They should've rebuilt Edna's Edibles

[cfr1970]

While channel surfing I came across the Decades marathon and haven't seen these later episodes since they originally aired (33 years ago, makes me feel so old!) and looking at the store background set of "Over Our Heads", it's all plastic tacky junk that nobody in their right mind would ever buy, even in the mid 80's. Makes me wonder why on earth they would replace a gourmet store with....this? I'm also trying to recall if I found it "cool" when I originally watched it as a teen....I shudder to think that I possibly did lol.

I see a couple of life size ducks and what looks like a balloon cactus in the background. Who the hell shops for things like that?! I'm immensely enjoying this trip down memory lane, but sure missing the Edna's Edibles set. It seems I tuned in too late to see those episodes.

[Impressions]

I agree that Over Our Heads was a crappy concept, I think the store would work if it was in New York City, but little ol' Peekskill? Hell no. There's no way that this shop was going to last, and I felt it was a last ditch effort to keep the show relevant and keep the girls together. It also felt like the writers purposely burned Edna's Edibles down because they were running out of ideas as far as plots they could have for Edna's Edibles, and were desperate to keep the show relevant and dramatic.

However, I'm not sure a rebuild of Edna's Edibles would work though, as Charlotte Rae was intent on leaving a season later after the shop burned down. Would they have to rename it to Peekskill's Edibles, if they rebuilt? Probably. Would Mrs. Garrett have stayed on the show if she was given her own shop for the next few seasons? Probably not, because Charlotte Rae felt she was not needed anymore, and knew that she could trust the girls to keep the shop running.

They should've started another business like a restaurant, which I think would have worked better and would have been interesting, although I'm not sure how good the waitressing would be judging based on the Fast Food episode, or Jo could start that pizza business again, who knows.

[cfr1970]

I guess you're right and Edna's Edibles had to go when Charlotte Rae gave her notice to leave the show. This is why i'm not a fan of main stars exiting series while they're still successful in their run. They should stay put for the entire run or don't sign up to begin with.

I remember when Cloris Leachman came on in 1986 and I despised her lol. She was no replacement for Mrs. Garratt and I hated that spiky hair of hers too. I still tuned in every Saturday night, but without Mrs. Garrett, it just wasn't the same.

By the final season, I tuned out completely and maybe caught an episode here and there while getting ready to go out (by then I was 17 and cared more about going out on Saturday nights than staying home for tv.)

So yeah, perhaps the gourmet shop had to go without Mrs. Garrett, but with it went a special essence of the series too. The kitsch shop was just a terrible replacement and really dates the series now. I think a bookstore probably would have been better. Or even a college bookstore which would have given plots with the girls' classmates coming in and out.

[Christopher]

After Edna's Edibles burned down, they should have just rebuild the house and got rid of the store. Over Our Heads was never an element to the episode storylines like Edna's Edibles was. It was just a background setting. The store began fading out midway into season 6. They should have rebuild the store into an additional bedroom for two of the girls or an outside patio.

[Lorimar Television]

I agree. Still weird how they had them all move in together. They should’ve had them all stay at Eastland and have Blair and Jo volunteering there or something

[cfr1970]

Originally Posted by Lorimar Television

I agree. Still weird how they had them all move in together. They should’ve had them all stay at Eastland and have Blair and Jo volunteering there or something

I remember thinking the same thing when it originally aired. That the school, which appeared to be pretty strict with it's rules never said anything about the girls just moving away from campus to live with Mrs. Garrett. Nor did any of their parents seem to care about it. (Then again none of their parents seemed to care about the girls since they dumped them off at Eastland in the first place, but that's a whole other post.)

Today, if a school cook moved in with 4 underage students you can be sure there'd be an investigation. But the changes did manage to keep the show fresh and therefore a long life.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by cfr1970

That the school, which appeared to be pretty strict with it's rules never said anything about the girls just moving away from campus to live with Mrs. Garrett. Nor did any of their parents seem to care about it.

No, Mrs. Garrett does say something about having to clear it with Mr. Parker and the girls' parents. But of course, all of the parents on the show loved Mrs. Garrett (with perhaps the exception of Mr. Ramsey, though I like to think he came around), and they knew what a wonderful guardian and disciplinarian Mrs. Garrett was for their girls, and they would be learning more responsibility running a store with Mrs. Garrett, so who wouldn't support that?

Originally Posted by cfr1970

(Then again none of their parents seemed to care about the girls since they dumped them off at Eastland in the first place, but that's a whole other post.)

Wow, I don't agree with that at all. This was a private boarding school that was tops in education.

[cfr1970]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

No, Mrs. Garrett does say something about having to clear it with Mr. Parker and the girls' parents. But of course, all of the parents on the show loved Mrs. Garrett (with perhaps the exception of Mr. Ramsey, though I like to think he came around), and they knew what a wonderful guardian and disciplinarian Mrs. Garrett was for their girls, and they would be learning more responsibility running a store with Mrs. Garrett, so who wouldn't support that?



Wow, I don't agree with that at all. This was a private boarding school that was tops in education.

I admit it's been years....actually decades since I watched this series. Yesterday's marathon was the first time I viewed those episodes since the 80's so my memory is definitely foggy on the details. I really want to buy the series now to go through all episodes, but at $100, it's gonna have to wait a while.


When I think of boarding school I automatically think a place where parents send kids for punishment or to get rid of them. I think it stems from seeing Mommie Dearest as a kid when evil mother Joan Crawford sent Christina to boarding school to punish her. So I always associate boarding school as punishment lol.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by cfr1970

I admit it's been years....actually decades since I watched this series. Yesterday's marathon was the first time I viewed those episodes since the 80's so my memory is definitely foggy on the details. I really want to buy the series now to go through all episodes, but at $100, it's gonna have to wait a while.

Well in the meantime, there's DailyMotion. I think all of the episodes are up there. Or you could start buying season set DVDs one at a time, if you wanted.

Originally Posted by cfr1970

When I think of boarding school I automatically think a place where parents send kids for punishment or to get rid of them. I think it stems from seeing Mommie Dearest as a kid when evil mother Joan Crawford sent Christina to boarding school to punish her. So I always associate boarding school as punishment lol.

Well no wonder! When I think of boarding school, I usually think of a prospective wicked stepmother, where the dad's kids overhear her manipulating him with flirtation while bringing up the idea of boarding school for his kids, haha ("The Parent Trap", "Free Spirit" TV show, etc.).

[cfr1970]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Well in the meantime, there's DailyMotion. I think all of the episodes are up there. Or you could start buying season set DVDs one at a time, if you wanted.




Well no wonder! When I think of boarding school, I usually think of a prospective wicked stepmother, where the dad's kids overhear her manipulating him with flirtation while bringing up the idea of boarding school for his kids, haha ("The Parent Trap", "Free Spirit" TV show, etc.).

I think that's what i'm going to do. Just pick up a season at a time till I have them all. You can get some complete series for 20 bucks brand new but then there's some like FOL that's 100. I don't get it. I guess FOL is pretty popular.

I did catch Tootie's Graduation during the marathon yesterday and was surprised to learn that was Kim Field's real life Mom playing Tootie's mother. Back then, I had absolutely no idea that's who she was.
I know her from seeing her on Good Times as Penny's Mom when it played on Antenna TV and l looked her up and learned only a few years ago who she was.

['80sSitcoms]

Yup! Chip Fields first appears as Tootie's mom in a season 5 Edna's Edibles era episode, and, as an inside treat, she appeared in the "Facts of Life Goes to Paris", but not as Tootie's mom!

(and that's what I did, I bought each FOL set one at a time. I was gonna stop at 6, then I was like, well, okay, I'll get 7 and 8, then I was like, well dang it, I might as well finish it up and get 9! )

[cfr1970]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Yup! Chip Fields first appears as Tootie's mom in a season 5 Edna's Edibles era episode, and, as an inside treat, she appeared in the "Facts of Life Goes to Paris", but not as Tootie's mom!

(and that's what I did, I bought each FOL set one at a time. I was gonna stop at 6, then I was like, well, okay, I'll get 7 and 8, then I was like, well dang it, I might as well finish it up and get 9! )

Speaking of "Facts of Life Goes to Paris", I see it's available on the season 4 dvd as a bonus, but the "Down Under" movie is only on the complete series set. Bummer if I buy the separate seasons, but I see they're all uploaded to You Tube anyway so I guess it doesn't matter.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by cfr1970

I admit it's been years....actually decades since I watched this series. Yesterday's marathon was the first time I viewed those episodes since the 80's so my memory is definitely foggy on the details. I really want to buy the series now to go through all episodes, but at $100, it's gonna have to wait a while.

Amazon has copies of the individual seasons for as little as $8.00. Here's a combo pack of Seasons 1 and 2..

When I think of boarding school I automatically think a place where parents send kids for punishment or to get rid of them. I think it stems from seeing Mommie Dearest as a kid when evil mother Joan Crawford sent Christina to boarding school to punish her. So I always associate boarding school as punishment lol.

Christina Crawford's experiences at boarding school, and her cruel mother Joan Crawford, definitely don't seem similar to most of the girls' experiences. Well... maybe Blair and Prototype Monica.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by Lorimar Television

I agree. Still weird how they had them all move in together. They should’ve had them all stay at Eastland and have Blair and Jo volunteering there or something

That would have been better than the shop, as I prefer Eastland over Edna's Edibles.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

That would have been better than the shop, as I prefer Eastland over Edna's Edibles.

True, but, that would have stunted Mrs. Garrett's character growth and life arc. So as much as I miss Eastland---and that is a LOT, I am grateful to see her go into business for herself as Edna's Edibles and find some success on her own as her own woman.