WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY, THE: THE FACTS OF LIFE REUNION (TV)
Summary
This made-for-television film is a spin-off of the comedy series about ffour emale students learning about the facts of life from a surrogate mother.
The story begins as Mrs. Garrett enjoys a cruise vacation and bonds with the captain, telling him about her upcoming Thanksgiving reunion with "her girls." In Los Angeles, Tootie – now going by "Dorothy" – is a single mother to her daughter Tisha and has her own successful morning talk show, though she clearly misses the theater. Blair, a lawyer, is happily married to the wealthy Tad, though he tells her that he is too busy with work to join the reunion celebration. Natalie, a television producer, ends up driving the cab to Peekskill and meets up with Mrs. Garrett's son Raymond, who is now the overworked manager of the hotel owned by Blair. The hotel's high-strung chef, Gaugan, panics over the impending arrival of a food critic, and when Tootie arrives with Tisha, the three old friends visit Eastland, which is being torn down to make way for a modernized building. The girls happily reunite with Mrs. Garrett, though Jo's husband soon arrives and explains that she is stuck in L.A. for work, so her feisty young daughter Jamie opts to spend the weekend with them instead.
Natalie panics when her two boyfriends, Robert and Harper, who are both unaware of the other's existence, arrive at the hotel to surprise her. Her friends resolve to help her keep the two of them apart. Tisha and Jamie meet Sam, the hotel's cute young bellboy, who later invites them out on the town. As Natalie spends time with Harper, Tootie distracts Robert and shows him around town, where they find that the old Peekskill Playhouse has been closed down. Tootie is forced to hastily cover when Robert nearly catches Natalie and Harper kissing; Gaugan overhears Robert on the phone and mistakenly believes that he is the restaurant reviewer. Natalie tasks Tootie with "monitoring" Harper while she dines with Robert, and Gaugan is impressed to see that "a commoner" like Mrs. Garrett also has exceptional cooking talents. As the friends scramble to keep Natalie's suitors apart, Jamie, Tisha and Sam sneak out for the night and take Blair's car into town. After a lavish and bizarrely extended dinner, Robert decides that he is intruding on Natalie's weekend with her friends and decides to return to the city in the morning, much to her relief. The girls congratulate themselves on pulling off "the perfect crime," but when Robert requests a new room because of a leak, he finds himself face-to-face with Harper. Both men leave in anger upon learning of Natalie's two-timing.
Everyone is stunned when the three teenagers are arrested for breaking into Eastland, and the police clerk remembers Blair and Tootie's past as "reprobates." At the train station, Robert and Harper resolve to compete for Natalie's heart, and Blair grows frustrated as Tad repeatedly claims to be too busy for her phone calls. She asks Mrs. Garrett to lecture Sam and Jamie about their bad behavior, but Mrs. G. protests that she is "retired"; Blair attempts to do it herself, citing the lessons learned from her memorable cousin Geri. Tootie talks to Tisha, who explains that she hates her school and points out that Tootie works long hours and never discusses her late husband; Tootie resolves to make some changes. Harper and Robert return and map out an elaborate competition with assorted categories, including fitness, humor, romance and cultural literacy. Tootie, Blair, and Mrs. G. appoint themselves judges. The contest soon devolves into a fight, however, and Natalie is saddened when both men again depart.
Blair is upset when a woman answers Tad's phone, but Mrs. G. encourages her to improve her communication with her husband rather than jumping to conclusions. She then reports that Robert "won" the competition, but Natalie admits that she expected – and truly wanted – Harper. Tootie and Natalie tag along when Blair decides to find her possibly-philandering husband, though Natalie is annoyed to learn that she has to go overseas for work on Thanksgiving Day. She heads off in search of Harper; when Blair tracks down Tad and his "mistress," she finds that he has really been volunteering at a youth shelter, as he greatly desires children but believes that she does not. Natalie finds Harper at an airport and professes her love, and he immediately proposes to her. Blair and Tad decide that they are ready for kids after all, and Mrs. G. is startled to hear all of the news by phone, including the fact that the friends are moving their Thanksgiving meal to Wednesday.
As Gaugan and Mrs. G. hurry to make dinner, Tootie visits the playhouse with Tisha and suggests that they move to New York so that Tisha can attend Eastland and Tootie can finally return to the stage. Robert catches her there and suggests that they renovate the old theatre together as "partners," and Natalie approves of their new relationship. The restaurant critic finally arrives and is surprised to be redirected to Eastland, but she is highly impressed by the Thanksgiving meal. Mrs. G. makes a toast and honors each of her girls in turn, and as the evening turns into a dance party, everyone is amused when Mrs. G.'s sea captain beau bursts in to surprise her. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: November 18, 2001 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:58:55
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:68960
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - Comedy; Comedy; Friendship
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1997-2008
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Bissell vacuum cleaners
- TV - Commercials - Braun Oral-B 3D Excel toothbrushes
- TV - Commercials - Campbell's soups
- TV - Commercials - Cascade Complete dishwasher detergent
- TV - Commercials - Chex Morning Mix snacks
- TV - Commercials - Chysler automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Cool Whip whipped topping
- TV - Commercials - Curél lotion
- TV - Commercials - Dimetapp cold medication
- TV - Commercials - Disneyland theme parks
- TV - Commercials - Energizer Max batteries
- TV - Commercials - Fantastic Sams salons
- TV - Commercials - Ferrero Rocher candies
- TV - Commercials - Fruit of the Loom underwear
- TV - Commercials - Gain laundry detergent
- TV - Commercials - Girl Scouts of America organization
- TV - Commercials - Glad Cling Wrap
- TV - Commercials - Hallmark Gold Crown stores
- TV - Commercials - Hasbro Monopoly Disney Version board games
- TV - Commercials - Honda automobiles
- TV - Commercials - JCPenney stores
- TV - Commercials - Kellogg's Corn Pops cereal
- TV - Commercials - Kleenex tissues
- TV - Commercials - Kodak film
- TV - Commercials - Life Monsters Inc. board game
- TV - Commercials - Mattel Super Scooter Shannen toys
- TV - Commercials - Mazda automobiles
- TV - Commercials - McDonald's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Mitsubishi automobiles
- TV - Commercials - National Football League
- TV - Commercials - Nestle Tollhouse cookie dough
- TV - Commercials - Olive Garden restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Pampers diapers
- TV - Commercials - Pedialyte drinks
- TV - Commercials - Radio Shack stores
- TV - Commercials - Real California Cheese
- TV - Commercials - Reddi Whip whipped cream
- TV - Commercials - SC Johnson Ziploc bags
- TV - Commercials - Saran Quick Covers wrap
- TV - Commercials - Scott paper towels
- TV - Commercials - Sears stores
- TV - Commercials - Sprint PCS mobile phone services
- TV - Commercials - Sudafed Sinus Nighttime Plus medication
- TV - Commercials - Toyota automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Toys 'R' Us stores
- TV - Commercials - True Value hardware stores
- TV - Commercials - Vons Supermarkets
- TV - Commercials - Wal-Mart stores
- TV - Commercials - Walt Disney theme parks
- TV - Commercials - Zantac 75 heartburn medication
- TV - Promos - "According to Jim"
- TV - Promos - "Alias"
- TV - Promos - "America's Funniest Home Videos"
- TV - Promos - "Brian's Song"
- TV - Promos - "Even Stevens"
- TV - Promos - "Eyewitness News"
- TV - Promos - "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" home video
- TV - Promos - "Lizzie McGuire"
- TV - Promos - "Mary Kate and Ashley in Action"
- TV - Promos - "Oprah"
- TV - Promos - "The Practice"
- TV - Promos - "The Santa Clause"
CREDITS
- Ilene Amy Berg … Executive Producer
- Greg Copeland … Producer
- Charles Herman-Wurmfield … Director
- Howard Leeds … Developed by
- Benn Starr … Developed by
- Jerry Mayer … Developed by
- Dick Clair … Based on characters from the series created by
- Jenna McMahon … Based on characters from the series created by
- Max Enscoe … Writer
- Annie de Young … Writer
- Deborah Dean Davis … Writer
- Steve Dorff … Music by
- Mindy Cohn … Cast, Natalie Green
- Kim Fields … Cast, Dorothy 'Tootie' Ramsey
- Lisa Whelchel … Cast, Blair Warner
- Charlotte Rae … Cast, Mrs. Edna Garrett
- Mark Lutz … Cast, Harper Jason
- Barclay Hope … Cast, Robert James
- Joel Brooks … Cast, Raymond Garrett
- Kevin Jubinville … Cast, Tad Warner
- Carl Marotte … Cast, Rick Bonner
- Alexandra Johnson … Cast, Tisha Ramsey
- Mallory Margel … Cast, Jamie Bonner
- Joe Dinicol … Cast, Sam
- François Klanfer … Cast, Chef Gaugan
- Adam Reid … Cast, Donald
- Barry Stillwell … Cast, Officer Kendall
- Jennifer Foster … Cast, Maggie Rhodes
- John Bayliss … Cast, Davis
- Evan Caravela … Cast, Benjy
- John Gilbert … Cast, Captain
- Sam Moses … Cast, Cab Driver
- Karen Glave … Cast, Reviewer
- Ken Smith … Cast, Hotel Patron