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Diff'rent Strokes -  The Complete First Season

Diff'rent Strokes - The Complete First Season

List Price: $29.95
Your Price: $23.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: cool show
Review: Arnold&Willis Moving from the Hood to the Burbs.it was a show that truly wasn't like anythign else on Tv at the time. it was a real interesting dynamic for a White cat to Adopt two Brothers&Bring them into His world.the theme ong puts me in the frame of mind of Sly&the Family stone's "Everyday people". the cast had real good chemistry. the Show was solid for the first three years.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Indeed, the world DON'T move to the beat of just one drum!
Review: 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!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Looks like a winner!!
Review: 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...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Of What Are You Speaking, Mr. Drummond?
Review: I always thought that catchphrase was a little wordy.

I want to start a Diff'rent Strokes drinking game where you drink every time Willis wakes Arnold up in the middle of the night and says, "c'mon, Arnold. We don't belong here."

Also drink for every "special episode" they have, like when Sam was abducted, or when Kimberly and Arnold were abducted, or when Mr. Carlson tried to molest them (and they weren't abducted).

Hilarious sitcom hijinks!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's got a death curse!
Review: I am so happy this show is finally getting the DVD treatment! I absolutely LOVED this show when I was a kid and Arnold had a heart of gold.

Too bad that show that gave us so many laughs would end in tragedy for the castmembers, but hey that laughs had to continue in some form or another. From Gary Coleman beating some woman up to Willis high on crack and shooting a guy to Kimberly robbing a video store and then OD'ing, one has to wonder just what kind of father Mr. Drummond really was!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Love the packaging!
Review: I love the packaging for this 3 DVD set. Each disc comes in it's own plastic case which snaps closed. Of course each case has a picture of Gary Coleman on the cover. The three disc set is a must have for an 80's or Different Strokes fan. These episodes are hilarious. The picture quality is decent. There are extras, commentary from the writer and new interviews from Charlotte Rae, Conrad Bain and Todd Bridges. I re-watched all of these episodes this past week and just realized that a lot of the little jokes Arnold would make were really for the adults to enjoy. I hope that future seasons will be released soon.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: So Far So Good
Review: I've only watched the first 7 episodes but I am already so glad I bought this. It's reasonbly priced and has great entertainment value. I was born in 77 so I was too young for tv during the first couple of seasons but watched the later years and loved it. This is a must have for any child of the 80's.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: whatchutalkinbout DVD?
Review: One of the older series I have been most anticipating on DVD is Diff'rent Strokes. Outside of a brief stint on Nick At Nite in early 2001, DS has been pretty hard to locate on television for the past 8 or 9 years.

This show is bashed a lot by people who weren't there, but for those of us who were kids when this show was big, there are a lot of memories here.

Of course, the star of the show is Gary Coleman. Say what you will about him and his post-DS "career", but Arnold Jackson Drummond was an icon. How anyone can deny his comedy talent is beyond me. He was hysterical and had the comedic timing that people three times his age wished they had. I think this show could've been named "Arnold" since that is what the show is.

The first season sees Charlotte Rae playing Mrs. Garrett, a role that went onto The Facts Of Life (I hope this comes out soon too on DVD), she was hilarious. Dana Plato (RIP) and Todd Bridges also were quickly getting settled into their roles. Both of them had awful post-DS lives, but let's just see them as they were on the show and not dwell on their future failures.

This is a DVD pretty much anyone between 24-35 should have... it is a part of our childhood and it is STILL just as funny now as it was a quarter of a century ago.

Columbia, bring on season 2!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Why is this NOT funny any more?
Review: RENT this from blockbuster online (it's free for 30 days)before you buy.it just ain't that funny any more. and, it does have racist overtones-belive it or not.we don't belive mr.dee is our savior any longer remember we were kids when this first aired.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Diffrent Stroeks for Diffrent Folks!
Review: This Is One of The Best Shows Ever.
I Always Like to watch it,
Cus It's Funny.
It Brought to my Attanchion that is a seriuos Show,
But Funny One!
When I Saw it's on DVD i was Excited!
The Show Rules. There aren't much special features,
but hey, It's Not for The Features, it's for the Episodes, Right?
Buy It Now!

Arnold Rules all Things and Stuff!


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