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Feature Of the Month

Diff'rent Strokes!

Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that aired on the NBC television network from November 3, 1978 - May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985 - March 7, 1986.

This sitcom starred Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson and Todd Bridges as his older brother, Willis. They played two black children from a poor Harlem neighborhood whose deceased mother previously worked for a rich white widower, Philip Drummond (Conrad Bain), who eventually adopted them. They lived in a penthouse with Mr. Drummond, his daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato), and their maid.

Diff'rent Strokes was also known for its many "very special episodes", most notably an anti-drug episode ("The Reporter", in Season 5) that featured then-First Lady Nancy Reagan, who promoted her "Just Say No" campaign, and an episode that guest starred Gordon Jump as a pedophile bicycle-shop owner, who attempted to sexually molest Arnold and Dudley. The sexual abuse episode was credited somewhat for bringing the crime of child molestation (and its warning signs) more into the public eye.

The television sitcom The Facts of Life (1979 – 1988) was a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes, involving Mr. Drummond's former maid, Mrs. Garrett, as the house-mother for a dormitory at an all-girls private school, East Lake Academy. The series was introduced in the first season Diff'rent Strokes episode "The Girls School." Charlotte Rae was guaranteed that she could return to Diff'rent Strokes, should the new series fail. When The Facts of Life proved to be a success, a number of its characters made guest appearances on Diff'rent Strokes.

In 1996, Gary Coleman and Conrad Bain reprised their roles for the series finale of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air entitled "I, Done Part 2." In their scene, they reference Willis by name before meeting Will Smith's character, leading to Coleman uttering a variation of his catchphrase, "What'chu talkin' about, Will?". Also, in 1994, Coleman appeared in an episode of Married...with Children, playing a building code inspector whom Al Bundy called to report an illegal driveway. When Kelly recognizes him, he denies any connection to Arnold Jackson, but utters his catchphrase to Al, "What'chu talkin' about, Bundy?".

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released Seasons 1 and 2 of Diff'rent Strokes on DVD in Region 1 & 4. Season 1 was also released in Region 2 on October 6, 2008. Further season releases have yet to be announced. On September 29, 2009, a "Fan Favorites" DVD was released. This is a one disc compilation consisting of eight episodes from Season 2.

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Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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