Series regulars or semi-regulars in 'The Facts Of Life' from 1970-1982:
- Kim Fields as Dorothy 'Tootie' Ramsey (1979-1988)
- Lisa Whelchel as Blair Warner (1979-1988)
- Mindy Cohn as Natalie Green (1979-1988)
- Charlotte Rae as Edna Garrett (1979-1986)
- Felice Schachter as Nancy Olson (1979-1981)
- Julie Anne Haddock as Cindy Webster (1979-1981)
- Julie Piekarski as Sue Ann Weaver (1979-1981)
- John Lawlor as Steven Bradley (1979-1980)
- Molly Ringwald as Molly Parker (1979-1980)
- Nancy McKeon as Jo Polniaczek (1980-1988)
1970-1982 Episode Guide for 'The Facts Of Life':
(Episodes with dates prior to 1970 aired as reruns.)
Season 1, episode 1
W: Brad Rider D: Nick Havinga
With Conrad Bain (Phillip Drummond), Todd Bridges (Willis Jackson), Gary Coleman (Arnold Jackson), Dana Plato (Kimberly Drummond).
Series premiere. Mrs. Garrett, a lovable and comic housekeeper, becomes housemother to five girls at an exclusive finishing school.
Season 1, episode 2
W: Jerry Mayer D: Jim Drake
With Pam Huntington (Monica Warner), Donald May (Justin Branch).
The dorm beauty tries to become as flirtatious as her mother until Mrs. Garrett advises her that beauty can be exhibited in many ways.
Season 1, episode 3
W: Martin A. Ragaway D: Jim Drake
With Robert Alda (Robert Garrett).
The girls may be without a housemother when Mrs. Garrett's ex-husband, a handsome and charming gambler, shows up and sweeps everyone off their feet.
Season 1, episode 4
W: Jane Gould, Shelly Landau D: Jim Drake
The girls see ther IQ scores and become worried about their abilities, until Mrs. Garrett shows them that IQ isn't that important when she reveals that the brightest girl in school actually had the lowest score.
Season 1, episode 5
W: Stan Dreben D: John Bowab
With Duane LaDage (Jason Hoss).
Blair plagiarizes an Emily Dickinson poem, but gets caught when the headmaster submits it to a competition and it wins.
Season 1, episode 6
W: Martin A. Ragaway D: John Bowab
With Greg Bradford (Steve).
Convinced that "thin is in," Blair fasts in order to impress her socially prominent date.
Season 1, episode 7
W: Jerry Mayer, Rowland Barber D: John Bowab
With Greg Bradford (Steve).
To the chagrin of the headmaster, Mrs. Garrett holds a sex education class. Meanwhile Blair gets into a compromising situation with a boy and has to make a tough decision.
Season 1, episode 8
W: Jerry Mayer D: John Bowab
With Vincent Bufano (Soldier).
The headmaster's handling of a flood emergency makes him Blair's heartthrob.
Season 1, episode 9
W: Migdia Chinea-Varela D: Asaad Kelada
When a class assignment about family history comes up, Natalie is embarrassed to admit she was adopted -- and searches for her birth mother.
Season 1, episode 10
W: Warren S. Murray D: John Bowab
With Greg Bradford (Steve).
The headmaster pits two of the girls against each other in a track competition, as they vie for the attention of the handsome track coach.
Season 1, episode 11
W: Albert E. Lewin D: Gary Shimokawa
With William Bogert (Mr. Parker), Lee Crawford (Angela).
Molly's upset that her parents are getting a divorce, so the girls decide to try and get them back together.
Season 1, episode 12
W: Jerry Mayer D: John Bowab
With Hillary Horan (Tumpy), Helen Hunt (Emily).
In an attempt to appear more sophisticated, Blair and Sue Ann smoke marijuana with a group of older girls.
Season 1, episode 13
W: Jerry Mayer D: Lee Lochhead
With Robert Hooks (Mr. Ramsey).
Tootie's snobbish father thinks Mrs. Garrett's influence over his daughter is holding her back.
November 19, 1980: The New Girl (1)
Season 2, episode 1
W: Jerry Mayer D: Bob Claver
With Gary Coleman (Arnold Jackson), Peter Fox (Officer Shuler), Reb Brown (I.D. Checker).
Mrs. Garrett comes to the rescue when a joyride in a stolen van ends at the police station for some of the girls.
Season 2, episode 2
W: Jack Elinson D: Bob Claver
With Hugh Gillin (Howard), Susie Goddard (Tough Girl), Amy Gibson (Margo), Rene Lamart (Boy), Bunny Summers (Matron).
After wrecking the school van, the girls are put on probation and must work in the cafeteria to pay off their damages.
Season 2, episode 3
W: Linda Marsh, Margie Peters D: Asaad Kelada
With Grant Wilson (Harrison Andrews).
Blair learns the difference between good girls and "good time" girls when her boyfriend invites Jo to a cotillion at a country club and makes a pass at her.
Season 2, episode 4
W: Linda Marsh, Margie Peters D: Lee Lochhead
With Cheryl Epps (Terry), Erik Moses (Fred), David Coburn (Carl), Tan Adams (Julia), Shawnte Northcutte (Madge).
Tootie falls for a black boy who tries to drive a wedge between her and her white friends.
Season 2, episode 5
W: Ann Gibbs, Joel Kimmel D: Asaad Kelada
With Geri Jewell (Geri Tyler), Hugh Gillin (Howard).
Blair is embarrassed when her cousin Geri, a successful comedienne who has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair, comes to visit.
Season 2, episode 6
W: Sally Sussman Morina D: Lee Lochhead
With Dick O'Neill (Henry Douglas), Hazel Shermet (Saleswoman).
Mrs. Garrett's birthday is coming up, and when Jo can't afford a present for her, she decides to steal one.
Season 2, episode 7
W: Jerry Mayer D: John Bowab
With Clark Brandon (Eddie Brennan), Brian Fuld (Bink), Bella Bruck (Attendant), Mark Savalle (Waiter).
Jo calls her boyfriend Eddie for help after learning that her mother has a live-in male friend; Eddie goes AWOL from his Naval base in Chicago to propose marriage to Jo.
Season 2, episode 8
W: Jerry Mayer D: John Bowab
With Clark Brandon (Eddie Brennan), Hugh Gillin (Howard), Bill Dana (Hotel Manager).
Mrs. Garrett tries to stop Jo and Eddie from driving to West Virginia to get married.
Season 2, episode 9
W: Paul Friedman, Gayle MacDonald D: Lee Lochhead
With Hugh Gillin (Howard), Kenneth Mars (Mr. Harris).
Tootie's gossiping causes a rift between Blair, Jo, and Nancy, and almost costs Mrs. Garrett her job when Tootie spreads a story that she is an alcoholic.
Season 2, episode 10
W: Linda Marsh, Margie Peters D: John Bowab
With Denise Halma (Cynthia).
Blair gets involved in a tough campaign for class president, but things take a serious turn when one of the candidates commits suicide.
Season 2, episode 11
W: Linda Marsh, Margie Peters, Ann Gibbs, Joel Kimmel, Sally Sussman Morina D: John Bowab
With Dan Spector (Neil Richards), Holly Gagnier (Helen).
A boy with whom Natalie studies spreads rumors about their friendship that damage her reputation while supposedly helping his own.
Season 2, episode 12
W: Jerry Mayer D: John Bowab
With Alex Rocco (Charlie Polniaczek).
Jo wins the Best New Student of the Year award, but her joy is dampened by a letter from her father, who is being released from prison and wants to visit her.
Season 2, episode 13
W: Linda Marsh, Margie Peters D: John Bowab
With Zsa Zsa Gabor (Countess Calvet), Todd Bridges (Willis Drummond).
Blair is selling Countess Calvet cosmetics, and she uses Natalie as a model. Natalie sells something of value so she can afford to impess Blair by making a large purchase.
Season 2, episode 14
W: Ann Gibbs, Joel Kimmel D: Bob Claver
With John Mark Robinson (Jonathan Dutton), Michelle Downey (Rena).
Tootie is invited to model designer jeans in New York, and winds up being lured into doing a photo shoot for a child pornographer.
Season 2, episode 15
W: Ann Gibbs, Joel Kimmel D: Bob Claver
With Tom Fitzsimmons (Alex Garrett).
Mrs. Garrett's son visits Eastland and impresses Natalie with his claims of having written songs which were recorded by popular musicians, but Blair doesn't trust him.
Season 2, episode 16
W: Jack Elinson D: John Bowab
With Richard Dean Anderson (Brian Parker), Rosanne Katon (Sylvia Parker), Ja'net DuBois (Tootie's Grandmother), Anthony Holland (Ray), Peter Barth (Stage Manager), Ron Sloan (Danny Robinson), Thos Peterson (Larry Baker).
Natalie and Tootie go to visit Tootie's aunt and uncle, a mixed-race couple who battle over careers.
October 28, 1981: Growing Pains
Season 3, episode 1
W: Linda Marsh, Margie Peters D: Asaad Kelada
With Roger Perry (Charles Parker).
Blair brings home a bottle of a fine European wine, and Tootie drinks a little too much of it in the process of demonstrating how "adult" she is.
Season 3, episode 2
W: Deidre Fay, Stuart Wolpert D: Asaad Kelada
With Louis Welch (Instructor), Paige Conner (Lucy).
Natalie withdraws from socializing after an attempted sexual assault on campus, then re-emerges after taking self-defense lessons.
Season 3, episode 3
W: Deidre Fay, Stuart Wolpert, Jerry Winnick D: Asaad Kelada
With Heather Kerr (Alison).
Blair's unwed friend Allison disappears after visiting, leaving her baby in the girls' care.
Season 3, episode 4
W: Linda Marsh, Margie Peters D: Asaad Kelada
With Marj Dusay (Monica Warner), Geri Jewell (Geri Tyler).
Blair's mother arrives on a surprise visit and Blair is ecstatic until dire news is revealed about her mother's health.
Season 3, episode 5
W: Mike Mayer, Larry Swimer D: Asaad Kelada
With Loren Lester (Roy), Steven Anderson (Professor Gideon).
In an article for the school newspaper Jo reports that her journalism teacher, whom she thinks dislikes her, was once arrested in a cocaine raid.
Season 3, episode 6
W: Linda Marsh, Margie Peters D: Asaad Kelada
With Roger Perry (Charles Parker).
Mrs. Garrett must take a second job at the Howard Johnson's when she loses her pension. This takes a toll on her mood and her Eastland work, so she must choose between the two.
Season 3, episode 7
W: Linda Marsh, Margie Peters D: Asaad Kelada
With Clark Brandon (Eddie Brennan), Shawn Stevens (Bob Perkins).
Jo finds herself attracted to the man who's playing her husband in a simulated marriage project for a class -- just as her ex-fiancee arrives in town for a visit.
Season 3, episode 8
W: Jerry Mayer D: Asaad Kelada
With Molly Picon (Grandma Mona).
Natalie's planning a weekend of romance with her boyfriend, but when her Grandma Mona drops in unexpectedly, those romantic intentions have to be postponed.
Season 3, episode 9
W: Lloyd Turner, Howard Liebling D: Asaad Kelada
With Todd Hallowell (Zack Peters), David Wallace (Paul), Philip Linton (Lenny).
Tootie wants to impress the older girls, so she types a phony love letter to herself from a counselor at the summer camp she attended.
Season 3, episode 10
W: Ann Gibbs, Joel Kimmel D: Asaad Kelada
With Geri Jewell (Geri Tyler), Lou Richards (Mike Palmer).
Blair's handicapped cousin makes another visit to Peekskill, and the girls try to get her a date for a social event.
Season 3, episode 11
W: Deidre Fay, Stuart Wolpert D: Judi Elterman
With Roger Perry (Charles Parker), Loren Lester (Roy).
Blair's late grandfather leaves a sizable donation in his will to help erect a new Eastland library, but Blair discovers that he was also a supporter and benefactor of the Ku Klux Klan.
Season 3, episode 12
W: Linda Marsh, Margie Peters D: Asaad Kelada
With Hazel Shermet (Miss Downes), Heidi Helmer (Girl #1), Beverly Nero (Pianist).
When Tootie beats Natalie for the lead role in the school play, a rift grows between the two of them.
Season 3, episode 13
W: Stephen Spears, Bill Shinkai D: Asaad Kelada
With Lauren Tom (Miko), Mako (Mr. Wakamatsu).
A Japanese student's father objects to his daughter's adoption of Western cultural values.
Season 3, episode 14
W: Mitch Markowitz D: Alejandro Rey
With Norman Alden (Ernest Melbourne), Scott Strader (Barnett Thornwood), William Marquez (Carlos), Pepe Crow (Renaldo).
The girls are surprised to learn that the man who is Mrs. Garrett's first date in over a decade has been her very affectionate friend -- for years.
Season 3, episode 15
W: Deidre Fay, Stuart Wolpert, Marvin Braverman D: Asaad Kelada
With Geri Jewell (Geri Tyler), Cheryl Epps (Terry), Jermaine Jackson (Himself), Jere Fields (Georgia), Mark Davitt (Mark), Rick Fitts (P.R. Man), Paris Robinson (Guard), Fitzhugh Huston (Fitz), Sal Landi (Sal), Pamela Springsteen (Sally).
Tootie's responsibilities as president of the Jermaine Jackson fan club interfere with her work and with a promise she made to Jo.
Season 3, episode 16
W: Deidre Fay, Stuart Wolpert D: Asaad Kelada
With Susan Blackstone (Brenda).
Constant squabbling between the girls prompts Mrs. Garrett to announce that the debt for wrecking the van has been paid off and they are all now free to move out and live in the dorms.
Season 3, episode 17
W: Migdia Chinea-Varela D: Asaad Kelada
With Norman Burton (Dr. Green), Peter Reckell (Alan Cooke), Benito Prezia (Luigi).
Mrs. Garrett and the girls visit New York and have lunch in a restaurant where Natalie discovers her father kissing another woman.
Season 3, episode 18
W: Bernard Burnell Mack D: Asaad Kelada
With Lauren Tom (Miko), Tammy Lauren (Kristy), Darrell Fetty (Mike), Linda Darlow (Waitress), Larry Gelman (Man), Belle Ellig (Woman).
Tootie is confronted with the issue of teenage prostitution when she is mistaken for a hooker after running off to Manhattan.
Season 3, episode 19
W: Peter Noah D: Asaad Kelada
With Alexa Kenin (Jesse), Dana Kimmell (Dina Becker), Bunny Summers (Hildy), David Bond (Checkers Player), Jan Rabson (Waiter).
Enemies Blair and Jo take a look at themselves during reunions with old friends, and realize that they have become closer than they thought.
Season 3, episode 20
W: Jerry Mayer D: Asaad Kelada
With Dan Frischman (Ricky Price), Scott McGinnis (Dink Lockwood), Marc Poppel (Tim Holified).
Natalie's out for revenge after Blair embarrasses her in front of everyone.
Season 3, episode 21
W: Jerry Jacobius, Steven Gore D: Selig Frank
Natalie institutes nine rules of privacy after she learns that Blair looked in her diary.
Season 3, episode 22
W: Jerry Mayer D: Asaad Kelada
With David Ackroyd (Major Dorsey), Jimmy Baio (Buzz Ryan), Peter Frechette (George Knight), David Hubbard (Chip Nelson), Ben Marley (Hank), John P. Navin Jr. (Alfred Webster).
The girls go to a school dance with boys from nearby Stone Military Academy, and Jo arranges a date for Blair with a juvenile delinquent.
Season 3, episode 23
W: Linda Marsh, Margie Peters D: Asaad Kelada
With Donnelly Rhodes (Sal Largo), Megan Follows (Terry Largo), John Mengatti (Paul Largo), Grant Cramer (Tony Velentti), D.W. Brown (Bud Largo).
Jo visits her relatives in New Jersey, where her tomboyish 14-year-old cousin Terry puts on a dress and makeup to impress a boy.
Season 3, episode 24
W: Deidre Fay, Stuart Wolpert D: Dolores Ferraro
With Roger Perry (Charles Parker), Geri Jewell (Geri Tyler), Susan Davis (Betty Schuster).
When the school library institutes a censorship policy, Natalie is bounced from the school paper for speaking out against it.
September 29, 1982: Ain't Miss Beholden
Season 4, episode 1
W: Stephen Neigher D: Asaad Kelada
With Cheryl Epps (Terry).
Due to budget cuts at Eastland which affect student aid, Jo will lose her scholarship and has just a week to find another one.
Season 4, episode 2
W: Peter Noah D: Asaad Kelada
With Roger Perry (Charles Parker), Cheryl Epps (Terry), Lisa Lucas (Annie), Dawn Schroder (Jenny).
Natalie fabricates her source for an article on a schoolmate's abortion, then risks expulsion for refusing to reveal the nonexistent name to the fuming headmaster.
Season 4, episode 3
W: Kimberly Hill D: Asaad Kelada
With Loren Lester (Roy), Geri Jewell (Geri Tyler).
Tootie refuses to acknowledge a hearing loss that may be responsible for a slip in her grades as well as a dramatic change in her personality.
Season 4, episode 4
W: John Markus D: Asaad Kelada
With Roger Perry (Charles Parker), Amzie Strickland (Marie Thornwell).
Jo interviews the school's oldest living graduate, who decides to leave her fortune to Jo instead of the school.
Season 4, episode 5
W: Dianne Messina, Lou Messina D: Asaad Kelada
With Loren Lester (Roy), Thomas Byrd (Leo).
Blair falls in love with a handsome but slightly retarded artist.
Season 4, episode 6
W: Deidre Fay, Stuart Wolpert D: Asaad Kelada
With Mitzi Hoag (Evie Green), Susan Blackstone (Brenda).
Natalie finds her birth mother, with assistance from her adoptive parent.
Season 4, episode 7
W: David Chambers D: Asaad Kelada
With Dean Simone (Doug), Pierrino Mascarino (Garo).
The mechanic Jo works with blows a gasket when she's promoted over him.
Season 4, episode 8
W: Howard Meyers, Paul Haggis D: Asaad Kelada
With Nicolas Coster (David Warner), Kenneth Tigar (Mr. Garfield).
When an IRS agent pays her a visit, Blair discovers that her father has been using her for a string of potentially illegal tax dodges.
Season 4, episode 9
W: Jerry Mayer D: Asaad Kelada
With David Ackroyd (Major Dorsey), Jimmy Baio (Buzz Ryan), Eddie Deezen (Grusky), Peter Frechette (George Knight), Bill Galligan (Mongo Moran), Ben Marley (Hank), John P. Navin Jr. (Alfred Webster), David Hubbard (Chip Nelson), Barbara Stock (Nurse Barton).
Natalie covers a boxing match at Bates Academy, the nearby boys' school, for the school paper.
Season 4, episode 10
W: Nick Gore, Jerry Jacobius D: Asaad Kelada
With Brian Robbins (Ben).
Natalie boycotts the Sadie Hawkins dance on the grounds that it's "male chauvinist manipulation."
Season 4, episode 11
W: Bob Peete D: Asaad Kelada
With Murray Matheson (Henry Clayton).
A charming 70-year-old proposes to a delighted Mrs. Garrett, but the girls protest that he's too old for her.