Cheap Diff'rent Strokes - The Complete First Season (DVD) (Gary Coleman) Price
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The series was so successful that NBC used it to launch or boost two other shows: The Facts of Life, which sent Mrs. Garrett to run a girls' school (its pilot, "The Girls' School," is episode 24 on the third disc), and the McLean Stevenson program Hello, Larry, which followed Strokes on the network (the two-part cross-over episodes are featured on disc 3). Though perhaps best known to current audiences for the unfortunate luck suffered by several of its cast members after the show's cancellation in 1986, this first-season set offers a pleasant reminder of the show's charms. The set is rounded out by two featurettes featuring interviews with many of the show's stars and producers (though Coleman is notably absent), and commentaries by story editor Fred Rubin. --Paul Gaita
| ACTORS: | Gary Coleman |
| CATEGORY: | DVD |
| THEATRICAL RELEASE DATE: | 1978 |
| MANUFACTURER: | Columbia Tristar Hom |
| MPAA RATING: | NR (Not Rated) |
| FEATURES: | Color, Closed-captioned |
| TYPE: | Television |
| MEDIA: | DVD |
| # OF MEDIA: | 3 |
| UPC: | 043396070325 |
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Customer Reviews of Diff'rent Strokes - The Complete First Season
Indeed, the world DON'T move to the beat of just one drum! Gary Coleman, while brilliant in small roles in "Good Times" and "The Jeffersons" and such in the 1970's, would hit international-fame status with a little show called "Diff'rent Strokes" that would blow up into a huge hit ... and, some would say, a huge curse!
The first season was my favorite -- the Charlotte Rae episodes, where Mrs. Garrett took care of the home and boys -- and, in many cases, also Kimberly and Mr. Drummond -- before taking off to run girls' school and Peekskill.
This golden first season contained 24 episodes, and here's how they should appear on the greatly-anticipated DVD boxed set release:
1) Movin' In - When Mr. Drummond agrees to a deathbed wish to raise his housekeeper's two sons, he learns that showering the boys with gifts and wealth isn't going to keep them home ... when he hears them plotting to run away.
2) The Social Worker - Arnold's big ears misunderstand a comment he hears Mr. Drummond make to a social worker, and thinks he and Willis are not wanted at home.
3) Mother's Last Visit - A visit from Mr. Drummond's socialite mother stirs up trouble.
4) Prep School - Mr. Drummond learns a valuable lesson when he enrolls Willis and Arnold into a snobbish prep school.
5) The Spanking - Arnold ignores threats of a spanking when he's dropping water balloons off the balcony, but when the time comes Willis insists on spanking him ... until Arnold disappears!
6) Goodbye Dolly - EVERYONE in the house is going to be miserable until Arnold finds his lost doll.
7) The Trial - Mrs. Garrett holds court as judge when a trial decides if Arnold really put his goldfish into the hot tub.
8) Respective, Part 1 - A Christmas-themed show has the family recounting memories they've built since the boys moved in.
9) Respective, Part 2 - A Christmas-themed show has the family recounting memories they've built since the boys moved in.
10) The Fight - When a bully threatens Arnold, Willis trains him even as Mr. Drummond tries to find a more civilized solution.
11) The Club Meeting - Things get out of hand when Willis invites his neighborhood club from Harlem for a visit just to show off his "wealth".
12) The Woman - The kids don't want Mr. Drummond to marry an attractive widow he's been seeing, so cook up a scheme to stop the nuptials.
13) No Time for Arnold - A plot to get the family's attention works too well for a lonely Arnold, who ends up with a doctor's attention, as well.
14) The Relative - The BRILLIANT LaWanda Page (Aunt Esther from "Sanford and Son"!) guest stars as a cousin of the boys who comes for a visit ... and decides to get closer to her kin when she see how they're living.
15) The Tutor - Mr. Drummond hires a tutor for the boys who does everything BUT teach.
16) The New Landlord - The kids comes up with a plan to get the new landlord to let them keep their penthouse apartment.
17) Willis' Privacy - Willis is on a privacy kick ... so much so, he divides his and Arnold's room in half, and spends more time out of the house.
18) Mrs. Garrett's Crisis - A sort of "mid-life crisis" has Mrs. Garrett revising her career ideas ...
19) The Job (aka Willis' Job) - Willis gets a job to buy his own skates - and gets fired his first day.
20) The Trip, Part 1 - Mr. Drummond has bought a radio station in Portland, and realizes doing so may cost him his friend Larry (NOTE: this one-hour episode introduced McLean Stevenson's hit show, "Hello, Larry")
21) The Trip, Part 2 - A continuation of part 1.
22) Getting Involved - Arnold witnesses a hold-up, and the robber spots him doing so.
23) Willis' Birthday - Willis is sure everyone has forgotten his birthday, only to find it's the best birthday yet, when he's surprised with a birthday party in his old Harlem neighborhood.
24) The Girls School (aka Garrett's Girls) - YAY!!! Mrs. Garrett visits Kimberly's school, only to get into it with the principal (NOTE: This was the pilot episode for "The Facts of Life"!).
"Diff'rent Strokes" was a tremendous hit, mainly due to the sheer charisma of its pint-sized star, Gary Coleman. None of the stars - with the exception of Charlotte Rae - would every again equal the career success that peaked with this show ... indeed, Dana Plato and Todd Bridges and Coleman himself would go on to make tabloid fodder over their many arrests, drug abuses, or bursts of temper.
But for those of us who grew up with this show, season one is a real treat - and let's hope season two (and "The Facts of Life") aren't far behind!!
Looks like a winner!!
Here is the info I recieved about this upcoming DVD...
The show aired on 22 nights during the first season, and twice the airing was a double-length hour-long story, bringing the total to 24 half-hour episode slots for the series' rookie year. One of those hour-long airings was "The Trip", which crossed-over Strokes with another series: Hello, Larry. That was also the year that ended in the episode "The Girls School" (a.k.a. "Garrett's Girls"), which was actually the pilot for a spin-off, The Facts of Life.
588 minutes of episodes are accompanied by several great extras:
All new interviews with Todd Bridges and Conrad Bain
Featurette about Gary Coleman
Audio commentary with writer Fred Rubin, whose credits during
this season include "Prep School", "The Trial", and "Willis' Privacy".
This was a fun little show that hasn't been on tv (in re-runs) in a very long time, so it will be nice to finally see it again...
Fairly pleasant begining
When this series debuted (1978) on the NBC network, interracial families and/or single parent families were still a cultural annomally.
Harlem residents Arnold and Willis come to live with the white Phillip Drummond (Conraid Bain), after their mother dies from a generic fatal illness. On her death bed, she makes her employer promise that the boys will be taken care of in her absence. Instead of being annoyed by the new responsibilities and ensuing mishaps, Mr. Drummond is genuinely happy to treat the boys as one of his own. Subsequently, there is an endless stream of gags about the family and their cosmetic legitimacy in relation to the larger society. Are they actually a family, or is it a practial joke several families decided to put together?
Another notable character is Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) the Drumond's new housekeeper. Although she would quickly be spun off into the far more successfull The Facts of Life as dorm mother of Kimberly's (the late Dana Plato) elite boarding school, she provides the 'maternal influence' to this comedy ensemble. This critical transition occurs towards the end of the season, and although it does not do anything for the series itself---was very important for network ratings.
With the status of it's many associated child stars subsequently diminishing, this show has taken a beating in American pop culture. Since the first season is not half that bad, it is rather disappointing that the crude jokes abound.