Jo Polniaczek - Witch's Aide??

['80sSitcoms]

So on an early Saturday morning I was exploring some nostalgic Saturday morning things on YouTube from the early '80s. Upon researching the ABC Weekend Special "The Trouble with Miss Switch", which features a good witch and two young students, I saw that Nancy McKeon voiced the girl! I never knew this. It's 1980, so apparently shortly before Nancy showed up at Eastland as Jo, she voiced this young girl. But in her voicing for Amelia she makes herself sound younger. In fact, I don't know I would have recognized her voice if I hadn't seen the credit. There was even a sequel I never knew about, "Miss Switch to the Rescue", and Nancy voiced Amelia in that as well, in 1982.

Interesting!

The Trouble with Miss Switch at YouTube

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[RetroGuy2000]

I did not know that! But IMDb confirms she did six episodes of the ABC Weekend Special as a voice actor, four during the 1979-1980 season.

So while Blair, Tootie, Natalie, Sue Ann, Nancy, Cindy and Molly were hanging out in the dorm, she was doing voice work. And it looks as though she was doing voice acting as late as 1983.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I did not know that!

Right?? I just love learning new nuggets of our "Facts" universe.

So the only real Halloween show in 9 years was in season 5. Though you can say "Ten Little Indians" is best viewed around Halloween as well.

Speaking of Halloween and autumn, we know in "Rough Housing" that Eastland had its Harvest Ball and Blair won Harvest Queen for the 3rd year in a row, and Cindy was runner-up, named Corn Maiden of the Harvest (which I always thought was a much more ostentatious title, myself )

But, has anyone stopped to ask WHY Eastland had its Harvest Ball with Harvest Queen and Corn Maiden of the Harvest titles in August?? This show was the first to air, and it was August 24th. This would have made more sense at the latest in mid-November, and at the earliest in mid-September. Oh, well...at least it still gave us a chance to see our Cindy win her much-admired Corn Maiden of the Harvest title.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

And it looks as though she was doing voice acting as late as 1983.

Pretty cool that she did that "on the side" for a number of years (though I'm sure at the time really it was "a job" and whatever income she could get as a young actress, lol).

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

The Trouble with Miss Switch at YouTube

I had forgotten how very 1970s that ABC Weekend Special intro animation was.

Right?? I just love learning new nuggets of our "Facts" universe.

So the only real Halloween show in 9 years was in season 5. Though you can say "Ten Little Indians" is best viewed around Halloween as well.

"Seven Little Indians" would have made a great Halloween episode, even though it originally aired in January.

Speaking of Halloween and autumn, we know in "Rough Housing" that Eastland had its Harvest Ball and Blair won Harvest Queen for the 3rd year in a row, and Cindy was runner-up, named Corn Maiden of the Harvest (which I always thought was a much more ostentatious title, myself )

But, has anyone stopped to ask WHY Eastland had its Harvest Ball with Harvest Queen and Corn Maiden of the Harvest titles in August??

According to Wiki, the word "harvest" comes from hærfest, meaning "autumn" or "august". Where I live (Arizona), harvest-time is in October, but WTOP in Washington DC says harvest-time starts in late August, so maybe it varies by region. I know Canadian Thanksgiving is in October, as their cooler weather means an earlier harvest.

at least it still gave us a chance to see our Cindy win her much-admired Corn Maiden of the Harvest title.

And she gave Blair a good run for her money. Though with all of Blair's money...

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I had forgotten how very 1970s that ABC Weekend Special intro animation was.

Yeah, what a trip!

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

According to Wiki, the word "harvest" comes from hærfest, meaning "autumn" or "august". Where I live (Arizona), harvest-time is in October, but WTOP in Washington DC says harvest-time starts in late August, so maybe it varies by region.

My dad's a farmer and his ancestors were farmers, here in the southeast, so I always took it for granted that harvest time is early-mid September, since that's when Dad starts harvesting (going through October). Still, even though it varies by regions, summertime seems to be a bit premature to start a harvest celebration, lol.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

And she gave Blair a good run for her money. Though with all of Blair's money...

True, but Blair said Cindy could "give me a real battle", and Cindy could definitely battle---just check out the damage to Sue Ann!

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Yeah, what a trip!

My dad's a farmer and his ancestors were farmers, here in the southeast, so I always took it for granted that harvest time is early-mid September, since that's when Dad starts harvesting (going through October). Still, even though it varies by regions, summertime seems to be a bit premature to start a harvest celebration, lol.

It's still more realistic than "midterms" on September 14th, as shown in the episode "IQ". Most New York schools didn't begin until September 8th. Having midterms the following week would have been brutal!

True, but Blair said Cindy could "give me a real battle", and Cindy could definitely battle---just check out the damage to Sue Ann!

Well, Sue Ann wasn't as damaged as Blair!

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

It's still more realistic than "midterms" on September 14th, as shown in the episode "IQ". Most New York schools didn't begin until September 8th. Having midterms the following week would have been brutal!

Haha, so true! Back in the '80s we didn't start school until right near the end of August. "Mid-terms" on September 14th, haha! Maybe they had a "mid-term" in the "middle" of every month, lol.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Well, Sue Ann wasn't as damaged as Blair!

True, though Cindy really pounded her psychologically, haha (and vice versa).

Aww, seeing such great "Facts" photos puts me in the mood to see the show again!

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Haha, so true! Back in the '80s we didn't start school until right near the end of August. "Mid-terms" on September 14th, haha! Maybe they had a "mid-term" in the "middle" of every month, lol.

Haha!

Many states, until recently, had a rule that stated school couldn't start until after Labor Day. This was a carry-over, I suspect, from the days when children were needed to help with the crops. Those laws were still in effect in the 1980s.

Maybe the debut of FOL was supposed to start later; say, maybe a month later. This would have pushed harvest-time back to late September, and midterms to mid-October. That would have made more sense.

True, though Cindy really pounded her psychologically, haha (and vice versa).

That definitely was the case.

Aww, seeing such great "Facts" photos puts me in the mood to see the show again!

I know what you mean! Just seeing that image of Blair with the black eye made me notice the fancy window in the background. Then I wondered if there was anything similar to it in the exterior shots of Eastland.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Many states, until recently, had a rule that stated school couldn't start until after Labor Day. This was a carry-over, I suspect, from the days when children were needed to help with the crops. Those laws were still in effect in the 1980s.

What?? That's weird...I've never heard anyone say their school started after Labor Day. I used to think everyone was like our schools, that you started right before Labor Day. I remember most years we would start school one week, and we'd have the very next Monday off for Labor Day.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Maybe the debut of FOL was supposed to start later; say, maybe a month later. This would have pushed harvest-time back to late September, and midterms to mid-October. That would have made more sense.

Yes, and, it would also give credence to a theory that perhaps they pushed FOL back to start a month earlier because NBC was so desperate for anything to become a fast hit!

After all, Warren Littlefield's "10, 12 girls" had to start school as soon as they could.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I know what you mean! Just seeing that image of Blair with the black eye made me notice the fancy window in the background. Then I wondered if there was anything similar to it in the exterior shots of Eastland.

That's one of my favorite things to do with favorite sitcoms, especially if I have seen the episodes many times: comb the set and background for fantastic and interesting visual details!

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

What?? That's weird...I've never heard anyone say their school started after Labor Day.

First day of school - US article explains that that Monday after Labor Day is, or has been, more typical in most states, including in New York in the 1970s and 1980s, as I linked above. So midterms on September 14th would be downright cruel!

Yes, and, it would also give credence to a theory that perhaps they pushed FOL back to start a month earlier because NBC was so desperate for anything to become a fast hit!

Well, we've seen how chaotic things were at NBC at that time: no time for cast photos, no time for promotion, no time to count how many girls were actually on the show...

After all, Warren Littlefield's "10, 12 girls" had to start school as soon as they could.

Bwahaha!

I almost feel sorry for Warren Littlefield, since we mock him so much. But the truth is, he was creating a strawman reason for firing most of the cast: "Well, we couldn't keep everyone because the cast was huge.: No larger than other 22-minute sitcoms of the era, WL. And smaller than some shows such as Head of the Class, which ran for five seasons with a much larger cast.

That's one of my favorite things to do with favorite sitcoms, especially if I have seen the episodes many times: comb the set and background for fantastic and interesting visual details!

Same here!

Say! Isn't that Tumpy's stereo in Blair's room?!?! How did Blair get it?!

[TV Guy]

The episodes aired in August. They clearly didn’t take place in August, because the girls would have been home on summer break.

['80sSitcoms]

for Halloween

[Lorimar Television]

Oh a thread i wasn't part of

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by Lorimar Television

Oh a thread i wasn't part of

Well now you are!

[Lorimar Television]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Well now you are!

Exactly