"The Facts of Life" (1979)TV series 1979-1988

Creators:

Dick Clair
Jenna McMahon

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | unknown

Release Date:

24 August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life...

Plot:

A group of girls attending a boarding school experience the joys and the trials of adolescence under the guiding hand of housemother Edna Garrett...

Plot Keywords:

Handyman | Schoolgirl | Uniform | Boarding School | Sitcom

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 6 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Lisa Whelchel	...	Blair Warner / ... (75 episodes, 1979-1988)
Kim Fields	...	Dorothy 'Tootie' Ramsey / ... (75 episodes, 1979-1988)
Mindy Cohn	...	Natalie Letisha Sage Green / ... (74 episodes, 1979-1986)
Charlotte Rae	...	Mrs. Edna Ann Garrett / ... (70 episodes, 1979-1986)
Nancy McKeon	...	Joanna 'Jo' Marie Polniaczek Bonner / ... (61 episodes, 1980-1988)
Mackenzie Astin	...	Andy Moffet Stickle / ... (38 episodes, 1985-1988)

Also Known As:

Garrett's Girls (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min (209 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Embassy Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

There was an episode written where Blair was suppose to lose her virginity, but Lisa Whelchel refused to do it because of her strong religious beliefs. The episode was rewritten with Natalie (Mindy Cohn) losing her virginity instead. It also was the only episode in the series history that Whelchel did not appear in.

Quotes:

Jo Polniaczek: There are people who in this world get shoved around and there are people who do the shoving!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Chappelle's Show: Music Jump-Off (#2.15)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

The Facts of Life

a great show for kids growing up

I watched "The Facts of Life" Saturday nights on NBC while I was growing up and I looked forward to each and every episode. When the show ended I cried and thought "How will I ever get along without them?" Well, I had totally forgotten the reruns that had been playing in the afternoons for the past four years. So I was happy re-watching the old shows. In 1994 I heard about the "Facts" marathon on USA network and I had to tape it. It was commemorating the 15th anniversary of the shows original starting date (back in 1979-the year I was born). The marathon was hosted by Mindy Cohn (Natalie), Charlotte Rae (Mrs. Garrett) and Lisa Welchel (Blair). All three of them shared memories of what it was like working on the set and what each of them had been doing since the show had ended. It was great seeing how well all three of them had gotten on with their lives. It was too bad that Nancy McKeon (Jo), Kim Fields (Tootie), Sherrie Krenn (Pippa), Cloris Leachman (Beverly Ann), Pamela Segall (Kelly), George Clooney (George) and MacKenzie Astin (Andy) didn't come on the show too. I still watch that video recording every once and a while (about once or twice a year; especially around the holiday season) and I'm so glad that I taped it. My favorite episode (which, unfortunately, wasn't included in the marathon) was the one where they were running a pizza take-out service which was a total disaster...especially when Natalie lost control and got flour all over the room and on everyone else. I am hoping that USA will start re-running the show again soon. They were last year. What happened?