Josie Davis Tells All On Charles In Charge
Teen Throbs, 1989

Teen Throbs was delighted when Charles In Charge star Josie Davis consented to give us a behind-the-scenes peek at what her delightful series fellow stars are really like! Here's an intimate first-person portrait of your favorites from the hit MCA Television show!

Charles In Charge is the first TV show I ever worked on. In fact, it was my first real "acting" job because up to the time I became Sarah Powell on the show, I had only done commercials. I was thirteen then, and now I'm sixteen, so Scott Baio, Willie Aames, Alexander Polinsky and Nicole Eggert have become a kind of "second family" for me. Some weeks, I spend more time with them than my real-life family!

It sounds like "show biz" talk, but I have to start out by stating that Scott Baio is the best! I used to love him on Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi when I was a little girl, so you can understand that I was a little nervous when I first started working with him. Scott wouldn't have any of that! He worked so hard to make me feel comfortable, and over the years, I've seen him do that for countless others.

Everyone who watches our show knows what a terrific actor and comedian Scott is. But what you may not know is that he's one of the best - and fastest! - directors in television. He will be directing half of the next 40 shows we're filming. And we all love it when Scott directs, because we always get to go home early, every day - he's so efficient! Recently, another Scott, Scott Grimes, visited us for a week because he, too, is interested in directing, and Scott Baio invited him to watch him work on the stage and up in the directing booth.

Willie Aames has two big passions off-camera which all of us on the set hear about constantly - music and water sports. Willie has played at Disneyland and a lot of other popular teen-type places in Southern California, and I'm sure he'll come up with a recording contract soon. As to Willie's passion to get wet - he waterskis, scuba dives and surfs. I know one of his all-time favorite things is to go with some friends and explore the Channel Islands off the Southern California coast. He dives for lobster, and they explore for wildlife on the remote islands there.

Alexander Polinsky is like the little brother I never had. I do have an older brother, Joshua - he's 21, so I know what it's like to be the "little kid" in the family. Of course, Alexander has found out for himself what that's like recently. His father, Steve, and stepmom, Paula, just presented him with a baby brother, Justin. Alex spends alternate weeks with his dad and stepmother, and his real mother, Nancy.

One thing about Alexander - it's never boring on the set with him. He's a big practical joker, so we all keep an eye on what he's doing! I remember once when Nicole got him back - she gave him a handful of "Pop Rocks," which Alexander loves, and he popped the whole handful in his mouth before he found out it was salt!

Alexander is also in magic. Almost every week he has a new trick to try out on us. Our producer, Al Burton, is an amateur magician, too, so the two of them sneak off in the corners of the sound stage sometimes to trade professional magic secrets that we're not supposed to know!

Nicole Eggert plays my big sister, Jamie Powell, on Charles In Charge. Of the three Powell kids - Alexander, Nicole and me - she's the only one who had really done a lot of TV or movies before our series. She was in Clan of the Cave Bear with Darryl Hannah, Who's the Boss?, and the TV Movie I Dream of Jeannie - 15 Years Later. Nicole and her mom, Gina, recently bought a house on a hill near the studio, and Nicole has been spending a lot of time renovating and decorating it. She's also a terrific snow skier, and has taken advantage of a couple "down" weeks on our show to ski at Arrowhead and Big Bear, which are only about two hours from the studio.

Monday through Friday, we're all usually together on Stage 42 at Universal Studios. Alexander and I attend school on the set - we have a great teacher named Wesley. When we're not rehearsing or in school, sometimes we'll get on our bikes and ride up in the hills behind us, where the Universal Studio Tours are conducted. We'll check out the Psycho House or the Jaws exhibit. Once I rode my bike through the Avalanche, but I can't recommend the experience! I almost crashed! The security guards on the tour all know us, so Alex and I like to go behind the scenes on the Tour - and wave at the trams of visitors!

Our show is one of the few that allows younger audience members - a lot of shows say you have to be 18 or older - so if you ever come to Universal Studios, check out the Tour office and ask for tickets. We'd love to have you come for a taping!

You can write to Josie Davis c/o Charles In Charge, Universal Studios, 100 Universal Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608