"Diff'rent Strokes" (1978) TV series 1978-1986

Creators:

Jeff Harris
Bernie Kukoff
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | unknown

Release Date:

3 November 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Plot:

The misadventures of a rich Manhattan family who adopted the children of their late African American maid.

Plot Keywords:

Millionaire | African American | Sitcom | New York City | Cult TV

Awards:

2 wins & 30 nominations

Cast

Conrad Bain	...	Philip Drummond (189 episodes, 1978-1986)
Gary Coleman	...	Arnold Jackson (184 episodes, 1978-1986)
Todd Bridges	...	Willis Jackson (169 episodes, 1978-1986)
Dana Plato	...	Kimberly Drummond (140 episodes, 1978-1986)

Series Directed by
Gerren Keith		(144 episodes, 1979-1986)
Herbert Kenwith		(23 episodes, 1978-1979)
Mel Ferber		(8 episodes, 1984-1986)
Doug Rogers		(3 episodes, 1979)
Leslie H. Martinson		(2 episodes, 1984)
Selig Frank		(2 episodes, 1985-1986)
Tony Singletary		(2 episodes, 1985-1986)

Series Writing credits
Howard Leeds		(36 episodes, 1978-1984)
Martin Cohan		(34 episodes, 1979-1984)
Ben Starr		(27 episodes, 1978-1982)
Bruce A. Taylor		(17 episodes, 1981-1985)
Robert Jayson		(15 episodes, 1982-1986)
A. Dudley Johnson Jr.		(15 episodes, 1982-1986)
Ed Jurist		(12 episodes, 1979-1983)
Howard Meyers		(11 episodes, 1981-1984)
Blake Hunter		(11 episodes, 1982-1984)
Albert E. Lewin		(10 episodes, 1978-1983)
Bob Brunner		(9 episodes, 1984-1985)
Ken Hecht		(9 episodes, 1984-1985)
Glenn Padnick		(8 episodes, 1981-1985)
Alan Rosen		(7 episodes, 1978-1980)
Fred Rubin		(7 episodes, 1978-1980)
Dawn Aldredge		(7 episodes, 1980-1984)
John Donley		(7 episodes, 1981-1983)
Sandy Veith		(6 episodes, 1979-1981)
Jeff Harris		(5 episodes, 1978-1983)
Bernie Kukoff		(5 episodes, 1978-1983)
Fred S. Fox		(4 episodes, 1978-1981)
Seaman Jacobs		(4 episodes, 1978-1981)
Donald Ross		(4 episodes, 1980-1982)
Richard Gurman		(4 episodes, 1985-1986)
Budd Grossman		(3 episodes, 1978)
Jerry Winnick		(3 episodes, 1979-1981)
Heywood Kling		(3 episodes, 1979)
Debra Frank		(3 episodes, 1980-1982)
Scott Rubenstein		(3 episodes, 1980-1982)
Calvin Kelly		(3 episodes, 1980-1981)
Marshall Goldberg		(3 episodes, 1981-1983)
Paul Haggis		(3 episodes, 1982-1983)
Sydney Julien		(3 episodes, 1983-1984)
Mark Miller		(3 episodes, 1984)
Jose Rivera		(3 episodes, 1985)
Elaine Newman		(2 episodes, 1979-1980)
Joseph Sirota		(2 episodes, 1979-1980)
Norm Liebmann		(2 episodes, 1979)
George Tibbles		(2 episodes, 1979)
Gordon Mitchell		(2 episodes, 1980-1981)
Bill Shinkai		(2 episodes, 1981-1983)
Warren S. Murray		(2 episodes, 1981-1982)
Kurt Taylor		(2 episodes, 1981-1982)
Bernard Burnell Mack		(2 episodes, 1982-1984)
Jack Gross Jr.		(2 episodes, 1983-1985)
Phil Margo		(2 episodes, 1983-1985)
Ifa Baeza		(2 episodes, 1984)
Michael Curley		(2 episodes, 1984)
Dan Kennicott		(2 episodes, 1984)
Al Aidekman		(2 episodes, 1985-1986)
Susan H. Lee		(2 episodes, 1985-1986)
Max Katz		(2 episodes, 1985)
Toni Wunsch		(2 episodes, 1985)
Janna Lowell		(2 episodes, 1986)

Series Produced by
Martin Cohan	....	producer / executive producer (150 episodes, 1979-1985)
Howard Leeds	....	producer / executive producer (139 episodes, 1978-1984)
John Maxwell Anderson	....	associate producer (115 episodes, 1978-1983)
Ben Starr	....	producer (70 episodes, 1979-1982)
Blake Hunter	....	executive producer (69 episodes, 1982-1985)
Roxie Wenk Evans	....	associate producer (47 episodes, 1983-1985)
Bob Brunner	....	supervising producer / executive producer (40 episodes, 1984-1986)
Ken Hecht	....	supervising producer / executive producer (40 episodes, 1984-1986)
Herbert Kenwith	....	producer (24 episodes, 1978-1979)
Bruce A. Taylor	....	producer (24 episodes, 1984-1985)
Al Aidekman	....	producer (16 episodes, 1985-1986)
Barbara Cramer	....	associate producer (16 episodes, 1985-1986)
Richard Gurman	....	producer (16 episodes, 1985-1986)
Budd Grossman	....	executive producer (10 episodes, 1978-1979)
Rita Dillon	....	associate producer (6 episodes, 1979)

Series Cinematography by
J. Bruce Nielsen		(2 episodes, 1983)

Series Film Editing by
Bill Petty		(32 episodes, 1978-1979)
Rob Bramwell		(9 episodes, 1979-1980)
Kelly Sandefur		(6 episodes, 1979)
Gregory Bennett		(6 episodes, 1980)
Abe Schwartz		(3 episodes, 1980-1983)
M.A. Krupnick		(3 episodes, 1980)

Series Casting by
Eve Brandstein		(50 episodes, 1978-1980)
Pat Kirkland		(2 episodes, 1979)

Series Production Design by
Chuck Murawski		(1 episode, 1983)

Series Art Direction by
Chuck Murawski		(52 episodes, 1978-1982)
Don Roberts		(4 episodes, 1979)
Dahl Delu		(2 episodes, 1983)

Series Set Decoration by
Scott Heineman		(2 episodes, 1983)

Series Costume Design by
Margery Epstein		(50 episodes, 1978-1980)
James Alvarez		(6 episodes, 1979)

Series Makeup Department
JoAnn Stafford-Chaney	....	hair stylist / hairdresser (48 episodes, 1978-1983)
Jennifer Kaplan	....	makeup artist (40 episodes, 1978-1980)
Wynona Price	....	makeup artist (10 episodes, 1980-1983)
Sylvia Surdu	....	hair stylist (6 episodes, 1978)
Verne Langdon	....	makeup artist (4 episodes, 1979)
Evelyn Trimmer	....	hair stylist (4 episodes, 1979)
Ariel Bagdadi	....	hair stylist (2 episodes, 1979)
Jerry Cash	....	makeup artist (2 episodes, 1979)
Jennifer Danzig	....	makeup artist (2 episodes, 1980)

Series Production Management
Al Burton	....	production consultant / production supervisor (51 episodes, 1978-1982)
Alan Horn	....	production supervisor (51 episodes, 1978-1980)
Douglas Wellman	....	unit manager (29 episodes, 1982)
Dick Brooks	....	unit manager (13 episodes, 1978-1979)
Tyna Huebner	....	unit manager (13 episodes, 1979-1980)
Schatzie Allen	....	unit manager (13 episodes, 1979)
Roger Mills	....	unit manager (10 episodes, 1980)
Willie Geiger	....	unit manager (2 episodes, 1979)
Ken Stump	....	in charge of production (2 episodes, 1983-1986)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Richard Banicki	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1980-1983)

Series Art Department
Norm Peterson	....	property master (22 episodes, 1978-1979)

Series Sound Department
Ron Worrell	....	audio (23 episodes, 1979-1980)
Kerry Boggio	....	audio (19 episodes, 1978-1979)
Robert Houston	....	audio / sound (4 episodes, 1979)
Jim Mylenek	....	audio (3 episodes, 1979)
Chris Chigaridas	....	audio / sound (2 episodes, 1979)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Dale Carlson	....	camera operator (43 episodes, 1984-1986)
Pat Day	....	lighting director (24 episodes, 1978-1979)
Ritch Kenney	....	camera operator (23 episodes, 1983-1984)
John O'Brien	....	video controller (19 episodes, 1985-1986)
Ken Schamp	....	lighting director (13 episodes, 1979-1980)
Ken Wilcox	....	lighting director (13 episodes, 1979-1980)
Tom Schamp	....	lighting director (3 episodes, 1978)
George Schamp	....	lighting director (2 episodes, 1979)

Series Casting Department
Jane Murray	....	casting executive / principal casting executive (52 episodes, 1978-1983)
Pat Kirkland	....	casting (2 episodes, 1982-1983)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandra Baker	....	costumes (2 episodes, 1982-1983)

Series Music Department
Alan Thicke	....	composer: theme music / composer: theme (189 episodes, 1978-1986)
Al Burton	....	composer: theme music / composer: theme (5 episodes, 1978-1983)
Gloria Loring	....	composer: theme music / composer: theme (5 episodes, 1978-1983)

Series Other crew
Fran McConnell	....	production supervisor / production consultant (186 episodes, 1978-1986)
Chris Klausen	....	production assistant / stage manager (67 episodes, 1983-1986)
Alan Rosen	....	story editor (50 episodes, 1978-1980)
Fred Rubin	....	story editor (50 episodes, 1978-1980)
Susan Straughn Harris	....	assistant to producers / production associate / ... (41 episodes, 1978-1983)
Stu Goldman	....	stage manager (28 episodes, 1979-1980)
Drew Handley	....	associate director (26 episodes, 1979-1980)
Len Uslaner	....	technical director (25 episodes, 1978-1982)
John Banicki	....	associate director (24 episodes, 1978-1979)
Howard Miller	....	stage manager (24 episodes, 1978-1979)
Ben Starr	....	executive script consultant (24 episodes, 1978-1979)
Jackie Henken	....	stage manager (24 episodes, 1979-1980)
John Westbrook	....	technical director (20 episodes, 1979-1980)
Norm Liebmann	....	program consultant / production consultant (19 episodes, 1978-1979)
Patricia Edwards	....	stage manager (17 episodes, 1978-1979)
Gloria Vinson	....	production associate (13 episodes, 1979)
Ed Jurist	....	script consultant / executive script consultant (11 episodes, 1980-1982)
Art Dielhenn	....	associate director (7 episodes, 1978-1979)
Richard Draney	....	stage manager (7 episodes, 1979-1983)
Michael Talley	....	stage manager (7 episodes, 1979)
Paul Haggis	....	story editor (7 episodes, 1983)
Dick Woodka	....	technical director (6 episodes, 1978-1979)
Susan Jacoby	....	production associate / assistant to producers (6 episodes, 1979)
Howard Meyers	....	story editor (6 episodes, 1982-1983)
Lisa Benscheidt	....	stage manager (4 episodes, 1979)
Dick Bensfield	....	creative consultant (4 episodes, 1979)
David Eisenbise	....	technical director (4 episodes, 1979)
Perry Grant	....	creative consultant (4 episodes, 1979)
A. Chisholm Halle	....	stage manager (3 episodes, 1979-1980)
Glenn Padnick	....	production consultant (3 episodes, 1982-1983)
Randy Winburn	....	associate director (2 episodes, 1978-1979)
Heywood Kling	....	creative consultant (2 episodes, 1979)
Karyl Miller	....	story editor (2 episodes, 1979)
Bernard F. Basley	....	stage manager (2 episodes, 1982-1983)
John Donley	....	program consultant / story editor (2 episodes, 1982-1983)
Bruce A. Taylor	....	executive story editor (2 episodes, 1983)

Production Companies

• Embassy Pictures Corporation
• Embassy Television
• Norman Lear/Tandem Productions

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1978-1985)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1985-1986)
• Columbia Pictures Television
• Columbia TriStar Domestic Television (2001)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Television
• Embassy Telecommunications
• Embassy Television
• Sony Pictures Television (2002-)

Other Companies

• ABC Television Center  taping location
• Compact Video  production facilities
• Metromedia Square  taping location
• Universal City Studios  taping location
• Vidtronics  production facilities

Also Known As:

45 Minutes from Harlem (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min | USA:30 min (189 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-PG | Singapore:PG | Australia:G | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

5746 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Embassy Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Arnold's question "Watchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" was ranked #17 in TV Guide's list of "TV's 20 Top Catchphrases" (21-27 August 2005 issue). It was never intended as a catch phrase; the writers simply made it so after the positive reaction to Coleman's delivery in the premiere. Towards the end of the show's run Coleman had become so tired of it that he demanded it be retired; he has not uttered it publicly since his 1999 cameo as himself on "The Simpsons" (1989).

Quotes:

Philip Drummond: Good morning, Arnold. Rise and shine!
Arnold Jackson: Better not let Willis hear you say the word "shine". Back in Harlem, that's fightin' talk.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ken Park (2002)

Soundtrack:

Diff'rent Strokes

Gary Coleman made this show......

During my days as a kid,and partly through my high school years as well,this show was just that: The brainchild of Gary Coleman. Coleman made millions off this series,and when the show left the airwaves in 1986(and its repeats in syndication),it was totally discarded forever,never to be heard from again,despite of what the people may say about this show and the fate of its cast including Todd Bridges(who played brother Willis),and the sudden death of Dana Plato(who played big sister Kimberly),and also from Conrad Bain(who played the widower Mr. Drummond) who was a regular on TV's Maude before coming to this series.

If someone would come up to you on the street,they would asked "What you talking about?" in the form of that question.

Interesting point about this show: It started off as a show called "Milk" on the NBC network before it became a series,and that is when during its run on NBC, "Diff'rent Strokes" became one of the network's biggest hits scoring in the top ten of the Nielsen during its astounding six year run on the Peacock Network and made Gary Coleman a huge megastar. NBC cancelled the show in 1984 when the series made the switch from NBC to ABC in September of 1984 for its final episodes which ended in 1986. A total of 189 episodes were produced. The years on NBC were from 1978-1984. The last two seasons of the series were on ABC from 1984-1986. The series ran for an astounding eight seasons on two major television networks.

Also Mr. Drummond would get married in the show too during the 1984-1985 season to Maggie McKinney(played by Dixie Carter before going on to "Designing Women",which was on a rival network),and also bringing in her son Danny as Arnold's other brother(played by Danny Cooksey-who would go on to star opposite Scwarzenegger in Terminator 2,and also do voice-overs for children's shows). Also,Janet Jackson would appear as Willis' girlfriend Charlene during the 1981-1983 season(which during this time Miss Jackson did have a hit album out along with this series at that time). Shavar Ross was Arnold's best friend Dudley.

This was a grand series that spawned two spin-offs,the short-lived situation comedy series "Hello,Larry",and another successful series "The Facts of Life",which would go on to become NBC's longest-running and successful series from 1979-1987.

If it comes back on the air,its worth seeing.