Here is a photo of Charlotte and Mindy before the Facts of Life began production. This was from Westlake School that Mindy went to.

Wow, cool photo!

It looks kinda like Charlotte's saying, "I'm making Mindy a star---but not you :)" :lol:

And whoa, check out those vintage "7-UP" cans! Awesome!

Wow, cool photo!

It looks kinda like Charlotte's saying, "I'm making Mindy a star---but not you :)" :lol:

And whoa, check out those vintage "7-UP" cans! Awesome!

When cans were made out of steal and not aluminum.

Awwwww! Mindy is so adorable, there!

They are wearing "Hello! My name is:" nametags! Just like everyone wore in "Like Mother, Like Daughter", later that year! :lol:

I wonder if those girls were Mindy's friends? Did they keep in contact? Mindy continued to attend Westlake, according to Kim's book.

I'd completely forgotten what 7-Up cans used to look like! That logo! OMG, what a flashback moment!

The first girl in that photo reminds me of Blair, fussing with her hair. The second girl is clearly then Jo. Then comes Natalie herself, followed by... Nancy, cut out of the photo! :lol:

Awwwww! Mindy is so adorable, there!

They are wearing "Hello! My name is:" nametags! Just like everyone wore in "Like Mother, Like Daughter", later that year! :lol:

I wonder if those girls were Mindy's friends? Did they keep in contact? Mindy continued to attend Westlake, according to Kim's book.

I'd completely forgotten what 7-Up cans used to look like! That logo! OMG, what a flashback moment!

The first girl in that photo reminds me of Blair, fussing with her hair. The second girl is clearly then Jo. Then comes Natalie herself, followed by... Nancy, cut out of the photo! :lol:

Mindy was a 1983 graduate at Westlake. She would have just turned 17 at the time so she graduated a year earlier than most kids her age.

Haha very cute! It almost looks more like a summer camp

They are wearing "Hello! My name is:" nametags! Just like everyone wore in "Like Mother, Like Daughter", later that year! :lol:

:lol:


The second girl is clearly then Jo.

She reminds me of one of the "Charles in Charge" daughters. (a show on which Mindy appaeared!)

I wonder were either of the girls by Mindy one of the girls coming out the dorm in the intro of the first season or going out the back door at the beginning of "Rough Housing"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSlOY0Ogblw&t=710s

I wonder were either of the girls by Mindy one of the girls coming out the dorm in the intro of the first season or going out the back door at the beginning of "Rough Housing"?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSlOY0Ogblw&t=710s

They don't look the same to me: the blonde girl in Rough Housing has very feathered, light blonde, shorter hair. The girl in the photo has very straight, longer hair that seems to be a darker blonde. The brunette in RH has fairly light brown hair. The brunette in the photo has hair that is very dark brown. Both girls in RH appear to be significantly older than the girls in the photo: the Westlake girls look like they are twelve. It's hard to tell from the brief appearance in RH, but the Rough Housing girls look like they are mid-teenagers.

Haha very cute! It almost looks more like a summer camp

I think it's the paper plates and soda cans. Replace those with fine china and glasses, and it would instantly feel more like an elite girls' school.

Westlake School for Girls is now Harvard-Westlake School (https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=qygyJOVH&id=F3C3E8E11C4C4370883D73A98C94A27E80898762&thid=OIP.qygyJOVHXIl--MmV2m5tsQHaFM&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fimages.forbes.com%2fmedia%2f2010%2f04%2f29%2f0429_harvard-westlake-prep-school_485x340.jpg&exph=340&expw=485&q=harvard+westlake+school&simid=608018590861102556&selectedIndex=28&ajaxhist=0). Much like Eastland, the school found it beneficial to add boys, merging with a nearby boys' school, and becoming co-educational in 1991, a few years after Eastland did.

Westlake (now Harvard-Westlake) is clearly within the spheres of major political and entertainment power in the Los Angeles area; among its graduates are Shirley Temple, June Lockhart, astronaut Sally Ride, Myrna Loy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bridget Fonda, Tori Spelling, and hundreds of other famous people. It's literally the school of the stars. It's ironic, then, that the one girl picked from Westlake to star on TV had no show-business background.

She reminds me of one of the "Charles in Charge" daughters. (a show on which Mindy appaeared!)

I definitely see the resemblance to Lila (April Lerman) (https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=wfaanYNy&id=F173DF23C548468D7F97D392B98FBCE86772B253&thid=OIP.wfaanYNyILVfsb8U4EfC3AHaE8&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fcharles.coolcherrycream.com%2fassets%2fimages%2fseason-1%2f12%2flila-1.jpg&exph=480&expw=720&q=lila+charles+in+charge&simid=608023165017522657&selectedIndex=8&ajaxhist=0). Good eye, 80s!

Ironically, much like FOL, CiC's producers executed a Cast Purge between Seasons 1 and 2, with the original family getting axed, leaving only "Charles" and "Buddy" as cast members. You know how I feel about Cast Purges... :(

I think it's the paper plates and soda cans. Replace those with fine china and glasses, and it would instantly feel more like an elite girls' school.

Westlake School for Girls is now Harvard-Westlake School (https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=qygyJOVH&id=F3C3E8E11C4C4370883D73A98C94A27E80898762&thid=OIP.qygyJOVHXIl--MmV2m5tsQHaFM&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fimages.forbes.com%2fmedia%2f2010%2f04%2f29%2f0429_harvard-westlake-prep-school_485x340.jpg&exph=340&expw=485&q=harvard+westlake+school&simid=608018590861102556&selectedIndex=28&ajaxhist=0). Much like Eastland, the school found it beneficial to add boys, merging with a nearby boys' school, and becoming co-educational in 1991, a few years after Eastland did.

Westlake (now Harvard-Westlake) is clearly within the spheres of major political and entertainment power in the Los Angeles area; among its graduates are Shirley Temple, June Lockhart, astronaut Sally Ride, Myrna Loy, Jamie Lee Curtis, Bridget Fonda, Tori Spelling, and hundreds of other famous people. It's literally the school of the stars. It's ironic, then, that the one girl picked from Westlake to star on TV had no show-business background.
Yes probably

I definitely see the resemblance to Lila (April Lerman) (https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=wfaanYNy&id=F173DF23C548468D7F97D392B98FBCE86772B253&thid=OIP.wfaanYNyILVfsb8U4EfC3AHaE8&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fcharles.coolcherrycream.com%2fassets%2fimages%2fseason-1%2f12%2flila-1.jpg&exph=480&expw=720&q=lila+charles+in+charge&simid=608023165017522657&selectedIndex=8&ajaxhist=0). Good eye, 80s!

Yes, her! I didn't see this show growing up, so I would have had to look her up, lol. There's I believe one CiC episode on the season 1 "Gimme a Break!" set (there's also a "Kate & Alli" episode on there, along with a GaB season 2 episode).


Ironically, much like FOL, CiC's producers executed a Cast Purge between Seasons 1 and 2, with the original family getting axed, leaving only "Charles" and "Buddy" as cast members. You know how I feel about Cast Purges... :(

This seems even stranger in retrospect: They kept the housekeeper boy and his pal but "changed out" the entire family! I assume some people preferred the original family and some preferred the replacement.

Yes, her! I didn't see this show growing up, so I would have had to look her up, lol. There's I believe one CiC episode on the season 1 "Gimme a Break!" set (there's also a "Kate & Alli" episode on there, along with a GaB season 2 episode).

Wait... There are episodes of "Kate and Alli" and "Charles in Charge" on the "Gimme a Break" DVDs?! :lol:


This seems even stranger in retrospect: They kept the housekeeper boy and his pal but "changed out" the entire family! I assume some people preferred the original family and some preferred the replacement.

Yes: that's exactly what happened. The old family disappeared without notice, but agreed, without notifying the babysitter or his pal, that he'd work for the new family, in the house they'd just sold to the new family.

There was nothing wrong with the new family, IMO. But then again, there was nothing wrong with the old family. And it was a very weird transition. The old mom and one of the old sons appeared, in a brief cameo, to provide what little continuity they could, in order to explain the replacement family.

No, it doesn't make any sense.

This is one of the reasons I say the transition between FOL seasons 1 and 2 was handled so much better: we did get to see the old characters, on occasion, and there was a somewhat reasonable explanation as to why we didn't see some of the original characters as much as we had, in the past: because the setting had changed, and we were no longer seeing the dorms.

So even though I would have much preferred no Cast Purge on FOL, it was still handled better than most 1980s shows, because on most '80s shows, we'd either get no explanation at all, or a cockamamie explanation that makes no sense.

Wait... There are episodes of "Kate and Alli" and "Charles in Charge" on the "Gimme a Break" DVDs?! :lol:

Yup! Even a retrospect featurette on TV in the '80s (only NBC shows, though; and no, no "Facts", lol).


There was nothing wrong with the new family, IMO. But then again, there was nothing wrong with the old family. And it was a very weird transition. The old mom and one of the old sons appeared, in a brief cameo, to provide what little continuity they could, in order to explain the replacement family.

Huh, interesting. Well, at least they did that as a little "bridge".

Very weird! CiC had the weirdest cast changeover ever

Very weird! CiC had the weirdest cast changeover ever

Yes. Definitely the weirdest Cast Purge. The family leaves the state, but the babysitter stays in the house.


Kevin Can Wait remains, for me, the weirdest case of a single character being written off a show, even worse than Valerie. On Valerie, they killed off the mom, but on KCW, they killed the mom, then started making... weird, awkward jokes about it. It was... creepy.

Yes. Definitely the weirdest Cast Purge. The family leaves the state, but the babysitter stays in the house.


Kevin Can Wait remains, for me, the weirdest case of a single character being written off a show, even worse than Valerie. On Valerie, they killed off the mom, but on KCW, they killed the mom, then started making... weird, awkward jokes about it. It was... creepy.

Really? I mean it was pretty abrupt but they seemed somberish when Kevin got a flier from the gym addressed to his wife saying they miss her.

Really? I mean it was pretty abrupt but they seemed somberish when Kevin got a flier from the gym addressed to his wife saying they miss her.

From what I recall, that was immediately followed by a joke.

From what I recall, that was immediately followed by a joke.

Yes he asked to save the coupon for chicken or something like that

Yes he asked to save the coupon for chicken or something like that

Yeah. Tasteless.

I couldn't keep watching the show, although there was a cool blog that had all sorts of sinister, crazy theories about how Kevin was behind the sudden, unexplained death of his wife, which allowed some viewers to watch the show in a very different, though sinister, light.