Product Description

The hit series DIFF'RENT STROKES is back for a second season of laugh-filled comedy and warm human drama. Audiences loved the hilarious culture clash between wealthy Philip Drummond (Conrad Bain) Arnold (Gary Coleman) and Willis (Todd Bridges) the sons of his late housekeeper from Harlem and his daughter Kimberly (Dana Plato). The series continued to explore race relations through its comedic story lines and also featured a dazzling array of guest stars including the legendary Muhammad Ali and baseball great Reggie Jackson. During the second season Arnold and Willis were officially adopted by Mr. Drummond. Also midway through the season Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae) left the Drummonds to work at the Eastlake School for Girls (as seen in the hugely successful spin-off TV series "The Facts of Life") and was replaced by Nedra Volz as the new housekeeper Adelaide Brubaker. Experience the charm of DIFF'RENT STROKES and watch its evolution into a TV classic!System Requirements:Run Time: 650 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 043396133686 Manufacturer No: 13368

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18348 in DVD
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2006-01-31
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: .60 pounds
• Running time: 650 minutes

Amazon.com
Nowadays Diff'rent Strokes is best known for producing three of the most troubled former child stars in the history of entertainment, but in its day this was a top-rated sitcom. Gary Coleman wasn't just a pair of cute chubby cheeks; he had the kind of wily comic timing that could have carried his career into adulthood--if his stardom hadn't been linked to his physique, making adult roles unacceptable to his audience. But The Complete Second Season captures Coleman at his diminutive prime as Arnold Jackson, one of two brothers adopted by a wealthy New York developer named Philip Drummond (Conrad Bain, Maude). Bain and Charlotte Rae (as housekeeper Mrs. Garrett, who left mid-season to anchor the spin-off The Facts of Life) delivered their lines and got out of Coleman's way; Dana Plato (as Drummond's daughter Kimberly) and Todd Bridges (as Arnold's brother Willis) acted their young hearts out, but Coleman was unquestionably the star.

A runaway success and pop culture phenomenon, the second season of Diff'rent Strokes pulled in celebrity sports stars like Muhammad Ali, Reggie Jackson, and Meadowlark Lemon, while great character actors like Dabney Coleman (Nine to Five) and James Cromwell (Babe, Six Feet Under) appeared in memorable roles. The crossover episodes with justly forgotten McLean Stevenson sitcom Hello, Larry are regrettable (though Coleman had great chemistry with Hello, Larry's husky-voiced Kim Richards, formerly the star of Escape from Witch Mountain), while the appearance of the Facts of Life cast (including a very young Molly Ringwald, prior to her teen queen reign as star of The Breakfast Club and Pretty In Pink) fits right in. Social topics like racism and poverty are treated with firm liberal denouncement, but the difficulties of adolescence sometimes get slightly more subtle treatment (comparatively, at least). The only complaint about The Complete Second Season is the complete lack of extras; but even without interviews or commentaries, these episodes--returned to their original broadcast length--will delight fans. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Here are the episodes for season 2:
1. Arnold's Girlfriend (1) (September 21, 1979) Arnold has appendicitis and Drummond has to deal with the bigotry of Fred Tanner whose daughter is the only one that can talk Arnold into getting the operation.

2. Arnold's Girlfriend (2) (September 21, 1979) Arnold & Alice run away when they find out they can't share a hospital room.

3. Feudin' and Fussin' (1) (September 28, 1979) Larry Alder is in New York to try out for a new TV talk show but everything is doomed from the start.

4. Feudin' and Fussin' (2) (September 28, 1979) Part 2 of the above episode.

5. Mrs. Garrett's Romance (October 12, 1978) Mrs. Garrett's new beau proposes to her.

6. Birds and Bees (October 19, 1979) Willis' fishy version of the facts of life leaves Arnold with misconceptions. Arnold repeats his "knowledge" to a neighbor's daughter, but the girl's mother is not amused.

7. Arnold's Hero (October 24, 1979) Arnold's wildest dream is realized when he comes face-to-knee with "The Champ" -- special guest star Muhammad Ali.

8. The Adoption (1) (October 31, 1979) A "relative" visits on the eve of Arnold's & Willis' adoption.

9. The Adoption (2) (November 7, 1979) Mr. Drummond's attempts to adopt Arnold and Willis are aborted until the boys take matters into their own hands.

10. Father and Son Day (November 14, 1979) Willis' cut-throat competitiveness with another boy at his gym leads him to a decision that he will very much regret.

11. Thanksgiving Crossover (1) (November 28, 1979) The Alders and the Drummonds are together again in New York but Larry & Phil's tempers explode.

12. Thanksgiving Crossover (2) (November 28, 1979) Can the kids bring Larry and Phil together again?

13. The Rivals (December 5, 1979) Arnold & Willis compete for the same girl.

14. Hot Watch (December 12, 1979) Willis & Arnold are prime suspects when a neighbors apartment is robbed.

15. The Dog Story (December 19, 1979) Arnold is bit by a dog and The Drummond's search for the dog while Arnold's life is in danger.

16. The Election (January 9, 1980) Drummond runs for city council while the household gets a new housekeeper.

17. Friendly-Mate (January 16, 1980) Willis and Arnold decide to get Drummond a date.

18. Poor Drummond (January 23, 1980) An important business deal keeps Drummond on edge.

19. Big Business (January 30, 1980) Arnold & Willis go in the brownie business.

20. Return of the Gooch (February 6, 1980) The Gooch returns to bully Arnold.

21. Valentine's Day Retrospective (February 13, 1980) Arnold & Willis are trapped in the basement and reminisce about the past.

22. Skin Deep or True Blue (February 20, 1980) Kimberly's new date turns about to be a bigot.

23. Teacher's Pet (February 27, 1980) Drummond starts dating Arnold's teacher while Arnold acts up to win back his classmates.

24. The Slumber Party (March 12, 1980) Willis is in charge of the house during Kimberly's slumber party.

25. Arnold Faces Fatality (March 19, 1980) Arnold finds Drummonds will and wonders if he is checking out.

26. The Squealer (March 26, 1980) Willis joins a street gang and winds up arrested.

A Mediocre Season
The second season of the 70s/80's hit comedy "Different Strokes" is now available on DVD. The 1979/1980 season wasn't that different than the first season, but there are a few noticeable differences. Arnold was a little bigger than he was the previous season. Dana Plato (Kimberly) plays a bigger role during the season 2 episodes.

Season two begins with three painfully slow episodes. For some reason the shows writers decided not to focus on the ensemble cast. Episodes 1&2 of the second season feature guest star Dabney Coleman who stars as a businessman with a daughter named Alice. When Alice finds out he has to have an operation he wants to share a hospital room with Alice, however after the business relationship between Mr. Drummond and Alice's father goes sour he refuses to let the kids share a hospital room. The third season two episode once again brings the cast of the series "Hello Larry" to town.

There are some good and funny episodes during season 2. "Sanford and Son" funnyman Whitman Mayo appears in "The Adoption Part 1& 2" as a junk man whose scam threatens the finalization of the adoption of Arnold and Willis.

Race issues continued to be addressed during season 2. Mrs. Garrett would leave the show and be replaced by Adelaide. Overall, it's a pretty mediocre season. The show really got a bit better when Arnold began interacting with his friends Dudley and Willis started dating more.

The set contains three colorful discs and each disc is enclosed in it's own individual case. There are a total of 24 episodes. The packaging is nice. There are no bonus features.

whatchootalkinbout? Strokes is a classic!!
as a child of the 1980's, few shows inspire fonder memories for me than Diff'rent Strokes. The second season is finally coming, which was long overdue for many of us who bought season 1 as soon as it came out.

The second season of Diff'rent Strokes improves on the first season. Arnold (Gary Coleman), Willis (Todd Bridges) and Kimberly (the late Dana Plato) begin to grow up and tackle more serious subjects, while at the same time, far from becoming the "very special episode" haven it became in its later seasons. As Arnold, Coleman provided countless laughs and smiles on many peoples faces. While you can list everything you like about the show, there is no denying that without Gary Coleman, Diff'rent Strokes is not Diff'rent Strokes.

I urge every fan of this show, as well as fans of other Sony properties from the era such as The Facts Of Life, One Day At A Time and Silver Spoons, to purchase this set. Sales for season one were apparently lackluster enough that Sony shelved plans for a lot of era shows on DVD, the more Strokes sells, the better shot other shows from the era also have coming out.

So come January 31st, put your old white socks on with the red stripes and Jordache jeans, and pop open a can of Tab and relive the golden age of Diff'rent Strokes with the release of season 2 on DVD.