Product Description

You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have THE FACTS OF LIFE... A spin-off of the tremendously popular Diff'rent Strokes, THE FACTS OF LIFE is the hilarious series that follows Mrs. Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) and her mission as housemother to instill values in the girls of Eastland School. The large first season cast included John Lawlor, Jenny O'Hara, Lisa Whelchel, Felice Schachter, Julie Piekarski, Kim Fields, Molly Ringwald, Julie Anne Haddock, and Mindy Cohn. By the second season, the show focused on Mrs. Garrett and just four Eastland girls - spoiled Blair, gossipy Tootie, wise-cracking Natalie, and rebellious Jo. Under Mrs. Garrett's guidance, these four go from wide-eyed school girls to mature young women...all while learning THE FACTS OF LIFE. Guest stars include the cast of Diff'rent Strokes, Helen Hunt and Richard Dean Anderson of TV's MacGyver. Includes all 29 laugh-packed episodes from Seasons One and Two.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13067 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2006-05-09
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 707 minutes

Amazon.com
Before Degrassi Junior High and Seventh Heaven, there was The Facts of Life--a feel-good sitcom where a lesson was learned at the end of each episode. Set in an all-girl boarding school, the series spanned nine seasons, countless hairdos, and an array of cast members and guest stars--some of whom (George Clooney, Helen Hunt, Molly Ringwald) would become very, very famous in the future. But in the 29 episodes that cover the first two seasons, the series introduces TV viewers to characters that represent girls everyone knows--Blair, the rich, spoiled girl; Natalie, the chubby smart aleck; Jo, the rebellious tomboy; and Tootie, the rollerskating tattletale.

A spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes, The Facts of Life was designed as a showcase for Charlotte Rae, who played jack-of-all-trades den mother Edna Garrett. But the show's central plots all revolved around the girls. Back in 1979, certain words weren't common on television. So when Blair tries to make a schoolmate feel bad, insinuating that the girl is a lesbian, she uses the word "strange" instead of the "L" word. The series is a coming-of-age story that plays to its target audience of teenage girls. While much of the humor isn't very sophisticated, the homespun messages the show spread are right on target, whether it's dealing with eating disorders, sexual promiscuity, or acknowledging that handicapped people are people, too. From 1979 to 1988, the girls would grow into young women who go to college, get jobs, and lose their virginity (not necessarily in that order). But in the early seasons, there's a sweet innocence that still rings true today. --Jae-Ha Kim

Customer Reviews

FUN IN A BOX!!!
This is so much fun to watch & remember watching a zillion years ago! Great show! Funny outfits! We loved it!

Great deal for 2 seasons
I grew up watching "The Facts of Life" but I was too young to remember the earlier seasons. Though I didn't remember anything other than the characters and theme song while watching this set (season 2), I felt right at home with the show.

I had never seen season 1 before. It really is... awful - in a good-natured way. The cast was too big, the character development minimal, and the acting was iffy at best. The jokes were not well timed, though some made it through okay. If anything, season 1 is worth it for the die-hard fans to see the three 'main' characters (Tootie, Natalie, Blair) so young and fresh as actors (and to see Blair in a better light without Jo around to piss her off). It also really made me appreciate season 2 a lot more, which is a far sight better than season 1 in quality.

Other reviewers have already covered the story of the show. I just wanted to add that I think this set is a good value for the two seasons in one, and is well-made. 2 DVD thin-paks with 2 discs in each, two discs per season. Two small actor interviews of "remembering the Facts of Life" is included on the first disc - the only people missing from which are Molly Ringwald, the gal who played Sue Ann, Nancy McKeon, and Charlotte Rae.

One other thing - "Facts of Life" was known for breaching subjects many other sitcoms, especially those aimed at teen girls, would never touch. By today's standards, many of these end up feeling like "a very special episode" but I admire the tact each episode had in handling each subject. Perhaps a might cheezy for todays audience, I though season 2 had aged a bit better than I had originally feared. And now I cannot wait for season 3 to arrive!

The best!!!!!!!!
I love this show!!!!!!!!!! It is so funny. I used to watch it on Nick at Nite. I got it at FYE for only $19:99. It was worth every penny. I will get the third season after but I hear that others may not come on DVD but I know you can get them on video. The show is the best but like other people said maybe the first season was not the best but I thought it was good and I loved the theme song it had for that season. How can anybody hate this show?