The misadventures of a wealthy Manhattan family who adopted the children of their late African American housekeeper from Harlem.The misadventures of a wealthy Manhattan family who adopted the children of their late African American housekeeper from Harlem.The misadventures of a wealthy Manhattan family who adopted the children of their late African American housekeeper from Harlem.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 32 nominations
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaConrad Bain and Gary Coleman appeared on the final episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990)" as Phillip Drummond and Arnold Jackson respectively, looking at the Banks mansion as they shop for new homes in Los Angeles.
- Quotes
[Willis has just learned his close friend has died in an auto accident]
Willis Jackson: Oh no...
[pause]
Willis Jackson: [crying] Oh no...
[Willis hangs up the phone and cries]
Willis Jackson: Look at me. Crying just like a kid.
Philip Drummond: No. Crying just like a man.
- Alternate versionsTwo hour-long episodes on the first season DVD are presented in their edited, two-part syndicated versions.
- ConnectionsEdited into Tupac: Resurrection (2003)
Featured review
American Masterpiece
"Diff'rent Strokes" ranks among a handful of masterpieces that have made their debuts on American television. So powerful and three-dimensional are its characters that it puts lesser works such as the over-bloated mini-series "Roots" to shame. "Strokes" hit the airwaves like a bombshell back in 1978; most of its viewers had yet to see the harsh realities of the ghetto depicted on the small screen. Before their eyes, they noticed two hard-edged African-American street urchins in a highly competitive game of basketball (these scenes were no doubt a key influence on the works of future African-American filmmakers Spike Lee and the Hughes Brothers). This no doubt awoke white America to the grittier, more nihilistic aspects of the urban community. If that wasn't reality enough, the children are taken aback by the presence of wealthy WASP Mr. Drummond(who despite such class and ethnic differences is miraculously able to relate to the youngsters without resorting to urban slang). In an act of great compassion, he hugs them and decides to save them from depravity in a modern-day Dante's Inferno. The threesome soon rejoice as they enter Drummond's slick limo and take off. Because of his frail demeanor, Mr. D is barely able to wave his driver off yet does so out of desperation. This is a terrific character quirk that genius actor Conrad Bain brings to such a complex role.
Had "Strokes" simply stayed on this route, it would've remained a TV classic. However, nothing prepared audiences for the ground-breaking episode in which pedophilia, of all topics, was presented in such harsh detail. Actor Gordon Jump blew away all his previous achievements ("WKRP", Maytag commercials) with his remarkable performance as a seemingly benign old man with a dark, dark secret. I won't spoil it for you here, but the reaction of the child's father is one of the most heartwrenching and subtle displays of Method acting in recent memory. A great episode, and one indicative of this landmark series' finest moments.
Had "Strokes" simply stayed on this route, it would've remained a TV classic. However, nothing prepared audiences for the ground-breaking episode in which pedophilia, of all topics, was presented in such harsh detail. Actor Gordon Jump blew away all his previous achievements ("WKRP", Maytag commercials) with his remarkable performance as a seemingly benign old man with a dark, dark secret. I won't spoil it for you here, but the reaction of the child's father is one of the most heartwrenching and subtle displays of Method acting in recent memory. A great episode, and one indicative of this landmark series' finest moments.
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- sewheele
- Nov 29, 2001
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
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- Also known as
- 45 Minutes from Harlem
- Filming locations
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
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