"The Facts of Life" Episode Writer Database

[RetroGuy2000]

As it turns out, beyond The Facts of Life Goes to Venice and the unproduced cold opens, I did end up discovering evidence of at least one other unproduced script for The Facts of Life. The UCLA Film and Television Library holds ten Facts of Life scripts. Here's their list, from their online catalog:

Originally Posted by UCLA

FACTS OF LIFE, THE
(NBC)
Best Sister, Part II
Writers: MARSH, LINDA; PETERS, MARGIE
Box 421

FACTS OF LIFE, THE
(NBC)
Dear Apple
Writer: HAGGIS, PAUL
Box 342

FACTS OF LIFE, THE
(NBC)
I.Q.
Writers: GOULD, JANE; LANDAU, SHELLY
Box 3

FACTS OF LIFE, THE
(NBC)
Interview Show, The
Writers: FAY, DEIDRE; WOLPERT, STUART
Box 342

FACTS OF LIFE, THE
(NBC)
Jo's Cousin
Writers: MARSH, LINDA; PETERS, MARGIE
Box 421

FACTS OF LIFE, THE
(NBC)
Summer Of '84
Writers: MARSH, LINDA; PETERS, MARGIE
Box 421

FACTS OF LIFE, THE
(NBC)
Talk, Talk, Talk
Writers: MYER, BOB; YOUNG, BOB
Box 342

FACTS OF LIFE, THE
(NBC)
Two Guys From Appleton
Writer: HAGGIS, PAUL
Box 354

FACTS OF LIFE, THE
(NBC)
With a Little Help From My Friends
Writers: FAY, DEIDRE; WOLPERT, STUART
Box 354

FACTS OF LIFE, THE
(NBC)
Better World, A
Writer: GANSBERG, ALAN L.
Box 421

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I've never seen anything like that, but I have seen some websites from former TV writers where they blog about scripts they wrote which never made it to production, for various reasons. Some of the stories are fascinating!

Oooooo, nice!!

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

As it turns out, beyond The Facts of Life Goes to Venice and the unproduced cold opens, I did end up discovering evidence of at least one other unproduced script for The Facts of Life. The UCLA Film and Television Library holds ten Facts of Life scripts. Here's their list, from their online catalog:

Wow, very interesting!

Now to track down this Mr. Gansberg!

Another note on the database: I noticed that with Jerry Mayer's scripts, he wrote largely for Blair in season 1, Jo in season 2, and Natalie in season 3. Interesting.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Wow, very interesting!

Now to track down this Mr. Gansberg!

I haven't found a blog or personal website yet.

Another note on the database: I noticed that with Jerry Mayer's scripts, he wrote largely for Blair in season 1, Jo in season 2, and Natalie in season 3. Interesting.

That's really odd, and I wonder why. Did they really break up the assigned writing by character?

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

That's really odd, and I wonder why. Did they really break up the assigned writing by character?

I think it's probably just coincidence. Where his episodes are concerned he didn't necessarily write "only" episodes for those characters in those seasons, but it did look "largely" that those were the characters his episodes were focused on more in those seasons.

['80sSitcoms]

That Albert Lewin must love to destroy fictional families---he split up Molly's parents in season 1, and in the same year he killed Arnold's black goldfish Abraham in DS season 2!

Also, the doctor in the DS season 2 two-parter season premiere was named "Dr. Padnick". Notice a "Glenn Padnick" helped come up with the story for FOL's first episode "Rough Housing", and wrote a season 5 episode. I wonder if the DS writers of that 2-part episode knew Glenn and used his surname as an "inside joke" or "tribute" for their doctor's name? Or if it was just a coincidence. We don't know, but with a name like "Padinick", I like to think they used his name.

[Impressions]

I'd love to read these un-produced scripts. Are they available to read in an online repository?

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Impressions

I'd love to read these un-produced scripts. Are they available to read in an online repository?

Yes. I've posted the short ones in "The Group". Don't see one listed? Request it here and I'll add it, if I have it.

['80sSitcoms]

Well now, this is fascinating. All those appearances by the Lost Girls in the cafeteria years? With one exception, all of those episodes were written by all different writers! Holy Eastland cow...you would maybe assume the same writer wrote many of those same episodes, but no writer worked on more than two!

• "The New Girl, Part II" - Jack Elinson
• "Gossip" - Paul L. Friedman & Gayle MacDonald
• "Sex Symbol" - (story by Sally Sussman, teleplay by Linda Marsh & Peters, and Ann Gibbs & Joel Kimmel)
• "Pretty Babies" - Ann Gibbs & Joel Kimmel
• "Dear Me" - Lloyd Turner & Howard Leibling
• "Green-Eyed Monster" - Linda Marsh & Margie Peters
• "Front Page" - Mike Mayer & Larry Swimer

So this "Jack Elinson" was the first writer to include a former cast member in the new show. I want to know more about him. I want to know why he chose Molly. That was so fortuitous, and so lucky for us fans, since that was the only time we would ever get to see Molly in the cafeteria.

Linda & Margie, and Ann Gibbs & Joel Kimmel included the Lost Girls in two scripts both pairs worked on. It's interesting that Linda & Margie, since they selected Blair, Natalie, and Tootie to keep after season 1, went for a little continuity by writing in the girls (minus Molly*) in SS, and then Linda & Margie writing Nancy in again in GEM.

*(unless Molly was originally written in the first SS script, being catty and "mean girl"-ish along with the others. That would be very interesting to know)

Also, funny how there are 7 original girls, and 7 post-season 1 episodes with Lost Girls. Interesting...

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Well now, this is fascinating. All those appearances by the Lost Girls in the cafeteria years? With one exception, all of those episodes were written by all different writers! Holy Eastland cow...you would maybe assume the same writer wrote many of those same episodes, but no writer wrote more than one!

• "The New Girl, Part II" - Jack Elinson
• "Gossip" - Paul L. Friedman & Gayle MacDonald
• "Sex Symbol" - (story by Sally Sussman, teleplay by Linda Marsh & Peters, and Ann Gibbs & Joel Kimmel)
• "Pretty Babies" - Ann Gibbs & Joel Kimmel
• "Dear Me" - Lloyd Turner & Howard Leibling
• "Green-Eyed Monster" - Linda Marsh & Margie Peters
• "Front Page" - Mike Mayer & Larry Swimer

That is quite the interesting 'fact'!

So this "Jack Elinson" was the first writer to include a former cast member in the new show. I want to know more about him. I want to know why he chose Molly. That was so fortuitous, and so lucky for us fans, since that was the only time we would ever get to see Molly in the cafeteria.

Jack Elinson said some Very Controversial Things™ about the Lost Girls...

Linda & Margie, and Ann Gibbs & Joel Kimmel included the Lost Girls in two scripts both pairs worked on. It's interesting that Linda & Margie, since they selected Blair, Natalie, and Tootie to keep after season 1, went for a little continuity by writing in the girls (minus Molly*) in SS, and then Linda & Margie writing Nancy in again in GEM.

I think even Linda and Margie realized that the storylines would be better by not isolating the core Four so much that they would have NO interactions with other characters, that there needed to be at least some moments where we saw the Core Four with other students. So why not bring back characters with which the girls and the audience were already familiar?

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Jack Elinson said some Very Controversial Things™ about the Lost Girls...

Where? And when?

Maybe he was scarred by Molly's "humiliation", and knowing it was "his fault"!

*UPDATE* - Holy cow! I just found "Funny You Should Say: Oral Histories of Classic Sitcom Storytellers" opened up in Google Books with Elinson and Mayer quotes. Wow! I love how Jerry Mayer says Molly was the best of all the girls! Wow, I had no idea he thought that. I didn't see Elinson say anything specifically about Lost Girls here.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I think even Linda and Margie realized that the storylines would be better by not isolating the core Four so much that they would have NO interactions with other characters, that there needed to be at least some moments where we saw the Core Four with other students. So why not bring back characters with which the girls and the audience were already familiar?

Why not? Because they'd already done some things that didn't make much sense.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Where? And when?

Maybe he was scarred by Molly's "humiliation", and knowing it was "his fault"!

*UPDATE* - Holy cow! I just found "Funny You Should Say: Oral Histories of Classic Sitcom Storytellers" opened up in Google Books with Elinson and Mayer quotes. Wow! I love how Jerry Mayer says Molly was the best of all the girls! Wow, I had no idea he thought that.

He did! which lends credence to the idea that someone indicated to Molly that she was staying on, as she claims. Another weight on the Molly Theory pile.

Why not? Because they'd already done some things that didn't make much sense.

True!

[RetroGuy2000]

The names of these two writers are misspelled, according to IMDB:
Michele Gendleman --> Michele Gendelman
Marily Anderson --> Marilyn Anderson

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

The names of these two writers are misspelled, according to IMDB:
Michele Gendleman --> Michele Gendelman
Marily Anderson --> Marilyn Anderson

Ah, fixed, thanks. I double-checked the Wiki episode guide and they were spelled there how I first listed them, so at least the way I spelled them was consistent with that, lol.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Ah, fixed, thanks. I double-checked the Wiki episode guide and they were spelled there how I first listed them, so at least the way I spelled them was consistent with that, lol.

But did you check, and double-check, and check again? </Mr. Gideon>

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

But did you check, and double-check, and check again? </Mr. Gideon>

<Charlie Brown>"AAUUUUUGGH!!"</Charlie Brown>

I've been "Gideoned"!