Like other guys my age back in the day we begrudgingly watched “Facts of Life” because our sisters were big fans and there was only one television. Truth be told though we all had a major crush on Blair and weren’t too unhappy about spending thirty minutes with her each week! I also was glad too see “Car 54…” alumnus Charlotte Rae performing. Now I really enjoy “Collector’s Call”. Pop culture historian yes Dave, but maybe a bit of a life coach yourself. I’m certain I’m not the only viewer who comes away from your uploads with a positive, upbeat attitude and a refreshing catharsis from sharing my memories! Kudos and Godspeed my friend.
That woman was ridiculously fine!!!! 😍😍 EDIT: I really respect the fact that she didn’t get star struck, but stayed with her convictions while following her moral compass.
I, along with who knows how many others, had a major, major crush on Lisa. I still admire her for her beliefs and the way she's conducted herself over the years. Bravo!
I loved the Facts of Life ! I liked everyone on the show, but I really loved when Jo would come back at Blair with a great quip. Lisa was so beautiful and still is.
I love that she never allowed Hollywood to corrupt her solid relationship with Jesus. Back then however, my favorite character was the rebellious Jo (Nancy McKeon) because I shared her character’s rebellious nature. Today, I’m in line with Lisa’s beliefs. ✝️ This was definitely one of my favorite shows.
Loved the Facts of Life, the show has such a long an interesting history, the stories always so fun and entertaining. Truly a legendary tv show and Blair was always a favorite of mine, Lisa played the character to perfection with such warmth and humanity she never really felt like a “ mean girl”.
Lisa’s a one of a kind talent and all around lovely person. I always love Facts of Life and Blair was probably my favorite (but I love all 4 of the main girls though) and a huge part of why I love Blair is because Lisa had such a way with comedic delivery and her persona as Blair was such an entertaining character to watch especially when she and Jo’s friendship took focus.
So happy Lisa has chosen the path which fulfills her truly. She is every bit as beautiful on the inside. Bless her and bless this truly awesome channel! 🏆🎖
A natural beauty and a positive individual. From how it appears, she takes being a Christian seriously. As a Christian myself, following the teachings of Jesus is what we are to do. Bless you, Lisa, my Sister in Christ. 🙏 Thanks for another informative video, Dave.
I didn't realize Lisa was a member of the Mickey Mouse Club. I'm so glad she didn't go down the destructive evil path of Disney. In reality the Facts of Life showed Lisa Welchel that serving Jesus Christ was more important than Hollywood. Great video as usual Dave !
I always respected her for following her heart and her beliefs. She was in a really cute movie in 2014 called "Falling for Christmas" that I really enjoyed, too.
@@jdsundstrom Lisa is lovely in it and I think the happiness in her personal life shines through the role to make it more enjoyable. It's free viewing on Amazon Prime
One of my favorite shows growing up and I still enjoy it on logo. I had already been watching Survivor for awhile so it was a nice surprise to have Lisa on the show. Blair was never one of my favorite characters but it was always good to know that Lisa was nothing like the character she played
Love The Show. Fasts Of Life was the spine-off of Different Stroke. Lisa was from Dallas and still around. The reason I love her, she's very smart and down to earth. Thanks for her profile.
I am speechless at how perfectly this video describes Lisa Whelchel as well as her Facts of Life co-stars. Dave, is there anything you can't do? Great job.
Sometimes, former child stars are embarrassed by their old TV shows. But the women of Facts of Life need not feel that way. Every episode had plots that imparted values & lessons, something that most sitcoms don't have. Lisa should be proud for being part of a very funny but wholesome, family friendly series.
Loved Facts of Life! The show had heart. Blair was my favourite girl on the show and I liked her relationship with Jo. It'd be kind of cool if they ever did a reunion show with the old cast and Lisa taking over Ms Garrett's role as headmistress of Eastland for a new generation of girls...probably wouldn't fly but I'm a sucker for a reunion show. Glad to know Lisa is living the good life and helping to save women and children from human trafficking. I admire that dedication to making the world a better place. Thanks Dave!
"You take the good, you take the bad. You take it all and there you have: The Good Stuff!" As an aside, when Blair Warner (Lisa) and others first appeared on Diff'rent Strokes, her character was vastly different. She was a smoker and more like Jo (Nancy McKeon). I know Facts was more of a girl's slice of life, compared to Diff'rent Strokes, but I still watched it and enjoyed it. Lisa and Nancy were both so pretty, as a young teen, they were hard not to look at. Good pick, Dave!
@@rino7789 No excuse for it. As for them wanting girls closer to Lisa's age being the reason for firing Molly Ringwald? Sorry, but I don't buy that because she and Kim Fields were in the same age range when the show started. And Julie Anne Haddock leaving acting as young as she did? Wasted talent.
One of the catchiest theme songs in TV history, and fun fact-it was co-written by "Growing Pains" star Alan Thicke and sung by his then wife Gloria Loring! Once had the pleasure to meet Lisa when she spoke at an event in my hometown, and she said she still has her original Mickey Mouse ears. A rare, refreshing example of a child star who wasn't negatively affected by their early fame! She even competed along with her "Facts of Life" co-star Kim Fields in the reboot of "Battle of the Network Stars" in the summer of 2018 on a team of former sitcom stars, in which she was dunked in the dunk tank by Dave Coulier from "Full House."
Thanks for telling us about her i have a lot of respect for someone who can hold onto there morals in hollywood. Facts of life was a good show remember watching it when i was a kid.
I knew Lisa when she lived in Lake Worth, Tx. my brother and I were friends with her and her brother Cody. We would spend the night and give Lisa a hard time because she was always prepping her hair.
Lisa is a treasure. They wanted her to read for different characters for the Facts of Life but Lisa wanted to play Blair Warner and she got her wish. She took that character out to orbit where no other actress could have gone. I admire her convictions for not wanting to do a script she was against. However, one of my favorite Facts of Live episodes is when Blair Warner melts down because her cousin (played by Eve Plumb) wants to become a nun. She fights her all the way for wanting to give her life to God. I always loved that irony of doing that script but refusing to do the virginity script.
@@jdsundstrom OMG its excellent. I think its even a 2 part episode (but could be wrong). Blair freaks out and tries to convince her sister (not cousin) not to become a nun and everyone is telling Blair to chill but Blair refuses to yield. Episode is called "Best Sister"
Yes I did watch Facts of Life but I didn't keep up with all the episodes. I do remember Lisa on that show. That was just a character she played because no way does it define her as a person. So it looks like she did well for herself. It certainly sounds like she's happily married.
Side note: I just saw Mindy Cohn in the movie "A Nice Girl Like You." I was wishing Lisa popped up in more modern films. Too bad she gave up acting. She could still be a mom and also act at the same time if she wanted to.
She sometimes does TV movies for Hallmark and Lifetime. There’s a holiday movie starring and directed by Tootie’s actress, Kim Fields, and all the 4 main Facts girls show up in supporting roles. They’re all still really good friends.
Doesn't Lisa Whelchel still do that "Collector's Call" show on MeTv, or did it move to another channel? I viewed it a few times and liked it (pretty neat collections), and Lisa Whelchel is awful sweet (he he, nothing like her Blair character).
@@jdsundstrom Good, I wasn't sure it was still on; I think it's more lively than "Antiques Roadshow" and less pushy like those shows that pawn or sell goods (not like I think those shows are bad or anything, I just liked the mood & vibe of "Collector's Call"). I hope it stays on the air for a while.
1:45 Shawnte Northcutte and Julie Pierkarski also appeared on "The Facts of Life". Pierkarski was a main character during the first season and Northcutte appeared in an episode later on, the episode when Tootie feels the need to have more black friends.
Met her along with Rich Buhler on a boat either owned or chartered by KBRT AM 740 radio station. She was very short as I remember. It was an annual event where employees and family members got to go on a boat trip to Avalon Island, where the station broadcasted from. Never liked boats, and don't recall how I was roped into going.
Had the biggest crush on her, Nancy McKean and Kim Fields growing up! Very underrated actress who embodied Blair Warner and she's a Christian too? A+ lady!
A fantastic story that demonstrates the amazing heart of Lisa is the story of Geri Jewel who played Blair's disabled cousin on the Facts of Life. Geri was the first disabled person to be cast in a major sitcom. Geri and Lisa became very close friends. The Facts of Life eventually wrote Geri out of the scripts for unknown reasons. There is speculation the show found out Geri was gay and did not want a gay actress on the show. However, when she no longer was cast, Lisa would bring Geri to the show in hopes the writers or producers would say...lets put cousin Geri in this scene. Lisa had her back and sadly Geri was never cast again on the show.
According to the E True Hollywood Story on Facts of Life, the writers couldn’t come up with anymore stories with Geri. I take it they couldn’t write for a person with cerebral palsy without it being a “special episode.” I call BS on that. They could’ve still wrote Geri as they would someone who doesn’t have CP. In my observation people who have disabilities want to be treated like a regular person not special.
I remember watching The New Mickey Mouse Club. Lisa was my favorite of the girl Mouseketeers . The boys were all cool kids on the show. My sister was a fan of The Facts Of Life because she was a fan of Diff’rent Strokes(she loved Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges). Human trafficking, especially young girls, is an issue that really angers me. A gun or drugs can only be sold once. But a human being can be sold over and over and over again. I commend Lisa for her commitment to help others.
I've never watched the facts of life Dave I've came close to watching it on the roku channel Dave I may check that show out man since its on the roku channel need to watch it so I never knew what happened to Lisa whelchel it's cool different strokes was a spin-off from facts of life never knew she was a singer cool she became a Christian awesome thanks for sharing Dave great video 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
I didn’t watch The Facts of Life religiously but I did watch the show. It was a good coming of age show. Great to see Lisa turned out to be a Super family lady off screen. 👍
Great thorough video. You took the good, you took the bad, you took them both and here we have… Sorry couldn’t resist. We are currently going through Different Strokes with our kids and saw the spin off in season 1
Sounds like a classy woman on and off screen. I knew some of the things you mentioned about Lisa Whelchel, but you threw in somw new insight. Great video, bro!
Lisa is AWESOME.!!! I have a whole new perspective. I have total respect for her choices ! I am so proud of her! She took family and love over creeps and shoves! 💖 👍 I LOVED THIS STORY!!! L..0..V..E wins!!!
I realized what kind of person Lisa was on one of those celebrity prank shows waaay back in the 80's. Lisa was tricked into coming to an old fashion ice cream parlor and she meets the nervous, new young ice cream vendor employee. Lisa kindly forgives his awful missteps with a smile and genuine compassion. And, when this nervous fellow gets called away with another emergency he's caused, Lisa sees that the ice cream machine is still spewing ice cream even though there was no one there to tend it. Unable to stop the machine herself, Lisa kept filling dish after dish with ice cream that continued to shoot from it. She tries to yell for the nervous kid, but realizing that he couldn't hear her (and not wanting him to lose his job} she kept on filling bowls and so on with the still-shooting-out-the-machine ice cream until the employee finally returned. The average person would have been turned off of the place from the very moment the employee (tho a nice kid) showed himself to be completely incompetent, but Lisa did all that she could to forgive his mistakes and then worked HARD to keep him from getting fired with the machine mishap. That was admirable. When the prank was revealed, she had shown herself to be a pretty cool person even when she was unaware that she was on camera... unlike Tom Bosley who was outted as being kind of a grouchy jerk.
Thanks Dave, I just saw her on Mindy Cohn's podcast. She seems really well. This is still a guilty pleasure for me. I just binged watched it the other day.
another one of my crushes growing up, along with Valerie Bertinelli. I couldn't watch "One Day at A Time" anymore after Valerie started dating my favorite guitar player, Eddie Van Halen, that's when Lisa took her place lol.
She was offered the chance to read for friends. She read a sample script and saw it was going to include much premarital sex and but did not to participate in that.
I grew up with three sisters and a mother. There was no way I was getting away without watching the show. It was good though. I always had a crush on Jo.
I loved “The Facts of Life”, but, as funny and terrific as Lisa Whelchel was, my favorite girl on the show was Natalie Green, played superbly by Mindy Cohn. Since those days I’ve been following Cohn’s career on stage, on television and in the cinema (her 2010 film “Violet Tendencies” is a hoot). I’ve mentioned here before that my mom worked on “Diff’rent Strokes”; since the “Diff’rent Strokes” schoolroom (where my mom worked) was right next to the “Facts of Life” schoolroom, I used to hope that I’d get a chance to see one of the “Facts of Life” girls when my dad and I would go to pick my mom up at the studio. One day I saw Mindy Cohn get in her car and drive off the lot and I was so excited that I got to see that! “I saw Mindy Cohn drive off the ‘Facts of Life’ Lot!!!”
I didn't know Lisa was a mouseketeer or that she had done a pop music alblum . Thank you for the information Dave. To add to what you said not only did Lisa refuse to do the episode you talked about but from what I read, it was Blair who they originally wrote to be the one to lose her virginaty and Lisa refused to have her character do this. Without mentioning names one of her other cast members volunteered to have her character to be the one. So glad Lisa refused, and I totally agree with her decision. I also understand that her fellow cast mate Nancy McKeon now shares her strong beliefs in God. Love it if you also did one of these videos on Nancy. So happy you did this video Dave, 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖. ❤🙏
She is an Awesome woman. 😇 I heard an interview with her on a local Christian music station here in Detroit about 15 years ago. Beautiful person inside and out. If only some of those other Disney kids stories turned out as well. Good video, 🙏
You're either a collector or a hoarder, I'm more of a hoarder. I used to like the facts of life and the song. I remember Blairs character the most. Good to hear she is having a good life. Thanks Dave.
Much respect for anyone who isn’t intoxicated with their own celebrity.
I'm happy for her. Gives me hope. She's still gorgeous too.
She's also a grandmother.
There's still nobody like her. Wish she had been on more shows. Anybody who survives being a child star in Hollywood probably deserves a medal.
Totally agree, Tosh!
They all survived. Its great that the cast all got thru all that in one piece and are still working on projects now.
@@jdsundstrom all 11 child actors on the show survived.
I’m glad Lisa has found happiness in her life, and is doing what she loves. Hollyweird certainly didn’t destroy her, as it has so many others.
Lisa is still involved in Hollywood.
Like other guys my age back in the day we begrudgingly watched “Facts of Life” because our sisters were big fans and there was only one television. Truth be told though we all had a major crush on Blair and weren’t too unhappy about spending thirty minutes with her each week! I also was glad too see “Car 54…” alumnus Charlotte Rae performing. Now I really enjoy “Collector’s Call”.
Pop culture historian yes Dave, but maybe a bit of a life coach yourself. I’m certain I’m not the only viewer who comes away from your uploads with a positive, upbeat attitude and a refreshing catharsis from sharing my memories! Kudos and Godspeed my friend.
I liked watching the show because they were all around my age
@@Lance37a me too📼
I completely agree with the exception that I was infatuated with Jo.
@@howieduwit2551 I liked Jo, I just loved her tomboy look.
That woman was ridiculously fine!!!! 😍😍 EDIT: I really respect the fact that she didn’t get star struck, but stayed with her convictions while following her moral compass.
I, along with who knows how many others, had a major, major crush on Lisa. I still admire her for her beliefs and the way she's conducted herself over the years. Bravo!
I never watched this show, but I do remember Lisa and her awesome hair!
Love The Facts of Life ! Lisa and Kim were also in the Hallmark movie "For Better or for Worse". It was great seeing them together again. 💙
Kim fields helped Lisa whelchel get a small role in a Tyler Perry movie called madea christmas movie.
Lisa was a cute and pretty young girl and turned into a beautiful lady. Sounds like she did alright in life
I loved the Facts of Life ! I liked everyone on the show, but I really loved when Jo would come back at Blair with a great quip. Lisa was so beautiful and still is.
I love that she never allowed Hollywood to corrupt her solid relationship with Jesus.
Back then however, my favorite character was the rebellious Jo (Nancy McKeon) because I shared her character’s rebellious nature. Today, I’m in line with Lisa’s beliefs. ✝️
This was definitely one of my favorite shows.
Loved the Facts of Life, the show has such a long an interesting history, the stories always so fun and entertaining. Truly a legendary tv show and Blair was always a favorite of mine, Lisa played the character to perfection with such warmth and humanity she never really felt like a “ mean girl”.
Lisa’s a one of a kind talent and all around lovely person. I always love Facts of Life and Blair was probably my favorite (but I love all 4 of the main girls though) and a huge part of why I love Blair is because Lisa had such a way with comedic delivery and her persona as Blair was such an entertaining character to watch especially when she and Jo’s friendship took focus.
Well said, MyStringSnapped!
Everyone of yours videos mentions something that makes me go...OH YEAH!!! I remember that!!!
Keep on Dave! Your videos so SPECIAL
God bless you!
I'm so eager to watch the video right now!
Hope you enjoy it!
So happy Lisa has chosen the path which fulfills her truly. She is every bit as beautiful on the inside. Bless her and bless this truly awesome channel! 🏆🎖
She is a very decent human being.
I always loved the show & Lisa is doing great things!
She sure is! Thanks for the comment, Velina!
A natural beauty and a positive individual. From how it appears, she takes being a Christian seriously. As a Christian myself, following the teachings of Jesus is what we are to do. Bless you, Lisa, my Sister in Christ. 🙏 Thanks for another informative video, Dave.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video, funzjag!
I didn't realize Lisa was a member of the Mickey Mouse Club. I'm so glad she didn't go down the destructive evil path of Disney. In reality the Facts of Life showed Lisa Welchel that serving Jesus Christ was more important than Hollywood. Great video as usual Dave !
Blair definitely showed her traditional family values in this episode. th-cam.com/video/bh_-sZaik2A/w-d-xo.html
I love her on Collector's Call, too!
Fun show!
Me too
I love The Facts Of Life.
Love Lisa, and a great, funny actress in “The Facts of Life”…always loved her positiveness and values
Thanks for the Mollyringwold tidbit. That's some cool trivia.
Any time!
Molly ringwald was terrific in the films, sixteen candles and the breakfast club.
I used to receive letter from her blog over a decade ago.
I always respected her for following her heart and her beliefs. She was in a really cute movie in 2014 called "Falling for Christmas" that I really enjoyed, too.
I'm definitely going to check that movie out!
@@jdsundstrom Lisa is lovely in it and I think the happiness in her personal life shines through the role to make it more enjoyable. It's free viewing on Amazon Prime
One of my favorite shows growing up and I still enjoy it on logo. I had already been watching Survivor for awhile so it was a nice surprise to have Lisa on the show. Blair was never one of my favorite characters but it was always good to know that Lisa was nothing like the character she played
What stood out to me was how these ladies never lost their moral compass. Through good times and bad, they seemed grounded in their own persons.
Thank Goodness none of them ever got arrested or became drug addicts, Like most of the Cast of Different Strokes.
What was in the water of the Different Strokes Set that everyone who worked on that Show wound up on the F.B.I.'s Most Wanted List?
Great show. Loved Lisa Whelchel. Wanted to marry her when I was growing up.
I loved Facts of Life. Blair was a great character..Jo was my favorite
Love The Show. Fasts Of Life was the spine-off of Different Stroke. Lisa was from Dallas and still around. The reason I love her, she's very smart and down to earth. Thanks for her profile.
I am speechless at how perfectly this video describes Lisa Whelchel as well as her Facts of Life co-stars. Dave, is there anything you can't do? Great job.
Wow, thank you, James! Your kind words are truly appreciated.
Very well done. I wonder if Lisa knows about your tribute to her? I bet she would love it.
If she ever runs across it, I hope she feels like I treated her with respect and dignity.
Lisa whelchel would be flattered by this tribute.
I've always liked Lisa Whelchel . One of my first TV crushes . Like her on the collector's shows on Me TV .
She still has FABULOUS hair!!😍
She sure does!
She also has a fabulous face.
Another gem Dave, thank you! Soon we’ll need a cool biography on the great Dave Sundstrom!
No one needs that!
Sometimes, former child stars are embarrassed by their old TV shows. But the women of Facts of Life need not feel that way. Every episode had plots that imparted values & lessons, something that most sitcoms don't have. Lisa should be proud for being part of a very funny but wholesome, family friendly series.
Well said, Sam!
Molly Ringwald was the exception.
It's great to hear about a celebrity making a difference for a worthy cause.
In the early 80's,every boy knew who she was!
Absolutely!
Loved Facts of Life! The show had heart. Blair was my favourite girl on the show and I liked her relationship with Jo. It'd be kind of cool if they ever did a reunion show with the old cast and Lisa taking over Ms Garrett's role as headmistress of Eastland for a new generation of girls...probably wouldn't fly but I'm a sucker for a reunion show. Glad to know Lisa is living the good life and helping to save women and children from human trafficking. I admire that dedication to making the world a better place. Thanks Dave!
They tried that in the final episode. It failed.
"You take the good, you take the bad. You take it all and there you have: The Good Stuff!" As an aside, when Blair Warner (Lisa) and others first appeared on Diff'rent Strokes, her character was vastly different. She was a smoker and more like Jo (Nancy McKeon). I know Facts was more of a girl's slice of life, compared to Diff'rent Strokes, but I still watched it and enjoyed it. Lisa and Nancy were both so pretty, as a young teen, they were hard not to look at. Good pick, Dave!
Blair only smoked in the pilot. Lisa sabotaged the scene so they would never have Blair smoke again.
I noticed where Julie Piekarski, who was on FOL in its first year, was Lisa's fellow Mouskeeter.
I noticed that as well!
Yes I loved Julie. All my friends loved Kelly Parsons. Who could blame them though?
JP was my favorite, then they got rid of her along with several others.
@@rino7789 No excuse for it. As for them wanting girls closer to Lisa's age being the reason for firing Molly Ringwald? Sorry, but I don't buy that because she and Kim Fields were in the same age range when the show started. And Julie Anne Haddock leaving acting as young as she did? Wasted talent.
One of the catchiest theme songs in TV history, and fun fact-it was co-written by "Growing Pains" star Alan Thicke and sung by his then wife Gloria Loring! Once had the pleasure to meet Lisa when she spoke at an event in my hometown, and she said she still has her original Mickey Mouse ears. A rare, refreshing example of a child star who wasn't negatively affected by their early fame! She even competed along with her "Facts of Life" co-star Kim Fields in the reboot of "Battle of the Network Stars" in the summer of 2018 on a team of former sitcom stars, in which she was dunked in the dunk tank by Dave Coulier from "Full House."
You're right. It was a fantastic theme song. One of the best!
Great tv series 🌍
Lisa and Nancy were my favorites on the show.
Kim fields and Mindy Cohn were my favorites on the show.
My Favorite Was Kim Fields!!!
Thanks for telling us about her i have a lot of respect for someone who can hold onto there morals in hollywood. Facts of life was a good show remember watching it when i was a kid.
I didn’t know much about her before other than she had a pretty face. What a class act!
I think it's due on Kim Fields Dave
I knew Lisa when she lived in Lake Worth, Tx. my brother and I were friends with her and her brother Cody. We would spend the night and give Lisa a hard time because she was always prepping her hair.
Too funny! Thanks for sharing, James. 🙂
Heck yeah I was a fan, I still watch it whenever I can on Antenna TV. I was So in love with Natalie when I was a kid.
Lisa is a treasure. They wanted her to read for different characters for the Facts of Life but Lisa wanted to play Blair Warner and she got her wish. She took that character out to orbit where no other actress could have gone. I admire her convictions for not wanting to do a script she was against. However, one of my favorite Facts of Live episodes is when Blair Warner melts down because her cousin (played by Eve Plumb) wants to become a nun. She fights her all the way for wanting to give her life to God. I always loved that irony of doing that script but refusing to do the virginity script.
I don't remember that episode. I'm a big fan of Eve...so, I guess I'm going to have to track that one down.
@@jdsundstrom OMG its excellent. I think its even a 2 part episode (but could be wrong). Blair freaks out and tries to convince her sister (not cousin) not to become a nun and everyone is telling Blair to chill but Blair refuses to yield. Episode is called "Best Sister"
You take the good, You take the bad,
You take them both and there you have-The Facts of Life.
The Facts of Life...
Best Theme Song in the World.
One of the best for sure!
ABSOLUTELY,The Theme Song,The Primise Of The Series The Storylines,No Wonder It Lasted 9 Years,I Grew Up Watching It!!!
Yes I did watch Facts of Life but I didn't keep up with all the episodes. I do remember Lisa on that show. That was just a character she played because no way does it define her as a person. So it looks like she did well for herself. It certainly sounds like she's happily married.
She's going to be a grandmother soon.
Lisa is on her second marriage.
Side note: I just saw Mindy Cohn in the movie "A Nice Girl Like You." I was wishing Lisa popped up in more modern films. Too bad she gave up acting. She could still be a mom and also act at the same time if she wanted to.
She sometimes does TV movies for Hallmark and Lifetime. There’s a holiday movie starring and directed by Tootie’s actress, Kim Fields, and all the 4 main Facts girls show up in supporting roles. They’re all still really good friends.
I need to track down that movie!
@@jdsundstrom It's called "You Light Up My Christmas"
Lisa has been back acting for many years now.
Great video I wondered what happened to her
Thanks Danny!
Doesn't Lisa Whelchel still do that "Collector's Call" show on MeTv, or did it move to another channel? I viewed it a few times and liked it (pretty neat collections), and Lisa Whelchel is awful sweet (he he, nothing like her Blair character).
She sure does! I talk about it towards the end of the video.
@@jdsundstrom Good, I wasn't sure it was still on; I think it's more lively than "Antiques Roadshow" and less pushy like those shows that pawn or sell goods (not like I think those shows are bad or anything, I just liked the mood & vibe of "Collector's Call"). I hope it stays on the air for a while.
I think it's on a break for the summer because they have Ed Sullivan on now and they didn't want to run repeats.
@@toddmccreary4579 Oh. Thanks for answering my question!
I don't see it anymore so I guess it was cancelled,
1:45 Shawnte Northcutte and Julie Pierkarski also appeared on "The Facts of Life". Pierkarski was a main character during the first season and Northcutte appeared in an episode later on, the episode when Tootie feels the need to have more black friends.
What a nice story.
Very few people in showbiz age well. She has in more ways than one.
She aged well like fine wine 🍷.
Yay, Lisa!
Wasn't the Facts of Life a Spinoff of Different Strokes? I seem to remember Mrs.Garrett started off as a Character on that Show.
Yes.
Facts of Life is part of a Shared Universe, Alongside Different Strokes and Hello, Larry.
It sure was!
@@jdsundstrom
Ms Garrett sure got around
@@marktheeagle3719 And Silver Spoons
Met her along with Rich Buhler on a boat either owned or chartered by KBRT AM 740 radio station. She was very short as I remember. It was an annual event where employees and family members got to go on a boat trip to Avalon Island, where the station broadcasted from. Never liked boats, and don't recall how I was roped into going.
You're right. She's not that tall. Thanks for sharing, 20alphabet!
I love that show I have the complete series of the facts of life and I grew up in peekskill NY until 1984
Had the biggest crush on her, Nancy McKean and Kim Fields growing up! Very underrated actress who embodied Blair Warner and she's a Christian too? A+ lady!
She really won the world by coming in second on Survivor. She was remarkable in her graciousness through the whole thing. Such a good spirit. 👍
A fantastic story that demonstrates the amazing heart of Lisa is the story of Geri Jewel who played Blair's disabled cousin on the Facts of Life. Geri was the first disabled person to be cast in a major sitcom. Geri and Lisa became very close friends. The Facts of Life eventually wrote Geri out of the scripts for unknown reasons. There is speculation the show found out Geri was gay and did not want a gay actress on the show. However, when she no longer was cast, Lisa would bring Geri to the show in hopes the writers or producers would say...lets put cousin Geri in this scene. Lisa had her back and sadly Geri was never cast again on the show.
Thanks for sharing, Wild1995!
According to the E True Hollywood Story on Facts of Life, the writers couldn’t come up with anymore stories with Geri.
I take it they couldn’t write for a person with cerebral palsy without it being a “special episode.”
I call BS on that. They could’ve still wrote Geri as they would someone who doesn’t have CP. In my observation people who have disabilities want to be treated like a regular person not special.
I always like Lisa Whelchel and I am glad to hear she has had a fulfilling life away from the camera.
Lisa whelchel has strong morals.
I remember watching The New Mickey Mouse Club. Lisa was my favorite of the girl Mouseketeers . The boys were all cool kids on the show.
My sister was a fan of The Facts Of Life because she was a fan of Diff’rent Strokes(she loved Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges).
Human trafficking, especially young girls, is an issue that really angers me. A gun or drugs can only be sold once. But a human being can be sold over and over and over again.
I commend Lisa for her commitment to help others.
I loved the show,and loved all the actresses ,thank you
I've never watched the facts of life Dave I've came close to watching it on the roku channel Dave I may check that show out man since its on the roku channel need to watch it so I never knew what happened to Lisa whelchel it's cool different strokes was a spin-off from facts of life never knew she was a singer cool she became a Christian awesome thanks for sharing Dave great video 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
I'm glad you enjoyed the video, Cade. 🙂
Awesome Dave I did man enjoyed the video buddy 😊
I was a fan of hers Dave and watched the show every week
I didn’t watch The Facts of Life religiously but I did watch the show. It was a good coming of age show. Great to see Lisa turned out to be a Super family lady off screen. 👍
Thanks for sharing, Joe!
She has aged better than just about any actress I've ever seen and it looks natural. Something to be said for clean living.
Lisa whelchel took good care of herself and she didn't have plastic surgery like most actresses do. From Ms. Harper Stacey.
Yes I remember watching The Facts Of Life when it was on NBC as a kid. I pretty much watched it until the show went off the air.
The last I remember was a role in a Steve Taylor video as a news reporter.
I remember that!
Who is Steve Taylor? From Ms. Harper Stacey.
Great thorough video. You took the good, you took the bad, you took them both and here we have… Sorry couldn’t resist.
We are currently going through Different Strokes with our kids and saw the spin off in season 1
Sounds like a classy woman on and off screen. I knew some of the things you mentioned about Lisa Whelchel, but you threw in somw new insight. Great video, bro!
Thanks for the comment, Paul!
@@jdsundstrom You're welcome.
good evening buddy. i hope your having a great weekend.
Lisa is AWESOME.!!! I have a whole new perspective. I have total respect for her choices ! I am so proud of her! She took family and love over creeps and shoves! 💖 👍 I LOVED THIS STORY!!! L..0..V..E wins!!!
Well said, Cindy!
@@jdsundstrom 🙌🥰
Lisa whelchel is an inspiration to others.
@@harperstacey9604 Yes., she sure IS!! 🙌✨
She has been consistent in her beliefs and faith and that’s refreshing…
Lisa whelchel has morals and values. From Ms. Harper Stacey.
I realized what kind of person Lisa was on one of those celebrity prank shows waaay back in the 80's. Lisa was tricked into coming to an old fashion ice cream parlor and she meets the nervous, new young ice cream vendor employee. Lisa kindly forgives his awful missteps with a smile and genuine compassion. And, when this nervous fellow gets called away with another emergency he's caused, Lisa sees that the ice cream machine is still spewing ice cream even though there was no one there to tend it. Unable to stop the machine herself, Lisa kept filling dish after dish with ice cream that continued to shoot from it. She tries to yell for the nervous kid, but realizing that he couldn't hear her (and not wanting him to lose his job} she kept on filling bowls and so on with the still-shooting-out-the-machine ice cream until the employee finally returned. The average person would have been turned off of the place from the very moment the employee (tho a nice kid) showed himself to be completely incompetent, but Lisa did all that she could to forgive his mistakes and then worked HARD to keep him from getting fired with the machine mishap. That was admirable. When the prank was revealed, she had shown herself to be a pretty cool person even when she was unaware that she was on camera... unlike Tom Bosley who was outted as being kind of a grouchy jerk.
Love it! Thanks for sharing!
That was on a Program called TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes. I remember that show, It ran on NBC.
@@loanaoftheshellpeople5627 Yeah, I couldn't recall which prank show. The one with Steve Scrovan or the one with Dick Clark and Ed McMann
Hey Dave how are you doing. I liked it when jo and Blair went at it it was comedy gold. Your tv friend Lance😃😃
Doing great, Lance! Yep, those girls sure were funny. 🙂
Thanks Dave, I just saw her on Mindy Cohn's podcast. She seems really well. This is still a guilty pleasure for me. I just binged watched it the other day.
I just listened to the one with Nancy McKeon on it. Good stuff!
@@jdsundstrom It is good, I left out the Facts of LIfe in my statement, I binged on that for a week straight. LOL
Blair was my favorite and even though I'm gay, I had a crush on her. I have only good memories of the show.
Thanks for sharing Jeff!
Haha, funny enough, I’m gay and had a “crush” on Blair too. Looking back on it, I think I just really admired her confidence and audacity.
A gay man can't have a crush on a woman.
@@harperstacey9604 ROFL
@@kamoogy if a gay man has a crush on a woman, he's bisexual. He's not totally gay if he had feel ings for a woman.
I had a MAJOR crush on her as a kid. Later on the crush switched to Tutti.
Tootie was a cutie as well!
another one of my crushes growing up, along with Valerie Bertinelli. I couldn't watch "One Day at A Time" anymore after Valerie started dating my favorite guitar player, Eddie Van Halen, that's when Lisa took her place lol.
Kevin! Good to see a comment from you! I hope all is going well, my friend.
@@jdsundstrom so far so good. I'd like to do another show with you soon if possible.
I love me some Blair
She was offered the chance to read for friends. She read a sample script and saw it was going to include much premarital sex and but did not to participate in that.
Wow. Seems pretty prudish. Oh well. Live and let live.
She wasn't prudish. She was a proper decent woman.
@@arthousefilms having standards is prudish?
Yeah I read that...she was supposed to be Rachel and Nancy mckeon was supposed to be Monica....
I love her on collectors call
Wonderful lady. Great job David as usual. My favorite character though was Mrs. Garrett.
Thanks for sharing, Marc!
I grew up with three sisters and a mother. There was no way I was getting away without watching the show. It was good though. I always had a crush on Jo.
Don't forget the 1990's too, the good stuff.
I loved “The Facts of Life”, but, as funny and terrific as Lisa Whelchel was, my favorite girl on the show was Natalie Green, played superbly by Mindy Cohn. Since those days I’ve been following Cohn’s career on stage, on television and in the cinema (her 2010 film “Violet Tendencies” is a hoot). I’ve mentioned here before that my mom worked on “Diff’rent Strokes”; since the “Diff’rent Strokes” schoolroom (where my mom worked) was right next to the “Facts of Life” schoolroom, I used to hope that I’d get a chance to see one of the “Facts of Life” girls when my dad and I would go to pick my mom up at the studio. One day I saw Mindy Cohn get in her car and drive off the lot and I was so excited that I got to see that! “I saw Mindy Cohn drive off the ‘Facts of Life’ Lot!!!”
Thanks for sharing, Charlie!
I didn't know Lisa was a mouseketeer or that she had done a pop music alblum . Thank you for the information Dave.
To add to what you said not only did Lisa refuse to do the episode you talked about but from what I read, it was Blair who they originally wrote to be the one to lose her virginaty and Lisa refused to have her character do this. Without mentioning names one of her other cast members volunteered to have her character to be the one. So glad Lisa refused, and I totally agree with her decision.
I also understand that her fellow cast mate Nancy McKeon now shares her strong beliefs in God. Love it if you also did one of these videos on Nancy.
So happy you did this video Dave, 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖. ❤🙏
I'm glad you enjoyed the video, Larry! Thanks for your comments.
She still keeps in touch with her cast mates to this day
She says her castmates were like a second family to her. From Ms. Harper Stacey.
She is an Awesome woman. 😇 I heard an interview with her on a local Christian music station here in Detroit about 15 years ago. Beautiful person inside and out. If only some of those other Disney kids stories turned out as well. Good video, 🙏
Hey you forgot to mention she was in a Tyler Perry movie Madia’s Christmas
She had a tiny role in the film.
You're either a collector or a hoarder, I'm more of a hoarder. I used to like the facts of life and the song. I remember Blairs character the most. Good to hear she is having a good life. Thanks Dave.
I'm glad you enjoyed the video, Doug!
She looks almost the same as she did when the Facts of Life ended. Amazing!
Lisa whelchel looked alot like Cissy fro the tv show, family affair.
@@harperstacey9604 Yes, she does now that you mention it.
My high school crush growing up. Her and Markie Post. 😍
Both sexy
Markie Post looked like Olivia Newton John.