Product Description

Movie DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12814 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2004-09-14
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: Spanish, English
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 588 minutes

Amazon.com
More than just a ratings hit for NBC, the Norman Lear/Bud Yorkin-produced Diff'rent Strokes was a pop-culture phenomenon, thanks largely to the wise-beyond-his-years performance of star Gary Coleman. And while the show has languished of late in syndication in a heavily edited form, Columbia's first-season set amends that situation by packaging all 24 uncut episodes on a three-disc set with some interesting extras. Launched in November 1978 as a mid-season replacement for the failed Joe Namath series The Waverly Wonders, Diff'rent Strokes vaulted to no. 27 in the Nielsen ratings; audiences responded to the warmth and humorous culture clash between wealthy Philip Drummond (Lear vet Conrad Bain) and Arnold and Willis (Coleman and Todd Bridges), the sons of his late housekeeper whom he adopted. Though Bain, Bridges, Dana Plato (as Bain's daughter), and Charlotte Rae (as housekeeper Mrs. Garrett) all delivered solid performances, it was Coleman's charm, his timing, and most of all, his catch phrase "Whatchoo talkin' bout?" that drew in viewers.

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

Customer Reviews

Love the packaging!
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.

Different folks have different strokes
This series is really dated now, but I have to admit for its day it was ground breaking and very different.

Growing myself a child born to a racially mixed family whose teenage years were the end of the 1970s, early 1980s I have to admit "Different Strokes" made me feel good about myself, okay so Willis and Arnold were Black and living with a white man and his daughter but such diversity that was close to my own background was not something that was portrayed on TV all that often, so this was a breath of fresh air and my siblings and I were great fans from the word go.

We loved the antics of Arnold and his catchphrase, "Whatcha talking about Willis?" along with the sparing relationship between Willis, Arnold and their white step-sister Kimberley who was more prominent in the second series, in this series she was often away at boarding school.

Conrad Bain was the great as Arnold and Willis' long suffering step-father Phillip Drummond, and Dana Plato was wonderful as the brace-teethed Kimberly who was delighted to have two new brothers and cheerfully told them in the first episode, "touch my bedroom and you're dead!" Spoken like a true sibling.

The series was ground breaking not only for its mixed race cast but also for the subjects it attempted to tackle, such as racism, intolerance etc which it did with humour and a candidness that was amazing for its day, even now in the 21st century we are struggling to face our demons when it comes to subjects we are not comfortable with.

A great series, that brings back some real good memories, don't expect too much in the way of state of the art sets and such like, however the acting is pretty good, the humour still funny enough to give you a belly laugh every now and then but it is dated but then what series isn't?

Breakthrough nostalgia at its best.

Great show!
This is a great show.I watched this show to death in reruns.I also got the Columbia House collector tapes.I also have some episodes on DVD RAM that I recorded off of Nick.The problem with Nick and TV Land is all the reruns are edited.One scene that is cut from the pilot is Miss Garet telling Mr.Drummond to have a garage sale,Mr.Drummond replied "What's a garage sale?" That scene was not on the Nick version.At long last a full season of Diffrent Strokes is coming to DVD uncut.Way to go Sony Pictures!
Update-Sorry The Garrage sale comment Miss Garet made to Mr.Drummond was in the second episode "The Social Worker" Not the pilot.My mistake!