Dana Plato had it all and blew it

[catlover79]

I still think the brain trust at DS should've taken a chance and written Dana's pregnancy into the show. DS dealt with special issues all the time, so why not have Kimberly sleep with a boy, regret it, have him leave, get pregnant and raise the baby as a single mom? Sure, it would've been a big risk but they could've reaped a big payoff. They could show what teen pregnancy and single teen moms' real life situations often are - educating the audience and giving Dana a chance to sink her teeth into some meaty material. Alas, we'll never know now.

[bluthree]

Originally Posted by blink

Here's some more.

Adam Rich, actor (substance abuse)
Jodie Sweetin, actress (meth/coke)
Lauren Chapin, actress (heroin)
Mackenzie Phillips, actress (substance abuse)
Judy Garland, actress (alcohol)
Michael Jackson, musician (anorexia/prescription drugs)
Maureen McCormik, actress (coke)
Brian Bonsall, actor (who knows)
Hank Williams Sr., musician (alcohol)
Keith Whitley, musician (acohol)
Paul Petterson, actor (alcohol)
Karen Carpenter, musician (anorexia)
Mary McDonough, actress (anorexia)
Mary-Kate Olsen, actress (anorexia)

Yes, sometimes fame, high ambitions, and brutal reality just don't mix.

And dont forget Jim Varney. the actor that played Ernest. He died from smoking. Yeah smoking is another killer.I'm glad that I never started smoking.And country music star Jerry Reed died from smoking.
And then theres George Reeves-the man that played Superman in the 50's. Did he kill himself? Or was he murderd?

[littlebelle]

Dana had been using prescription drugs and cocaine since she had been on Diff'rent Strokes. It was problem that was never solved. People expect celebrities to be super-humans and somehow solve their problems (especially substance abuse) on their own without any help and support- they're just like regular people. I feel nothing but sympathy for Dana, especially since she's dead now.

[Mr. Television]

Originally Posted by catlover79

I still think the brain trust at DS should've taken a chance and written Dana's pregnancy into the show. DS dealt with special issues all the time, so why not have Kimberly sleep with a boy, regret it, have him leave, get pregnant and raise the baby as a single mom? Sure, it would've been a big risk but they could've reaped a big payoff. They could show what teen pregnancy and single teen moms' real life situations often are - educating the audience and giving Dana a chance to sink her teeth into some meaty material. Alas, we'll never know now.

It would have been better than focusing the show so much on Sam all the time. lol I think DS JTS when Dana left.

[littlebelle]

Check out this footage of Dana:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOJJ9zmVCow

[bluthree]

Originally Posted by Clint Eastwood Fan

It would have been better than focusing the show so much on Sam all the time. lol I think DS JTS when Dana left.

I agree.I Never did care for Sam. Heck who did?
I dont think any shows that added a new kid worked?I know The Brady Bunch was doomed as soon as Oliver arived. The same for Diffrent Strokes when Sam arived. The kids was getting older so they throw in a new kid into the mix.The problem was that no one cared for these new kids.So people tuned out.Thos killing the show.

[James]

Originally Posted by blink

Here's some more.

Adam Rich, actor (substance abuse)
Jodie Sweetin, actress (meth/coke)
Lauren Chapin, actress (heroin)
Mackenzie Phillips, actress (substance abuse)
Judy Garland, actress (alcohol)
Michael Jackson, musician (anorexia/prescription drugs)
Maureen McCormik, actress (coke)
Brian Bonsall, actor (who knows)
Hank Williams Sr., musician (alcohol)
Keith Whitley, musician (acohol)
Paul Petterson, actor (alcohol)
Karen Carpenter, musician (anorexia)
Mary McDonough, actress (anorexia)
Mary-Kate Olsen, actress (anorexia)

Yes, sometimes fame, high ambitions, and brutal reality just don't mix.

When I saw this list I did a double take because not all of these are dead. I had to do a search to make sure Jodie Sweetin was still with us (she is), as are Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady) and Mary McDonough (Erin Walton).

[Marvo301]

Adam Rich, Mackenzie Phillips, Brian Bonsall, and Paul Peterson are all still alive as well.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by catlover79

I still think the brain trust at DS should've taken a chance and written Dana's pregnancy into the show. DS dealt with special issues all the time, so why not have Kimberly sleep with a boy, regret it, have him leave, get pregnant and raise the baby as a single mom? Sure, it would've been a big risk but they could've reaped a big payoff. They could show what teen pregnancy and single teen moms' real life situations often are - educating the audience and giving Dana a chance to sink her teeth into some meaty material. Alas, we'll never know now.

Monika, the reason why they did it that way was because it was the '80s. If Kimberly had a child on the show, they would have hastily married the character off because the networks and the moral majority would have been up in arms over it. An unmarried girl having a child on a TV sitcom, even in the eighties, was more or less forbidden.

Times were different back then. Although the seventies expanded the parameters for issues that TV shows could address, America was going through a conservativism ushered in by Ronald Reagan's presidency. The Moral Majority was this watchdog group that threatened networks with sponsor boycotts if they aired anything that didn't agree with what they thought was moral and proper.

Check this link to read more about the so-called "moral" majority:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_Majority

[catlover79]

Originally Posted by Dr. Thong

Monika, the reason why they did it that way was because it was the '80s. If Kimberly had a child on the show, they would have hastily married the character off because the networks and the moral majority would have been up in arms over it. An unmarried girl having a child on a TV sitcom, even in the eighties, was more or less forbidden.

Times were different back then. Although the seventies expanded the parameters for issues that TV shows could address, America was going through a conservativism ushered in by Ronald Reagan's presidency. The Moral Majority was this watchdog group that threatened networks with sponsor boycotts if they aired anything that didn't agree with what they thought was moral and proper.

Check this link to read more about the so-called "moral" majority:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_Majority

Good point. Granted, I was just a little kid during the 80s so I don't remember much of anything about the Reagan administration.

[Dr. Thong]

Originally Posted by catlover79

Good point. Granted, I was just a little kid during the 80s so I don't remember much of anything about the Reagan administration.

It was one of those things that seemed good at the time, but later we found out that not all of it was.

[McGillicuddy]

Andrew Koenig
Corey Haim

[Dana fan]

Some very interesting thoughts on Dana.
RIP beautiful Dana.

[80s Dude]

If Dana was on the Facts of Life, they probably would not have fired her for being pregnant (the drugs would be a completely different issue), but since Different Strokes was more "family oriented", they didn't want to deal with the teen pregnancy issue.

Yet none of the 10 Facts of Life kids ever had the issues that the Different Strokes kids had. Sure they had divorces and some tax issues, but never any arrests or any known substance abuse problems.

[Dana fan]

Hi,

Unfortunately there was probably an awful lot more going on in Dana's life to enable her to be part of Fact's of life, although there was strong rumours that she was meant to be part of the main cast.