Diff'rent Strokes

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Diff'rent Strokes
Image:diffrentstrokes.jpg
Genre Sitcom
Creator(s) Jeff Harris
Bernie Kukoff
Starring Conrad Bain
Gary Coleman
Todd Bridges
Dana Plato (1978-1984)
Charlotte Rae (1978-1979)
Nedra Volz (1980-1982)
Mary Jo Catlett (1982-1986)
Danny Cooksey (1984-1986)
Dixie Carter
Josh Moses
Mary Ann Mobley (1985-1986)
Country of origin Flag of United States United States
No. of episodes 189
Production
Running time 30 Minutes
Broadcast
Original channel NBC, ABC
Original run November 3, 1978 – March 7, 1986
Links
IMDb profile

Diff'rent Strokes is an American sitcom that aired on the NBC television network from 1978 to 1985, and on ABC from 1985 to 1986.[1]

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

This sitcom starred Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson and Todd Bridges as his older brother Willis, two African-American children from a poor Harlem background whose deceased mother previously worked for a rich white widower Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain), who eventually adopted them. They lived in a penthouse with Drummond's daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato) and their maid (they went through three during the show's run: Edna Garrett (played by Charlotte Rae), Adelaide Brubaker (played by Nedra Volz), and Pearl Gallagher (played by Mary Jo Catlett) on Park Avenue in New York City. As Arnold, Coleman popularized the catch phrase "Wha'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?", which was popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s and is still mentioned in pop culture references today.

[edit] 1983-84 season

During the 1983-84 season, Phillip Drummond was re-married to Maggie McKinney (Dixie Carter, later played by Mary Ann Mobley), a television aerobics instructor. Carter was replaced after being cast as Julia Sugarbaker on Designing Women. She had one son, Sam McKinney (Danny Cooksey) from her previous marriage (to a character played by Hoyt Axton).

[edit] Spin-off

The television sitcom The Facts of Life (1979–1988) was a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes, involving former Drummond maid Mrs. Garrett as housemother of a dormitory at an all-girl private school.

[edit] Post-show troubles

Three of the child stars ended up having problems after the show ended. Plato died in 1999 due to a drug overdose, while Coleman and Bridges were involved in legal trouble. Due to these problems, "The Curse of Diff'rent Strokes" became a term associated with the show. Coleman publicly stated that he does not believe there is a curse on the cast members and that these incidents are merely tragic coincidences.

[edit] Very special episodes

Main articles: Very special episode#Diff'rent strokes and Very special episode

The show was also known (and frequently mocked) for its many "very special episodes", most notably an anti-drug episode in which then-First Lady Nancy Reagan appeared in order to reiterate her "Just Say No" campaign, and an episode that guest starred Gordon Jump as a bicycle shop owner who sexually molested Arnold's best friend, Dudley. In another episode, Kimberly and Arnold were held against their will by a deranged man who initially acted as a "Good Samaritan" by giving the two a ride and inviting them to his apartment. One show revolved around Arnold trying to help his friend who had become an alcoholic. In the final season (and first on ABC), in a special 1-hour season opener, Sam was kidnapped by a man to replace his son who had died. In yet another episode, the family discovered that Kimberly was suffering from bulimia.

[edit] Music connection

The name of the show was derived from a popular catch phrase, "diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks," popularized by rock band Sly & The Family Stone with their 1968 hit "Everyday People." The show's theme song was written by Al Burton, Alan Thicke and Gloria Loring.

It became somewhat popular again in the UK and Australia during 1990s re-runs.

[edit] Docudramas

Two unofficial docudramas were produced about the show:

  • In 2000, FOX broadcasted a one-hour television movie, After Diff'rent Strokes: When the Laughter Stopped. This film, which starred unknown actors, focused on Dana Plato's life after the show, leading to her untimely death. Todd Bridges guest starred in this film as a drug dealer who sold drugs — to a younger Todd Bridges.[2]
  • On September 4, 2006, NBC aired a television drama entitled Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of 'Diff'rent Strokes'. The film, which chronicles the rise and decline of the sitcom's child stars, also features recent interview clips with Coleman and Bridges. The two also star in the movie as themselves (briefly) in the final scene, standing by Dana Plato's grave.

[edit] DVD Releases

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released Seasons 1 and 2 of Diff'rent Strokes on DVD for Region 1. Seasons 3 through 8 are planned for release soon.

Cover Art DVD Name Release Date Ep # Additional Information
The Complete First Season (1978-79) September 14, 2004 24 Commentary with writer Paul Rubin, Featurette — Whatchoo Takin' Bout?
The Complete Second Season (1979-80) January 31, 2006 26
The Complete Third Season (1980-81) TBA 2008 22
The Complete Fourth Season (1981-82) TBA 26
The Complete Fifth Season (1982-83) TBA 24
The Complete Sixth Season (1983-84) TBA 24
The Complete Seventh Season (1984-85) TBA 24
The Complete Eighth Season (1985-86) TBA 19

[edit] Avenue Q

The Broadway musical Avenue Q contains a character named Gary Coleman, who, in the opening song "It Sucks To Be Me," sings "I'm Gary Coleman from TV's Diff'rent Strokes. I made a lot of money that got stolen by my folks. Now I'm broke and I'm the butt of everyone's jokes — but I'm here, the superintendent, of Avenue Q!" Before this line, when the character enters, the music plays "Now the world don't move..." which is the first five notes of the Diff'rent Strokes theme song. Dialogue references to Diff'rent Strokes, such as "Wha'choo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" are also included in the musical. The character of Gary Coleman was originally portrayed by actress Natalie Venetia Belcon.

[edit] Trivia

  • Conrad Bain and Gary Coleman reprised their roles of Phillip and Arnold on the last episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as potential buyers of the Banks house.
  • When ABC picked up the show after NBC cancelled it a new actress had to be found to play Maggie Drummond as Dixie Carter had committed to Designing Women shortly after the show's initial cancellation and thus was no longer available. Replacement Mary Ann Mobley had previously played a one-off love interest of Mr. Drummond's in a first season episode. In addition, Alan Thicke had to record a new version of the theme song, because NBC owned the copyright to the original.
  • The show originally came about when the producers wanted to create vehicles for both Conrad Bain, ex-co-star in Maude, which had recently finished, and young actor Gary Coleman, and paired them together. The original title was 45 Minutes From Harlem. It is unclear whether an original pilot was shot or if this was just the premise; but it was re-worked, with Coleman gaining a brother, and Bain a daughter, and evolved into Diff'rent Strokes.
  • During a sketch on the Comedy Central show Crank Yankers, the show is featured as Diff'rent Strokes: The Movie directed by Spike Lee. The only line of dialogue heard is, "Arnold, go to your room!" followed by "WHA'CHOO TALKIN' 'BOUT?", parodying Lee's use of graphic language in his films.
  • Five Iron Frenzy, in tribute to the show, recorded a song entitled Arnold, and Willis, and Mr. Drummond.
  • The Simpsons episode entitled "Grift of the Magi", which originally aired in 1999, features Gary Coleman's and Tim Robbins' voices.

[edit] International

  • In France, the show was shown on TF1 under the name Arnold et Willy ("Arnold and Willy").
  • In India, the show was aired on Sony Entertainment Television (India) in the late 1990s, dubbed in Hindi.
  • In Italy, Seasons 1 and 2 were originally aired on some local TV networks under the name Harlem contro Manhattan ("Harlem vs. Manhattan"). Its Italian theme music, Arnold, was performed by Nico Fidenco, one of the most popular Italian singers of the 60s, and was #1 on the Italian 45-rpm charts in 1980. Seasons 3 through 6 were aired on the Canale 5 commercial network under the name Il mio amico Arnold ("My friend Arnold"). After 1988, the complete show was renamed Arnold and aired on several commercial TV networks. As of March 2006, the best episodes from the early seasons were aired on the Mediaset DTTV channel Boing.
  • In Latin America, the title for this TV series was Blanco y Negro ("White and Black").[3]
  • In Spain, the show was called Arnold.
  • In the United Kingdom, the series was shown from 1980 on the ITV Network in a regional format as with most acquired material. The days varied in different regions, but many showed it on Fridays, at 5.15pm or 6.30pm as was followed by Yorkshire Television. The show experienced a resurgence in popularity in the early 1990s when Sky One acquired the rights and showed the entire series on weekday evenings over a number of repeat runs (sometimes followed by its spin-off show The Facts of Life). It has since been repeated on Trouble and Paramount Comedy.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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