1614 replies to this topic

[Sharon]

Ok, on the later eppies, I gotta ask. Didn't Jo and George Clooney's character (George)... have a thing? For some reason I thought she really didn't like him at first in sort of that love/hate 'Moonlighting" way and then something happened.

In some interview (ETHS? or some random GC interview), it was mentioned that George and Andy were brought in because they wanted to add more characters to the show so that Charlotte Rae, who was getting on in years, could have a shorter schedule. Originally they planned on having George be a love interest for either Jo or Blair, but the writers never went there (J & B had other love interests/storylines) & George really ended up doing nothing and was let go after one season. They made a reference to GC's fame in the reunion movie: Blair: George is so hard to get a hold of after he moved to Hollywood.

[BakerBaker]

I love this show and I loved Blair, especially in the first season. I remember the episode with Blair's mom having breast cancer. It was one of the times she was sensitive. Natalie was hilarious and Jo got on my nerves.

[TheCustomOfLife]

Any specific reason why the parents were played by soap actors? Blair's parents were Marj Dusay and Nicolas Coster; those two are quite famous in the soap world. Also, wasn't Jo's mother played by Claire Malis, one of the Dorians from One Life To Live?

[YourDensity]

Actually, Natalie's weight dropped, she got pretty thin, but I think they made her wear some padding in the later seasons. They were like "Whoa, she's not fat anymore, she's supposed to be the 'fat funny one'" I seem to remember that from the same E!True Hollywood Story.

And I don't think any of them were overweight, but they did all gain weight quickly from the first season of just the Facts 4, which is never good for you if you remain around the same height and were not too thin before. Apparently the production people thought they could load the craftservice table with pastries and candy and soda and no one would gain weight. Then they switched to healthier fare.

That aside, sucks that George never got any loving.

I really wish they'd start replaying it.

[crazy_girl]

I remember watching that when it first aired and if I remember correctly, Nancy McKeon was busy working on that Lifetime TV show (the one where she's a drunk cop) and didn't want to become Jo again. I thought it lacked something since she wasn't there. It wouldn't have been a great movie anyway with that script but it really sucked not having her there.

[kariyaki]

They recapped that reunion movie here at TWoP. I think it's in Mondo Extras.

[slaughteredlamb]

Her appearance was so strange, her hair was over-dyed, and she had a ever-so slight case of St. Vitus's dance going on.(The shakes.)

Word. I only caught about twenty minutes, but the entire time I felt really bad for Charlotte Rae. She looked like she wasn't holding up too well and didn't really want to be there.

[morecowbell]

A word of advice if you have seen this movie: read the recap!! Hy-sterical!

[samizdat5]

Agree, if you've seen the movie read the recap! It's possibly the funniest recap I've ever read! I made the mistake of reading it while at work the first time, and I had to give up because I was laughing so hard everyone knew I wasn't getting any work done.

[Pepsi Princess]

kelshaw, I remember that one. It was like a Twilight Zone parody, and the phony Twilight Zone guy kept saying "Tootie.... I like to say, 'Tootie.'"

That? Is probably my favorite episode ever! My mom and I still randomly say, "Tootie." when watching the Twilight Zone.

I loved all the 80's hair and clothes! At the time, I really enjoyed the Over Our Heads store eps (except for the name of it) and I totally wanted the stuff they sold. Remember that red snakey loop thing that you could change the shape of and the characters couldn't decide what it was and finally told a customer it was a planter to sell it to her? I remember Blair sucking on a heart-shaped lollipop on a flexible (coiled wire, perhaps?) stick. I wanted that too! Hated the later years with Andy and Pippa and Beverly Ann. I wanted to cry when Blair bought the school and made it coed (I HATE change).

For the record, I think I was Natalie's age, or maybe a year older. I think Tootie was younger than me.

[YourDensity]

That? Is probably my favorite episode ever! My mom and I still randomly say, "Tootie." when watching the Twilight Zone.

The guy also said "The thermos. An amazing invention. It keeps hot things hot, and cold things cold. The question is: how do it know?" which cracks me up every time. Esp "how do it know?" because the guy is so serious and he's throwing improper sentence syntax around. Yeah, I'm a dork.

That was a great episode.

[SpringBarb]

Huh. I also was sure that George hooked up with Jo. Weird.

[YourDensity]

Didn't Jo and George get locked in together somewhere and have to "work out their differences"? One of those classic tv plotlines.

[PostToastie]

[quote]Anyone rememeber the reunion movie?[/quote]

This came on the other night - what a crapfest!

(But I watched the whole thing!)

[quote]When I was a kid I was all about the Clooney. I could never understand why everyone screamed after Andy.[/quote]

For me, it's always all about the Clooney. And he supposedly broke up with his girlfriend Emmanuel (oops! I mean, Krista Allen)

[quote]I was watching Dream for an Insomniac on cable the other night, which is a really cute, if cheesy, little movie. [/quote]

This movie is great!

[quote]I hardly remember Pippa. But I do remember Alex from earlier years, who was some kind of princess and tried to help Mrs. G in the kitchen but bought pineapples instead of pie apples.[/quote]

To me, Sherrie Austin was much more tolerable than Heather McAdam. Her earnest 'Mandy Moore' expressions and taking forever to get out a line grated. Then she went on to be a drunk on 90210.

[quote]you can show us Ginger's spice rack[/quote]

[quote]Or share her bed with Jo, foreshadowing Dana's giving up meat for fish later on.[/quote]

Hee!!

[quote]I've got this beat. There's a film with Lana Turner from the 1940s in which her character is described as a perfect size 12.[/quote]

And Marilyn Monroe, reported to be the sexiest ever was a size 14!
Natalie: Who wants to be a skinny pencil? I'm happy being a magic marker!

[quote]The episode had the longest, and bloodiest cripple fight I've ever seen.[/quote]

CRIIIPPPLEEEE FIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!

[quote]it's bad enough I saw such a cast change on Diff'rent Strokes (gotta love Dixie Carter but *why?* Arnold wasn't cute anymore?)[/quote]

But that's why they brought in that little demon-spawn red headed kid. GAH!

[quote]Wait, you mean that obnoxious little kid who was obviously there for some kind of 'cute' factor was Seth freakin' Green? Crap, I never noticed. [/quote]

I can't picture Seth Green without seeing him playing the whitest black guy on 'Can't Hardly Wait'.

[quote]When the boys you used to hate, you date
I guess you'd best investigate...[/quote]

My best friend always told me that it was:
"When the boys you used to hate you date, you go upstairs and masturbate..."

[quote]Mrs. Garrett and her floppy neck skin used to scare me. She reminded me of a turkey, always was waiting for her to say gobble gobble. [/quote]

She was a bobble headed doll. She appears to be a graduate of the 'shake your head' school of acting.

[quote]Finally, last summer they ran "The Rerun Show", where actors recreated old sitcoms. The guy that did Mrs. Garrett was freakin' hilarious. Had her "sing song" mannerisms down. I can't remember his name, but he was on MadTV last season.[/quote]

Funniest.ever.
He did have her dead on. And the 'stealing the blouse' scene! Priceless!

Edited by PostToastie, Mar 18, 2004 @ 12:25 PM.

[PostToastie]

Double post....

Edited by PostToastie, Mar 18, 2004 @ 12:24 PM.

[ChinkyGirl]

For me, it's always all about the Clooney. And he supposedly broke up with his girlfriend Emmanuel (oops! I mean, Krista Allen)

Hee! Don't you mean Emmanuel 2000, or something? ;)

Can't believe they dated! Ugh...go away Billie, er, Krista Allen ;)

[kariyaki]

I've got this beat. There's a film with Lana Turner from the 1940s in which her character is described as a perfect size 12.

And Marilyn Monroe, reported to be the sexiest ever was a size 14!

Yeah, but sizes aren't the same now as they were then. Marilyn's 14 is probably the equivalent of a 6.

Edited by kariyaki, Mar 18, 2004 @ 1:54 AM.

[cmkrcwi]

Actually, the redheaded kid on "Different Strokes" was not Seth Green, it was Danny Cooksey.

[PostToastie]

But the kid who played Sam was the most annoying child actor of all time!
Who was he?

(He was even worse than Olivia on the Cosby Show!)

[18matt]

I was really young when Different Strokes was on, and I never watched it. But I know Danny Cooksey from when he played Budnick on Salute Your Shorts.

[TheCustomOfLife]

Cousin Geri guest-starred on The Young and The Restless today. It's added snark if you know the storyline revolving around Brittany.

Edited by TheCustomOfLife, Mar 26, 2004 @ 6:10 PM.

[ChinkyGirl]

And if you read the "Very Special Episode" thread in TV Potluck, you'll know that Cousin Geri was also on HBO's newest show "Deadwood". She sells a gun to a battered whore, lol.

[YourDensity]

It's good she is getting work. I have to say, nothing against the actress, but every episode she was in became about her CP, rather than just having her there doing her thing, but happens to have CP. I also didn't find her funny. at. all.

It's interesting, if you watch the E! True Hollywood Story, how they fired practically the entire first cast, and most of their "first choice" women (Nancy) were thrown out as not being "use-able".

They picked Nancy McKeon because she had some depth and range. I have to say I think her character made the show a bit more REAL. Jo and Natalie to me always seemed like the most three-dimensional characters.

Blaire was somewhat of a one-dimensional character, imho. And it sucks that Lisa Whelchel didn't go with the "Blaire loses her virginity" story-line because that might have given the character some depth, or shown her range a bit more. I understand she has her beliefs, and it's cool she has the courage of her convictions, but on a selfish note it would have been cool to see what she could do.

Of course, loved Natalie, so it was great that Mindy Cohen went with it. And I loved her interview: "Four cute, college-age girls and no one's getting any?" She's hilarious.

[YourDensity]

I can't believe this is what our sweet little Tootie turned out to be!

I played soccer against a team and the one of their players was called "Tootie". During a corner kick I was "guarding" her, and I started singing softly (but loud enough for her to hear) "You take the good, you take the bad..."

She didn't like that very much. But DUDE you're nickname is TOOTIE. What am I supposed to do? Alan Thicke (Dad of Growing Pains) wrote that theme song (also wrote Diff'rent Strokes as well).. go Jason Seaver!

Kim Field cracked me up in an interview when she said "Ooh I wanted some jungle fever action with George" re: George Clooney on the show.

Didn't catch Star Dates. The entire premise of that creeps me out. Starfuckers out looking for Stars to Fuck.

[Penfold]

Blaire was somewhat of a one-dimensional character, imho. And it sucks that Lisa Whelchel didn't go with the "Blaire loses her virginity" story-line because that might have given the character some depth, or shown her range a bit more.

I agree, but I'm kind of glad that they shifted that storyline to Natalie, because she wasn't as conventionally "attractive" as Blaire, and I think it had a pretty positive message, i.e.: you don't have to weigh 47 pounds to get some.

Plus Mindy Cohn rocks.

[Schroeder]

That's true. I thought it was funny when she tells Jo (Jo!) that she slept with Snake, and Jo spills the sugar in her coffee. I mean, I always assumed Jo was getting some. From another girl, I mean, but still, I never thought Nat would be the first to lose her virginity.
But good for her.

I do remember Blair turning down her marriage proposal from her boyfriend because he didn't want to get married, just stay committed forever. I thought that was an interesting insight into Blair.