Vintage FOL Promo ads, articles, and pictures

[RetroGuy2000]

I've got access to a huge number of old Facts of Life articles and adverts. '80sSitcoms suggested I share a few in a new thread, and I thought that sounded like a capital idea.

These first two are re-posted from another thread, but I'll add to them.

The first image is a May 1980 promo for episode 1-11, "Running". The second is a 1980 promo for the new series.

[RetroGuy2000]

From: The Paris [Texas] News, Fri., Sept. 9, 1980, pg 13

NBC has little faith in 'Facts of Life'
By DAN LEWIS

Charlotte Rae, a short, chunky divorced chunky divorced [SIC] comedienne, who plays on NBC's "The Facts of Life," is watching her low-rated show become more popular during the summer rerun season.

"I'm hoping the summer sampling will carry over into the fall," she says. Yet, NBC doesn't share her hopes; they've renewed the show and given it a Friday evening sked that Miss Rae doesn't consider ideal.

"The Facts of Life" deals with mischievous adolescent girls at a private school who need Mrs. Garrett's advice and management. It attracts a teen-age audience.

"But," complains Miss Rae, "by Friday night, most teen-agers are out."

Miss Rae, however, is happy to be back on the air. "They (NBC program executives) told us it was the only place they could fit us in," she says.

This means that NBC is not thrilled with the series, and they are giving it another try in a less desirable position. Meanwhile, changes are about to occur in the series. There were too many girls cluttering the stores last season, according to Miss Rae.

"We're going to reduce the cast from seven girls to four," she reveals. Three of the four will be returning: Lisa Whelchel (Blair), Kim Fields (Tootie) and Mindy Cohn (Natalie). The fourth girl will be a newcomer, described by Miss Rae as a "street kid" who is enrolled at the school.

"Seven girls created traffic problems," explained Miss Rae. "The audience got confused. The three holdovers were the most popular in the testing of audience reaction."

Miss Rae will also have more responsibilities, so as to make her into a take-charge person. Most of the activity will switch from the house to the all-purpose room over the cafeteria and the cafeteria. Another cast addition will be a young male cook.

"We're looking at standup comics for this role," Miss Rae reported, adding that the search has included the comedy showcase nightclubs in New York and Los Angeles. "We would like a Woody Allen type," she adds.

There will not be any classroom scenes in the new season, which has made the role of the headmaster (John Lawler) expendable. But, another character, a caretaker in his 50s, will be Miss Rae's ally. The series has a new executive producer, Jack Elinson, and three new writers, including Linda Marsh, a moderately successful actress.

Miss Rae first developed Mrs. Garrett on NBC's "Diff'rent Strokes." NBC executives decided her character could be spun into its own series. Miss Rae, a native of Milwaukee, Wis, attended Northwestern, where she met two drama school classmates, Cloris Leachman and Paul Lynde.

"Cloris and I went to New York together and lived in the same building," she recalls.

She performed in theater and developed a comedy act for appearances ;it supper clubs (Village Vanguard and The Blue Angel). She also played Mammy Yokum in the original cast of "Li'l Abner" on Broadway. Two-time Tony Award nominee as supporting actress for "Pickwick" and "Morning, Noon and Night," she has appeared in the short-lived TV series, ''Hot L Baltimore."

She also marches for ERA, because "You have to put the body where the mouth is. I don't want to be a 'giberal.'" She's supporting John Anderson for president.

[RetroGuy2000]

An article from August 1980. Notice how the order of the girls has been irrevocably changed. Lisa, Kim, and Mindy are now introduced first. The Lost Girls appear later in the article. By this time, the producers knew who would stay and who would go (apparently, they did not know who was staying in July 1980, a month earlier, based on newspaper reports which give a very different impression). But by August, it is clear.

[DJM77]

delete

[DJM77]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

she has appeared in the short-lived TV series, ''Hotel Baltimore."

That should be Hot L Baltimore.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by DJM77

That should be Hot L Baltimore.

Thanks. Fixed the typo in the original post.

['80sSitcoms]

Oh wow! I have so many things to say about this, lol.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Charlotte Rae, a short, chunky divorced chunky divorced [SIC] comedienne,

LOL! Poor Charlotte, is this how it really looks in print?? Boy talk about choosing the wrong words to repeat!

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

"I'm hoping the summer sampling will carry over into the fall," she says. Yet, NBC doesn't share her hopes; they've renewed the show and given it a Friday evening sked that Miss Rae doesn't consider ideal.

It's interesting to see these sorts of comments all throughout the article showing how public NBC was about not having much faith at all in the series. Yikes!

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Miss Rae, however, is happy to be back on the air. "They (NBC program executives) told us it was the only place they could fit us in," she says.

Well, that's what they "say".

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

There were too many girls cluttering the stores last season, according to Miss Rae.

Well "Miss Rae" was wrong! And she was probably told this by all the network people and producers and writers. And they were wrong.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

"We're going to reduce the cast from seven girls to four," she reveals. Three of the four will be returning: Lisa Whelchel (Blair), Kim Fields (Tootie) and Mindy Cohn (Natalie). The fourth girl will be a newcomer, described by Miss Rae as a "street kid" who is enrolled at the school.

Wow, so the official word was already out well before the season premiere. At least to some fans, who happened to read at least this article, lol.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

"Seven girls created traffic problems," explained Miss Rae.

No they didn't! lol

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

The audience got confused.

No we didn't! lol

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Most of the activity will switch from the house to the all-purpose room over the cafeteria and the cafeteria.

You mean the all-purpose room, or "lounge", next to the cafeteria? lol And they have the order reversed. This sentence should read, "Most of the activity will switch from the dormitory to the cafeteria and the adjacent lounge."

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Another cast addition will be a young male cook.

Oh come on Dan Lews, what've you been smokin'?

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

But, another character, a caretaker in his 50s, will be Miss Rae's ally.

Now I'm picturing Eastland cemetery, lol. I know that's "undertaker", but it still conjures up that image, lol.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

She also played Mammy Yokum in the original cast of "Li'l Abner" on Broadway. Two-time Tony Award nominee as supporting actress for "Pickwick" and "Morning, Noon and Night,"

Wow, I'd either not known, or had forgotten those credits.

She also portrayed "Molly the Mail Lady" on Sesame Street in its 3rd season, 1971-1972, where she had a crush on Bob---and had black hair! lol

Thanks for starting this RetroGuy, I cannot wait to see what other gems you have!! And you've done this perfect way, whetting our appetites with the couple you've already shared in a previous thread, making our mouths water to see and read the "previously unreleased" material you have! These are fascinating and should all be compiled into an Eastland "Yearbook" for fans to purchase!

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

An article from August 1980.

Yikes, I wonder what 13-year-old Mindy thought of their description of Natalie? Couldn't they have referred to her as the "court jester" or something about her class clown humor, rather than her weight? Sheesh.

And I don't like how they paired up Cindy and Sue Ann. They were both different characters. I wish they had played up Cindy as the sports-loving tomboy, and Sue Ann as the peppy scholarship girl with the down home Kansas City roots.

And poor Nancy..."the all-American 14-year-old", lol.

I did like their description of Molly. They really gave her a much larger and more-rounded description than the other Lost Girls.

Notice at the end though they say "warm-hearted laugher" instead of "laughter".

RetroGuy, do you know from whence this article came?

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

LOL! Poor Charlotte, is this how it really looks in print?? Boy talk about choosing the wrong words to repeat!

Yep, that's exactly how it appears.

It's interesting to see these sorts of comments all throughout the article showing how public NBC was about not having much faith at all in the series. Yikes!

I think this was actually kayfabe. By spreading the word that they had no faith in the series, they'd get the dedicated fans to watch... and get their friends to watch. By mentioning how horrible the new timeslot is, they get the word out about what the new timeslot is. And that time slot paid dividends for them: just after DS, on a night with not much competition.

Well "Miss Rae" was wrong! And she was probably told this by all the network people and producers and writers. And they were wrong.

Yes, and it slowly became "conventional wisdom" about the show. But it's easy to poke holes in many of these theories.

Wow, so the official word was already out well before the season premiere. At least to some fans, who happened to read at least this article, lol.

Yes, the word was out by this point. And they knew who the three kept girls would be.

You mean the all-purpose room, or "lounge", next to the cafeteria? lol And they have the order reversed. This sentence should read, "Most of the activity will switch from the dormitory to the cafeteria and the adjacent lounge."

They were probably still planning the new sets at this time, and didn't know exactly what they would be.

Oh come on Dan Lews, what've you been smokin'?

Nice "Dope" reference. I think that character morphed into two characters: Howard the Cook and Roy the Bun Boy.

Wow, I'd either not known, or had forgotten those credits.

She also portrayed "Molly the Mail Lady" on Sesame Street in its 3rd season, 1971-1972, where she had a crush on Bob---and had black hair! lol

Pics or it didn't happen.

Thanks for starting this RetroGuy, I cannot wait to see what other gems you have!! And you've done this perfect way, whetting our appetites with the couple you've already shared in a previous thread, making our mouths water to see and read the "previously unreleased" material you have! These are fascinating and should all be compiled into an Eastland "Yearbook" for fans to purchase!

You want a more conventional one this time, or another weird one? (These ones where only half of what is predicted happens are my favorites).

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

I don't like how they paired up Cindy and Sue Ann. They were both different characters. I wish they had played up Cindy as the sports-loving tomboy, and Sue Ann as the peppy scholarship girl with the down home Kansas City roots.

I agree. Of course, by this time, they knew they'd be dumping the Lost Girls, so why bother coming up with a long description?

RetroGuy, do you know from whence this article came?

Madison (Wisconsin) State Journal, August 10, 1980. No idea if it was printed elsewhere.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I think this was actually kayfabe. By spreading the word that they had no faith in the series, they'd get the dedicated fans to watch... and get their friends to watch. By mentioning how horrible the new timeslot is, they get the word out about what the new timeslot is.

Hmm, perhaps. And besides DS, it was about all the network had! lol

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

They were probably still planning the new sets at this time, and didn't know exactly what they would be.

Well, you're nice in giving them the benefit of the doubt, but since they said the all-purpose room "above" the cafeteria, I would think they had to have known that the girls would instead be living over the cafeteria, and they just got it mixed up. It makes more sense for the "common areas" to be on the ground floor and any lodgings for the "delinquents" (lol) to be above them. I know this is all easy to say in hindsight, though. Just interesting...

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I think that character morphed into two characters: Howard the Cook and Roy the Bun Boy.

Although Roy didn't appear until two seasons later. So the girls had to settle for Howard being "cute".

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

Pics or it didn't happen.

You want proof? You got proof

A black-haired Charlotte Rae crushing on Bob as Molly the Mail Lady:



She is also included in footage from a couple "street segments" as Molly the Mail Lady on the first of the "Sesame Street Old School" DVD sets.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I agree. Of course, by this time, they knew they'd be dumping the Lost Girls, so why bother coming up with a long description?

Well they sure came up with one for Molly---trying to trick us! lol

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

You want a more conventional one this time, or another weird one? (These ones where only half of what is predicted happens are my favorites).

Those would be my favorite ones too, the obscure ones, but I want them ALL!

['80sSitcoms]

If we can consolidate in this thread, I hope you don't mind me sharing the FOL interview article from the Winter 1984 issue of Muppet Magazine.

These are new MUCH LARGER and easier-readable "user-friendly" scans than the ones I did for the "Miss.Piggy" thread here.

[mets82]

Good stuff and great post!! You know I remember watching Biography or something that talked about the Facts of Life. For one, how the show was almost cancelled, shrinking the cast etc.

I will say its probably a blessing in disguise for Molly Ringwald, who went on to have a great career, with all the "teen angst" movies she was in.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

If we can consolidate in this thread, I hope you don't mind me sharing the FOL interview article from the Winter 1984 issue of Muppet Magazine.

These are new MUCH LARGER and easier-readable "user-friendly" scans than the ones I did for the "Miss.Piggy" thread here.

Nice!

And now I will respond in kind, with a nice article from the Winnipeg Free Press, from Saturday, August 25, 1979, p 23, written by television critic Randal McIlroy, who gave a pretty glowing review of "Rough Housing", including Lisa's and Julie Anne's scenes in the episode (doesn't at all seem like "critics loathed it or ignored it"):

Lesser-light shines in Strokes spinoff

The producers of Dlff rent Strokes (7 p.m.
Channel 7 — Cables 5 and 8) tried something
really different several weeks ago.
They chose a peripheral player and gave
her an episode for herself.

Charlotte Rae, who plays Mrs. Garrett,
housekeeper for the Drummond family, took
a temporary job as den mother in a finishing
school for girls.

The writers amplified the differences and
similarities between the slightly old-fashioned
Mrs. Garrett and the more urbane
young ladies. The episode was both amusing
and intelligent.

Facts Of Life (7:30 p.m. Cable 8) is the
series born of that single show. NBC has only
prepared four stories, but if the program
impresses within that brief exposure, then it
may be introduced as a weekly series.
This was what we found. In Diff'rent
Strokes, Garrett was hungover and depressed.
She had been to a party with all her
successful friends; none of them were housekeepers.
She staggered to the breakfast table.
Arnold (Gary Coleman), the kiddy whiz,
suggests that she "really tied one on last
night."

For what it's worth, Rae's performance in
this scene ranks as one of the more inspired
moments on TV.

Mrs. Garrett decided to resign so that she
could become a full-time member of the
finishing school. She agreed, however, to
remain with the family until the closing
credits.

After a station break the entire cast moved
into the new show. Precocious Arnold was
instantly mobbed by a gaggle of gigglers.
It was a tight, even compelling story. A
tomboy (Julie Anne Haddock) was rebuked
for her supposed masculine tendencies. Not,
you would agree, a topic likely to show up on
Happy Days.
Haddock was in conflict with Blair (Lisa
Whelchel), the standard class beauty
queen.

This show was absolutely bubbling with
pungent one-liners. There is a wealth of sly
digs to be had at the expense of a flock of
blossoming young women. And even if the
bra jokes tended to fall a little flat (sorry),
well, it was a change from sexual double
entendres.

Rae is a joy, but she'll have her hands full
trying to compete against Dorothy Loudon,
who plays a similar role in Dorothy. The two
shows are so alike that we may soon expect a
host of new sitcoms devoted to adolescent
angst as it is found in finishing schools.
Remember where you read it.

[RetroGuy2000]

And since we've had a bit of Julie Anne, it's time for some Julie Pie. This image originally appeared in TV Guide, I believe, around summer 1981. The film referenced in the mini-article is a made-for-TV movie better known as The Miracle of Kathy Miller, which aired in October 1981, and which starred Helen Hunt. Helen and Julie had already worked together on FOL, when Helen played one of the marijuana-pushing girls in what I call "Dorm B".