What are the myths that you heard or know about Facts of Life?

I have a couple.

Myth #1: Jo saved the show.
Fact: Ratings went up during the summer reruns to the top 30 before anyone knew who Jo or Nancy McKeon joined the show. During the show's run it usually placed in the 20 to 30 place among ratings. Rarely was in the Top 20, let alone the Top 10. This was not Cheers, All in the Family, Alice.

Myth #2: The Facts of Life was a family friendly wholesome show.
Fact: If the show was so wholesome, then why were quite a few episodes banned in syndication in the early years?

Myth #3: NBC exec Brandon Tartikoff spotted Nancy McKeon in a Hallmark commercial. Yes, she did appear in the Hallmark commercial, but she had already done guest appearances on several shows.

The "Jo saved FOL" theory is ridiculous. Without a doubt Jo was a great addition to the cast, we can't deny Nancy McKeon is a talented actress, but what saved the show in my opinion was the change of writers and the new timeslot, right after Diff'rent Strokes.

Myth #4: Julie Anne Haddock was a girlly girl and nothing like a tomboy. Fact: Julie Anne says otherwise.

The "Jo saved FOL" theory is ridiculous. Without a doubt Jo was a great addition to the cast, we can't deny Nancy McKeon is a talented actress, but what saved the show in my opinion was the change of writers and the new timeslot, right after Diff'rent Strokes.

Yep. A different timeslot brought the show considerable ratings: the difference was night and day.

It's harder to directly measure the effect of different writers, but having actual women write episodes about girls (okay, "women", Molly!) clearly had an effect.

Myth #5: Molly Ringwald left Facts of Life to pursue her movie career. Fact: Molly didn't start doing movies until a year after she quit Facts of Life. She was doing California Raisins commercials and singing in her father's band. This was a spin put forward by the producers because they didn't want to explain how they failed to recognize the talents of one of the biggest 80s stars. Unfortunately for them, fact checks have become available on the internet which was in it's infancy when they put out this spin.

Yep. A different timeslot brought the show considerable ratings: the difference was night and day.

It's harder to directly measure the effect of different writers, but having actual women write episodes about girls (okay, "women", Molly!) clearly had an effect.

It should have been right after its parent show from the beginning. How do you expect to gain an audience for a spin off if its originator airs on another night? But I guess NBC was in such a hurry for a hit show that they didn't reflect on this.

Having female writers helped the show too. I don't think the older writers from season 1 were so bad ("I.Q." and "The Return of Mr. Garrett" had a really good writing) but getting a girls perspective for an all female cast helped the characters coming to life in a better way

It should have been right after its parent show from the beginning. How do you expect to gain an audience for a spin off if its originator airs on another night? But I guess NBC was in such a hurry for a hit show that they didn't reflect on this.

Having female writers helped the show too. I don't think the older writers from season 1 were so bad ("I.Q." and "The Return of Mr. Garrett" had a really good writing) but getting a girls perspective for an all female cast helped the characters coming to life in a better way



The writers from the early seasons were excellent! (the ones from the later seasons on the other hand were crap, changing characters by converting them in PODS lol!)

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

Myth #6: Jenny O'Hara was fired. Facts: She quit after a clash with Charlotte.

Myth #6: Jenny O'Hara was fired. Facts: She quit after a clash with Charlotte.

And just to specify, it wasn't an actual fight or anything, just personality differences---that, and the fact that Jenny saw the "writing" on the wall (ha) that the "writing" for her character wasn't going to go any further. It was a "fact of life" for her!

Myth #7: Kimberly was a student at Eastland.
Facts: Where's Kimberly?

:lol::lol::lol:

Myth #7: Kimberly was a student at Eastland.
Facts: Where's Kimberly?

:lol::lol::lol:

:lol:

Well she was for the first few years of FOL. We just never saw her on screen! lol

I would have loved a Kimberly vs. Blair scene :lol:.

I would have loved a Kimberly vs. Blair scene :lol:.

Yeah it was apparent in TGS that she didn’t like Blair

Yeah it was apparent in TGS that she didn’t like Blair

And yet, they hung out together in "The Older Man".

And yet, they hung out together in "The Older Man".

Haha well Blair had been developed by then into less of a jerk

Haha well Blair had been developed by then into less of a jerk

That's true. By then, her heart of gold was shining, she'd made amends with Cindy, had comforted Molly, and had befriended Jo as part of that "Eastland spirit".

That's true. By then, her heart of gold was shining, she'd made amends with Cindy, had comforted Molly, and had befriended Jo as part of that "Eastland spirit".


That's my girl!

:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:

Not exactly a myth, but a teenage boy who was fairly regular here about 20 years ago did write a post wondering if watching The Facts of Life can make you gay because of how female-centric it is.

Not exactly a myth, but a teenage boy here about 20 years ago did post a thread wondering if watching The Facts of Life can make you gay because of how female-centric it is.

OMG, I've heard some crazy things but "Watching a TV show with mostly female characters will turn a boy gay" has to be near the top. Will reading Little Women also make a guy gay? What about watching a movie starring women? Or listening to a woman's voice on the radio?

It sounds like it's just an excuse not to watch women on TV (or other media), and although watching women's issues on video may not interest some men (because they can't identify with the characters, plots, or emotions presented), the idea that imagery of women could make a male gay seems... kind of backwards. Like, isn't that what guys are supposed to be looking at? :lol:

There are some female-centric shows/movies/books I just cannot get into. For example, the Kardashian shows, or that sort of thing. One series of books I stopped reading was The Hunger Games: I noticed, after a while, that the author was spending page after page describing the protagonist's gorgeous, magnificent dresses in a ridiculous amount of detail. Then, at the end, she'd write, "Oh, and the guy was dressed nicely, too." It sort of took me out of the story. The movies didn't have this flaw, and I thought they were great.

But since women have spent a century watching movies and TV series featuring mostly men (and it didn't turn them into lesbians), we men owe it to women to watch TV shows where women are the stars. I think men, in general, are more likely to watch a movie because it's a visual medium; YouTube's audience is mostly male, while audio-only podcasts are about 50/50. It's no secret that most male-centric films are going to dominate the box office; many men don't want to see a "chick flick". But we are seeing more action films and animated films with female leads, so that perception is slowly changing, as well. I just started watching The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime, and that is basically the female answer to Game of Thrones.

I'm all for more female shows, female stars, and female concepts in TV and film. I liked the first Wonder Woman film because it was a superhero movie that felt different because of the compassion the heroine felt for the people around her. I felt like The Lord of the Rings series were better films because of Arwen's expanded role and the emphasis on Galadriel and Eowyn in their scenes.

Getting back to The Facts of Life, not only can shows like this empower women, they can teach men a lot of valuable lessons we wouldn't have otherwise learned (while watching Land of the Lost and Married With Children).

OMG, I've heard some crazy things but "Watching a TV show with mostly female characters will turn a boy gay" has to be near the top. Will reading Little Women also make a guy gay? What about watching a movie starring women?

That does bring up an interesting question though: How many men have read Little Women?

(That's rhetorical because as much as I know you love data, this is a number pretty much undiscoverable :lol:)


It sounds like it's just an excuse not to watch women on TV (or other media)

He was all about his fandom for the show. He was expressing it more as a "concern". :lookaroun


the idea that imagery of women could make a male gay seems... kind of backwards. Like, isn't that what guys are supposed to be looking at? :lol:

Lol, but that's not what he meant. He meant being immersed in a female-only environment, an ocean of estrogen with nary a drop of testosterone. If that influence could turn a guy gay.


But since women have spent a century watching movies and TV series featuring mostly men (and it didn't turn them into lesbians), we men owe it to women to watch TV shows where women are the stars.

Yeah it's so odd and backward and mindboggling there's anti-woman sentiment out there. Women have persevered through so much, and mothers are usually the true center of a family, holding most everything together in her role. The notion that a guy doesn't wanna work for a woman or doesn't want a woman as president. Most of them probably had mothers who were the lynchpin of the family. Dude, it's a woman. Get over it.

Amazing too that so many guys don't wanna watch "girl properties". Half the population is "girls". Surely you can find stories about them interesting.


Getting back to The Facts of Life, not only can shows like this empower women, they can teach men a lot of valuable lessons we wouldn't have otherwise learned.

Yup, if you're willing to be known by your buddies for watching a perceived "girls' show". :rolleyes:

This direction of the thread reminds me of back in college, a group of us were watching Designing Women on TV in a lounge. Anthony was in a scene, with dialogue and all, and this one unenlightened guy goes, "Is he gay??"

Yes. Yes, he's gay. Because he works in a business run by women. He's totally gay. :rolleyes:

That does bring up an interesting question though: How many men have read Little Women?

You mean besides Joey Tribbiani? :lol:


He was all about his fandom for the show. He was expressing it more as a "concern". :lookaroun

I just don't see how it could be a real concern.


Lol, but that's not what he meant. He meant being immersed in a female-only environment, an ocean of estrogen with nary a drop of testosterone. If that influence could turn a guy gay.

I can see how being immersed in a female-only environment could make a boy's perspectives very different: if he never learns "typical" male behavior and thought patterns, he won't act that way. But watching a female-led TV series is a far cry from being immersed in a female-only environment with an ocean of estrogen. And watching a TV show is unlikely to affect the genetic patterns which scientists theorize may influence sexuality (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02312-0).


Yeah it's so odd and backward and mindboggling there's anti-woman sentiment out there. Women have persevered through so much, and mothers are usually the true center of a family, holding most everything together in her role.

That's a good point about women usually being the center of the family.


The notion that a guy doesn't wanna work for a woman or doesn't want a woman as president. Most of them probably had mothers who were the lynchpin of the family. Dude, it's a woman. Get over it.

I actually have preferred the jobs I've had with female supervisors. Much better communication.

This direction of the thread reminds me of back in college, a group of us were watching Designing Women on TV in a lounge. Anthony was in a scene, with dialogue and all, and this one unenlightened guy goes, "Is he gay??"

Yes. Yes, he's gay. Because he works in a business run by women. He's totally gay. :rolleyes:

:lol:

You mean besides Joey Tribbiani? :lol:

Ha! :lol:


if he never learns "typical" male behavior and thought patterns, he won't act that way

Which in certain aspects would be a good thing, lol.

genetic patterns which scientists theorize may influence sexuality (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02312-0).

Retro!! :eek:

"Sexuality"

:blush:

Such a smaaall word for such a biiiiig subject! ;)


That's a good point about women usually being the center of the family.

Women were the mothers and overseers of the house in ancient Greece, yet they couldn't have a say in politics, and they weren't allowed to play women on stage in theater. That's always blown my mind: Hmm, what we do about the female characters? Oh! We can just get men to dress like them and speak in falsetto voices. Good thing that was solved! (*ahem*, you know there are actual real women around, right? lol)

Maybe that's why they thought men have falsetto voices: Built-in "woman character voices". :lol:


I actually have preferred the jobs I've had with female supervisors. Much better communication.

Yeah, I bet that's the cast with most.

:lol:

You can't make this stuff up!

(I mean, you can, but it's crazy, lol)

I once knew someone who claimed he 'knew' that a local park was a gay hangout because he saw. .. men eating lunch together! :eek:
No, he didn't say that he saw any of them were doing any kind of PDA or even touching each other JUST eating lunch! :rolleyes:

Back to the thread- too bad that there were no Kimberly/Blair scenes or even Kimberly/Jo (though I have the feeling that the latter would have had her for lunch)!.

The Facts of Life had lots of gay male fans. Look at Justin Root who interviewed Lisa in 2015. He identified with Cindy in Rough Housing. While Cindy is female and he is male, they both faced the same issue so he identified with her.

I once knew someone who claimed he 'knew' that a local park was a gay hangout because he saw. .. men eating lunch together! :eek:
No, he didn't say that he saw any of them were doing any kind of PDA or even touching each other JUST eating lunch! :rolleyes:

Wow, that's crazy, too.

At work, a bunch of us guys would have lunch. I'd hate to think what that guy would have thought! :lol:


Back to the thread- too bad that there were no Kimberly/Blair scenes or even Kimberly/Jo (though I have the feeling that the latter would have had her for lunch)!.

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

The Facts of Life had lots of gay male fans

Maybe that's what had that young guy concerned. Maybe he thought most of the male fans were gay, and he wondered if that would "happen to him" too.



Wow, that's crazy, too.

At work, a bunch of us guys would have lunch. I'd hate to think what that guy would have thought! :lol:

:lol:

Yeah, I guess he never saw tables of boys eating lunch together in school. :rolleyes:

The Facts of Life had lots of gay male fans. Look at Justin Root who interviewed Lisa in 2015. He identified with Cindy in Rough Housing. While Cindy is female and he is male, they both faced the same issue so he identified with her.

I don't doubt The Facts of Life has a gazillion gay fans. I know the Tapatalk L-word FOL forum also had hundreds of lesbian fans.

What I liked about that interview is how Lisa discussed how many Christians have not treated the LGBT community well, and how she regretted that. She seemed quite comfortable just chatting with Justin and talking about his feelings regarding the show, and Cindy's sexuality.

Going further, Julie Anne stated in the Reelz documentary that it was an honor to be a part of that LGBT milestone.

What I liked about that interview is how Lisa discussed how many Christians have not treated the LGBT community well, and how she regretted that. She seemed quite comfortable just chatting with Justin and talking about his feelings regarding the show, and Cindy's sexuality.

She did, even with him having his bare feet up on the couch between them! What...what...

Nerve?

Gall?

Chutzpah??

:lol:


Going further, Julie Anne stated in the Reelz documentary that it was an honor to be a part of that LGBT milestone.

Oh that's right, that was very cool to see. Just like Mrs. Garrett told Cindy, it shows she's a loving person.

Which in certain aspects would be a good thing, lol.

We certainly could use a lot less of that toxic masculinity that causes so many problems.

I do believe this world would be worthless without women.

I also wonder how someone's thinking got so messed up as to think watching pretty girls in short shorts was "gay", but watching, say, Rambo, was "macho". :lol:


Retro!! :eek:

"Sexuality"

:blush:

Such a smaaall word for such a biiiiig subject! ;)



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


Women were the mothers and overseers of the house in ancient Greece, yet they couldn't have a say in politics, and they weren't allowed to play women on stage in theater. That's always blown my mind: Hmm, what we do about the female characters? Oh! We can just get men to dress like them and speak in falsetto voices. Good thing that was solved! (*ahem*, you know there are actual real women around, right? lol)

The only-men-on-stage rule the Greeks had was so bizarre.

She did, even with him having his bare feet up on the couch between them! What...what...

Nerve?

Gall?

Chutzpah??

:lol:

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



Oh that's right, that was very cool to see. Just like Mrs. Garrett told Cindy, it shows she's a loving person.

I definitely believe that!

We certainly could use a lot less of that toxic masculinity that causes so many problems.

Definitely!

What absolutely boggles me is when I see women supporting that kind of thinking. I saw a clip of a guy interviewing people at a protest for comments, and this older woman said, "Being the president is a man's job! Women are too hormonal! Can you imagine a woman as president? She'd be startin' wars all over the place!"

And then the guy interviewing said something like, "You do realize that it's men who've started all the wars in history, right?"

I mean, how have people not heard of women leaders in foreign countries around the world and seen how they function just fine without "hormone spikes"? Women in general are much more tempered with humility, objectivity, and empathy than men.

It's amazing we're "the greatest country in the world" and still have yet to have a female president.


I also wonder how someone's thinking got so messed up as to think watching pretty girls in short shorts was "gay", but watching, say, Rambo, was "macho". :lol:

I guess it's all about identity: Thinking it's macho to wanna be Rambo, to wanna have those muscles and those women and those guns (both ammunition and muscular, haha), doing "man things". But listening to women talk about their issues with boys and men and their experiences with femininity, immersed in a world of womanhood, that could seep in and shape your sexuality and turn you gay (so apparently that one boy thought).

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

I mean, that really is gall!!

Just imagine...

Can you see yourself being told you're going to interview Lisa Whelchel, "Blair" from The Facts of Life, and despite time you have to plan, you take the privilege of inviting her into your home, and you are in your bare feet?? And you put them up on the couch between you and Ms. Whelchel??

You may have perfectly cared for feet and they may smell like roses instead of mystery meat, lol, but you just don't lounge barefoot when interviewing a Facts of Life star. You just don't! :lol:

You may have perfectly cared for feet and they may smell like roses instead of mystery meat,

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


lol, but you just don't lounge barefoot when interviewing a Facts of Life star. You just don't! :lol:

If I ever meet them, I will keep this in mind!

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

If I ever meet them, I will keep this in mind!

:lol:

We'll keep our shoes on when have our Lost Girl luncheon! ;)

Definitely!

What absolutely boggles me is when I see women supporting that kind of thinking. I saw a clip of a guy interviewing people at a protest for comments, and this older woman said, "Being the president is a man's job! Women are too hormonal! Can you imagine a woman as president? She'd be startin' wars all over the place!"

And then the guy interviewing said something like, "You do realize that it's men who've started all the wars in history, right?"

I mean, how have people not heard of women leaders in foreign countries around the world and seen how they function just fine without "hormone spikes"? Women in general are much more tempered with humility, objectivity, and empathy than men.

Queen Isabel of Castille, Queen Elizabeth I of England, Queen Anne of Great Britain, Queen Victoria of Great Britain, the Empress Dowager of China, Indira Gandhi (Prime Minister of India), Golda Meir (Prime Minister of Israel) and Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister of Great Britain) ALL managed to start or at the very least support wars and they were ALL women (with Queens Isabel, Anne, Victoria,the Empress Dowager, Mrs. Gandhi, Mrs. Meir and Mrs Thatcher being mothers to boot).

IOW, while it's great to want to be fair and give everyone a chance to succeed to the highest offices of their lands, DON'T count on pacifist utopias happening JUST because the rulers happen to be women!


To bring this back to topic:I looked up the Justin Root interview and, to be fair, it was HIS home that he interviewed Miss Whelchel in and stayed barefoot for the entire interview. Yes, it's perfectly OK to go barefoot in one's own home. However, I don't think it would have killed him to at least put on some crocs or flip flops and have conducted the interview in those. He's VERY lucky that Miss Whelchel was too polite to openly object and/or end the interview! I mean,I happen to think one should at least attempt some initial formality with an invited guest (especially a person that one has NOT met or befriended before) before one attempts to be footloose and fancy free with them!

To bring this back to topic:I looked up the Justin Root interview and, to be fair, it was HIS home that he interviewed Miss Whelchel in and stayed barefoot for the entire interview. Yes, it's perfectly OK to go barefoot in one's own home. However, I don't think it would have killed him to at least put on some crocs or flip flops and have conducted the interview in those. He's VERY lucky that Miss Whelchel was too polite to openly object and/or end the interview! I mean,I happen to think one should at least attempt some initial formality with an invited guest (especially a person that one has NOT met or befriended before) before one attempts to be footloose and fancy free with them!

Would you feel differently if the interviewer had been female and the interviewee male? Just curious. I ask because at my former workplace, we had a requirement for male employees to wear real shoes, while female employees often wore sandals, open-toed shoes, or even flip-flops. It always felt like a kind of "Double Standard" (see what I did there?).

Would you feel differently if the interviewer had been female and the interviewee male? Just curious. I ask because at my former workplace, we had a requirement for male employees to wear real shoes, while female employees often wore sandals, open-toed shoes, or even flip-flops. It always felt like a kind of "Double Standard" (see what I did there?).


No, it wouldn't make a difference re the genders to me. However, since LA is NOT a tropical island/beach, a Middle Eastern or East Asian locale, the usual expectation is that a host will have shoes on when inviting first-time and/or prominent guest into their home so I guess it's a 'when in Rome' deal.

As for businesses? I think as long as there is no safety issue (e.g. hospital or factory),AFAIC they can decide for themselves what kind of footwear their employees are to wear doing job tasks but, apart from lifeguards and swimming instructors, it's hard to imagine any jobs in which bare feet would be the best option.

To bring this back on topic: it seems as though it was very rare that the FOL gang were seen shoeless ,apart from a few bedroom or bathroom scenes- even in the First Season when so many of them ran around in short shorts!

No, it wouldn't make a difference re the genders to me. However, since LA is NOT a tropical island/beach, a Middle Eastern or East Asian locale, the usual expectation is that a host will have shoes on when inviting first-time and/or prominent guest into their home so I guess it's a 'when in Rome' deal.

I would definitely put on shoes for a special guest. But since LA is at the same latitude as the Middle East, this seems like a "Western Civilization" rule, rather than a geography-based rule.


As for businesses? I think as long as there is no safety issue (e.g. hospital or factory),AFAIC they can decide for themselves what kind of footwear their employees are to wear doing job tasks but, apart from lifeguards and swimming instructors, it's hard to imagine any jobs in which bare feet would be the best option.

Yeah... well, except winemaker. :lol:


To bring this back on topic: it seems as though it was very rare that the FOL gang were seen shoeless ,apart from a few bedroom or bathroom scenes- even in the First Season when so many of them ran around in short shorts!

Yeah, even Julie Pie was wearing those pink wedges.

I can't think of any episodes where they were barefoot....hmm... Maybe the Australia movie? And "Dear Apple" (Blair in the shower scene).

Queen Isabel of Castille, Queen Elizabeth I of England, Queen Anne of Great Britain, Queen Victoria of Great Britain, the Empress Dowager of China, Indira Gandhi (Prime Minister of India), Golda Meir (Prime Minister of Israel) and Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister of Great Britain) ALL managed to start or at the very least support wars and they were ALL women (with Queens Isabel, Anne, Victoria,the Empress Dowager, Mrs. Gandhi, Mrs. Meir and Mrs Thatcher being mothers to boot).

IOW, while it's great to want to be fair and give everyone a chance to succeed to the highest offices of their lands, DON'T count on pacifist utopias happening JUST because the rulers happen to be women!

Hey, tell the guy who was doing the interview, not me! :lol:

But I do think it'd be fair to say the majority have been men.

Would you feel differently if the interviewer had been female and the interviewee male? Just curious. I ask because at my former workplace, we had a requirement for male employees to wear real shoes, while female employees often wore sandals, open-toed shoes, or even flip-flops. It always felt like a kind of "Double Standard" (see what I did there?).

Oh, that always gets my goat. It's a ridiculous double standard.

Yeah... well, except winemaker. :lol:

:lol:


I can't think of any episodes where they were barefoot....hmm... Maybe the Australia movie? And "Dear Apple" (Blair in the shower scene).

But Mrs. Garrett sure showed off her peds in the Paris movie when she plopped 'em in that pot of warm water and had Pierre tend to them for her. No wonder that had to air in prime time hours! :lol:

Felice certainly liked to show off her feet.
https://pics.wikifeet.com/Felice-Schachter-Feet-4016906.jpg

But Mrs. Garrett sure showed off her peds in the Paris movie when she plopped in that pot of warm water and had Pierre tend to them for her. No wonder that had to air in prime time hours! :lol:

Oh, right! Paris!

I think she is trying to be JANE FONDA with her work out 80 s hee hee!

I think she is trying to be JANE FONDA with her work out 80 s hee hee!

I think you are right! :lol:

I think you are right! :lol:



I know it's an OLIVIA NEWTON song, but 'Let's get physical' just popped into my mind!

:brent:brent:brent:brent:brent:brent:brent:brent:brent:brent:brent:brent

I can totally hear that, now! :lol:

But how are Nancy and Roger going to get physical when we never even see him?

I can totally hear that, now! :lol:

But how are Nancy and Roger going to get physical when we never even see him?


You really crack me up Retro!:happyface

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: