Who was the most well-known girl prior to her Facts hiring?

[RetroGuy2000]

Which girl do you think was most visible, or most popular, prior to being cast on The Facts of Life?

[80s Dude]

I would say Julie Pie. She was much more visible on the New Mickey Mouse Club than Lisa.

[DJM77]

Probably Kim Fields. She had been a regular on Baby, I'm Back. Plus she had been in a couple of episodes of Good Times. I think that her Mork & Mindy appearance was pre-FOL too. Not to mention her Mrs. Butterworth commercials.

[RetroGuy2000]

Some excellent answers so far.

I wondered if there wasn't a more objective way to look at this.

I checked IMDB and some theater sites. I disregarded commercials, as there don't appear to be sources for most of the girls' many commercials. I also disregarded the modeling, which wasn't entirely relevant.

IMDB says:

Mindy appeared in:
Nothing
...for a total of 0 roles/episodes

Felice appeared in:
Just Posing
...for a total of 1 role/episode

Nancy appeared in:
ABC Weekend Specials - 4 episodes before her first FOL episode
Thundarr the Barbarian - 1 episode before her first FOL
Alice - 1 episode before her first FOL episode
Stone - 3 episodes
The Love Boat - 1 episode
Scooby-Doo
Stone (TV movie)
A Question of Love
Fantasy Island - 1 episode
Starsky and Hutch - 1 episode
...for a total of 15 roles/episodes

Julie Anne appeared in:
Dirty Sally - 1 episode
The World Through the Eyes of Children
Mulligan's Stew - 7 episodes
Wonder Woman - 1 episode
Little House - 1 episode
Hello Larry - 1 episode
Like Normal People
Salvage 1 - 1 episode
The Great Santini
Scavenger Hunt
...for a total of 16 roles/episodes

Kim appeared in:
Have I Got a Christmas For You
Baby I'm Back! - 13 episodes
Roots: The Next Generation - 1 episode
Good Times - 2 episodes
...for a total of 17 roles/episodes

Molly appeared in:
The New Mickey Mouse Club - 1 episode
Annie in San Francisco - 112 appearances (14 weeks, 8 performances per week)
...for a total of 113 roles/appearances

Julie Pie appeared in:
The Magical World of Disney - 1 episode
The New Mickey Mouse Club - 130 episodes*
...for a total of 131 roles/episodes

Lisa Whelchel appeared in:
The Double McGuffin
The Magical World of Disney - 3 episodes
The New Mickey Mouse Club - 130 episodes*
...for a total of 134 roles/episodes

* IMBD doesn't list most of their episodes. This site says 130 episodes of The New Mickey Mouse Club were produced circa 1977-1978. Lisa and Julie were regular performers. Molly made a guest appearance.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by DJM77

Probably Kim Fields. She had been a regular on Baby, I'm Back. Plus she had been in a couple of episodes of Good Times. I think that her Mork & Mindy appearance was pre-FOL too. Not to mention her Mrs. Butterworth commercials.

Lisa agreed with you, stating that Kim had more experience than all the rest of the girls combined.

I didn't include her Mork and Mindy appearance above, as it aired in November 1979, well after the first four episodes of FOL (August-September 1979) and the DS backdoor pilot (May 1979) aired. But Kim was definitely a hot commodity!

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by 80s Dude

I would say Julie Pie. She was much more visible on the New Mickey Mouse Club than Lisa.

I wish there was a good source for who appeared on each episode of The New Mickey Mouse Club. IMDB's page is ridiculously incomplete.

[icecream]

Originally Posted by DJM77

Probably Kim Fields. She had been a regular on Baby, I'm Back. Plus she had been in a couple of episodes of Good Times. I think that her Mork & Mindy appearance was pre-FOL too. Not to mention her Mrs. Butterworth commercials.

I did not know she was on Mork and Mindy, what episode?

['80sSitcoms]

It is an interesting question. For instance, America saw Kim in Mrs. Butterworth ads on TV, but only an extremely small percentage of America saw Molly in "Annie".

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Nancy appeared in:
Stone - 3 episodes
The Love Boat - 1 episode
Scooby-Doo
Stone (TV movie)
A Question of Love
Fantasy Island - 1 episode
Starsky and Hutch - 1 episode
...for a total of 9 roles/episodes

Don't forget "Alice"! She was a Thanksgiving orphan before she was Jo from da Bronx.

[Wawwie]

Originally Posted by DJM77

Probably Kim Fields. She had been a regular on Baby, I'm Back. Plus she had been in a couple of episodes of Good Times. I think that her Mork & Mindy appearance was pre-FOL too. Not to mention her Mrs. Butterworth commercials.

Plus, her mom, Chip Fields was already an established actress.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Don't forget "Alice"! She was a Thanksgiving orphan before she was Jo from da Bronx.

Thanks; I fixed the entry, adding in her first Alice appearance, four Weekend Specials, and an appearance on Thundarr the Barbarian, all which aired before her first FOL episode aired (but which I didn't spot because of how IMDB lists episodes: by an actor's most recent appearance: she had later appearances on all of those shows).

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

It is an interesting question. For instance, America saw Kim in Mrs. Butterworth ads on TV, but only an extremely small percentage of America saw Molly in "Annie".

Right. Unless someone was in San Francisco and saw a specific play, they never would have recognized Molly as Kate in Annie, and probably not even then. BUT it's likely that someone people would have recognized Kim as the Mrs. Butterworth girl from the commercial.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Thanks; I fixed the entry, adding in her first Alice appearance, four Weekend Specials, and an appearance on Thundarr the Barbarian, all which aired before her first FOL episode aired (but which I didn't spot because of how IMDB lists episodes: by an actor's most recent appearance: she had later appearances on all of those shows).

She also was voiced the girl in "The Trouble With Miss Switch" although that was just her voice of course, lol (or maybe that's one of the Weekend Specials you're counting?)

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Wawwie

Plus, her mom, Chip Fields was already an established actress.

Yeah, I imagine having an experienced mother was a huge help for Kim, not to mention likely opening a few doors.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

She also was voiced the girl in "The Trouble With Miss Switch" although that was just her voice of course, lol (or maybe that's one of the Weekend Specials you're counting?)

Yep. I added her Weekend Specials... at least the four that aired before "The New Girl".