April 20th, 2006

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Television
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You Take the Good, You Take the Bad

Last night I had a conversation about old sitcoms. We roved from Silver Spoons to Punky Brewster, eventually settling on The Facts of Life, a sitcom which ran on NBC from 1979 to 1988 (9 years!).

To my utter shock, I could recall the names of all five characters. In fact, I could even recall the full names of two: Edna Garrett and Joe Polniaczek (I think I had a bit of a crush on the latter). Why, God/Evolution/Flying Spaghetti Monster, why have you designed my brain so that a neuronal synapse is dedicated to remembering the full name of a television character from the eighties? And where are my keys, anyway?

It’s been at least 15 years since I heard the theme song, so let me torture you with it. On the page I got that song from there are also videos of the opening credits for every season, plus the two made-for-TV movies (”The Facts of Life Goes to Paris” and “The Facts of Life Down Under”). And, in case you’re wondering where the actors are now, let me help.

I was glancing through the Wikipedia entry on the show, and happened on this slightly cruel discussion of the show’s demise:

In another attempt to raise the ratings, the show’s writers created a storyline in which Natalie became the first of the girls to lose her virginity…The relative implausibility of Natalie having sex first out of all the girls, coupled with the equally implausible idea that all the women, now in their twenties, were not sexually active, contributed to the episode being a ratings dud.

I don’t think I ever saw the last episode, but apparently Blair buys the school and becomes the new headmistress.

Comments: 7 Responses so far

Cheryl
April 20th, 2006
11:12 am

I’m pretty sure I saw every episode, but I haven’t really thought about it in years. Thanks for the links!

I also suffer from trivial synapse allocation… it gives me great pain every time I pick at the continuity of Star Trek, because it’s one more birthday or anniversary I’m likely to forget.

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Andrea
April 20th, 2006
1:41 pm

Yeah, I must admit I was an addict and did see that last episode. She buys the school and admits boys.

Jo moves to LA and marries her boyfriend. She was planning to be a teacher, but they changed that for the reunion movie, so that they could make a nod to her latest TV role. (Cop)

I think Tootie married Jeff, but we find out later that he died, leaving her with a little girl.

Natalie gets spun off in a NYC-based sitcom. She was sharing a studio apartment with several other people. I think they took turns using the bunk beds. Some David Spade-like character played a med student. The pilot never went anywhere.

As for the virginity episode, it probably seems silly now. But this was before the “Brenda Loses Her Virginity” thing on 90210. It was scandalous. They wanted Blair to be the main character, but she’s a born again Christian and refused. (If you really want to, um, have an interesting experience, check out her site. lisawhelchel.com. She goes into detailed accounts of how she humiliates and spanks her kids.) Anyway, Natalie was conveniently not Christian and tended to be the most daring of the characters/actors. It was pretty risque at the time. She was 19, not really a teenager, but technically a teenager and young enough for various groups to be up in arms. A year or two later, 90210’s Brenda lost her virginity and then it suddenly became less criminal for teen girls to admit to having sex.

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Patty - UBC
April 20th, 2006
3:56 pm

I too have an embarassing knack for remembering unnecessary details about tv series from the 80s & 90s.

Hmmm…Facts of Life trivia: Molly Ringwald appeared in the first season. In the later years of the series some unknown actors by the names of George Clooney and Juliette Lewis appeared. Gee, I wonder where are they now? ;-)

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Jack
April 20th, 2006
4:06 pm

I believe the theme song was penned by Alan Thicke.

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Patty -UBC
April 20th, 2006
4:25 pm

Yes, the theme was written by Alan Thicke and sung by his then wife Gloria Loring….more trivial trivia…..;-)

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miss604
April 21st, 2006
11:34 am

i like on family guy when peter and bryan are having a discussion and they can’t agree on whether or not alfonso ribeiro was on Silver Spoons as well as Fresh Prince - then he walks by (moving furniture out of their house) and confirms he was.

Another disturbing fave of mine was Small Wonder with Vicky the Robot… although I think I’m moving into TGIF territory now… oh Balki Bartokomous how you made me giggle.

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champ
May 3rd, 2006
8:22 am

tjhis site is very motovational i weould come here all the time when i need help thanks

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