Should Molly Ringwald have participated in "The Little Chill"?

I wish she would have (because then we maybe could have had a two-parter with more details about ALL the girls), but I'm sure she had WAY more important things to do than go to a TV studio she'd never visited (the show had moved studios twice since she worked there) work on a set she had never been to, and visit a cast, half of whom she didn't even know. By the time of TLC, she knew exactly three people: Lisa, Mindy, and Kim. She'd met Nancy McKeon once.

So, I wish she would have, but I don't think she should have. It would be like going to a high school reunion where the reunion is held in a new building, none of the old teachers are there anymore, and you are not going to remember a good portion of the faces.

She was very busy.

IMO, the only way it would have worked would have been had Molly brought her guitar and had tried to pretend to be the next Joan Baez while wailing about the time she'd spent away from the others but THEN Jo would have either threatened to have smashed her guitar OR the audience would have heard the sound of a motorcyle running over said guitar!

It seemed Molly Parker had the LEAST sense of humor about herself of any of the characters- including Miss Mahoney, Mr. Bradley, Blair and Nancy!

I wish she would have (because then we maybe could have had a two-parter with more details about ALL the girls), but I'm sure she had WAY more important things to do than go to a TV studio she'd never visited (the show had moved studios twice since she worked there) work on a set she had never been to, and visit a cast, half of whom she didn't even know. By the time of TLC, she knew exactly three people: Lisa, Mindy, and Kim. She'd met Nancy McKeon once.

So, I wish she would have, but I don't think she should have. It would be like going to a high school reunion where the reunion is held in a new building, none of the old teachers are there anymore, and you are not going to remember a good portion of the faces.

She was very busy.

And who knows what her relationship with Nancy McKeon was. They never exchanged any conversations on camera and there was a sense of awkwardness between them. With Molly giving icing stairs toward Jo. Plus the quote about the "show that replaced me with Nancy McKeon."

IMO, the only way it would have worked would have been had Molly brought her guitar and had tried to pretend to be the next Joan Baez while wailing about the time she'd spent away from the others but THEN Jo would have either threatened to have smashed her guitar OR the audience would have heard the sound of a motorcyle running over said guitar!

Hadn't Jo sold her bike by the time of The Little Chill?

I think a TLC two-parter could have worked if they brought in Molly early for the first episode, reacquainting her with her old friends: Blair, Tootie, and Natalie. We get several Molly-centric flashbacks. They explore her music and have her play a song or two, on a guitar that's in tune. (Heck, they would already have an episode like this with Stacey Q, anyway). The girls convince Molly that after the reunion, she needs to head to Hollywood because of her musical talent.

Then, in the last act of the first episode, we're reintroduced to Cindy, Nancy, and Sue Ann, who arrive on time for the reunion. We get a couple more flashbacks. The action continues in the second episode. The girls have the slumber party, Sue Ann sneaks downstairs, Jo overhears, just as before. At the end of the episode, the Lost Girls depart, Molly thanking the girls for giving her the courage to start her career in Hollywood, and Sue Ann about to confess her lies to the girls (but stopped by Jo).

This gives us an additional 24 minutes of time to explore the girls: we would get about 18 minutes of uninterrupted Molly, and then about six additional minutes for Cindy and Nancy. We learn about Cindy's life (her fashion career in NYC, and how she went down that path after gymnastics), we learn about Nancy's life (her college studies, her time with Roger). The screen time for each Lost Girl is thus expanded, and we get two major storylines, plus b-plots, in a two-part episode.

And who knows what her relationship with Nancy McKeon was. They never exchanged any conversations on camera and there was a sense of awkwardness between them. With Molly giving icing stairs toward Jo. Plus the quote about the "show that replaced me with Nancy McKeon."

I don't think Molly actually blames Nancy McKeon, but instead the producers. There have been several times in my life where I have been asked to train my replacement. I actually prefer that to having to field calls later on, although it's sometimes awkward, meeting someone who will "replace you".

Molly didn't have to train Nancy McKeon, but she did have to work alongside her, briefly, for one episode. It's clear from her comments that she felt awkward, although its debatable how that came across on screen. Her part was so small, after the redlining of the script, that it's hard for me to tell if it's awkwardness or the part is so small that there's no time for any chemistry or warmth. I don't think Molly is giving Jo icy stares, but they have no lines together, and Molly's lines don't defend Jo from Margo, only telling Margo to lay off. I think it would have helped for the director to include a shot of Molly laughing at the "pie bit", because then we, the audience, would have known that Margo's star had truly fallen: Margo's own table-mate is laughing at her pieing. Then Molly doesn't come across as a Margo supporter, and is at least as guilt-free as Mrs. Garrett.

But, of course, the producers were so concerned about the Core Four and Mrs. G at this point that we did not get a shot of Molly laughing. Before the final script changes, we would have had a bit more Molly, and maybe would have gotten that brief shot. Unfortunately, they pared her part back very far, and she felt humiliated, vowing never again to do her "worst job ever".

I woulda loved it so I voted yes. I understand why she declined though

I don't think Molly would have gone back to a role that a few months earlier called it her "worse job ever".

I don't think Molly would have gone back to a role that a few months earlier called it her "worse job ever".

I don't think she would have, either. But there was always a chance, with the right script and the right people asking.

I know Norman Lear wasn't a producer for the show anymore, but what if they had asked him to reach out to her? Might have made a difference. Who knows?

I woulda loved it so u voted yes. I understand why she declined though

It really would have been awesome to see her own the show, again, for sure.

(But then Nick at Nite couldn't have aired their promo where they claimed Molly had been locked away by Mrs. Garrett.)

Hadn't Jo sold her bike by the time of The Little Chill?







I'm sure the writers could have found a way to have had Jo rent a new one/ fahgett about her having sold it JUST for this episode to give the viewers the satisfaction of SOMEone standing up to Molly's warbling via either Jo's threat to shut it down or hearing the sound of a motorcycle crush a guitar!

Sorry, but her character was NOT missed by me and I doubt even the other Lost Girls were as rudderless without her presence as she'd have liked to have believed!:rolleyes:

I'm sure the writers could have found a way to have had Jo rent a new one/ fahgett about her having sold it JUST for this episode to give the viewers the satisfaction of SOMEone standing up to Molly's warbling via either Jo's threat to shut it down or hearing the sound of a motorcycle crush a guitar!

Sorry, but her character was NOT missed by me and I doubt even the other Lost Girls were as rudderless without her presence as she'd have liked to have believed!:rolleyes:

Rudderless? I don't think anyone was rudderless without Molly. But I know casting director Eve Brandstein missed her, and I know producer Jerry Mayer said she might have been the most talented girl.

The character of Molly could grate, admittedly, but her character just needed fine tuning (much like her guitar). Her line in "Overachieving", "Because I'm going to be the president of General Motors," is genuinely funny, and gets major laughs/applause from the studio audience. With good writing, Molly could shine. They needed to tweak the character: make her not so militantly feminist, make her dialog more natural, and give her the political lines (Natalie's funny line, "In or out of the government?", properly belonged to Molly; why that switch was made, I will never know).

I never believed there were "too many girls" at Eastland: if Saved By the Bell could have six students, Eight is Enough could have eight kids, Just the Ten of Us could have eight kids, and Head of the class could have more than twelve students, then The Facts of Life could have seven... or even eight, if they wanted to add Nancy McKeon.

By falsely insisting that there were "ten, twelve" girls on the show, NBC executive Warren Littlefield is dishonest (or can't count), and creates a straw man from which to attack the first season. But his premise is false because viewers can count to seven.

Also, while I am NOT a fan of Molly's warbling on The Facts of Life, I have heard her singing on the Disney Christmas album, and under the right music direction, she was extremely talented, which shocked me to my core.

Maude Finlay and Ann Romano were very vocal feminists but they were FUNNY and DID have senses of humor about themselves.

Alas, Molly Parker did NOT and that's why she was burden instead of a boom to the comedy (and that line you quoted was virtually the vaguely funny line she ever said).

I think the timing was everything. In 1986, Molly's popularity was at it's peak, coming off "Pretty In Pink" earlier that year, she was the IT girl at the time. Facts was beneath her so to speak at that time, sort of like when Clooney laughed at the idea of appearing in the reunion movie in 2001 when his career was at it's height and the idea of revisiting a sitcom he'd done 15 years earlier was inconceivable.

Rudderless? I don't think anyone was rudderless without Molly. But I know casting director Eve Brandstein missed her, and I know producer Jerry Mayer said she might have been the most talented girl.

The character of Molly could grate, admittedly, but her character just needed fine tuning (much like her guitar). Her line in "Overachieving", "Because I'm going to be the president of General Motors," is genuinely funny, and gets major laughs/applause from the studio audience. With good writing, Molly could shine. They needed to tweak the character: make her not so militantly feminist, make her dialog more natural, and give her the political lines (Natalie's funny line, "In or out of the government?", properly belonged to Molly; why that switch was made, I will never know).

I never believed there were "too many girls" at Eastland: if Saved By the Bell could have six students, Eight is Enough could have eight kids, Just the Ten of Us could have eight kids, and Head of the class could have more than twelve students, then The Facts of Life could have seven... or even eight, if they wanted to add Nancy McKeon.

By falsely insisting that there were "ten, twelve" girls on the show, NBC executive Warren Littlefield is dishonest (or can't count), and creates a straw man from which to attack the first season. But his premise is false because viewers can count to seven.

Also, while I am NOT a fan of Molly's warbling on The Facts of Life, I have heard her singing on the Disney Christmas album, and under the right music direction, she was extremely talented, which shocked me to my core.

Molly had some good snarky one liners on the show. Like when she said "Just what we need, another blonde with dark routes" after Tootie donned a blonde wig. She also showed in Molly's Holiday that she didn't need to be a political person all the time. I never seen anyone claim that Alex P. Keaton should stop being so political.

At least Molly Parker never said this that another Molly said.
https://www.facebook.com/IamMollyRingwald/photos/a.971792609530218/2007591799283622/

Molly had some good snarky one liners on the show. Like when she said "Just what we need, another blonde with dark routes" after Tootie donned a blonde wig. She also showed in Molly's Holiday that she didn't need to be a political person all the time. I never seen anyone claim that Alex P. Keaton should stop being so political.

I think Molly should have stayed political... but I don't think she needed to be militantly political: For example, "We're women, Mr. Bradley." everyone knew they were still girls. And why did Molly refer to Mrs. Garrett in "Running" as a "good girl"? If Molly is a woman, surely Mrs. Garrett is, as well?

It really would have been awesome to see her own the show, again, for sure.

(But then Nick at Nite couldn't have aired their promo where they claimed Molly had been locked away by Mrs. Garrett.)

Just realized my spelling error so had to fix it

It would have been cool, a "complete" reunion for the Eastland girls but I don't think her absence is a big problem. Molly was never a major character on FOL and many people probably had removed her from their mind by the time of "The Little Chill". The other Lost Girls stayed longer than her on the show and still had a relationship with the Core Four, I don't think Molly (Parker and Ringwald) would have liked a reunion with six girls after she did cut every contact with them and one girl she hardly knew.


Anyway, I don't think it's fair saying "Nancy McKeon replaced me". The producers replaced you with Nancy M., it isn't her fault if you have been fired :lol: Jo is not my favorite girl but let's face the facts :lol:

It would have been cool with Mrs. Garrett too but I don't think Charlotte would have returned again as a guest four episodes after her goodbye :lol:

I woulda loved it so I voted yes. I understand why she declined though

Exactly. She should have for the fans, for continuity, for closure. But I totally see why she didn't.

But come on, AT LEAST show up for a Reelz documentary about 40 years later! :lol:

One might say The Little Chill got a BIG chill -- from Molly. ;)

It would have been cool with Mrs. Garrett too but I don't think Charlotte would have returned again as a guest four episodes after her goodbye :lol:

Charlotte did show up for the final episode, but Mrs. Garrett didn't.

Her line in "Overachieving", "Because I'm going to be the president of General Motors," is genuinely funny, and gets major laughs/applause from the studio audience. With good writing, Molly could shine.

One of my favorite "Molly funnies" is her horribly failed attempt to cheer up Sue Ann in "IQ": "Sue Ann, don't be upset because you're the dumbest girl in skoo-uhl!" :rofl:


give her the political lines (Natalie's funny line, "In or out of the government?", properly belonged to Molly; why that switch was made, I will never know).

Hm, interesting. Maybe they wanted to show a cynical side to Natalie's humor? Show that even though she's a chubby-cheeked naive kid that she still has an awareness of the world outside Eastland? Who knows. It would also have been a good Tootie line since her parents were both lawyers, lol.


By falsely insisting that there were "ten, twelve" girls on the show, NBC executive Warren Littlefield is dishonest (or can't count), and creates a straw man from which to attack the first season. But his premise is false because viewers can count to seven.

We sure can, thanks to Sesame Street! :lol:


Also, while I am NOT a fan of Molly's warbling on The Facts of Life, I have heard her singing on the Disney Christmas album, and under the right music direction, she was extremely talented, which shocked me to my core.

Don't forget her Disney patriotism too! patriot: I know you don't like her Facts music, but I'll take her singing over Natalie and Tootie's note abuse anyday! :lol: (but Tootie, you did improve by the time of "Jingle Bell Rock," I gotta give ya that!)

One of my favorite "Molly funnies" is her horribly failed attempt to cheer up Sue Ann in "IQ": "Sue Ann, don't be upset because you're the dumbest girl in skoo-uhl!" :rofl:

That really is a good one!


Hm, interesting. Maybe they wanted to show a cynical side to Natalie's humor? Show that even though she's a chubby-cheeked naive kid that she still has an awareness of the world outside Eastland? Who knows. It would also have been a good Tootie line since her parents were both lawyers, lol.

But Tootie is the one with the original comment; she can't reply to her own comment.

Because Natalie is not a political character in the first season, giving her that line makes little sense. Molly is the one interested in politics. It feels like a missed Molly opportunity.


I know you don't like it, but I'll take her singing over Natalie and Tootie's note abuse anyday! :lol: (but Tootie, you did improve by the time of "Jingle Bell Rock," I gotta give ya that!)

I just wonder why they didn't use Felice. She was doing the episode anyway! :lol:

But Tootie is the one with the original comment; she can't reply to her own comment.

Ah, didn't realize that, lol.


Because Natalie is not a political character in the first season, giving her that line makes little sense. Molly is the one interested in politics. It feels like a missed Molly opportunity.

I see what you're saying, but I don't think it necessarily needs to be that way 100% of the time. It adds a little more dimension to Natalie, which is nice. And did Molly hear Tootie's lead-in? That may have been when she was hanging out with Cindy in the armchair in the "library" in the back right corner. Or maybe she wasn't in the room yet?

But yes, it would have been another great Molly line had Molly just happened to have been walking by and gotten to deliver it (and I'm sure she counted all the other lines she had---do you hear me, Lisa?? :lol:)


I just wonder why they didn't use Felice. She was doing the episode anyway! :lol:

But why use Felice? That goes against type! :lol:

I see what you're saying, but I don't think it necessarily needs to be that way 100% of the time. It adds a little more dimension to Natalie, which is nice. And did Molly hear Tootie's lead-in? That may have been when she was hanging out with Cindy in the armchair in the "library" in the back right corner. Or maybe she wasn't in the room yet?

But yes, it would have been another great Molly line had Molly just happened to have been walking by and gotten to deliver it (and I'm sure she counted all the other lines she had---do you hear me, Lisa?? :lol:)

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


But why use Felice? That goes against type! :lol:

True!

Charlotte did show up for the final episode, but Mrs. Garrett didn't.

Do you mean "The Beginning of the End/The Beginning of the Beginning"?

Do you mean "The Beginning of the End/The Beginning of the Beginning"?

Yes, I think he meant that Charlotte attended the taping.

Can you imagine if she "tape-bombed" the taping? Like at the very end, she opens the front door and yells, "HI, GANG!!" :rofl:

Exactly. She should have for the fans, for continuity, for closure. But I totally see why she didn't.

But come on, AT LEAST show up for a Reelz documentary about 40 years later! :lol:

One might say The Little Chill got a [B}BIG[/B} chill -- from Molly. ;)

Right haha, she should Atleast do some retrospectives for FOL

Right haha, she should Atleast do some retrospectives for FOL

We can all still keep the faith!! 🙏

She was quite busy but YES she most certainly should have!!

Right haha, she should Atleast do some retrospectives for FOL

I'm grateful for the interviews we've gotten, where she talks about the Facts of Life. Of course, anything extra would be icing on the cake! party:

I'm grateful for the interviews we've gotten, where she talks about the Facts of Life. Of course, anything extra would be icing on the cake!

Don't you mean, "icing on the cinnamon bun"? ;)

Don't you mean, "icing on the cinnamon bun"? ;)

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

TEEHEEHEE! :rofl: