Flopcast 460: The Backs of Life 1 - The Girls School

<p>"The Backs of Life" is our stupid new project for the stupid new year! The plan is to examine each "backdoor pilot" episode of <em>The Facts of Life</em> in excruciating detail. (You know backdoor pilots. It's when an episode of an existing TV show is used to introduce a potential new spin-off show. This happened on <em>The Facts of Life</em>... a lot.) But we're starting with a 1979 episode of <em>Diff'rent Strokes</em> (season 1, episode 24, "The Girls School"), because <em>The Facts of Life</em> itself started there as a backdoor pilot. Thrill to Mrs. Garrett making the move from housekeeper (for a rich dude) to housemother (for a bunch of crazy girls). We meet some future <em>Facts of Life</em> regulars (Blair with a cigarette! Tootie on rollerskates! MOLLY RINGWALD!), some girls we'd never see again (Jennifer? Laura?), and a headmaster played by the cranky guy from <em>The Bob Newhart Show</em>. We also get generic disco music, a frog named Leon, Dana Plato as a ballerina (sort of), Gary Coleman in a donkey costume, and another mysterious Fake Brady Girl connection. Also: More TV talk with ESO Board Silly, more Rock and Roll Hall of Fame talk with Pop Culture Cosmos, Happy 100th Episode to The 42cast, and Happy Birthday to a Cobra Kai sensei.</p> <p><a href="https://flopcast.net/index.html" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">The Flopcast website!</a> </p> <p><a href="https://esonetwork.com/" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">The ESO Network! </a></p> <p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Flopcast" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">The Flopcast on Facebook! </a></p> <p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_flopcast/" target= "_blank" rel="noopener">The Flopcast on Instagram! </a></p> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/Flopcast" target="_blank" rel= "noopener">The Flopcast on Twitter! </a></p> <p><a href= "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-flopcast/id526877428?ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Please rate and review The Flopcast on Apple Podcasts!</a> </p> <p>Email: info@flopcast.net</p> <p><a hr