Charlotte has often said she asked the writers and producers to make Mrs. Garrett lose her temper in one episode. IMDB reports an old interview:

"I want to bring in as much humanity as possible, as well as the humor. I've tried to make her a human being with dimensions. The way they write her now is with a great deal of sensitivity and understanding. But I don't want her to be Polly Perfect, because she must have human failings and make mistakes. She's also a surrogate mother to the girls. I told them I wanted to be firm with the girls because I know it's important. Parents must lay down ground rules for their children to help them to grow up and to learn responsibility for their actions. They must learn to stand on their own two feet."

The first time Mrs. Garrett really loses her temper is in season 3, episode "Give and Take", so the interview could be from 1981 or 1982, late season 2 - early season 3. I can't think of any other occasion before that episode.

The first time Mrs. Garrett really loses her temper is in season 3, episode "Give and Take", so the interview could be from 1981 or 1982, late season 2 - early season 3. I can't think of any other occasion before that episode.

Nice sharing, mio amico! :wave:

In season 1 she did lose her patience with Cindy and Sue Ann near the closing of "Running", raising her voice at them.

Mrs. Garrett: "There! Now neither of you has to stand next to someone she hates!"

Cindy: "I never said I hated her!"

Mrs. Garrett: "Well you've both been actin' like it!"

Yeah, any episode where Mrs. Garrett is ripping up photos is an episode where she's lost her ****. :lol:

And also "Molly's Holiday", where Mrs. Garrett definitely loses her temper with Molly. Charlotte must have loved doing that episode as well, because she's definitely not Polly Perfect.

Good topic!

Yeah, any episode where Mrs. Garrett is ripping up photos is an episode where she's lost her ****. :lol:

Ha! True! :lol:


And also "Molly's Holiday", where Mrs. Garrett definitely loses her temper with Molly. Charlotte must have loved doing that episode as well, because she's definitely not Polly Perfect.

Good topic!

Yeah, I thought of Molly as well.

Nice sharing, mio amico! :wave:

In season 1 she did lose her patience with Cindy and Sue Ann near the closing of "Running", raising her voice at them.


Good point. And let's not forget the way she yells at Natalie in "Free Spirit" :lol:

Yeah, any episode where Mrs. Garrett is ripping up photos is an episode where she's lost her ****. :lol:

And also "Molly's Holiday", where Mrs. Garrett definitely loses her temper with Molly. Charlotte must have loved doing that episode as well, because she's definitely not Polly Perfect.

Good topic!

Thanks! I love that scene :lol:

"Get over there and pick up that phone"

Good point. And let's not forget the way she yells at Natalie in "Free Spirit" :lol:

Haha! Good one...

"Natalie, I'm getting angry. And when I get angry, I yell!"

"So don't get angry!"

"IT'S TOO LAAAATE!"

:rofl:


"Get over there and pick up that phone"

:lol: "MMMMMMMMOLLYYYYYYYY!!!" :lol:


And also, "Dope"! Mrs. Garrett gets so upset she lets a CUSS WORD slip! :eek: ("OUR Mrs. Garrett?!??") Right in front of her four girls!

What about the episode from season 6 'Working it out': MRS G yells at BLAIR "You're grounded!"

And on season 5 'Gamma Gamma': MRS G also yells at BLAIR "You don't give me orders, i'v done the catering job for a long time!"

And lastly, another one i can think of is in season 1 'Adoption': when BLAIR tries to intervene on behalf of NAT, MRS G yells at her "BLAIR this is not funny what you are trying to do!" (when all the girls are in one of the rooms).

Any more ideas?

Let's not forget "Kiss off!" to Mr. Parker!

I think Mrs. G. first got angry with Tootie's father in "Overachieving". First time at her students in Molly's Holiday.

I think Mrs. G. first got angry with Tootie's father in "Overachieving". First time at her students in Molly's Holiday.

Well, she first got angry at Mr. Crocker in "The Girls' School", raising her voice more and more.

And yes, there were plenty of times she lost her temper or was "Polly Imperfect" after that interview.

Yeah. For example, "Under Pressure" and "Give and Take".

And also as early as season 1, she lost her patience with Mr. Bradley outside the front door in one episode while he's talking and won't listen to her ("Mr. Bradley....Mr. Bradley...MR. BRADLEEEEEY!!") and her frustration got the better of her and she lost her patience with him in the middle of 'Running".

Our beloved 'feisty red head' is simply adorable!

:dance::dance::dance::dance::dance::dance::dance::dance::dance::dance:

Okay, Mrs Garrett lost her temper on more than one occasion :lol::lol:

I'm not so sure she was Polly Perfect :lol:

Okay, Mrs Garrett lost her temper on more than one occasion :lol::lol:

I'm not so sure she was Polly Perfect :lol:

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

I always felt like it was odd how Charlotte felt as though the producers were making her Polly Perfect. People loved the loving aspect of Mrs. Garrett, and I suspect her homey, grandmotherly feel is one of the main reasons the show lasted so long: people felt comforted while watching.

The producers included many times when Mrs. Garrett flipped her lid and became upset. And parodies of Mrs. Garrett nearly always referred to her "Girl, girls, girls!" line, so she was definitely known for getting upset.

So why did Charlotte feel as though she was being turned into Polly Perfect? :confused:

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

I always felt like it was odd how Charlotte felt as though the producers were making her Polly Perfect. People loved the loving aspect of Mrs. Garrett, and I suspect her homey, grandmotherly feel is one of the main reasons the show lasted so long: people felt comforted while watching.

The producers included many times when Mrs. Garrett flipped her lid and became upset. And parodies of Mrs. Garrett nearly always referred to her "Girl, girls, girls!" line, so she was definitely known for getting upset.

So why did Charlotte feel as though she was being turned into Polly Perfect? :confused:

I guess one too many advice scenes for her taste, lol.

I guess one too many advice scenes for her taste, lol.

OMG, the advice scenes are the best part! :lol:

OMG, the advice scenes are the best part! :lol:

Tell her, not me! :lol:

Tell her, not me! :lol:

I can't! :lol:

I think, though, in later years that Charlotte understood what Mrs. Garrett meant to people. "We understand now," she said. Whereas at the time she was taping the episodes, I guess she wanted a more realistic portrayal of Mrs. Garrett.

I can't! :lol:

I think, though, in later years that Charlotte understood what Mrs. Garrett meant to people. "We understand now," she said. Whereas at the time she was taping the episodes, I guess she wanted a more realistic portrayal of Mrs. Garrett.

She got particularly prickly about it in one interview! To paraphrase: "People come up to me all the time saying, 'Oh, I love Mrs. Garrett!' 'I wish I had a Mrs. Garrett!' And I just look at these people and I think, well of course you do. She's not real! She never even loses her temper!"

She wasn't taking the compliments the right way.

She got particularly prickly about it in one interview! To paraphrase: "People come up to me all the time saying, 'Oh, I love Mrs. Garrett!' 'I wish I had a Mrs. Garrett!' And I just look at these people and I think, well of course you do. She's not real! She never even loses her temper!"

She wasn't taking the compliments the right way.

Yeah. I suppose playing the character for over eight years, and then being constantly recognized for -- or even called by the name of -- the character could be taxing.

Some actors enjoy being recognized and adored for a role they played. Others do not. But in this case, there seems to be a cognitive dissonance between how Charlotte felt about "Polly Perfect" and how the role played out on our screens: Mrs. Garrett was wise, but she was never "perfect".

OMG, the advice scenes are the best part! :lol:



I was just going to say the same thing: without the 'heart to heart' talk MRS G had with her girls, the show wouldn't be the same!

No matter how fans talk about how wonderful the show was during the later seasons, for me FOL was always CHARLOTTE RAE's show as MRS G from DS, and the main teenage star LISA WHELCHEL as BLAIR (during the Pilot and most definitely in season 1 where the roots began).

In my eyes, those 2 shone right trough the end, and will forever be my number 1: BLAIR as the rebellious rich teenage girl, and MRS G as the no nonsense housemother!

:heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart::heart:

I was just going to say the same thing: without the 'heart to heart' talk MRS G had with her girls, the show wouldn't be the same!

So very true. Those heart-to-hearts were so special and so comforting. To paraphrase a producer, they were very comforting messages to viewers who were on the verge of... learning that week's lesson! :lol::lol::lol::lol:

for me FOL was always CHARLOTTE RAE's show as MRS G from DS, and the main teenage star LISA WHELCHEL as BLAIR (during the Pilot and most definitely in season 1 where the roots began).

In my eyes, those 2 shone right trough the end, and will forever be my number 1: BLAIR as the rebellious rich teenage girl, and MRS G as the no nonsense housemother!

It was great that Blair was a rebellious, mischievous, exasperating, challenging, liberated soul when we first got to know her at Eastland. It's unfortunate that she regressed into a Sue Ann conservative in the later years.

It was great that Blair was a rebellious, mischievous, exasperating, challenging, liberated soul when we first got to know her at Eastland. It's unfortunate that she regressed into a Sue Ann conservative in the later years.



And that is exactly the main reason i love so much the BLAIR from the early years: the rebellious girl with the heart of gold, the true one, and not the nonsense clone/pod she became later on lol! (i guess the writers got lost in the process of writing, and by changing them constantly we lost the authenticity of the show)...

:typing::typing::typing::typing::typing::typing::typing::typing::typing::typing:

And that is exactly the main reason i love so much the BLAIR from the early years: the rebellious girl with the heart of gold, the true one, and not the nonsense clone/pod she became later on lol! (i guess the writers got lost in the process of writing, and by changing them constantly we lost the authenticity of the show)...

:typing::typing::typing::typing::typing::typing::typing::typing::typing::typing:

Yup, before Jo came along, Blair was the one Mrs. Garrett to keep keeping her eye on!

You both are very correct. Blair was the rebel of Season 1: the one who got in trouble (running to the stables, getting in trouble in vans, plagiarizing poetry, smoking dope). Once Jo moved in, Blair became much more conventional, and replacement writers forgot that Blair actually could be rebellious and troublesome. After all, it takes two (well, four) to hotwire a van! :lol:

You both are very correct. Blair was the rebel of Season 1: the one who got in trouble (running to the stables, getting in trouble in vans, plagiarizing poetry, smoking dope). Once Jo moved in, Blair became much more conventional, and replacement writers forgot that Blair actually could be rebellious and troublesome. After all, it takes two (well, four) to hotwire a van! :lol:


Ha ha very well said Retro and 80s! (i really enjoy with both of you lol!)

party:party:party:party:party:party:party:party:party:party:party:party:party: