Is there now a permanent dark cloud over "Growing Pains"

[TMC]

Is Growing Pains in other words, a show that's becoming really, really hard to revisit and enjoy now due to all of the stuff that we now know happened (or has allegedly happened) behind the scenes and in real life?

There's off the top of my head:

• Kirk Cameron sabotaging the show after he became a hardline born again Christian.
  
• One of the executive producers, Steve Marshall later getting busted for child porn.
  
• Tracey Gold's battle with anorexia, which may have likely been facilitated in no small part due to all of the needlessly cruel fat jokes that were thrown her way on the show.
  
• The fact that Brian Peck, a convicted child molester worked on the show and the revelation that Alan Thicke and Joanna Kerns actually wrote letters of support for him.
  
• The rumors that Alan Thicke was dating Kristy Swanson (who guest starred in the episode "Thank God It's Friday") when he was at least 40 and she was roughly, 17.
  
• The tragic suicide of Andrew Koenig, who played Boner on the show.
  
• Tracey Gold's DUI incident (which happened with not only her husband, but her children in tow), which came around the same time that the second reunion TV movie was coming out.

[rusty spike]

I don't think this series is free for streaming, but 1.99 per episode or around 70 dollars to add to your virtual library (Vudu). I watched a few episodes when it first debuted, but I wasn't that interested~ I followed Family Ties and Facts of Life.

Despite the problems with people on the show, I wouldn't avoid watching. Shows create a fantasy world and I think it's okay to indulge. Andy Griffith was a jerk in real life and treated some people on the set like dirt. However, I still enjoy watching AG play Andy Taylor. I realize that some people can not separate the distinction and thus would refuse to watch Growing Pains because Kirk became a jerk on the set.

[paul.austin]

At least GP gave a fresh credit to Judith Barsi when in 1992, 4 years after her death, they re-used footage of her from her guest spot in the GP finale. Even as they were disappearing beneath the waves they decided on a last act of class.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by paul.austin

At least GP gave a fresh credit to Judith Barsi when in 1992, 4 years after her death, they re-used footage of her from her guest spot in the GP finale. Even as they were disappearing beneath the waves they decided on a last act of class.

I just had to remind myself that Judith Barsi played a young version of Carol Seaver on Growing Pains. Her death was so horrific and sad, especially considering that she was still so young at the time. Her father was by the looks of it, evil incarnate.

The "Graduation Day" episode of Growing Pains is said to be her last television appearance before her death on July 25, 1988.

[paul.austin]

Originally Posted by TMC

I just had to remind myself that Judith Barsi played a young version of Carol Seaver on Growing Pains. Her death was so horrific and sad, especially considering that she was still so young at the time. Her father was by the looks of it, evil incarnate.

The "Graduation Day" episode of Growing Pains is said to be her last television appearance before her death on July 25, 1988.

No, IMDB et al are wrong as looking at TX dates, her last on-screen credit before.... Jozsef Barsi discovered that his wife and daughter had decided to run was "The Abby Singer Show" episode of St. Elsewhere.

Judith's last work as an actor, the Afterschool Special "A Family Again", wrapped filming three weeks before the murders.

[paul.austin]

Originally Posted by TMC

I just had to remind myself that Judith Barsi played a young version of Carol Seaver on Growing Pains. Her death was so horrific and sad, especially considering that she was still so young at the time. Her father was by the looks of it, evil incarnate.

The "Graduation Day" episode of Growing Pains is said to be her last television appearance before her death on July 25, 1988.

No, IMDB et al are wrong as looking at TX dates, her last on-screen credit before.... Jozsef Barsi discovered that his wife and daughter had decided to run was "The Abby Singer Show" episode of St. Elsewhere.

Judith's last work as an actor, the Afterschool Special "A Family Again", wrapped filming three weeks before the murders.

[Charles Knox]

Yes, the show is tainted. I remember watching the Growin Pains E-True Hollywood Special, where they interviewed the producer, and he mentioned Kirk was getting invites to the Playboy mansion while he was an underaged teen. It was probably his faith that kept him away from a self destructive lifestyle.

[paul.austin]

His faith has left a baleful influence over many centuries (though reactionary Islam seems to have been and be worse). Sorry, Sinead, you were right about the Bishop of Rome...

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Charles Knox

Yes, the show is tainted. I remember watching the Growin Pains E-True Hollywood Special, where they interviewed the producer, and he mentioned Kirk was getting invites to the Playboy mansion while he was an underaged teen. It was probably his faith that kept him away from a self destructive lifestyle.

Kirk by his own admission, was an atheist when he started working on Growing Pains in 1985. He was apparently an atheist until he was about 17 years old. I've previously alluded to my theory that something really traumatic must've happened to Kirk in this timeframe that caused him to have some sort of psychotic break.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by Charles Knox

Yes, the show is tainted. I remember watching the Growin Pains E-True Hollywood Special, where they interviewed the producer, and he mentioned Kirk was getting invites to the Playboy mansion while he was an underaged teen. It was probably his faith that kept him away from a self destructive lifestyle.

There's also the relatively early death of Matthew Perry, who played Carol's ill-fated boyfriend Sandy. Matthew's own addictive, self-destructive lifestyle likely contributed to his death just like his character on Growing Pains, who died after driving while drunk.

[TMC]

Originally Posted by rusty spike

I don't think this series is free for streaming, but 1.99 per episode or around 70 dollars to add to your virtual library (Vudu). I watched a few episodes when it first debuted, but I wasn't that interested~ I followed Family Ties and Facts of Life.

Despite the problems with people on the show, I wouldn't avoid watching. Shows create a fantasy world and I think it's okay to indulge. Andy Griffith was a jerk in real life and treated some people on the set like dirt. However, I still enjoy watching AG play Andy Taylor. I realize that some people can not separate the distinction and thus would refuse to watch Growing Pains because Kirk became a jerk on the set.

This is probably a big slippery slope scenario of asking somebody if they can separate the "art" from the "artist". Bill Cosby is the first person that comes to my mind when discussing something like this. Can you still watch and enjoy The Cosby Show despite knowing full well all of the deplorable things that Cosby has been accused of in real life?

Kirk Cameron is a bit trickier if you ask me, because not only did Kirk by many accounts, become a jerk on set, he like I said, actively went out of his way to sabotage the show from a creative standpoint. What I mean by that is that he got his on-screen love interest at the time, Julie McCullough fired over her Playboy pictorial, even though their relationship on the show was the storyline that many viewers were truly invested in. He also wanted to change his character overnight, so that he would be more clean-cut and wholesome and not so much of a troublemaker.

[paul.austin]

Originally Posted by TMC

This is probably a big slippery slope scenario of asking somebody if they can separate the "art" from the "artist". Bill Cosby is the first person that comes to my mind when discussing something like this. Can you still watch and enjoy The Cosby Show despite knowing full well all of the deplorable things that Cosby has been accused of in real life?

Kirk Cameron is a bit trickier if you ask me, because not only did Kirk by many accounts, become a jerk on set, he like I said, actively went out of his way to sabotage the show from a creative standpoint. What I mean by that is that he got his on-screen love interest at the time, Julie McCullough fired over her Playboy pictorial, even though their relationship on the show was the storyline that many viewers were truly invested in. He also wanted to change his character overnight, so that he would be more clean-cut and wholesome and not so much of a troublemaker.

What makes me angry about the complaints about Playboy et al is that it *shouldn't* be different for cis het guys to sexualise cis het girls than cis het girls thinking a cis het guy is hot or checking them out.

Because of my disability and genetic-related illnesses i was heavily bullied - including by girls. Because it was 1998-9 and not the 2020s, I wasn't lucky enough to get this. One of my medications i was on at the time (i am various medications for life but back then some were nasty in side effects) caused me to bloat up - mostly in the chest and butt.

At least three girls in my Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) (school years 11-12) told me i didn't need a date to the formal (AmEng: "Prom"), i needed to *be* the date (i.e. the girl on a boy's arm) and that i needed various types of intimate lady's bedroom wear for me and their imagined cis het guy for later on the night of the formal. I don't know where you are 26 years later, Elizabeth, Katie, Nicola and Sally, but 26 years later I am still sending my internal scream of rage in your direction :'(

[Charles Knox]

Originally Posted by TMC

Kirk Cameron is a bit trickier if you ask me, because not only did Kirk by many accounts, become a jerk on set, he like I said, actively went out of his way to sabotage the show from a creative standpoint. What I mean by that is that he got his on-screen love interest at the time, Julie McCullough fired over her Playboy pictorial, even though their relationship on the show was the storyline that many viewers were truly invested in. He also wanted to change his character overnight, so that he would be more clean-cut and wholesome and not so much of a troublemaker.

Maybe like the rest of us, he was just tired of playing a shallow character that was only getting laughs, because of cracking constant fat jokes at Tracey Gold's expense...?

[paul.austin]

The Gold family paid for Judith Barsi 's funeral and Tracey, Missy and Brandy did readings at the service. They were the only celebrities to show up ("Full House" was not yet the big hit it would become so Andrea and her mom, Sherry Barber, are not usually counted).

Tracey Gold a few years ago went on one of those TV shows about a fake medium and acted as though Judith was really "coming across" rather than said shyster regurgitating what he had found with a quick google before the filming.

Of course, you first have to get behind someone before you can stab them in the back....

[paul.austin]

Originally Posted by TMC

Is Growing Pains in other words, a show that's becoming really, really hard to revisit and enjoy now due to all of the stuff that we now know happened (or has allegedly happened) behind the scenes and in real life?

There's off the top of my head:

• Kirk Cameron sabotaging the show after he became a hardline born again Christian.
  
• One of the executive producers, Steve Marshall later getting busted for child porn.
  
• Tracey Gold's battle with anorexia, which may have likely been facilitated in no small part due to all of the needlessly cruel fat jokes that were thrown her way on the show.
  
• The fact that Brian Peck, a convicted child molester worked on the show and the revelation that Alan Thicke and Joanna Kerns actually wrote letters of support for him.
  
• The rumors that Alan Thicke was dating Kristy Swanson (who guest starred in the episode "Thank God It's Friday") when he was at least 40 and she was roughly, 17.
  
• The tragic suicide of Andrew Koenig, who played Boner on the show.
  
• Tracey Gold's DUI incident (which happened with not only her husband, but her children in tow), which came around the same time that the second reunion TV movie was coming out.

I'd like to think that if Judith Barsi had lived, we might have seen her in the alternate season six and season seven as the 13–14-year-old young teenager Carol in any FB sequence.