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    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Comedy
    Comedy TV Shows - 1980s 3 Mins Read

    Facts Of Life, The

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    1 9 7 9 – 1 9 8 8 (USA)
    209 x 30 minute episodes

    This spin-off from the popular NBC comedy Diff’rent Strokes originally focused on Mrs Garrett, who had been the Drummonds’ beloved housekeeper prior to taking a job as housemother at the prestigious Eastland school, a posh prep school for girls in New York.

    Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) was kind and understanding, serving as both confidante and surrogate parent to the girls in her charge, who at the start of the series ranged in age from 11 to 15.

    Blair Warner (Lisa Whelchel) – heir to the Warner Textile Industries empire – was wealthy, attractive, and spoiled; Nancy Olson (Felice Schacter) was well-rounded and yearned to be a model; Sue Ann Weaver (Julie Piekarski) was cute and boy-crazy; Tootie Ramsey (Kim Fields) was the resident gossip who lived on roller skates during her first year at Eastland; and Natalie Green (Mindy Cohn), the other principal student, was plump and impressionable and the peacemaker of the group.

    factsoflife62The headmaster at Eastland was Mr Bradley (John Lawlor).

    The original first season cast included a young Molly Ringwald before her Brat Pack movie days. In 1980 Jo Polniaczek (Nancy McKeon), a 16-year-old street kid from the Bronx, joined the cast, attending Eastland on a scholarship.

    In 1983 Mrs Garrett left Eastland and opened a gourmet food shop at 320 Main Street in nearby Peekskill, New York, called “Edna’s Edibles”. Blair and Jo (who were now attending nearby Langley College) and Tootie and Natalie (still at Eastland) moved in with her.

    In 1985 fire destroyed the shop, and Mrs Garrett and the girls rebuilt it into a completely new business, an updated version of a 1950s malt shop called “Over Our Heads.”

    Cloris Leachman replaced Charlotte Rae when she departed after six seasons. It was explained that Edna had remarried and her divorced chatterbox sister Beverly Ann Stickle (Leachman) arrived to care for the girls. Beverly Ann later took in Pippa McKenna (Sherri Krenn), a foreign exchange student from Eastland’s sister school, Colunga, in Sydney, Australia.

    The show was cancelled in 1988 because of declining ratings with each of the girls going out into the world as young women; Natalie became a writer in New York; Tootie became engaged to football player Jeff Williams (Todd Hollowell) and enrolled in the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in London; while Jo married musician Rick Bonner (Scott Bryce) and began a career as a businesswoman.

    factsolife24Blair underwent the biggest change of all. In the final two episodes, she saw her beloved Eastland School fall into bankruptcy, so she bought it and turned it into a co-ed institution.

    This move was designed to spawn a spin-off series – The Lisa Whelchel Show – but NBC turned it down.

    Two made-for-TV movies were also produced; Facts Of Life Goes To Paris (1982) and Facts Of Life Down Under (1987).

    George Clooney made an early TV appearance as handyman, George Burnett (pictured).

    Edna Garrett 
    Charlotte Rae
    Blair Warner 

    Lisa Whelchel
    Dorothy “Tootie” Ramsey 

    Kim Fields
    Natalie Green 

    Mindy Cohn
    Jo Ann Polniaczek 

    Nancy McKeon
    Nancy Olson 

    Felice Schacter
    Sue Ann Weaver 

    Julie Piekarski
    Headmaster Steven Bradley 

    John Lawlor
    Molly Parker 

    Molly Ringwald
    George Burnett 

    George Clooney
    Mr Charles Parker 

    Roger Perry
    Geri Warner 

    Geri Jewell
    Andy Moffet 

    MacKenzie Astin
    Beverly Ann Stickle 

    Cloris Leachman
    Pippa McKenna
    Sherri Krenn
    Jeff Williams
    Todd Hollowell
    Rick Bonner
    Scott Bryce

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