"The Facts of Life"
Rough Housing (1979)

Director:

Nick Havinga

Writers:

Dick Clair (creator)
Howard Leeds (developer)

TV Series:

"The Facts of Life" (1979)

Original Air Date:

24 August 1979 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Cindy decides not to attend the Harvest Ball when Blair intimates that because of her tomboyishness she might be a lesbian.

Plot Keywords:

Handyman | Schoolgirl | Uniform | Boarding School | Sitcom

Cast

Charlotte Rae	...	Mrs. Edna Ann Garrett
John Lawlor	...	Headmaster Steven Bradley
Jenny O'Hara	...	Miss Emily Mahoney
Lisa Whelchel	...	Blair
Felice Schachter	...	Nancy
Julie Piekarski	...	Sue Ann
Julie Anne Haddock	...	Cindy
Molly Ringwald	...	Molly
Mindy Cohn	...	Natalie
Kim Fields	...	Tootie
Conrad Bain	...	Phillip Drummond
Gary Coleman	...	Arnold Jackson
Todd Bridges	...	Willis Jackson
Dana Plato	...	Kimberly Drummond

Movie Connections:

References "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" (1963)

One of the first TV shows that adressed sexuality...

I applaud "Facts of Life" for not shying away from covering heavy subject matter, such as sex, drugs, abortion, breast cancer, prejudice, mental illness and other issues that have only been flirted with on previous television shows. And, one of the few programs where the "Very Special Episode" didn't center on pedophilia (although there was the one episode where Tootie is lured into child pornography, but that was very taboo on TV back then, so it still warrants praise). But I give this show high marks for tackling risky subject matter right from the get-go, as seen in this episode. I for one do not see why there'd be so much controversy aimed at this "Facts of Life" episode, being that since then, there have been programs with violence and sex. I felt that the very first "FOL" episode tackling possibly lesbianism was very commendable, especially since this is a show aimed at girls and young women. And many young girls go through that stage in there life where they don't know who they are, or who they're supposed to be, and, yes, that question regarding their true sexuality is often brought to mind, especially when we are often forced to comform to the roles of modern femininity. I mean not to trivialize young men who also feel the pressure of having to comform to traditional male stereotypes and who often get plastered for liking certain "female-oriented" things, but there have been plenty of TV shows and movies that have dealt with that...so, why can't a TV show deal with a young woman facing these issues?! And I personally feel they dealt with the subject matter very tastefully on "Facts of Life", especially this episode. They never once came out and said "lesbian", or "gay", but yet the viewer clearly knew what was being addressed. The first season of "Facts of Life" often gets panned and was ridiculed by TV critics, but I thought they did some great episodes in those days. Tackling other issues such as eating disorders and low self-esteem, as well as peer pressure, drugs and sex. I loved all 9 seasons of this show, and think it is one of the few shows that has truly evolved with time along with the characters, and one of the few all-female shows that has done so. I miss this show, being that today, we are either stuck with "Desperate Housewives"-type shows where the female characters are all at each other's throats, or shows where there is only one lone female character in a mostly male enssemble cast. But, not to get away from this episode, but it has broken new ground in television, as "Facts of Life" has always done so brilliantly.