The Facts of Life (19791988) is a spin-off of Diff'rent Strokes featuring Drummond's former housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett, who had accepted a job as the housemother for a dormitory at Eastland, an all-girls private school that Kimberly was attending. The plot of the March 1983 episode "The Reporter": Arnold (Gary Coleman) publishes a shocking story about rampant drug use among his elementary school peers. The actresss career spanned several decades in theater, television, and the movies. It was in many respects a standard episode, with no signs that it would be the show's finale due to the cancellation of the series. She declined, but come fall, she had a change of heart. Bridges, Plato and Catlett were all absent from the episode, and several cast members later voiced their disappointment that they had not realized it would be the final episode, and would have liked to have been present to mark the end of the series onscreen more adequately. She is also against censorship, such as book banning. This same episode introduces wheelchair-aided Melanie Watson, born with osteogenesis imperfecta, as Kathy Gordon, who continued to guest-star one episode per season until Season 6. Obituaries are more likely to mention her roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and her own spinoff Phyllis, Young Frankenstein and other Mel Brooks comedies, The Last Picture Show, Bad Santa or perhaps recent roles like The Croods, American Gods or Mad About You. The title of the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," with a little creative spelling and punctuation to speed up the pronunciation of the first word in a casual, colloquial fashion, is an abbreviation of and reference to the common phrase "different strokes for different folks." In June, youll be able to see Rae in Adam Sandlers You Dont Mess with the Zohan. Outside the Drummond household, there were a large number of supporting characters over the years. As Arnold, Coleman popularized the catchphrase "What'cha talkin' 'bout, Willis?" Big Mouth Gets 2 More Seasons, While Human Resources Concludes; HBO Max's The Other Two Returns May 4 After the series ended Bridges developed an addiction to cocaine. Mackenzie Astin, 34, has an impressive Hollywood heritage hes the brother of actor Sean Astin and is the son of Patty Duke (The Patty Duke Show) and John Astin (The Addams Family). Kimberly was written out of the show with the explanation that she moved to Paris to study for a couple of years, but returned as a guest star for the season finale "A Special Friend", after Plato gave birth. "And the kid said, 'Whatchu talkin' 'bout,'" he added, referring to Coleman, only 10-years-old at the time. Debbie Reynolds during her high-school years, in the late 1940s. I have a production company, and I have a writer doing a script treatment on a book that I think would make a wonderful feature film, Leachman continued. Diffrent Strokes was and still is regarded by many as not just one of the most successful sitcoms in TV history but one of the very few, which succeeded due to the multi-racial cast of Conrad Bain as Philip/Mr Drummond, Dana Plato as Kimberley, Todd Bridges as Willis, and the lovable scamp, Gary Coleman as Arnold Jackson. [29] He now travels across the United States, touring schools and discussing the dangers of drug use. Cloris made me a fan! Rae thus disappeared from the original show midway through its second season (returning for one cameo appearance in 1984) and stayed with "The Facts of Life" until 1986. She was best known as Edna Garrett, a flame-haired housekeeper to three children on Diffrent Strokes. Unrivaled Mac notes apps for fuss-free note-taking, 6 Actionable Tips for Improving Your Websites SEO, Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes. The series served as a vehicle and landing place for two performers in need of work. : 'The Complete 5th Season' on DVD", "DVD Calendar Feature Articles - Metacritic", "Site News DVD news: Mill Creek Licenses 52 TV Shows from Sony for Low-Cost DVD Release - TVShowsOnDVD.com", "Diff'rent Strokes DVD news: Box Art for Diff'rent Strokes - Seasons 1 & 2 - TVShowsOnDVD.com", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diff%27rent_Strokes&oldid=1152270787, "It Takes Diff'rent Strokes" performed by, "It Takes Diff'rent Strokes" (seasons 17; 19781985), On September 4, 2006, NBC aired a television drama titled, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 06:24. 01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series As any '80s TV fanatic surely remembers, the character of Mrs. Garrett . One of the most vital, memorable elements of "Diff'rent Strokes" is its jaunty, hard-charging theme song. Deceased (19641999) Streaming on Roku. Hes appeared in episodes of Lost (as Kates childhood friend), Justice, and most recently NBCs My Name Is Earl. Adelaide Brubaker. [5] The fictional detective Bulldog Drummond served as inspiration for what would have been Bain's character, and although this concept was ultimately dropped, the surname "Drummond" was retained to become the surname of Bain's character in Diff'rent Strokes. //-->. Charlotte Rae, the redheaded comedian beloved as the good-natured housemother Mrs. Garrett on TV's "Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes," has died at 92. Although billed on the opening credits of each episode, Plato appeared only semi-regularly for much of the first season. Apple TV+ Series Frog and Toad Premieres Friday, April 28; Disney+ Reveals American Born Chinese Details She is still very active in movies and television and has three films currently in the works. In the first, season 5's "A Growing Problem," Willis moves out of the penthouse to live with Jerry (Lawrence Monoson) who abuses alcohol. Plots focusing on Arnold and Sam also continued to feature prominently, with Willis by this stage appearing on a secondary, semi-regular basis. This is a one disc compilation consisting of eight episodes from Season 2. Her sister Beverly Ann Stickle (Cloris Leachman) stepped in, adopted young Andy Moffet (Mackenzie Astin) and Aussie Pippa McKenna (Sherrie Krenn), and helped to guide the former schoolmates into early adulthood. Mrs. Garrett, of course, was the same character on "Diff'rent Strokes" as the housekeeper, so Dowd was on double-duty alongside Kevin Hart as Arnold; Damon Wayans as Willis; and John. First Lady Nancy Reagan launched the "Just Say No" campaign in 1986 (per History), formalizing the anti-drug abuse platform she'd worked on since early in the presidential administration of her husband, Ronald Reagan. The final two episodes produced for the third season ("Growing Up" and "The Model") had originally been postponed due to a writer's strike,[citation needed] and the interspersing of these two episodes with the ones without Coleman taped at the start of the fourth season allowed the span of his absence to be broken down onscreen. She has also won a record-breaking eight primetime Emmys, and one daytime Emmy Award for shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show (which was spun off to her own show, Phyllis), and Malcolm in the Middle. Who was Todd Bridges girlfriend in Diff rent Strokes? Its just like Jean Stapleton deciding to leave the role of Edith Bunker when she did. 04/25 - Cheers - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) She first played Mrs. Garrett, a frank, funny housekeeper with a distinctive bouffant, in 1978 in Diffrent Strokes. She knew it was time for her to step down and to let the girls spread their wings and reach new heights on their own. [citation needed]. "In The Swim" also saw the move of Kimberly from her private school, to the one attended by Willisa move brought about in part at Plato's suggestion, with it being felt it might open up potential new storylines. Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of May 1, 2023) When "Diff'rent Strokes" started its run in 1978, scene-stealing child actor Gary Coleman was relatively unknown, having appeared only a handful of times on some mid-'70s TV series. "Diff'rent Strokes" wasn't the only early '80s NBC sitcom about a little boy thrust into a world of wealth and luxury the network also broadcast "Silver Spoons," starring Ricky Schroeder as Ricky Stratton, a kid who meets and moves in with his immature, toy company heir father. Mindy Cohn, 41, was cast as Natalie when Rae and producers were doing research at the Westlake School in North Hollywood. This "Diff'rent Strokes" installment marked only the second time that a sitting First Lady appeared on a TV show, following a phone call from Betty Ford on a 1975 episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show.". According to Richard Irvin's "Spinning Laughter," the proposed series was written by three "Diff'rent Strokes" staff writers and concerned Catherine Armstrong (portrayed by Maureen McNamara), an inexperienced teacher who takes a job helping a group of first-generation immigrants from around the world prepare for their American citizenship test. New on DVD/Blu-ray (January-May) #DifferentStrokes #CharlotteRae #FactsofLif. Diffrent Strokes (TV Series 19781986) Denise Nicholas as Sondra Williams IMDb. . [36] Season 4 was released on November 20, 2012. Charlotte Rae, the actress who became known to millions of TV viewers as the tough but admirable Mrs. Garrett on Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life, has died. After a performance, she has an epileptic seizure and Sam thinks she's dying. After the series, she earned a degree in cultural anthropology from Loyola Marymount University. Personally, I think it's great she left the role, dont' get me wrong the eps without Mrs.G aren't as good, but it shows that she knows when she can keep going, and when she can't.I admire her. The pilot episode of "Diff'rent Strokes" featured a small, core cast of five actors: Conrad Bain as rich dad Philip Drummond), Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as his adopted sons Arnold and Willis Jackson, Charlotte Rae as housekeeper Edna Garrett, and Dana Plato as Kimberly Drummond, Philip's biological daughter. we felt we were owed., So what are the former Eastland girls doing these days? In terms of keeping touch with her girls, Rae recently said, Im very close with Lisa [Whelchel] and her husband and children and Nancy McKeon and her husband, and she has two little ones. Status of Cable & Streaming TV Shows (E-L), Cancelled or Renewed? After the man's true nature became known, Arnold escaped to look for help and the man nearly raped Kimberly before the police arrived to arrest him. Another episode ("Skin Deep or True Blue") is about Kimberly's new boyfriend, Roger Morehouse (played by Grant Wilson), not allowing his sister, Emily (Melora Hardin), to go to their school's costume ball with Willis because he is black. Since leaving her Jo persona behind, McKeon has kept very busy with TV movies, guest-starring on shows like Touched by an Angel, and starring on a crime drama series called The Division. Dana plays Jill, a feminist and a lesbian who is helping out the chauvinistic Jack with one of his photo shoots. [9] She was replaced in the role by Mary Ann Mobley, who had previously played an unrelated, one-off love interest of Drummond's in the second-season episode "Teacher's Pet". While she earned Tony nominations Pickwick, Morning Noon and Night, and an Emmy nom (Queen of the Stardust Ballroom), it wasnt until 1978 when Norman Lear, a longtime fan, cast her in Diffrent Strokes, that Raes career took off. Mrs. Garrett feels that her life goals have not been fulfilled and she wants to leave her job. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Then came Adelaide Brubaker. . In 1984, she married the father of her child, musician Lanny Lambert, but the couple divorced in 1990. In the season, Bridges continued as a main cast member, but was absent in several episodes. I lost my hair, but I had beautiful wigs. Privacy Policy. [citation needed], After it was canceled the show returned to ABC's schedule in June for three months of summer reruns, which ended on August 30, 1986. They lived in the penthouse suite at 697 Park Avenue in New York City. The one where EW follows up with the cast. racism. 05/23 - Go On - The Complete Series The first and second season also included three hour-long crossover episodes (edited into two-part format for syndication and overseas broadcasts) with NBC sitcom Hello, Larry, which had been moved to the slot immediately following Diff'rent Strokes in an effort to boost its ratings (an effort that ultimately failed; it was canceled after the end of its second season). In this final season Jason Hervey joined the semi-regular cast as Charlie, another of Arnold's school friends. It was co-written and performed by Alan Thicke, years before he would star on his own hit family sitcom, "Growing Pains." It began as a spin-off from the very popular Diffrent Strokes sitcom and transplanted the Drummunds housekeeper Edna Garrett (Charlotte Rae) to the fictional all-girls Eastland School. Towards the end of the seventh season, Rae began to contemplate leaving the series. Shes almost 82 and you might have caught her on King of Queens or as the voice of Nanny for Disneys 101 Dalmations: The Series. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. [8] The title for the series eventually became Diff'rent Strokes, inspired by the phrase "Different strokes for different folks", popularized by boxer Muhammad Ali in 1966 (Ali himself makes a guest appearance in the second season). Mrs. G didn't so she wasn't committed as the girls were. [19], In 1989 three years after the series ended, Coleman sued his parents and his former manager over misappropriation of his trust fund. She was 92. By this time while still pulling in reasonable viewing figures, ratings were beginning to fall, so producers decided to add several new characters to the cast to freshen the series up and open up future storylines. The third and fourth seasons had some of the show's highest ratings[citation needed] and continued much of the themes of the first two seasons, but also gradually saw the introduction of some more serious topics into storylines. Rae got her start in the theater, eventually acting on Broadway. Also first appearing in the second season was Arnold's best friend Dudley Johnson (Shavar Ross), first seen in the episode "Teacher's Pet". She most recently appeared on Without a Trace. is not provided by William Daniels, who voices K.I.T.T. Location: The cookie jar--Any "Anyone Can Whistle" fans out there? Sherrie Austin (formerly Krenn), 37, got her big start in music at the age of 14 when she opened for Johnny Cash in Australia. Also affecting Reagan's decision to appear on the show: At the time, "Diff'rent Strokes" was the most watched show among the demographic she most hoped to reach: kids aged 6 to 11. [34] On September 29, 2009, a "Fan Favorites" DVD was released. Her sister Beverly Ann Stickle (Cloris Leachman) stepped in, adopted young Andy. "), with a separately filmed cameo tagged on to the end of one episode explaining that he was away in the country visiting some of Mr. Drummond's relatives. Kim Fields, 38, appeared on Good Times prior to landing her role on Facts, as did her mother. That wasnt picked up and, for the most part Whelchel left the business. Rae left the series in 1986 when Mrs. Garrett got married and she rejoined the Peace Corps with her new husband. Later this year, catch her acting with Peter OToole and Marcia Gay Harden in Christmas Cottage. According to USA Today, Plato was dismissed from "Diff'rent Strokes" because of her salacious personal life, which ran counter to the show's wholesome image and her portrayal of a squeaky-clean. Search Sitcoms Online:
