Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!
SunnyHello Nice effects though.
Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
Stvdel2 I hate everything about this show. From it's insipid theme, written by Alan Thicke and featuring Thicke yelling; to it's tiresome premise and chump change scripts. Rich white guy adopts two ghetto kids., oh the possibilities! Typically the teleplays were weak and the humor banal. I remember one where the old man touts the importance of Affirmative Action after the older boy doesn't make the basketball team because they needed a white kid. Yeah, that happened all the time. Enough to gag a liberal maggot. The cast was maybe the worst in TV history. Gary Coleman was an insufferable, unfunny brat; onscreen and off. The others were basically window dummies, with the other boy and girl having real life drug problems. Just say NO.
Syl Watching the true Hollywood story on E! about the cast of Different Strokes was heartbreaking, after all, two of the three cast members had substance abuse problems and the star, Gary Coleman, had problems with his parents that he sued them. It's sad to watch the show, I wish I didn't know Dana Plato's problems because now I see how much she wanted her life to be like Kimberly Drummond. Conrad Bain was great as the father figure of the show. Of course, he was supposed to only be acting but I think he became a paternal figure to those youngsters. We went Mrs. Edna Garrett played by the wonderful Charlotte Rae who got her own show without all the drama of Different Strokes. She escaped it. I never approved of them dissing Dixie Carter for Mary Ann Mobley. I like them both in the role as the second Mrs. Drummond. Of course, there was the guest appearances of First Lady Nancy Reagan preaching against drugs. How little did we know the truth? Gary Coleman never escaped the image of the chubby cute kid on Different Strokes. Dana Plato who is gone to a better place never did get to experience the life of Kimberly Drummond except when she was on the set. I only wish Todd and Gary best for their future. I only wished that the off-screen drama was cut down for their sakes. I feel guilty getting laughs knowing that they went home and cried or faced abuse.
DunnDeeDaGreat Diff'rent Strokes is a show that I came to love later in life. The show heart and soul was little Gary Coleman. Although Todd Bridges and Dana Plato would have the occasional good one-liner this was Coleman's show. He was so the pimp sh*t on the show. I wonder where his charcter of Arnold would be now?
coverme6 DIFF'RENT STROKES was a popular sitcom that had a fair share ofproblems when the cameras went off, thanks to the kid leads' troubles with the law. But DIFF'RENT STROKES had reaped the benefits of being a successful show, with great performances by the stars. Gary Coleman was the center of gravity with his role as the spunky Arnold. Conrad Bain did a terrific job playing Phil, the rich white widow who adopts orphans Arnold and his older brother Willis (Todd Bridges). Along with the great comedic lines, I also thought the theme song was catchy. Alan Thicke of GROWING PAINS fame can be heard among the singers of the bouncy theme.
