FEATURE: "The Facts of Life Reunion" -- Thirteen years later,
Mrs. Garrett's "girls" have all grown into successful, independent
women. After a stint in the Peace Corps with her husband, a
widowed Mrs. Garrett is heading back to America, ready for a
new life and new romance and also looking forward to seeing
the girls again. Blair is wealthier than ever, after building a hotel
empire with her husband, Tad. But she suspects he is having an
affair. "Tootie," now preferring to be called by her real name,
Dorothy, has forsaken her acting hopes to host her own talk
show. Natalie is a dedicated TV news producer juggling an
active love life with a frenetic work schedule that takes her all
over the world. Jo, ever the free spirit, is a devoted cop, wife and
mother.
It's been years since Natalie has had a Thanksgiving back in
America, so she's talked all the girls and Mrs. Garrett into
spending the holiday together back in Peekskill, NY. When Jo is
unable to attend the reunion, her teenage daughter, Jamie, and
husband, Rick, come instead. They're all in for a surprise when
Natalie's not one but two boyfriends unexpectedly show up at the
reunion. Trouble soon starts, as both men compete for Natalie's
attention and exclusivity, so it's up to the girls to help solve
Natalie's predicament. Over the course of the holiday the girls
reveal to one another the personal troubles they face in their
adult years and discover that, despite the time that has passed,
they need each other's friendship more than ever.
AIRING: Sunday, November 18 (7:00-9:00p.m., ET)
STARRING: Mindy Cohn as Natalie Green, Kim Fields as
Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey, Lisa Whelchel as Blair Warner and
Charlotte Rae as Edna Garrett.
FEATURING: Mark Lutz as Harper, Barclay Hope as Robert, Joel
Brooks as Raymond, Carl Marotte as Rick, Alexandra Johnson
as Tisha, Mallory Margel as Jamie, Kevin Jubinville as Tad
Warner, Joe Dinicol as Sam, Francois Klanfer as Chef, Sam
Moses as the cab driver, Adam Reid as Donald, Ken Smith as
the patron, John Bayliss as Davis, Jennifer Foster as Maggie
Rhodes, Barry Stilwell as Officer Kendall, Karen Glave as the
reviewer and Evan Caravela as Benjy.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Ilene Amy Berg
PRODUCER: Greg Copeland
TELEPLAY BY: Max Enscoe & Annie deYoung
STORY BY: Max Enscoe & Annie deYoung and Deborah Dean
Davis
DIRECTED BY: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
MUSIC BY: Steve Dorff
EDITED BY: Ben Weissman
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Anthony Greco
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Lawrence Sher
COSTUME DESIGNER: Trysha Bakker
CASTING BY: Robin Cook, RDC Casting
MAKEUP BY: Katherine Southern
HAIR STYLIST: Cathy Shibley
SOUND MIXER: Greg Chapman
ORIGINATION: Toronto, Canada
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Berger Queen Productions in
association with Laurence Mark Productions, Columbia/Tristar
and Touchstone Television.
TV PARENTAL GUIDELINE: This program carries a TV-PG,D
parental guideline.
ABC MEDIA RELATIONS: Mozell Miley, New York (212) 456-6444
MINDY COHN
Natalie Green in "The Facts of Life Reunion"
Mindy Cohn made her acting debut as the witty, outspoken
Eastland Academy student, Natalie Green, in the hit comedy
series "The Facts of Life." She was discovered while attending
Westlake School for Girls in Bel Air, California, when actress
Charlotte Rae and producer Norman Lear came to the school to
authenticate scripts for their new show. Ms. Rae was so taken
with the vivacious eighth grader, she convinced producers to
create a role for her. Ms. Cohn remained on the show for nine
years, then traveled to Paris and Australia with her co-stars to
produce two successful television movies based on the series.
Concurrently with her role in "Facts," Ms. Cohn played Rose
Jenko in Fox's "21 Jump Street." Other notable television
appearances include "Diff'rent Strokes," "Double Trouble,"
"Charles in Charge," "Dream On" and "Suddenly Susan."
In 1983 Ms. Cohn appeared in her first professional stage
performance in "Table Settings," written and directed by James
Lapine and filmed for HBO Television. The illustrious cast
included Eileen Heckart, Stockard Channing, Robert Klein, Peter
Riegert and Dinah Manoff. She went on to make her feature film
debut in "The Boy Who Could Fly," which co-starred Colleen
Dewhurst, Fred Gwynne and Fred Savage.
Ms. Cohn took a hiatus from her career to attend Loyola
Marymount University, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in
Cultural Anthropology. During this time she studied
improvisation and scene work with Gary Austin, Harry
Mastergeorge and Larry Moss.
In 1993 Ms. Cohn received a Dramalogue Award for her
performance in a production of "Catholic School Girls" at the
Globe Playhouse in Los Angeles. The following year she
returned to television as Mo Tucker in the NBC series "The
Second Half," starring John Mendoza, Wayne Knight and Jessica
Lundy. In 1995 Ms. Cohn and Alan Thicke co-hosted the radio
show "Talkzone," which gave teens a venue to discuss pertinent
issues with their parents.
Most recently Ms. Cohn starred in the pilot "Virtually Casey" for
the Disney Channel. She also starred in the feature films "Dead
Simple," "Employee of the Month" and "Alone with a Stranger." In
addition to numerous voice-overs and television guest-starring
roles, Ms. Cohn remains busy with her production company,
Storm Productions.
Ms. Cohn currently resides in her birthplace of Los Angeles.
When not working, she actively fundraises for WeSpark, a
non-profit cancer support center.
KIM FIELDS
Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey in "The Facts of Life Reunion"
Kim Fields is an accomplished actress, director and producer
who has enjoyed a 25- year career in commercials, theater,
television and movies.
A former child star, Ms. Fields first became an immediate
sensation in television and commercials as the little girl in the
famous "Mrs. Butterworth" syrup commercial, and in a
co-starring role on the sitcom "Baby I'm Back." At the age of nine
she roller-skated into the hearts of America as Dorothy "Tootie"
Ramsey, the charming and sweet Eastland Academy student
who, along with friends Natalie, Jo and Blair, had a talent for
trouble in the popular series "The Facts of Life."
After a successful nine-year run on "The Facts of Life," Ms. Fields
graduated from Pepperdine University where she co-created,
produced and hosted the awarded-winning "Campus Spotlight:
Live with Kim Fields," attracting Whoopi Goldberg, Blair
Underwood, Betty White, Sugar Ray Leonard and Gladys Knight
as guests.
Shortly after graduation she starred in a five-year run on the
ensemble hit comedy series "Living Single," where she also
directed a few episodes. Subsequent directing credits included
music videos, numerous episodes of Nickelodeon's hit "Kenan
& Kel," "The Jersey," for the Disney channel, and "100 Deeds for
Eddie McDowd," for Nickelodeon. When she made her stage
directorial debut with the hit comedy "Vanities," she received the
1994 NAACP Theater Award for Best Director. Ms. Fields also
directed a critically acclaimed short film titled "Silent Bomb,"
which she co-wrote and executive-produced. This dramatic piece
about a woman living with HIV received an endorsement from
the Magic Johnson Foundation and received the Black American
Cinema Society's Director of the Year award for 1995.
On stage Ms. Fields received critical acclaim for her work in the
hit comedy stage production "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show,"
and her stage performance in "Fight the Good Fight" which won
her the 1985 NAACP Image Award for Best Actress. This past
summer she appeared in the play "Vagina Monologues."
These days Ms. Fields is busy directing her second season of
Nickelodeon's "Taina." She can also be seen in the suspense
thriller "Hidden Blessings," an original telefilm for BET, and the
independent romantic comedy feature, "Me & Mrs. Jones."
LISA WHELCHEL
Blair Warner in "The Facts of Life Reunion"
A native of Littlefield, Texas, Lisa Whelchel gained her first
professional acting experience at age 13, when she was cast
from a pool of more than 6,000 as a Mouseketeer for "The New
Mickey Mouse Club." Ms. Whelchel is perhaps best known for
her portrayal of Blair Warner on the popular series "The Facts of
Life," where she holds the unique distinction of being the only
cast member to have appeared in every episode during the
nine-season run.
Ms. Whelchel also has several films to her credit, including the
features "Where the Red Fern Grows, Part Two," and "The
Double McGufffin," as well as numerous telefilms such as
"Skyward," "The Magician of Lublin," "Twirl," "The Wild Women of
Chastity Gulch," "The Facts of Life Down Under" and "Where the
Red Fern Grows."
In 1984 Ms. Whelchel added recording artist to her resume. Her
vocal and composing talents are displayed on her critically
acclaimed debut solo album "All Because of You," for which she
received a Grammy nomination for Best Inspirational Album.
Her acting and vocal abilities have also been utlized on the
stage, including at Kansas City's Starlight Theater where Ms.
Whelchel performed the title role in "Peter Pan."
Ms. Whelchel has been married since 1988 to Steve Cauble, an
associate pastor in Van Nuys, California. A committed Christian,
Ms. Whelchel's days are devoted to caring for her family and
home-schooling their three children. She is the author of
"Creative Correction," published by Tyndale House and released
in October, 2000. The book is in its 5th printing and received a
Gold Medallion Nomination in the Family and Parenting
Category. Her second book, "The Facts of Life and Other
Lessons My Father Taught Me," published by Multnomah
Publishers, was released in September, 2001.
Ms. Whelchel is currently writing her third book, "Finding God in
America," while she and her family embark on a year-long trip
across America in a RV through July, 2002.
CHARLOTTE RAE
Edna Garrett in "The Facts of Life Reunion"
Stage and screen veteran Charlotte Rae is perhaps best known
for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Edna Garrett in the popular,
long-running series "The Facts of Life."
Over the last six decades, Ms. Rae has appeared in numerous
television series such as "Car 54, Where Are You," "The
Partridge Family," "All in the Family," "Good Times," "Barney
Miller," "Sesame Street," "The Love Boat," "Diff'rent Strokes," "St.
Elsewhere," "Murder, She Wrote," "Sisters" and "Diagnosis
Murder." She also received an Emmy Award nomination for her
performance in Jerome Kass' "Queen of the Stardust Ballroom."
Other notable television credits include the telefilms "Our Town,"
"The Facts of Life Goes to Paris," "Words by Heart," "Nowhere,"
"Crime in Connecticut: The Story of Alex Kelly" and "Another
Woman's Husband," as well as voice-over work in "Tom and
Jerry: The Movie" and "101 Dalmatians: The Series."
Ms. Rae, a graduate of Northwestern University, created the role
of Mrs. Peachum in the original famed production of "Three
Penny Opera," and recorded the original cast album in 1954.
She made her Broadway debut in "Three Wishes for Jamie" and
originated the role of Mammy Yokum in "Li'l Abner." She also
co-starred with Charles Durning and Madeline Kahn in "The
Boom Boom Room" at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Other
Broadway credits include "The Chinese and Dr. Fish," "The
Beauty Part" and "The Golden Apple" by Jerome Moross and
John Latouche.
Her exceptional body of work has been repeatedly recognized by
critics, as she received Tony Award Nominations for her
performances in the musical "Pickwick," co-starring Sir Harry
Secombe, and "Morning, Noon and Night," by Israel Horovitz,
Leonard Melfi and Terrence McNally. She received a Drama
Critics Circle nomination for her work in Samuel Beckett's
"Happy Days," and an Obie nomination for her turn in the
off-Broadway production of Terrence McNally's "Whiskey".
Off-Broadway Ms. Rae has displayed her versatility in a wide
range of roles. Her extensive theatrical credits include
Shakespeare in the Park's production of "Henry IV, Part 1 and
Part 2," co-starring with Stacey Keach and Sam Waterston;
appearing with Martin Sheen in "Romeo and Juliet"; playing
Jack's Mother in Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods"; and
starring opposite Joel Grey in "The Littlest Revue." Other stage
credits include "The New Tenant," "Victims of Duty," "Minnie's
Boys," "The Solid Gold Cadillac," "Love Letters," "Annie,"
"Prettybelle," with Angela Lansbury, and the title role in "Driving
Miss Daisy." Most recently she starred as the grandmother in
"Pippin" at the celebrated Papermill Playhouse during the
summer of 2000, and in "70, Girls, 70" at the York Theater in
January.
Ms. Rae currently resides in Los Angeles and New York and,
when not acting, enjoys spending time with her children and
grandchildren.