The Facts of Life: An Oral History

Charlotte Rae:

[quote]I loved the issues we tackled. But there was one time when they had a joke about someone wearing tights and being a sissy—it was implying that they were gay—and I called NBC and said, “This is a no-no. We don’t make fun of people because of their sexuality.” That was a long time ago.

Kim was also a no-show at the Paley Center event last fall.

R2 Kim Fields did send a video message in. She just had a baby

They gave too much space to the failed backdoor pilot in this piece. Speaking of...that series finale/backdoor pilot was a shitty way for the series to end. Kim, Mindy and Nancy just had a scene or two in it.

The final four or five episodes were all used as potential pilots. having the finale set at eastland was a good idea in theory but not even having the 4 girls together in the final scene was a shitty sendoff. But then, that last season with all the Pippa/Andy nonsense was awful.

Do Kim or Mindy really have anything better to do?

Re: Charlotte Rae's melodramatic "What are they going to do, sprinkle money on my grave" comment: I bought the complete series on DVD and am watching the Over Our Heads season (Charlotte's last season). After the first few episodes setting up the new store, Mrs. G fades in the background. Patty Dude's son has a bigger part and more scenes/lines than she does. So, Charlotte must have been really ill to turn down "millions of dollars" to do just one or two scenes per episode.

After Linda Marsh & Margie Peters left (they had wrote many of the episodes from season 2 to season 6)

Paul Haggis took over as showrunner and writer (yes THAT Paul Haggis from Crash). He blew up Edna Edibles and replaced it with Over Our Heads.

The last three years would also feature scripts written by Jane Anderson and Martha Williamson (Touched By An Angel)

When do we get the Anal History?

"Do Kim or Mindy really have anything better to do?"

Mindy had two scenes on Patty Heaton's show The Middle. When they went to Disneyworld last season, Mindy played a doctor that examined one of the kids.

The first year was good. They did shows about lez love and Fatalie being a pig or the untalented no lez one being anorexic. Then they shied away after Tommy's sister barged in.

Why no shows about AIDS? Or why didn't they do a show about how fat Natalie got? And why didn't they make Natalie get raped as Chaplin? Why did the irritating granny of Natalie tell a story about how she got raped by Nazi, no in her story of course she remains pure.

We got bull shit stories about dethroned Italian royalty and Blair's father using legal loopholes.

I'm glad that director basically pointed out that the addition of Beverly Ann was useless. At that point in the show, they didn't need a housemother.

I'm still trying to get Mindy to accept the Lord Jesus.

They all gained a good deal of weight during the run.

Blair lost a great deal of weight the second year in college. She dropped a ton.

I'm STILL upset that they haven't rerun the Facts of Life go to Australia!

R15 - which season was that?

Blair was quite thin for the last three years (the Over Our Heads years).

R18 - But the rest were not.

Actually Mindy was a bit slimmer for the last two years. Kim Fields came back slimmer at the beginning of the 9th season, but within a few months she'd gained it back.

Yes, it's very, very sad that I know this.

I think Mindy's comment was very classy and I totally get why after so many years of talking about Facts she needs a breather. How much can really be said about a set which seems to have had a lot of love and camaraderie.

That said, Kim Fields quote was crazy person talk.

My favorite was the episode where Jo used a strap-on to fuck Blair.

Yeah, those two didn't want to reflect much about Facts of Life when they were on The Andy Cohen Programme.

One of the scenes I remember from the last season was when Beverly Ann walked in to Andy's bedroom and sees Pippa taking a dump on Andy's chest as he masturbates furiously to a picture of "Mikey" from "The Goonies."

"One of the scenes I remember from the last season was when Beverly Ann walked in to Andy's bedroom and sees Pippa taking a dump on Andy's chest as he masturbates furiously to a picture of "Mikey" from "The Goonies."

Why don't current sitcoms do these Very Special Episodes anymore?

I still can't believe that Norman Lear came up with the concept and ideal of this show

From Archie Bunker to Eastland!

Fat or thin Lisa was fucking gorgeous.

Norman Lear is all over it -- posh uniforms or not, the actors yelled their lines like they are hanging out the window of a tenement.

I LOVE the oral history format for revisiting old movies and TV shows. I wish there was more of it, but it must be hard tracking down and getting interviews from all of the important participants.

Mindy and Kim are probably working on their 'tell-all' books to tell their side of the TFOL history. Seems a lot of folks from old series try to do this ...

Vanity Fair magazine used to have some of the best.

The Facts of Life original dorm was recycled from the series Co-ed Fever

See link below to see the original set used in a different series

R27 - Even with a poodle haircut and chunky, Lisa is gorgeous.

Take heart, R20, you're not alone -- I was about to point out the same thing. I think Nancy, who had gotten a little round-faced in S7/S8, also dropped a few pounds before the last season.

My favorite Very Special Episode was the one where George Clooney and Macenzie Astin were alone in Enda's Edibles, when George put his hand on Macenzie's shoulder and whispered into his ear "it's about time I made a man out of you," then carried him into the back room over his shoulder.

[quote]Patty Dude's son has a bigger part

What a great drag queen name. Patty Dude.

I always wondered how Pamela Segall's character came about. Never knew about the "Jo's Cousin" spin-off, though I know about the other 65 backdoor spin-off attempts.

This article is BULLSHIT without the fat recollections of Mindy Cohn and the black one. Fuck EW.

"Jo's Cousin" spin-off, starred Anne of Green Gables heroine Megan Fellows.

My favorite episode was when Blair was dating the hot retard.

My favorite episode was when Blair screamed at Natalie "your people killed Jesus! You will NEVER enter the Kingdom of Heaven, you dirty Jew BITCH!"

[quote]Norman Lear is all over it -- posh uniforms or not, the actors yelled their lines like they are hanging out the window of a tenement.

And the videotape. Can't forget the videotape.

They couldn't get Tootie? She was my favorite!

I just realized Natalie called Australia as "the land of Mel Gibson" when the girls actually went there, even though Gibson was actually born in Peekskill, NY. She must have taken her father's infidelity and death even harder than we thought.

Seth Green has got to be gay. In this article he says that before he was cast for the potential FOL spinoff, he'd been a huge fan of the show for years.

What straight 11-year-old boy would have been a huge fan of FOL for years?

[quote]What straight 11-year-old boy would have been a huge fan of FOL for years?

Merdish Q. Flumpenmeyer of Hibbing, Minnesota

Whenever Pamela Adlon (nee Segall) has been interviewed about FOL in the past, she's always mentioned that some actors weren't welcoming to her when she joined the show. In this interview, she finally revealed that it was Nancy McKeon.

And Seth Green says Mindy Cohn flashed her tits at his! If that happened today, Mindy would be on a sex offender registry!

[quote]And Seth Green says Mindy Cohn flashed her tits at his! If that happened today, Mindy would be on a sex offender registry!

But flashing your tits is empowering! My gender studies teacher said so!

To be fair, Mindy flashing her tits at Seth Green could have been accidental when a breeze blew up the hem of her maxi-skirt.

Who would have done that on purpose, R47?

I love BTS articles like this!

I'm actually thinking about buying that box set

But that price tag!

[quote]But that price tag!

Amazon has it for $126.59. That's basically 61¢ an episode.

[quote]Seth Green has got to be gay.

Him and the other Seth on that Fox cartoon have probably done it at least once and sworn themselves to secrecy about it. And since one of them's Irish, booze was involved, and since the other's a Jew, the booze probably wasn't very good.

And don't act as if any of you other 80s queens wouldn't turn down the chance to be the third in a menage-a-trois with them.

$126 for 9 seasons of a show is really not that bad.

R52 but I have the first 5 seasons!

And after season 6, the last Edna Edibles season I don't even like the show that much anymore!

May they will release the rest of the seasons individually starting with Season 6?

I thought that the season 1 FOL set was the Maude Set Redressed

It looks a lot like it

And FOL was filmed on the same lot that all the other Norman Lear shows were filmed

Right next door to One Day at a Time actually!

That's actually a great article, and I went into it preparing to roll my eyes.

Oh, the great Event of the The Facts of Life Goes to Paris. Such times. Much happiness. So gay.

Seth Green was a child actor and probably loved watching a show making big bucks starring kids his own age.

Wow. Nancy McKeon finally got the stick out of her ass, and Tootie and Natalie jumped on it. Sorry you were on a hit show for 9 yrs and are bitter people see you as that character. Also, always annoyed how much every FOL article focuses on Cousin Geri - like she was ever a lead. (Same w Clooney!)

The problem is that the whole cast was mainly nice people, so none of them want to dish the real dirt of anything particularly interesting that happened. If there has been a Dustin Diamond-type on the show, then we might get some real gossip.

I remember the really creepy episode when Blair fell in love with the Headmaster Mr. Bradley. She lured him to the stable or something like that.

[quote] Sorry you were on a hit show for 9 yrs and are bitter people see you as that character.

[quote]The problem is that the whole cast was mainly nice people, so none of them want to dish the real dirt of anything particularly interesting that happened.

Maybe since they were mainly nice people there wasn't drama to dish? They seem to all have a lot of affection for each other even if their adult lives have led them in different directions. And I don't see what any of them have to gain from faking that. Have you ever seen any of them publicly call out Lisa on her religious craziness? You can't tell me that Mindy or any of them buy it? But they seem to all be very fond of each other despite their faults. And I can't imagine what is left to say if there wasn't some sort of big secret drama? Should they be like Jerry Mathers who just KEEPS rehashing his childhood success? I think they're one of the classiest teen television casts and I think Charlotte is the reason.

[quote] I still can't believe that Norman Lear came up with the concept and ideal of this show

[quote] From Archie Bunker to Eastland!

You do realise "All in the Family" was a concept bought from the UK?

I can't believe it lasted nine seasons.

[quote]$126 for 9 seasons of a show is really not that bad.

For a GOOD show, perhaps, but not for this one.

I don't want to watch it as an adult. I've watched to many shows I enjoyed as a kid in the last couple of years. It's stolen the magic because they all sucked. I remember Sunday night on CBS. I've rewatched some of those shows as an adult. Holy shit they were bad.

Which series did you rewatch, r64?

Well the first was our favorite as kids. Seriously we used to gather around the TV for Alice. Kiss my grits and dingy Vera just lost their charm. The was the biggest hit. I did not laugh once as an adult at that show.

They'll release individual seasons 6-9 down the road -- probably within a year. That's what they did with Mama's Family. Of course, the individual seasons are probably going to be $20 each, so for four seasons, you're looking at $80, which is only $35 less than what you'd pay for the complete series right now.

I'm surprised they didn't talk about the Very Special Episode where Mrs. Garrett taught all the girls cunnilingus.

"Who is that cooooooow?"

R65 must have been shows like One Day at a Time, Alice, The Jeffersons...

Thank G*d that Corey Feldman didn't do a bit on the show! He'd claim that Clooney popped his bum-cherry. (As if anyone would want that fugnificent little trog.)

R17, Blair was quite thin by Season 6. In Season 5, she was heavier and had a bad red dye job.

None of them seemed like they even wanted to be there anymore by Season 9. Plus, the addition of music segues between scenes and the really silly stories didn't help.

McKeon was phoning it in by the end. Jo lost all bit and was just there.

Even at its worst it never got as bad as [italic]Diff'rent Strokes[/italic] got toward the end. Now there's a show that should have quit two years earlier than it did.

The Shout! box set actually has the uncut version of "Overachieving" from Season 1, while the Sony version put out in 2006 did not.

Yet they still couldn't get the rights to "Ease on Down the Road" for any price, not even after Tootie pitched the ultimate bitch fit to see Michael Jackson's brother in concert.

They should have ended when Mrs. Garrett left. I am not sure how much notice Charlotte Rae gave but I would assume it was a season otherwise why would they have burned down Edna's Edibles? That would have served no point had they not known Rae would be leaving.

Plus, she spent a lot of Season 7 traveling on the road with the then unseen Beverly Anne and would call in each episode. but diminishing her role in Season 7 still didn't help when she left.

I'd have left, too, if they'd have made me a cipher in my own show. I think they learned from that mistake, though: Beverly Ann got more to do her two years on the show than Mrs. Garrett did in her last two years. Back on [italic]Diff'rent Strokes[/italic], Mrs. Garrett mentioned "[her] sister Beverly" in the first season during one of the [italic]Hello, Larry[/italic] crossovers, so at least they were paying attention to detail there.

It always bugged me that Mrs. Garrett showed up for Mr. Drummond's second wedding, but none of the Drummond/Jackson/McKinney family showed up for hers.

When Scientology Paul Haggis took over as show runner from Linda Marsh and Margie Peters, that is when the show jumped the shark.

The plots became sillier and sillier, and not about "the Facts of Life". The very special episodes Marsh/Peters did on a regular basis.

R77 if you watched Mrs. Garrett wedding it was very last minute.

"and would call in each episode"

I spent a season calling in on each episode. It made me realize just how much power Joyce DeWitt had.

[quote]For a GOOD show, perhaps, but not for this one.

Then why don't you just steal it, like in that department store episode?

I'm having a "Please stop talking about that CAAAAAAKE!" moment.

You want the [italic]Gimme A Break![/italic] thread for that, R82.

Linda Marsh and Margie Peters' tenure was great.

Didn't they leave for that Valerie Harper/Sandy Duncan/Jason Bateman show?

R85 no

R86: IMDb says otherwise:

R84 Marsh and Peters were hired personally by Norman Lear to save FOL at t h e start of season 2 in 1980

Lear had loved the work they had done on another of his female centric sitcoms One Day at a Time

Lear is also responsible for creating cousin Geri and foisting the terrible and unfunny Geri Jewell upon the public

R88, it was sherebral pawlshy.

When Marsh & Peters left so did Geri Jerwell

Wasn't her choice, as Marsh & Peters were the only ones writing for her.

When they left Paul Haggis had no interest in her, and had her disappear without a trace,

In her book, Geri says Embassy had a contract with her for another appearance during the 1984-1985, but they dropped her after her last appearance in the 1983-1984 season. She also talks about this woman who was trying to turn her and Charlotte against one another.

Mindy Cohn's response was so pretentious. She is lucky anybody even wants to hear from her.

Kim Fields while friendlier in tone, sounds like Lisa Turtle right now.

Jenny O'Hara was hilarious as Dougie's mom on The King of Queens. They really wasted her here, she could have been a good friend of Mrs. Garrett's and given her more to do than worry about the girls and their mood sings.

Felice Shacter was gorgeous. Just sayin'

I meant mood swings.

"When they left Paul Haggis had no interest in her, and had her disappear without a trace,"

I know exactly how she feels -- Tiger the Family Dog, The Brady Bunch

Geri has a book?

Lisa Whelchel has always sounded super nice and level headed. I don't know if can say that about too many other ( or any?) born agains.

I actually liked some of the sillier episodes. It was a refreshing change.

Molly Ringwald would later say her WORST JOB was returning for season 2 of Facts of Life for a one-shot guest spot "It was humiliating".

Why did she even go back if she didn't have to?

R96 the show went from an issues oriented Norman Lear 70s feel sitcom in its first 5 seasons to a dopey mid 80s, colorful sitcom from about seasons 7 -9

Season 6 is the transitional season featuring both the issues oriented shows of the previous 5 seasons, Marsh and Peters Were Still On Board For The top half of season 6, and the more lighter fun Facts of later years

The slapsticky and kooky 2 part spring break episode, where the girls end up in the middle of a hurricane! And laughs ensue! Speaks volumes on how the show would be written in later seasons

I wonder if they'd kept jock Cindy past Season 1 she would have come out as a lesbian?

The big season 7 change to the look of the show was in tandem with its move to Saturday night. The new look had been tested with the season 6 eps where they go to Miami for spring break. Suddenly everything was brighter, and there were pastels everywhere. No more natural wood. This "Miami" look was in keeping with NBC's other weekend shows, including Miami Vice, Golden Girls, and later, Empty Nest and Nurses.

When did Blair and Jo graduate?

Blair and Jo graduated in the spring of '83. Fall of '83 was the move to Edna's Edibles, with the next year set there, too. Fall of '85 was the beginning of the three Over Our Heads years.

R102 - Thanks!

[quote] Mindy Cohn's response was so pretentious. She is lucky anybody even wants to hear from her.

Is she supposed to dance like a puppet because some hissing queens want to talk about a thirty year old TV show?

She doesn't seem like she wants to particularly be famous. She's doing her own thing and living in the present. Good for her.

I always thought Mindy Coen looked like later, dumpy Simone Signoret.

Directed by Asaad Kelada.

Langley was such an elite and exclusive school that all four of them ended up attending.

My girlfriend at the time was friends with John Bowab, quoted in the article, and that's where I heard that the stagehands had to double enforce the tables and chairs in the early 80s seasons because the girls were all so huge. Awful but true. :)

R108 - Maybe Mindy. Possibly Kim. Lisa was never more than 140, Nancy was never more than 160 or so.

They were all rather noticeably heavier in seasons 4 and 5. They said too much at the crafts services table. But much prefer girls who looked real than the skinny, precocious girls on TV today.

I can remember circa 1985 Tracy Ullman was on Letterman and said "Have you seen how big the Facts of Life girls are now? They're gonna crash though the ceiling!"

R111 Joan Rivers used to refer to the girls as The Fats of Life in her stand up as well.

Mindy Cohn said years later that John's jokes "hurt her feelings".

Facts of Life parody from the Big Gay Sketch Show with Paul Vogt as Mrs. Garrett. Funny!

R110 yeah usually they bypass the craft services table straight for the coke table.

I remember being that age (yes, I'm a chick), and my appetite was literally like a bottomless pit. Luckily, most of it just went to my gut, but if you're more off hips and thighs (or boobs) person, and you're metabolism isn't burning it up, you're fucked.

Maybe around the time you're 16/17 or so that all starts to stabilize and you reach more or less your stasis weight. But your body and hormones are going crazy.

If working out had been a thing then, that probably would have helped a lot - in terms of stabilizing appetite and weight. I did track and soccer my high school years which I'm sure helped a lot too - but we weren't really working out just for the sake of it - yet.

Individually, they didn't need reinforcements, they weren't obese -- but all together in a foursome around the table they often shot (at the Edible store maybe?), the furniture was sagging under the girth. I swear.

I think I recall Cloris Leachman being a control freak and a pain in the ass about their weight too, monitoring their eating habits. The words "Craft Services" did come up in the conversation too, ha, for real. Probably best that all four went through it and came out healthy vs. just one who'd be the focus of attention. See Delta Burke whom I also knew back then and who was just gorgeous.

Nancy seemed so full of bitterness the last season. She stomped everywhere.

R115 - Thanks for clearing that up.

Other than Mindy I don't remember the girls being so heavy. Maybe it's just in comparison to today where you see morbidly obese people everywhere.

r119 that's true. If you look at pics of the girls from back then, they were only a little chunky compared to the fat blobs you see everywhere you go.

The girls talk about the pressure to lose weight in this interview on GMA where they all reunited

Lisa talks about her weight gain

Lisa talks about the weight scale on the set of Facts of Life

Lisa, Mindy and Nancy talk about the weight issues on ET

Is there gonna be anything else gossipy about these fat bitches or can I unstar this thread?

Lisa looks so young.

The Facts of Life Theme Song - Fan Edit:

Aw, they look cute in that last clip, actually makes me like them more. And it is pretty amazing that they grew up on that show and did NOT turn into messes, not any of them. Kind of cool to see.

r60, If you're lucky enough to be on a hit show that means something to people, give the people what they want. Charlotte is up there in years, how many chances are they gonna get to have 'the girls' all together again? It doesn't mean they need to dig up dirt. It's not like their schedules are too busy to give a full reunion.

Yeah like another poster noted, Beverly Ann was actually referenced on DS years before her arrival in FOL during the first season of DS, the 78-79 season

I have to give the FOL writers props for remembering the continuity

I also remember Mrs. GARRETT playing in a tent with Arnold and her mentioning that she grew up in a farm in Wisconsin and has one sister and three brothers.

Lisa Whelchel is a wonderful lady, too bad about her divorce.

[quote]I have to give the FOL writers props for remembering the continuity

Frankly, we could have learned a thing or two from them in that respect.

On the off chance, does anyone know what happened with Nancy and Working Girl? After Facts ended, Nancy signed on to do the pilot, playing the Melanie Griffith role. NBC picked it up, but Nancy abruptly quit for "personal reasons" and was replaced by Sandra Bullock.

Re: Weigh-ins/clip @ 123. I remember Charlotte commented about the on-set weigh-ins in front of the crew, in one of those "Cast Confessions"/"Behind the Sitcom Scandals" shows many years ago. She objected vehemently to publicly shaming the girls that way, and warned the producers that it would likely be counter-productive. And she was right.

Norman Lear AND Geri Jewell still seem to be especially close

About 2 years ago, he presented her with an award for CP

And in his autobiography last year, Lear said this about Jewell "Geri Jewell, who I cast on The Facts of Life and who has always been an inspiration to me, if cerebral palsey couldn't keep the enlightened comedienne down then nothing else could".

[quote]Yeah like another poster noted, Beverly Ann was actually referenced on DS years before her arrival in FOL during the first season of DS, the 78-79 season

[quote]I have to give the FOL writers props for remembering the continuity

[quote]I also remember Mrs. GARRETT playing in a tent with Arnold and her mentioning that she grew up in a farm in Wisconsin and has one sister and three brothers.

Well, it wasn't really the writers: that's Charlotte Rae's actual family history. She grew up on a farm in Wisconsin with a sister named Beverly. That's the reason that story point stayed the same through the years.

Charlotte Rae and Cloris Leachman were actually roommates in NYC in the '50s. I don't think they get along now, however -- Charlotte got a little tired of Cloris' constant outrageous behavior.

Why did Charlotte leave?

[quote]When Scientology Paul Haggis took over as show runner from Linda Marsh and Margie Peters, that is when the show jumped the shark.

I thought the initial Over Our Heads season had some good/fun episodes, and at least Paul still wrote the show as an ensemble. When Irma Kalsh became the showrunner the last two seasons, it really went to hell. She began to focus on one character at a time per episode, instead of the whole gang. She also expanded Mac Astin's role by having Beverly Ann adopt Andy. She introduced the unnecessary Pippa and had her spout things, "Good day, mates, I think I'll walk to school this morning so I can do a bit of spunk spotting."

Also, she recycled plots from episodes that had just aired! For instance, Jo's dad meets her fiance, and they don't get along (at first). Natalie and Tootie's boyfriends meet, and they don't get along (at first). Tootie meets Jeff's grandmother, and they don't get along (at first), etc.

Irma Kalish was also the producer during 227's awful last season and she brought on 5 (!!!) new castmembers to that show. It's weird she turned out to be a hack, since she started on All in the Family and Maude.

R107 Langley was more or less a stand-in for Vassar College. I can't remember if it was a women's college or Co-Ed. Probably recently Co-Ed.

Remember when Blair found out her boyfriend was stripping to pay for medical school? I have a feeling it's not as hot as my memory of it.

Langley was co-ed.

Aside from Marsh and Peters, basically all of the writers and producers of One Day at a Time worked on Facts

Al Burton who was the exec in charge of production held that same position on ODAAT for 3 years before moving over to DS and then Facts for 4 years

He was also the exec in charge of production prior to ODAAT on All in The Family and then Good Times

Diedre Fay and Stuart Wolpert, Paul Haggis and Kimberly Hill all also wrote and produced both shows

As well as Ken Stump, who was the executive in charge of production of the later seasons of both ODAAT and FOL

R140

What do you know? It is as hot as I remember it. The stripper segment keeps going and going.

Why did Nancy McKeon get the status credit at the end?

And of course both ODAAT and Facts are Norman Lear shows

Although he produced Facts through his newly formed production company Embassy

Also, compared to the size of Kim Fields' enormous tits, Mindy Cohn looks close to svelt.

Nancy McKeon got her special credit for the start of the 3rd season.

At the start of the 6th season, Nancy didn't show up for work, holding out for more money. They filmed two eps without her -- "Smile" and "My Boyfriend's Back". Those were the first two eps filmed for that season, but they were held for air at two different points mid-season.

R144 because she "saved" the show, according to conventional wisdom.

[quote][R144] because she "saved" the show, according to conventional wisdom.

Did she? I mean, Jo was a good character to throw into the mix, but I would argue the paring down of the cast and Charlotte Rae's insistence that Mrs. Garrett have a real job also helped.

R144 This is just speculation. Considering the show had just dumped four girls to make Nancy their replacement, the show's success really depended on her character working. Also consider that the show sought her out to play Jo. Hence, "Nancy McKeon as Jo."

You can tell The Facts of Life Goes to Paris was fancy, because it's shot on film.

How big of a star was Nancy before she joined?

Irma Kalish goes all the way back to Good Times. She was one of the reason why Esther Rolle quit. She couldn't stand her.

The other issue with Nancy is that by 1983 or so, she had a crazy high Q rating, which is a metric the networks and advertisers used to measure celebrity popularity and likability. There's a magazine cover with her and Eddie Murphy on it from around that time, mentioning that they have the highest Q ratings in TV.

That is huge bargaining power for an actor. Especially for Nancy, who was just some child actor, last-billed on a mediocre TV show. That the public liked her so much -- as much as Eddie Murphy was was a huge TV/movie star at the time -- was a really big deal for her career.

At around this time, her billing was changed to, "and Nancy McKeon as Jo".

Why were these jean jacket wearing "tough kid" types like McKeon and Kristy McNichol so popular in the early 80s?

[quote]Why were these jean jacket wearing "tough kid" types like McKeon and Kristy McNichol so popular in the early 80s?

Because straight people are comforted by stories about how tomboys just need to find the guy, and then they'll discover their femininity.

Of course, it was just to horrendous to show a boy who was girly, so the male equivalent of this story was based on a boy who was bookish.

I hated how they started having Jo wear mini skirts in the last season.

I seem to remember Jo also having really awful hair in the final season as well. I'm remembering frosted tips, which only served to make her seem more like a lesbian.

Oh, she gonna fuck Blair! She gonna fuck Blair!

Speaking of the girls looks, I thought it was fun in the opening credits when they started flashing back to how they looked each season - as both their hair and bodies got bigger and bigger. And Charlotte Rae's hair color alternated between orange and eggplant, it was really pretty.

I think they started doing that the season they moved to Saturday night and 80s-fied the theme song.

R158 - She had a few seasons of bad hair. Even Lisa had some bad hair.

R152....Prior to FOL, Nancy had done some commercials, and appeared in episodes of Starsky & Hutch, The Love Boat, and Fantasy Island.

But more importantly, she was cast in a failed NBC pilot called "Dusty", in which she played the titular character -- a tough, scrappy, tomboyish street-urchin. The show didn't work, but the suits at NBC loved *her*. That's what really lead to the audition for Jo.

(Fun fact: When Nancy first read for FOL, the Jo-character was named "Foxy". Nancy was beyond relieved, upon learning that the character had been renamed "Jo")

Vapid, vapid, thread. Who fucking cares how fat they were?

That billing for Nancy would have been negotiated by her agent, not arbitrarily given to her by producers. All credits billing is a negotiation: order/placement, qualifiers "and" "with" "starring" "co-starring", whether an actor is on a separate card or shared (two or more names on the screen at once). The IT'S A LIVING billing through the seasons tells of a billing war.

The Kalishes go back to FAMILY AFFAIR, MY FAVORITE MARTIAN, GIDGET, and a whole host of 60s shows as writers before they became producers. I think she's still alive.

There's a lot of season 9 on YouTube right now.

R162....Turn Blue!

[quote]I seem to remember Jo also having really awful hair in the final season as well. I'm remembering frosted tips, which only served to make her seem more like a lesbian.

Oh, she gonna fuck Blair! She gonna fuck Blair![/quote]

LOL, I remember that Margaret Cho stand-up bit. Too funny!

And, yes, Jo's hair is beyond awful, that last season! Nancy McKeon acknowledges it, in the "Entertainment Tonight" interview @ 124....asking Lisa & Mindy, why neither of them stopped her from getting that god-awful perm.

Lisa Whelchel starred in a 1982 movie of the week with Joan Collins of Dynasty and Priscilla Barnes of Three's Company

I would KILL to see that shit!

Lisa was also in "Twirl" a made for about competitive baton twirling with Erin Moran.

I do think McKeon's addition saved the show but, as others have said, tthe paring down of the cast, the change of the setting and the addition of the new producers helped a lot.

Just watch the original two-parter that introduced Jo. It's much faster and funnier than the early episodes. And Jo's breakdown in tears at the end after Mrs. Garrett basically guilts her into staying at Eastland was a very well-done moment.

When did Nancy McKeon join? I first saw it in 90s re-runs. I don't remember her NOT being in it.

The second season. When it started, it had a much larger cast (six girls?) and was centered around Mrs. Garrett being the housemother in a house-like dorm at Eastland. When the second season started, they cut three of the girls loose, gave (at Charlotte Rae's insistence) Mrs. G the job as the school's dietician, and brought in Jo as a foil for Blair. Some trouble between the four girls lead to him being forced to live with Mrs. Garrett in an apartment over the cafeteria, and eventually to the house Edna's Edibles/Over Our Heads was in when Jo and Blair graduated.

Jo was originally named Foxy because Pinky and Leather were already taken.

Four girls were cut loose from the first season- Nancy, Sue Anne, Cindy and Molly.

Jo tries to test Blair and suggest they go to the Chug a Lug with underage IDs. Natalie and Tootie come along as Jo hotwires the school van.

Mrs. Garrett finds out when Arnold tells her what's going on. She gets to the bar just in time to witness the van get smashed in the alley and the girls get taken to a juvie jail.

Older, softer guys delight in lesbian-esque women.

I had a marathon of all the seasons over a couple of weekends (I KNOW!) and, it really is bizarre to see the girls shapes. They weren't really fat, but HUSKY. I know that the 80's were all about the shoulder pads, but some of Jo and Tootie's outfits made them look like linebackers. It's really almost painful. And, as rich as Blair was, some of her outfits, especially in the early seasons are absolutely grotesque. I'm especially thinking of some western inspired top she wore with a jean skirt on more than one episode. A fringed atrocity. However, by the last few seasons, Lisa Welchel could look quite stunning.

I once worked with someone, R167, who actually had that movie on videotape and lent it to me (it also has Heather Locklear in it for about 10 minutes). He was a hardcore LW fan (I sometimes wonder if he's the Lisa Welchel troll) and would go to her speaking engagements like some people follow the Grateful Dead.

[167] here, I must admit I follow Lisa on Twitter and Tumblr, she is gorgeous and while she's still religious, her spirituality seems rather "fluid," she retweets stuff from Richard Rohr, a liberal Franciscan in the Catholic tradition. Fundies don't usually like Catholics or liberals, so I would imagine being in showbiz has made her a bit more laid-back.

Lisa and Kim on Battle of the Network Stars 1984

[quote]Fundies don't usually like Catholics or liberals, so I would imagine being in showbiz has made her a bit more laid-back.

I imagine divorcing her gay husband probably did as well.

And she roomed with Geri Jewell for a while.

Remember the Golden Girls inspired Golden Oldies episode from season 8 or 9

It even featured Bill Macy from Maude as Jo's husband

Lisa had the worst haircut ever in Season 6

It was like a Markie Post got attacked by a weed whacker mid 80s debacle

R176 as someone who's not Deb Messing flat but pretty darn small and ran track all through high school (and continued running via working out until I had a knee operation 2 years ago - now I just walk very fast on a steep incline), I can't fucking imagine having to run with a big rack weighing me down like that. Mercy.

They used to show Twirl a lot pack before WPIX became a network - Ive watched it a few times. Erin Moran actually wasn't bad as the "tough girl" - and it was like the 5 minutes of her life/career where she was actually sort of attractive/pretty. She was billed as the star, that I remember. Missy Gold (Tracey's sister, from Benson) also had a part in it as (surprise surprise) the kid sister of one of the girls (I forget which one).

R179 actually they are the only two actresses I can think of who actually looked good with the 80s mullet. Especially Markie. I think that cut must have been made for her - like the 80s version of the Rachel.

You can't blame them for not participating, since:

a. it is close to forty years that this show has been on, from it's initial run. From that point on, they moved on in their lives. The only reason people haven't is the reruns that don't give good residuals.

b. they've done countless existing interviews and TV pieces about this show, and would it make a difference that they participate in one more? No, anyone interested can have access to those interviews for reference.

c. for an actor, to be pigeonholed as a particular character from a dated show, is annoying - they want future work and other opportunities, that otherwise would go to them except their notoriety for this character blocks them from jobs. People like to have jobs and a paycheck, so this makes anyone bitter.

d. hearing the same repetitive questions, and the giving the same answers would annoy anyone.

e. leave them be. They have done enough promoting for this show when it was running, and even in post production. It doesn't give them anything back anymore - including paychecks. They were paid at scale back then, and the residuals have stopped.

R181 season 6 was probably Lisa ' s most gorgeous season facially as she lost a lot of weight that year

But that hairstyle?

What were they thinking?

R182 um the show ended in 1988

That's 26 years

A far cry from 40

[quote]Lisa Whelchel starred in a 1982 movie of the week with Joan Collins of Dynasty and Priscilla Barnes of Three's Company

I would KILL to see that shit![/quote]

Here you go R166, part 1 of "The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch."

And Donny Osmond, too!

I didn't know Pamela Bellwood posed for Playboy...

[quote]they've done countless existing interviews and TV pieces about this show, and would it make a difference that they participate in one more? No, anyone interested can have access to those interviews for reference.

[quote]hearing the same repetitive questions, and the giving the same answers would annoy anyone.

I disagree with this. I can see why they wouldn't want to rehash the same old stories and partipate in yet another lame "Where Are They Now?" article (they must have had hundreds of requests over the years). But this was a definite in-depth piece (EW also interviewed the former President of NBC, the directors, writers, producer, even costume designer) and it would've given them the chance to discuss more detailed issues that haven't become hackneyed yet. You can still say something "fresh" when given the space and interest. Most puff retro pieces are short, perfunctory and don't allow that opportunity.

Now, if they're just bitter, as you say, or wanted some monetary incentive to "promote" the show, well...OK. I can understand that.

[quote] But this was a definite in-depth piece (EW also interviewed the former President of NBC, the directors, writers, producer, even costume designer)

Are you fucking kidding? EW couldn't do in-depth in a submarine. They are the epitome of surface. And that piece barely said anything that hasn't been repeated ad nauseum.

What was it that Jeff Goldblum's character said in The Big Chill- I write pieces that can be read on the can in enough time to take a shit. (I'm paraphrasing). That is EW's whole MO. And you can then wipe your ass with the pages.

I'm not ashamed about this: I have read and/or seen pretty much everything, that there is to read or see, about FOL, on the internet, over the past 15 years (including commentary from director John Bowab). And yeah, there's been a TON of repetition.....but even I heard some "new stuff" in this EW piece.

So, yeah...while I understand where Mindy & Kim are coming from, to a degree....would it really have *killed* them to take an hour, out their day, to talk to EW, one more time?

I'm surprised EW didn't interview Paul Haggis. I don't believe he would decline, if asked (but maybe he did?)....because he did participate in one those E! True Hollywood Stories type-shows about FOL many years ago, and has always spoken fondly of it.

Several years ago, TMZ caught him twice, within a one-year period, leaving restaurants, and asked about FOL..... and he was very good-natured, and seemed genuinely amused.....and even agreed to "sing" (mostly spoke) the words to the theme song, when asked if he remembered them.

[quote]Are you fucking kidding? EW couldn't do in-depth in a submarine. They are the epitome of surface. And that piece barely said anything that hasn't been repeated ad nauseum.

That's not true. I know way more about FOL than I probably should, and there were A LOT of things in the oral history that I had never heard.

For starters, Charlotte Rae had always claimed that it was just time for her to move on when she left the show. This was the first time I heard she left for health reasons and turned down a fortune to stay.

Charlotte's contract guaranteeing that she could return to Diff'rent Strokes if FOL failed. (Bet Polly Holliday and the Ropers had that in their spin-off contracts!)

Bringing on the Kelly Affinado character to "feminize" Jo. And Nancy not being very welcoming to Pamela.

Alex Rocco having dinner with Nancy's family every night the week when he guested on the show.

Director Bowab admitting that Cloris didn't have a connection with the girls and the writers not knowing what to do with Beverly Ann.

One of the things I do wish they had touched on was the huge transition from Edna's Edibles to Over Our Heads. They changed everything about the show -- from the sets to clothes to the theme song to the stories.

[quote] That's not true. I know way more about FOL than I probably should, and there were A LOT of things in the oral history that I had never heard.

Please. Who gives a fuck about Pippa and Mayim Bialik?

The only interesting new thing was Natalie flashing her tits at poor, sexually confused Mackenzie Astin, though for days afterwards, I had the vision of those misshapen lumps of dough, likely with angry red marks where the bra line had been digging into the skin, seared into my brain.

[quote]The only interesting new thing was Natalie flashing her tits at poor, sexually confused Mackenzie Astin

It was Seth Green, not Mackenzie Astin.

I love Ent. Weekly's oral histories. The one of the movie "Heathers" was fucking epic!

[quote]One of the things I do wish they had touched on was the huge transition from Edna's Edibles to Over Our Heads. They changed everything about the show -- from the sets to clothes to the theme song to the stories.

I wonder how much of that is because Coca-Cola took over Embassy. They merged it into Columbia Pictures Television during FOL's last season, so I imagine things were quite hectic, and without Norman Lear still running the company (though not actually producing any shows personally save for a few flops), the focus on social relevance went away.

p.s. Interestingly, Haggis had great confidence in Lisa. In one of those behind-the-scenes shows, he spoke of how Lisa didn't like to rehearse, *too* much (especially the physical stuff). After blocking/one run-through she'd be like, "Got it! See you on tape-day!" -- which made the rest of the writers/producers very nervous. He told them, "If Lisa says she's got it, then she's GOT. IT. She'll be fine." And she was.

Lisa was really good with physical comedy.

I love this thread

I work at a store for my second job, a weekend and nights job

And yesterday at work 2 straight guys that I work with, both married and with children, one in his 30s and the other in his 40s saw the cheaply budgeted first 2 seasons of Facts DVD release and preceded to go nuts!

I think they both bought the set, the one guy said to other how hot he always thought Jo was w hen he was a kid

SO THE point I'm trying to make is that straight boys of a certain age who grew up to be straight were also big fans of Facts, it's not just an exclusively gay male and woman thing

I'm also a huge DS fan

I'm also not ashamed to admit that I own the Dvd sets of DS, Webster and Silver Spoons

A lot of boys and girls who were kids at the time of their airing or like me discover the shows in reruns as I'm only 32 hold those shows and Facts in a special place

Regardless of gender or gay or straight

Last one heard of Kim Fields she had married (or at least partnered) and was living in Harlem, NYC with a new baby. This was going several years back. IIRC the piece was in the NYT and in the picture Ms. Fields was sporting white (platinum blonde?)dreads.

As for weight issues, Kim Fields always seems to have gone up and down. You can see this in that series "Living Single" where she played the "diva" Regine.

Kim lives in Atlanta with her husband and two kids -- the youngest one is under two years.

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Kim was also a lot of fun on the first season of DL fave "The Comeback." She could come back on down the line if she wants, I bet.

"Twirl" is on YouTube.

Where the hell have you been, IDunno? We've known Kim has been living in ATL for years.

r184 the show premiered in 1979, which if you read my post correctly, I said from it's INITIAL run. That is actually 36 years talking about a show! Then ten+ more years after it ended in 1988 - CASE IN POINT!

Why should they keep talking about a show that they aren't getting paid to do.

I broke down and ordered the complete series on Amazon last week

But Amazon still hasn't shipped it yet!

What the fuck?

Weight fluctuations aside, Kim is beautiful.

Chip & Kim Fields accepting women of the year award in Atlanta

Chip talks about playing Penny mom on Good Times

Kim breaks down and says her mom (Chip) is responsible for her career.

R210 wasn't Kim Fields on Good Times as well?

And Chip Fields also played Tootie's Mom on Facts

And Ja'net Dubois who played Wilona On Good Times, Penny ' s adopted mother was also on Facts as Too tie ' s GRANDMOM!

And Kim ' s insanely gorgeous sister Jere Fields was also in the infamous Jermaine Jackson episode of Facts

SHE WAS also Anita in Friday the 13th part V

Twirl is even better than I thought and directed by Gus Trikonis, no less. But nothing is better than the final credit: "and Donna Mckechnie as Louise."

Thank you R205

What was going on with Charlotte Rae in the seventh season? She's hardly in any episodes.

R214 her initial 5 season contract was up in Season 5, part of the deal for Rae to sign on for 2 more years was that they would give her less episodes and still pay her her full per episode salary for the episodes she missed.

[quote]He blew up Edna Edibles and replaced it with Over Our Heads.

The bombing of Edna's Edibles would have gotten me to watch that shit show again.

Just what was in Edna's Edibles?

My boxset FINALLY came last night

I've been watching season 8 all day to see how Cloris Leachman fit in on the show

Some really good episodes and some crappy ones

The feel of the show is so different from the Eastland years however and the episode where Dick Van Patten and Lois Nettleton guest starred reminded me of a Golden Girls episode

There were NO good episodes with Phyllis in them. There were no good kids with the spawn of Patty Duke in them.

There was only one good episode when they left Eastland and that was the one where Charlene was in it.

How come Kimberly Drummond from Diff'rent Strokes wasn't spunoff with Mrs. G?

She went to Eastland and even appeared on DS in the Eastland uniform in a few ep's

She wasn't crucial at all to the success if DS

It was all about Gary Coleman who made 3 appearances as Arnold on Facts

He even did a "Whatcha Talkin Bout Tootie!" On Facts!

R219 Season 6; the second Ednas Edibles season is probably the best season, the shows peak if you will

So many classic episodes, the Cruising one, the 2 part spring break, the Interview show, Jo takes over the Langley radio station, the pizza episode etc.

Plus I love the look of the show at this time; it's so 80s, 84-85 to be exact, but good, cool 80s, not the horrifying pastel and neon of the Over Our Heads years N

[quote]How come Kimberly Drummond from Diff'rent Strokes wasn't spunoff with Mrs. G?

It was explained a bit later, when they had an episode where Kimberly asked to go to "public school" like Willis and Arnold, so she could be a "real" student.

Thus dissing Jo and all her Eastland Friends.

R222 does anyone remember that ridiculous 2 part Diff'rent Strokes episode when Arnold, Willis and Mr. Drummond are held up in a bank robbery and Kimberly and Tootie are outside with the cops praying that they make it out OK?

There was no reason for Tootie to be there other than to have another Facts crossover and the fact that Arnold has a big crush on Tootie

There was another DS episode where Kimberly needs help to look older in order to date a man in his 20s so Blair and Natalie show up to help her with Blair giving Kimberly a make over and Natalie revealing to Mr. Drummond and Willis that her middle name is Latesha

R218

"Some really good episodes and some crappy ones"

You take the good, you take the bad.

At least the one where Willis is mad because his never before seen best friend, who is white, got his place on the basketball team. So Willis gets a lawyer to sue for reverse discrimination.

Then Tootie tells him he's wrong. Of course it just shows that blacks can only learn a lesson when told by other blacks and somehow the same information coming from a white person would have no authority or meaning.

I guess Janet Jackson was busy that week, so they had to bring in Tootie as the token.

My little sister had to watch the Facts of Life. There was no peace if she didn't get to see it. I vaguely remember the first season. There was a mess of girls, too many to keep up with. Then, they thinned the herd, and it got easier to know who was who. One season premiere, Jo had gained so much weight during the hiatus that they put some of space suit on her. I didn't care much for it until a young hot George Clooney showed up. I was all for watching it after that.

I do not recall the spacesuit.

Most of the original girls were weirdos. I remember a dyke with pigtails and a red baseball cap. A buck toothed brunette. Fuckin Molly Ringwald with a shag haircut. Tootie on skates only. Season 2 trimmed the fat. Natalie, Tootie only. I don't know why Blair got in with her annoying ass country accent (which somehow managed to still be the epitome of posh).

That's a Littlefeld, Texas accent, R228.

When they had the "original girls" reunion in Season 8 they should have invited Kimberly Drummond too as she was good friends with ALL those girls and it was her idea to get her housekeeper Mrs. Garrett to go to the school and off assistance

Tootie, Natalie and Blair even continued to visit her and hang with her on Diff'rent Strokes for the next couple of years even AFTER 4 of the 7 first season girls were let go

What state was Dana Plato in during 1987?

R231Im going out on a limb but possibly a drugged out and mental state

Yes, R232 - probably explains why she was not at the FoL reunion.

Hallelujah - FoL marathon starting on Logo tonight at midnight!

I seriously dont think I've seen it on TV reruns in 20 years.

Can't wait!

R234 hope they showed my favorite episode from Season 3, when Tootie had her mushroom hair

It was when Tootie sneaked off to NYC and was nearly lured into prostitution by Kristy and her pimp!

Captivating television!

R235 ha no they did not (nor did they show the Jermaine Jackson episode) - but they were showing season 3 episodes last night.

And....here's the weird thing...I thought I would majorly eyeroll at how FoL handled the "serious issues," but they were actually handled better than I remember. Certainly better than, say, the "issue seasons" of 90210.

Although I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to keep a straight face during the Jermaine Jackson episode. Or the one you mentioned.

Did no one else here watch it?

Or when Natalie was raped. Sure they had to make the fat one raped because it's unbelievable that a rapist would want her fat ass and it'd be too scary if Blair or Tootie were raped.

Of course Natalie wasn't actually raped, she got away, but that is because you couldn't rape a young girl then.

Just like when Blair called Natalie ugly and Natalie pretended to be a slut and had a talk with the never before seen, "Home Run" Helen. Even the season one girls called Natalie names.

Why Natalie? Because it was unbelievable a fat person could be hot.

R236 Facts handled the issues better than 99210 because 90210 was always a soap opera at heart, so they had to MAXIMIZE the drama

While Facts is of course a sitcom

2 completely different tv genres

R238 that's kind of why I thought it would be harder, if anything (and it usually is)... Because the writers are so constrained by the format. 22/24 minutes to resolve everything (unless it's a two parter, but that usually backfires), PLUS add in some awkward slash lame laughs so the show can still be called a "sitcom."

But they actually handled some issues more honestly than I remember...go figure.

I didn't watch it, because I have the DVDs (yeah, what of it?) But I completely agree. Many of those "very special episodes", for which we (mostly) lovingly mocked FOL for years afterward...hold up really well, for being 30 years old.

I'm watching old episodes on Logo and there's an episode from 1982 where Natalie wants the lead in the school musical. The show happens to be SOUTH PACIFIC. Tootie gets the lead, Nellie Forbush, over Natalie which causes a strain in there relationship, but any decent writer knows the plot of SOUTH PACIFIC and knows that the character of Nellie Forbush is a closed-minded racist from Little Rock, Arkansas. Tootie is ALL WRONG for that role. They couldn't pick a different show. Tootie would NEVER be cast as Nellie. Why'd they choose SOUTH PACIFIC????

Mr. Bradley was hot.

R241 With Natalie they'd have had to change the lyrics to "TWO hundred and one, pounds of fun ..."

R241R241 It's a season 3 episode, the show was SO GOOD from seasons 2-6 but then lost it once season 7 happened and Over Our Heads came into play

For one thing the girls got older and didn't need Mrs. G and the show wasn't the same

Another thing way too many annoying add on characters like Andy, George and PIPPA

And the change in the shows look and tone by basically dropping all the issue oriented episodes of the earlier season that made The Facts of Life work

Natalie was kind of being a bitch over not getting the part, wasn't she?

When does it next go on? I hate how logo doesn't have a regular schedule.

The Jermaine Jackson episode is on!! Tune in - hurry!!

Logo just aired the Crusin' episode. I haven't seen that in at least 20 years but I always wish they had done more episodes like that. And I'm not such a single camera no laugh track fan but it really made the episode different and fun. I also think it was one of the first eps Paul Haggis wrote.

Definitely one of my favorite episodes.

I noticed that, too, R241. I remember seeing that episode as a kid, but I didnt know the plot of SOUTH PACIFIC at the time. I was really surprised when I watched the episode the other day. And Tootie didn't sing very well, either. She kinda sucked.

Why wouldn't Jo give me the time of day? I don't understand!

Anybody who have the Complete Series DVD: I have a question. This deleted scene came from the Season 6 episode titled, "Jazzbeau", Is this scene on The Complete Series DVD?

Natalie was hilarious.

Jo attracted chicks without even trying.

Jo was a chick magnet, lol.

Aww.......Charlotte Rae celebrated her 90th birthday, today!

Kim Fields ‏@KimVFields 4h4 hours ago #HAPPYBIRTHDAY HOT MAMA!!! I love you #CharlotteRae. 90 never looked so good!!!😘😘❤️👏🏽 #factsoflife #blessedlife

Mindy Cohn ‏@MindyCohn 15h15 hours ago to my Edna, from your Nat: happy 90th birthday Char!!!!

Ninety?!?! Look out, Charlotte, it's a rough age.

You old broads were lucky, i only made it to 81!

Why was the other Facts of Life thread closed? Is 600 replies the limit for a thread or something? Or was the subject manner in it getting too racial/inappropriate?

^^^^'closed down'

600 is the limit. Discussion can continue here until we hit 600.

Jo used a strap-on on Willis after she completely CREAMED him in basketball.

^^^^^Episode "Bought and Sold".

Mindy should be grateful anyone has any interest in her untalented fat ass.

Cohn is a fat pig

wasn't there a facts of life parody with foul language?

Can't find it on YouTube

It doesn't have foul language, but there's this...

R80, let bygones be bygones, Chrissy?

R267 There was one which used actual footage from the show but had voiceovers that were really raunchy. Tootie talking about an abortion, etc.