17 Fascinating Facts about the Beloved 'Diff'Rent Strokes' Fans Might Not Know

September 24, 2024

"Diff'rent Strokes" is a golden oldie of television with a cast that entertained fans with their crazy antics. Despite the show's popularity, the following facts might even surprise the die-hard fans.

The show aired for eight seasons between 1978 and 1986, and the NBC sitcom showcased the daily dramas of the millionaire Mr. Drummond and the orphaned children of his dead housekeeper.

It was one of the highest-rated sitcoms during its run and made its young star a household name. Here are some facts about the show that might surprise you!

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WHAT WAS THAT LINE AGAIN?

Remember Colman's catchphrase? You know what it is. The line which was originally written read as "What are you talking about, Willis?"

But as the young actor read and compressed it, it would become one of the show's most known phrases and became the 1980's, say it with me: “Whatchoo talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?”

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However, the writers knew that if they kept having the actor say the line, it would lose its touch. Fearing that the fans and the audience would get tired of it, they tried cutting it out.

It didn't work, though, as, by the late 1990s, it was Coleman who got tired of it and refused to say it.

ARNOLD AROUND THE WORLD

The executives over at NBC realized that everything Coleman touched turned to gold. They were eager to spread the young actor's magic across to the rest of their lineup of shows.

This saw Arnold Jackson, Coleman's character, appear in "Silver Spoons," spinoff "The Facts of Life" and several other shows.

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The charismatic little Arnold even made his way into an unrelated show by Steven Spielberg called "Amazing Stories."

In the show's episode, entitled “Remote Control Man,” a henpecked husband is able to transform his domestic existence into something out of a sitcom, running into Arnold along the way.

SMALL OF STATURE, TALL OF HEART

Gary Coleman was born with one atrophied kidney, with the other one already failing. At the age of 5, he underwent his first kidney transplant and another in 1984.

By 1986, Coleman opted for dialysis four times daily instead of having another operation. All the medication he was on resulted in repressing his growth.

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By the age of 14, the age wherein most young boys would be experiencing their growth spurts, Coleman already knew he wouldn't go through the same.

He would max out his height at four foot six inches, or 1.42 meters. "Diff'rent Strokes" even dedicated an episode where Arnold comes to grip with his condition.

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MONEY TALKS OR GARY SITS OUT

Coleman was the star and anchor of NBC's "Diff'rent Strokes"; there isn't any doubt about that. However, when the show first debuted, its star was only paid a simple $1,800 per episode.

Fortunately for the young star, his parents were also his managers, and they successfully got him a pay raise of $30,000 per episode.

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By the start of the first episodes of the fourth season, promises of lucrative syndication deals lead to another request.

NBC decided to take their time with contract negotiations, making their star sit-out the first episode of the new season. His skillful parents eventually got him $70,000 per episode, making him the network's highest-paid comedy actor during this time.

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GETTING SERIOUS FOR SOME RATINGS

Sitcoms have been known to tackle real-life issues that plague society to get a boost in empathy, reliability, and of course, ratings. Shows like "All in the Family" have been doing it since the 1970s.

This strategy was called taking a movie-of-the-week theme. In 1983, the show did the same thing for a two-part episode they aired.

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WRITTEN BY ALAN THICKE

Alan Thicke spent a good portion of the '80s composing songs for several memorable TV shows. He wrote the theme song for "The Facts of Life," among others.

He also wrote the lyrics and composed the theme song to "Diff'rent Strokes." Thick is a successful actor and also Robin Thicke's dad.

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COLEMAN'S GOODBYE TO ARNOLD

As he got older, Coleman became very vocal about separating himself from his character, Arnold. He was already an adult and wanted to move on from the show.

Despite that, Coleman did agree to reprise his role in the 1996 series finale of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," which starred Will Smith.

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In the episode, Coleman, as an older Arnold, goes around the Banks residence with his father, Mr. Drummond.

They seem very interested in purchasing the house until Will tells them less than appealing fake details about the house, which prompts Arnold to say his catchphrase, "Whatchoo talking about Will?", before leaving the house.

THE TITLE COULD HAVE BEEN INSPIRED BY MUHAMMAD ALI

The boxing legend Muhammad Ali was quoted, according to the Yale Book of Quotations, by the Great Bend Daily Tribune in 1966 as saying, “Different strokes for different folks.”

Musician Syl Johnson further popularized the phrase in a 1968 song. The world champion boxer, Ali, also appeared in a 1979 episode.

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THAT LITTLE RASCAL

When Gary Coleman was 10-years-old, and gaining popularity for his commercials, NBC President Fred Silverman already knew he wanted to work with the young actor.

He was so polished as an actor that some people thought that he was a little person and not a young boy.

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The original plan was to include Coleman in a reboot of "The Little Rascals." The actor was already cast as Stymie.

They even taped a pilot for the supposed reboot, but unfortunately or fortunately, the show wasn't picked up. Silverman put him in a script about two brothers from Harlem who move into a Manhattan penthouse.

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WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER

The producers knew they wanted the show to be a vehicle for Coleman, who was also charming in a string of TV commercials.

Also, it was their way of finding a new show for Conrad Bain. The two were put together in a show that was conceptualized as “45 Minutes from Harlem.”

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A PRESIDENTIAL GUEST STAR

During the show's run, it had an amazing range of guest stars that varied in fame or would go on to be big stars.

Of all the guest stars during that era, none were bigger than former First Lady Nancy Reagan. She appeared on the show as a guest to promote her "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign.

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Actually, the former first lady wasn't a stranger to the film or television sets. Before getting married, she was the actress Nancy Davis who appeared in the "Hellcats of the Navy" and "Crash Landing."

WRITTEN OFF THE SHOW

Dana Plato played Kimberly Drummond, the biological daughter of the widower, Mr. Drummond. She was a caring and loving big sister to Arnold and Willis.

The actress and her character were written off the show because of Plato's pregnancy. The producers didn't feel that her pregnancy should be written into the show as it would not fit her character’s image.

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Plato did come back to play the character in several cameo appearances in the 7th and 8th seasons of the show after giving birth.

She was also featured in the spin-off show, "The Facts of Life." After leaving the show, she appeared in more mature roles. In 1999, the actress died; later, it was ruled a suicide.

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NOT ALL HUGS AND KISSES ON THE SET

While filming the show, Dixie Carter reportedly did not get along with Gary Coleman, who was her stepson on the show. They would often clash on the set. She left the show after one season to star on Designing Women.

Whenever Dixie was interviewed about the show, she refused to comment and avoided the subject completely if she could.

A BRIGHT YOUNG STAR, LITERALLY

Coleman was the son of a pharmaceutical employee and a nurse; Coleman grew up north of Chicago in Zion. It is said that he could read at the age of three.

In 1979, People sat down with the child star. They noted, "Gary [worked] with a tutor on a curriculum shipped out from his fifth-grade teacher back in Zion."

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THE SHOW'S MANY LITTLE EASTER EGGS

Arnold has two pals who pop up repeatedly, Dudley, played by Shavar Ross, and Robbie, played by Steven Mond. Dudley's original last name was Johnson before it was changed to Ramsey.

Robbie's full name was Robbie Jason. Both were named after two of the shows' regular writers, Robert Jayson and A. Dudley Johnson, Jr.

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SPIELBERG'S TWILIGHT ZONE

As mentioned earlier, Arnold appeared in "Amazing Stories," the 1985–87 anthology series by Steven Spielberg. Coleman reprises his character of Arnold Drummond.

In the episode, there is a sort of Twilight Zone premise, where a TV-addict husband is given a magical remote that allows him to change his family into popular television characters.

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The episode was quite fun as the main character decides to zap his wife and kids into June Cleaver of "Leave It to Beaver," Face from "The A-Team," and finally to Arnold on "Diff'rent Strokes."

All the original actors turn up. Spielberg wrote the story, while Bob Clark of "A Christmas Story" directed.

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LIVING LARGE AND EXPENSIVE

In the episode "Push Comes to Shove," Mr. Drummond frets that a new lease will cost him $28,000 more a year. The landlord explains that the apartment is now worth three times as much as his original lease.

Doing the math, you can figure that the family was shelling out about $3,500 a month for its luxury pad in 1982.

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Are there more "Diff'rent Strokes" facts that we missed out on? Which episode of the show gave you the most laughs? Let us know in the comment section.

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