Julie Piekarski's best episode?

[RetroGuy2000]

Julie Pie played Sue Ann. She was in quite a few episodes, and was featured prominently in the first season. She also appeared in seasons 2, 3, 5, and 8, as well as Diff'rent Strokes: 19 episodes, in all. What was Julie Pie's best episode?

[Anna Karenina]

The one with Tumpy in it.

I just love the name Tumpy.

Tumpy!!!

['80sSitcoms]

Then here you go, Anna

-

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Anna Karenina

The one with Tumpy in it.

That was Dope, and you voted for The Little Chill!

I just love the name Tumpy.

Tumpy!!!

Not just Tumpy... her sister's Kedgie!

[Anna Karenina]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Then here you go, Anna

-

Hey, I love that picture. Thanks for putting that up. I also see the Linda Ronstadt resemblance. What is with the horse and Prototype Monica? What am I missing here? LOL.

Tumpy was a fun character who had many possibilities. Could they have reformed her and brought her back for an episode or two?

Helen Hunt wasn't given much to do in that episode, she could have also been brought back.

FOL didn't know what they had with those two.

Apropos of nothing...Here is my Kim Fields story.

I was at an autograph signing session in 1985 in Washington D.C. with Kim, Stacy Lattisaw and Todd Bridges after they appeared on a show called Panorama (hosted by Maury Povich!). Stacy and Todd were very friendly when signing their autographs but Kim didn't make any eye contact and just acted like a diva. I think she is the most beautiful of the girls and at the end of the run she was simply stunning. But in real life, I don't know, she comes off as kind of snooty sometimes like when she was dissing Cloris Leachman on The Truth Behind The Sitcoms special. Do you remember that one?

Snooty Tootie.

Having the nerve to make fun of the name "Tumpy"...

[Anna Karenina]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

That was Dope, and you voted for The Little Chill!



Not just Tumpy... her sister's Kedgie!

How can one tell who voted for what? I thought that was anonymous. But yea, I should have voted for "Dope" which was a classic.

Kedgie, we hardly knew ye. Played in my mind by Kari Michaelson.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by Anna Karenina

Hey, I love that picture. Thanks for putting that up. I also see the Linda Ronstadt resemblance. What is with the horse and Prototype Monica? What am I missing here? LOL.

lol, go look at the thread "Season 1 Intro and Outro Themes Discussion" and you'll get all the dirt.

Originally Posted by Anna Karenina

Tumpy was a fun character who had many possibilities. Could they have reformed her and brought her back for an episode or two?

Or even not reformed her, but still brought her back. Yes, that would have been interesting.

Originally Posted by Anna Karenina

But in real life, I don't know, she comes off as kind of snooty sometimes like when she was dissing Cloris Leachman on The Truth Behind The Sitcoms special. Do you remember that one?

I remember one where she was talking about the cast expansion in later years, and she said something like, "I was like, do y'all remember when this show started and you got rid of half the cast because there were too many people? What are you doing keeping adding more people??" or something like that.

Originally Posted by Anna Karenina

Snooty Tootie.

Having the nerve to make fun of the name "Tumpy"...

Haha...well, Mrs. Garrett got her good on that one, lol.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by Anna Karenina

How can one tell who voted for what? I thought that was anonymous. But yea, I should have voted for "Dope" which was a classic.

You can only see who voted for what if the poll creator chooses that option. On Retro's "best episode" polls for the girls, if you click on the # of votes a choice has, it will reload the poll showing who voted for what.

Nosey Retro.

(just kidding Retro )

[Anna Karenina]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

lol, go look at the thread "Season 1 Intro and Outro Themes" and you'll get all the dirt.




Or even not reformed her, but still brought her back. Yes, that would have been interesting.




I remember one where she was talking about the cast expansion in later years, and she said something like, "I was like, do y'all remember when this show started and you got rid of half the cast because there were too many people? What are you doing keeping adding more people??" or something like that.




Haha...well, Mrs. Garrett got her good on that one, lol.

Yeah, bring her back as an unrepentant bad girl who was immune to Mrs. G and her well meaning mentoring. Not every character has to grow as a person.

I could see Kim Fields as being a good director. She is extremely opinionated and probably gets a kick out of calling the shots.

I am on my way to look at the dirt...

One last thing.

Lisa Whelchel was the only one who could carry a tune. SHE should have been Nellie Forbush! Tootie was tone deaf perhaps from that dreaded inner ear infection. At any rate, how much of a hoot would it have been to have Edna be a last minute replacement given Charlotte's real life singing voice? She would have blown EVERYONE away!

[Anna Karenina]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

You can only see who voted for what if the poll creator chooses that option. On Retro's "best episode" polls for the girls, if you click on the # of votes a choice has, it will reload the poll showing who voted for what.

Nosey Retro.

(just kidding Retro )

Ooh, thanks for the scoop!

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Anna Karenina

Hey, I love that picture. Thanks for putting that up. I also see the Linda Ronstadt resemblance. What is with the horse and Prototype Monica? What am I missing here? LOL.

Oh, '80s was doing a parody of the Season One opening credits. "Prototype Monica" is his clever name for the blonde Season One Monica before she was replaced by soap opera actress Marj Dusay.

Tumpy was a fun character who had many possibilities. Could they have reformed her and brought her back for an episode or two?

Well, since she was expelled, they would have had to write her back in somehow: such as the decision to expel her was overruled by the Eastland board (maybe because her parents sit on the board, or something). Then she could have re-claimed her New Yorker poster from Blair's wall!

Interestingly, "Tumpy" had already left Happy Days, and soon after she did this episode, she left Hollywood for good.

[quote]

Apropos of nothing...Here is my Kim Fields story.

I was at an autograph signing session in 1985 in Washington D.C. with Kim, Stacy Lattisaw and Todd Bridges after they appeared on a show called Panorama (hosted by Maury Povich!). Stacy and Todd were very friendly when signing their autographs but Kim didn't make any eye contact and just acted like a diva. I think she is the most beautiful of the girls and at the end of the run she was simply stunning. But in real life, I don't know, she comes off as kind of snooty sometimes like when she was dissing Cloris Leachman on The Truth Behind The Sitcoms special. Do you remember that one?

Thanks so much for sharing your story. I agree that Kim was beautiful (still is). I have sometimes gotten a diva vibe from her, but after reading her book, I kind of see why: her mom really pushed her to develop this attitude that she could do anything.

But being snooty to fans is just unacceptable! Your fans are your paycheck.

I don't remember the Truth Behind the Sitcoms special (just the Dana Plato one); what did Kim say to dis Cloris?

Snooty Tootie.

Having the nerve to make fun of the name "Tumpy"...

I'm glad Mrs. G makes the comment that someone named Tootie has no right to make fun of the name Tumpy!

Helen Hunt wasn't given much to do in that episode, she could have also been brought back.

It's interesting you mention Helen Hunt in the same post as "snooty Tootie". A few years back, I saw a message board post by an actress who had appeared in an episode of Mad About You. She was scheduled to play a friend of Helen Hunt's sister's character. I forget some of the details, but she said that for some unknown reason (or at least unknown to her), HH got angry at her, and later in the week, she found that her part had been reduced to a much smaller part. She was supposed to be a recurring character, but then her character never appeared again. She didn't even know what she had done wrong, and HH never spoke to her during the whole week.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Anna Karenina

How can one tell who voted for what? I thought that was anonymous. But yea, I should have voted for "Dope" which was a classic.

Kedgie, we hardly knew ye. Played in my mind by Kari Michaelson.

Now that would be interesting.

She doesn't really look like Tumpy, though. Then again, not all sisters look similar. Some do, some don't. But I always liked Kari on GAB; I was sad when she and Lauri left the show (and it sucked after that).

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

But being snooty to fans is just unacceptable! Your fans are your paycheck.

I don't like hearing stories like that; I will tell myself that unfortunately, Kim was just having a really, really bad day.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

I remember one where she was talking about the cast expansion in later years, and she said something like, "I was like, do y'all remember when this show started and you got rid of half the cast because there were too many people? What are you doing keeping adding more people??" or something like that.

Was THAT in Truth Behind the Sitcoms?!? I have been looking for that clip for FOREVER!!!!

Now I thought in that clip she was simply talking about all the random cast additions, not specifically about Cloris. And I've got to say, she made a good point, because the writers kept adding in random characters. But I hope she wasn't specifically dissing Cloris. Cloris had a tough job, "replacing" Mrs. G: no one could replace her!

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

I don't like hearing stories like that; I will tell myself that unfortunately, Kim was just having a really, really bad day.

It's definitely possible.

I do know that Kim tired of being called "Tootie", and that's why, in the Reunion movie, she is called Dorothy.

Many actors struggle to put their old characters behind them, and it comes out as rude or whatever. Maybe by 1985, Kim was already tiring of the role.