann, there was no one to bring those issues up. And Sue Ann wasn't on screen enough for those issues to be tackled. Jo's parents were already divorced, so she couldn't be an advocate for couples staying married, unlike Sue Ann. Jo and Eddie almost had sex in the most dirty motel room I've ever seen (the bedspread had tire marks on it), so Jo couldn't realistically be an advocate for abstinence. With Sue Ann fading away from the show, The Facts of Life lost a powerful conservative voice that could have cautioned viewers about some of the issues they tackled.

Similarly, with Cindy being written out, The Facts of Life lost the gymnast character during an era when female athletes were rarely represented on television. We hear, anecdotally, that Jo plays hockey, but we never see it. Cindy, on the other hand, was shown running, jump-roping, and doing back-flips on camera. The physicality of the tomboy role was lost with the loss of Cindy, and in turn a powerful role-model for young kids was snuffed out.

Finally, we lost Nancy, who we know far less about than most of the other girls. Yet even the loss of Nancy had an impact on the show, which we can see in "Gossip": it would be difficult for the series to have love triangles post-season one, as the Core Four girls couldn't be believably best friends while still stealing each other's boyfriends. Having a jealous Nancy on the show provided for fireworks that we wouldn't see once Nancy (and Roger) exited stage left.


Of course, the writers took pieces of Molly and used them in Tootie and Natalie, too: Tootie became the photography buff, a characteristic inherited directly from Molly, and Natalie became fascinated by journalism, a field in which Molly was previously interested. Tootie's interest in acting seems to have been spliced over from Nancy.

The loss of the Lost Girls had some major consequences on the series, not just with the characters being gone, but also the types of stories that could be told after they left the show. Worst of all, nearly every scene would have to be shot in the cafeteria, as scenes in the school outside the cafeteria would naturally need to show the Core Four interacting with other students, while network executives were having fits about showing more than four characters at the same time, in a show supposedly set at a girls' school, where there would normally be dozens of characters.

Restricting the scenes to the cafeteria only made the show feel somehow smaller, more claustrophobic, as the writers had to come up with pretexts for every event to take place in the cafeteria: Jo's parents argue in the cafeteria instead of in a private area, the girls learn self-defense training in the cafeteria instead of in a gym, and all discussions of book banning happen... in the cafeteria. Selling cosmetics? Let's do it in the cafeteria. School dance? Cafeteria. Famous photographer visiting? Cafeteria. Comedian appearing? Cafeteria, cafeteria, cafeteria.

You would think a school as prestigest as Eastland would have an auditorium. The first season had career night in the dormitory/house living room. The next seasons had comedy shows and plays in a cafeteria.

You would think a school as prestigest as Eastland would have an auditorium.

But they do have an auditorium. That's where Blair and Jo graduated. And actually---whoa, I never thought of this---it's where Tootie rehearses for "South Pacific". Yeah, that could be the one time we do see the inside of the auditorium! Way to go, 80s Dude!


The first season had career night in the dormitory/house living room.

I like that though, that's charming. It's kind of like the school wanted a "homey" feel by having each dorm host its girls' parents in those dorms for the event.


The next seasons had comedy shows and plays in a cafeteria.

Well, one comedy show, but no plays; just musical play tryouts. I can see the comedy show there with it being informal and right there for handy refreshments, but yes, it is odd to have musical tryouts in a cafeteria when there's a whole auditorium! lol

It would be interesting to pinpoint when the auditorium was first seen. I don't think we see it in Season Two, because otherwise why have every meeting in the cafeteria during that season?

It would be interesting to pinpoint when the auditorium was first seen. I don't think we see it in Season Two, because otherwise why have every meeting in the cafeteria during that season?

Thanks to 80s Dude making me realize the connection, I think we can safely say "Green-Eyed Monster" is the one and only time we inside the auditorium, with "Graduation Part II" being the only time we see it's lobby.

Thanks to 80s Dude making me realize the connection, I think we can safely say "Green-Eyed Monster" is the one and only time we inside the auditorium, with "Graduation Part II" being the only time we see it's lobby.

Not quite. I know we see the lobby of the auditorium in other episodes. "Read No Evil", for sure.

Not quite. I know we see the lobby of the auditorium in other episodes. "Read No Evil", for sure.

Well, "episode", as that is it. So there are only 3:


"Green-Eyed Monster" (auditorium interior)
"Read No Evil" (auditorium lobby)
"Graduation" (auditorium lobby)