Diff'rent Strokes
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Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes was an American sitcom that aired from 1978 to 1985 on NBC and from 1985 to 1986 on ABC.
The sitcom starred Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson and Todd Bridges as his older brother Willis—two African-American children from a poor Harlem background who were adopted by a rich white widower, Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain). They lived in a penthouse with Drummond's daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato) and his maid (they went through three during the show's run: Mrs. Garrett, Adelaide, and Pearl) 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.
The television sitcom Facts of Life (1979 – 1988) was a spinoff of Diff'rent Strokes, involving former Drummond maid Mrs. Garrett as housemother of a dormitory at an all-girl private school.
All of the child stars ended up having problems after the show ended. Plato died due to a drug overdose, while Coleman and Bridges got into legal trouble. Due to these problems, "The Curse of Diff'rent Strokes" became a term associated with the show.
The show is 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 guest starring Gordon Jump as a would-be child molester.
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".