FACTS OF LIFE DOWN UNDER, THE (TV)
Summary
This made-for-television film is a spin-off of the comedy series about four female students learning about the facts of life from a surrogate mother.
The story begins as Beverly Ann and the girls – plus Andy – head off to Australia and meet up with Miss Carstairs and the female students of the Koolunga School, their "sister" establishment. The energetic Miss Carstairs urges them to explore Sydney before the upcoming centennial events, and once aboard a ferry, Blair is pleased to meet Kevin Colton, who explains that he comes from an "old family" and is now a police inspector. He reveals that he is hunting a jewel thief, Nick Aintree, and invites Blair and Jo to be his "undercover constabularies." He stashes a recording device in their bags, promising to retrieve it later. Andy bonds with another young student, Jane, and they eventually make it to the house where they are to stay. That night, they head out for steaks and encounter Nick, who seems to take an interest in Jo. Tootie excitedly tells Natalie that she is "yearning for the outback," though Natalie seems unsure about venturing into the wilderness.
In the morning, Nick sneaks into the girls' home, but Jo and Blair catch him in a booby trap and discover that he also has a police ID. He swears that Kevin is the real thief and that he hid a priceless black opal in the recording device, though they realize that Natalie took it with her when she left with Tootie for the desert. Jo quickly leaves a message for Natalie at her hotel, though Natalie is unaware that she has the opal and thinks Jo is referring to a trivial matter. Beverly Ann and Andy visit a zoo and Andy explains that he is pondering his future, wondering if he should go into sheep farming, like his uncle. Beverly Ann reveals that an old flame of hers, Roger, moved back to Australia to tend his own farm, and Andy urges her to contact him. Kevin catches up with Blair and Jo while they are out shopping and takes them out to lunch, claiming that Nick's ID is fake and that he has dangerous criminal associates. Nick then joins them, and the girls are unsure about who is telling the truth.
Roger invites Andy and Beverly Ann to his ranch, and the reunion is a happy one. Roger offers to show Andy the ropes of sheep farming, and Beverly Ann meets his daughter, Gwen. Tootie continues enjoying the local lingo as she and Natalie explore the outback. Tootie soon comes across a handsome young man playing the didgeridoo and eagerly asks him questions about his culture. Natalie meets a young man of her own, Ren, who offers to show her his nearby cattle station. Blair agrees to go on a double date with Nick and Kevin, though Jo is still suspicious and calls Tootie again; she explains that Natalie is still out exploring and has her backpack – and therefore the opal – with her. Jo and Blair soon notice two mysterious men watching the house, and Natalie is alarmed when Ren's truck breaks down, stranding them in the desert overnight. Roger and Beverly Ann reminisce about their early days together and soon find themselves connecting romantically again. Jane calls Andy, who explains that he is "away on business" but would like to see her again soon.
Blair and Jo head to the opera with Kevin and Nick, both of whom continue to swear that the other is the real thief. Natalie and Ren huddle by the fireside and Natalie finds the uncut opal in her bag, guessing that her friends put it there as a joke. Roger and Beverly Ann's relationship continues to deepen, and Gwen reveals that her father has become friendly with a local widow, but guesses that he is fonder of Beverly Ann. Tootie's new friend educates her about some "primitive" rock paintings, though she is surprised to learn that his name is David, wondering if he has another "tribal name" as well. Jo and Blair resolve to visit the police and are then chased by the two watchers, but they make it onto the ferry and eventually hide in the Sydney Opera House, where they find themselves trapped in a choral rehearsal. Roger urges Beverly Ann to stay with him long-term, and when she explains that she must be "her own person" now that she is divorced, he promises that he will "let" her live as she pleases. Natalie and Ren flirt as he teaches her the mechanics of the boomerang, and though they use a camel to tow the broken-down car, Natalie is thrilled when Ren's father appears in a helicopter.
Tootie returns to the city with David and continues "teaching" him about modern-day life, but is shocked to realize that he is actually an American professor of anthropology at Yale and accuses him of lying to her. He points out that she made her own assumptions, however, and she reconsiders. Jo and Blair use the opera house's security team to aid them in escaping the two thugs; they finally meet up with Tootie and Beverly Ann for the centennial event celebrating the two schools' friendship. Andy tells Jane that he intends to explore other "fields" before deciding on his future, and Natalie arrives at the last second and hurries onstage to make her speech. She talks about her experiences in the outback and inadvertently mentions the opal. Kevin sprints onstage and steals her backpack, revealing that he is the true thief. He escapes in a speedboat, but Nick stops his two associates and Natalie uses her newfound boomerang skills to stop Kevin. They find that the opal is gone, though Kevin is still arrested for the backpack theft. Natalie then admits that Ren tossed the seemingly-useless stone out of the helicopter. The girls are all surprised to hear about one another's adventures, and Beverly Ann explains that she is not staying with Roger after all and is remaining with her "new family." Way out in the desert, two Aboriginal children come upon the opal and happily claim it as a plaything. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: November 30, 1999 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:36:22
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:94077
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy; Friendship; Australia; African-American Collection - Comedy
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV, 1987
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Virginia Carter … Executive Producer
- Rita Dillon … Supervising Producer
- Michael Lake … Producer
- Stuart Margolin … Director
- Gordon Cotler … Writer
- Fred Karlin … Music by
- Cloris Leachman … Cast, Beverly Ann Stickle
- Lisa Whelchel … Cast, Blair Warner
- Nancy McKeon … Cast, Joanne 'Jo' Polniaczek
- Kim Fields … Cast, Dorothy 'Tootie' Ramsey
- Mindy Cohn … Cast, Natalie Green
- Mackenzie Astin … Cast, Andy Moffett
- Mario Van Peebles … Cast, Dave Johnson
- Jay Hackett … Cast, Kevin Colton
- Joss McWilliam … Cast, Nick Aintree
- Andrew McKaige … Cast, Ren Calley
- Noel Trevarthen … Cast, Roger Pitt
- Misty Bernard … Cast, Jane Willis
- Sally Martin … Cast, Gwen Pitt
- Barbara-Jane Cole … Cast, Miss Carstairs
- Gary Waddell … Cast, Hugo
- Kristopher Greaves … Cast, Denny
- Melissa Bickerton … Cast, Helen Brown
- Martha Westbrook … Cast, Betty Owens
- Joan Bruce … Cast, Mrs. Winters
- Laurie Moran … Cast, Mr. Calley
- Bevan Wilson … Cast, Gerber
- Bernard Curran … Cast, Henry, the Hotel Clerk
- Dan Holiday … Cast, Aussie Passerby
- John Faasen … Cast, Choral Director
- Tony Deary … Cast, Opal Merchant
- Steve Dodd … Cast, Aborigine One
- Soul Bellear … Cast, Aborigine Two
- Annie Bryon … Cast, Counter Girl
- Danny Caretti … Cast, Waiter