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

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Creators:

Jeff Harris
Bernie Kukoff
(more)

Seasons:

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

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 | Child Actor | Family Relationships | Cult Favorite

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)

(more)

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 (39 episodes, 1984-1986)
Ken Hecht	....	supervising producer / executive producer (39 episodes, 1984-1986)
Herbert Kenwith	....	producer (24 episodes, 1978-1979)
Bruce A. Taylor	....	producer (24 episodes, 1984-1985)
Al Aidekman	....	producer (15 episodes, 1985-1986)
Barbara Cramer	....	associate producer (15 episodes, 1985-1986)
Richard Gurman	....	producer (15 episodes, 1985-1986)
Budd Grossman	....	executive producer (10 episodes, 1978-1979)
Rita Dillon	....	associate producer (6 episodes, 1979)

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)
M.A. Krupnick		(3 episodes, 1980)

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

Series Production Design by
Chuck Murawski		(unknown episodes)

Series Art Direction by
Chuck Murawski		(50 episodes, 1978-1980)
Don Roberts		(4 episodes, 1979)
Dahl Delu		(unknown episodes)

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

Series Makeup Department
JoAnn Stafford-Chaney	....	hair stylist / hairdresser (44 episodes, 1978-1980)
Jennifer Kaplan	....	makeup artist (40 episodes, 1978-1980)
Sylvia Surdu	....	hair stylist (6 episodes, 1978)
Wynona Price	....	makeup artist (6 episodes, 1980)
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 (50 episodes, 1978-1980)
Alan Horn	....	production supervisor (50 episodes, 1978-1980)
Douglas Wellman	....	unit manager (30 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)
Glenn Padnick	....	production supervisor (unknown episodes)
Gary Pudnick	....	production supervisor (unknown episodes)
Ken Stump	....	executive in charge of production (unknown episodes)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Art Dielhenn	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)

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 (24 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)
Steven Castaneda	....	dimmer operator / electrician (unknown episodes)
Tom Tcimpidis	....	video controller (unknown episodes)
Jayme Wing	....	cinematographer: additional videography (unknown episodes)

Series Casting Department
Jane Murray	....	casting executive (50 episodes, 1978-1980)
Eve Brandstein	....	casting executive (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
Al Burton	....	composer: theme (1 episode, 1978)
Gloria Loring	....	composer: theme (1 episode, 1978)
Alan Thicke	....	composer: theme (1 episode, 1978)

Series Other crew
Fran McConnell	....	production supervisor (186 episodes, 1978-1986)
Alan Rosen	....	story editor (50 episodes, 1978-1980)
Fred Rubin	....	story editor (50 episodes, 1978-1980)
Susan Straughn Harris	....	assistant to producers / production associate (37 episodes, 1978-1980)
Stu Goldman	....	stage manager (27 episodes, 1979-1980)
Drew Handley	....	associate director (26 episodes, 1979-1980)
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)
Len Uslaner	....	technical director (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 (9 episodes, 1980)
Art Dielhenn	....	associate director (7 episodes, 1978-1979)
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)
Lisa Benscheidt	....	stage manager (4 episodes, 1979)
Dick Bensfield	....	creative consultant (4 episodes, 1979)
Richard Draney	....	stage manager (4 episodes, 1979)
David Eisenbise	....	technical director (4 episodes, 1979)
Perry Grant	....	creative consultant (4 episodes, 1979)
Howard Meyers	....	story editor (3 episodes, 1983)
Randy Winburn	....	associate director (2 episodes, 1978-1979)
A. Chisholm Halle	....	stage manager (2 episodes, 1979-1980)
Heywood Kling	....	creative consultant (2 episodes, 1979)
Karyl Miller	....	story editor (2 episodes, 1979)
Bernard F. Basley	....	stage manager (unknown episodes, 1981-1984)
Selig Frank	....	associate director (unknown episodes)
Chris Klausen	....	stage manager (unknown episodes)

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:

Staff writer Fred Rubin composed a funky instrumental piece he offered as the theme song, but by the time he offered it, the more famous theme heard today had already been chosen.

Quotes:

Kimberly Drummond: Well, well, if it isn't Sleeping Beauty.
Willis Jackson: You mean Sleeping Ugly.
Arnold Jackson: I owe you an insult!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The O'Reilly Factor: (2008-06-30)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Diff'rent Strokes

Very gulity pleasure

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?