Actor Mindy Cohn did not audition for the show. However, the producers visited a girls' school to see how they interacted. She was a social magnet just being herself, and they created Natalie based on Cohn. She then tested in the role.
Kim Fields was only ten years old when she started playing Tootie, who was supposed to be 12. However, to make her appear taller and older, the character was always on roller skates for the show's first year.
Mindy Cohn met Lucille Ball when she was having dinner with Cloris Leachman. Miss Ball grabbed her hand and said, "You and Tootie remind me of Viv and me. You are a very funny lady Miss Cohn. You keep it up 'cuz you have a lot to offer!" Coincidentally, Ball had starred in the film The Facts of Life (1960).
After leaving the show in the seventh season, Charlotte Rae recommended Cloris Leachman replace her. Rae and Leachman were classmates at Northwestern University and were roommates when they were young struggling actors in New York City.
George Clooney was fired from the show in the eighth season after the "A Star Is Torn" episode.
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