Diff’rent Strokes thread

Diff’rent Strokes - Jack & Jill & Jill the movie starring Dana Plato.

They’re all dead except Todd Bridges

[quote]They’re all dead except Todd Bridges

I'm shteel livin' its juss mah creer that's dyead.

Dudley got diddled

Ruthie had hair down to her ass

I was watching a podcast about a year ago with Eddie Furlong and somebody who apparently was an actor and long-time friend. It was Danny Cooksey. I looked it up and Danny played John Connor's friend in T2.

As god is my witness I thought diddling was legal.

Gary Coleman was a force of nature the first couple seasons just as he’d made such a big impression with his guest appearances on “The Jeffersons” and “Good Times” right before “Strokes.” Arnold got older and mellower and less wisecracking.

But that first episode when Mrs . Garrett shakes Arnold’s hand and he asks, “Are you passing?” is gold.

I loved how they always spoke of Harlem in the early episodes like it was a foreign country and not a 15 minute train ride away.

I loved that apartment set. I loved Mr. Drummond’s study and the grand staircase and the spiral staircase in the kitchen…. yet Willis and Arnold shared a rather small room.

I remember an episode, maybe toward the latter three seasons or so, when Kimberly takes a picture of Arnold out of the bathtub and it gets used against him in his school’s election campaign by the evil snotty girl. Forget her name.

They actually showed the photo of Coleman’s ass cheek in the photo. Well, it could have been a doctored photo of another actor. But I thought that was a big deal.

Only thing I didn’t like about the show was Kathy, that girl in the wheelchair. Not because she was disabled but because she was obnoxious.

I'm still alive, TURKEY!

I was too young to see it when it originally aired, but I remember I was in love with Willis when I finally watched it on Nick at Nite, or whatever channel aired it. He was so hot back then.

Agree that the first couple of seasons are fun, and Gary Coleman was lightning in a bottle.

I loved, loved, loved it as a kid. However, even then I knew it was a pile of steaming shit. Didn't stop me from loving it though. The Drummond apartment was a great set. They didn't cheap out on it.

Young Coleman just took over a scene.

All the black girls wanted Janet's hair.

Yes R16! That's the role I remember him for too. He was so goddamn cute and reactive and everyone couldn't help but smile.

Coleman famously had health issues that made him look younger and accounted for the chubby cheeks.

When “Webster” came out, Emmanuel Lewis’s mom claimed he was just a “late bloomer” which is bullshit as he never grew. He’s still tiny today.

R11 Kathy appeared in one episode for several seasons. Hated her too. She made the whole show’s focus about her. I found her to be a pain in my ass

Yeah R19, he had kidney problems I think and the cheeks were probably from steroids. Didn't Heather O' Rourke also have kidney problems and steroid cheeks?

R20 Yep, Kathy was a little bitch, but I bet it made Gary feel better, when she was around he didn't have to be the sick kid, she could instead.

Kimberly’s last episode was about het suffering from bulimia.

Yes R22, and that bitch Maggie was on it too, I'm sure Dana was glad to escape Dixie. Gary wasn't so lucky.

Did anybody think Dana Plato was a good actress?

I sure didn't R24. Everything was melodramatic and pretentious, the way she said "Daddy" was so annoying.

R23 Gary Colman and Dixie Carter did not get along.

R8, When I was a kid and watched it, I always misunderstood Harlem for Holland (a country I had heard of). So for years I thought black people came from Holland.

I loved Adelaide played by Nedra Volz!

Adelaide saves the day!

I hated Alice sooooo much. She was like a real life Cabbage Patch Kid.

Dixie Carter was better than Nary Ann Mobley.

R26 I know, that's why I said Dana was at least lucky in that she didn't have to work with her. Or shit, was it Mary Ann Mobley on Dana's last ep? I can't remember. I need to re-read "Killing Willis" Todd Bridge's autobiography, I'm sure he mentioned the Dixie/Gary tension.

It was Mary Ann Mobley in the bulimia episode.

Who can forget such hard-hitting episodes that took on environmental topics like when acid rain caused Kimberly’s hair to turn green?

That’s right. I forgot the bulimia episode was Kimberly’s final appearance.