What happened to Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges? [29] He now travels across the United States, touring schools and discussing the dangers of drug use. decades later, his son Robin Thicke would join the family business, becoming a chart-topping singer/songwriter. Rae left the show in 1986 for health reasons, and though Cloris Leachman stepped in as Mrs. Garretts sister, the show was canceled two years later. Leachman was making a conscious move to get back into television a decade after her Phyllis spinoff ended. Austin has had 10 singles in the top 100 on the country music charts. Stickle took over Garretts duties at Over Our Heads. Due to the popularity of Coleman's character, a spin-off series was briefly considered, to be titled Arnold and focusing on the character's school life[citation needed]. "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. 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 episode "Almost American" (aka "Night School"), was the pilot for a potential spin-off series, which ultimately was not picked up for a full series. Not long after, and well before the end of the series, both Rae and Plato would be written off of "Diff'rent Strokes.". (Kimberly did not become a regular character in that series, although the two shows had a number of crossovers.). [citation needed]. Charlotte Rae followed Diff'rent Strokes with Facts of Life NBC Universal Longtime fans. 05/23 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Eleven / The Complete Season Twelve #DifferentStrokes #CharlotteRae #FactsofLif. View Today's Active Threads (No Chit Chat/Chit Chat Only) / View New Posts (No Chit Chat/Chit Chat Only) / Mark All Boards Read / Chit Chat Board, The Facts of Life Online / The Facts of Life links and theme songs at Sitcoms Online / The Facts of Life Photo Gallery / The Facts of Life - Fan Fiction Board / The Division Board. Charlotte Rae appeared as Edna Garrett in every first-season episode; the final broadcast episode of the first season, "The Girl's School", also known as "Garrett's Girls", sees her agreeing to accompany Kimberly to her private school, the fictional Eastland, in order to help with preparations for a play- in actuality, this episode acted as the backdoor pilot for the spin-off series The Facts of Life (Garrett's Girls being an early working title). 2008 2009 Cancelled Shows: ABC Renews 12 TV Series, What About the Rest? 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. "It was written, 'What are you talking about, Willis?'" Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action Little Mermaid with a new generation's Ariel. The Facts of Life was in good hands with Leachman. Charlotte Rae, the actress who became known to millions of TV viewers as the tough but admirable Mrs. Garrett on Diffrent Strokes and The Facts of Life, has died. The third housekeeper, Pearl Gallagher, was played by Mary Jo Catlett, first appearing as a recurring character, later becoming a main cast member. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, respectively who are two black boys from Harlem taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman and his daughter. [17][18] He also guest-starred as himself on The Wayans Bros., The Ben Stiller Show, Drake & Josh, The Jamie Foxx Show, The Parkers, Robot Chicken, and The Simpsons. They married and Mrs. Garrett left for Africa to continue their Peace Corps work. I felt like a hooker! she joked in a 2016 interview. 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). If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Diffrent Strokes The Peacemaker (TV Episode 1982) Andrew Dice Clay as Crazy Larry IMDb. Hes appeared in episodes of Lost (as Kates childhood friend), Justice, and most recently NBCs My Name Is Earl. I personally feel she didn't abandon anyone. 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. 05/23 - Kate & Allie - The Complete Series In the seventh season, Carter and Cooksey were added to the opening credits (with Carter getting special "and" billing, last in the order) and many new areas and ideas were explored, as viewers now got to see Philip as a happily married man. Where can I stream different strokes live? Outside the Drummond household, there were a large number of supporting characters over the years. She appeared with Whelchel to sing part of the Facts of Life theme song and also took part in a Sex and the City spoof at the 2004 TV Land Awards. The reason for this was that Rae felt that the girls' characters were maturing and not requiring as much of Mrs. Garrett's rearing and advice. In 2011, The Facts of Life cast reunited for the TV Land Awards, where she took home the Pop Icon award. "Different strokes for different folks" is a well-known saying, but it's not an old expression it dates back to slightly more than a decade before the debut of "Diff'rent Strokes." After six months of chemotherapy, I was cancer-free. By the end of the season, Mr. Drummond and Maggie have married, and Dixie Carter (later known for her starring role on "Designing Women") had joined the regular cast of "Diff'rent Strokes.". In 1983, 19-year-old Plato announced her pregnancy, and in the following year, she was let go from "Diff'rent Strokes," returning only for a handful of guest spots in the show's final two seasons. Mrs. Garrett headed back to the big city and the Park Avenue apartment she resided in for years for the second half of the show focused on Diff'rent Strokes. She lives in Beverly Hills. She was a frequent recurring character until the sixth season, when Charlene and Willis break up but remain friends. Fields has directed episodes of shows like Eve, All That, and Kenan & Kel and also has her own production company (Victory Entertainment). Also introduced in the third season is Philip's dotty and eccentric sister Sophia (Dody Goodman), in the episode "Junk Food Junkie". [3][4] During the first season and the first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred, as Mrs. Edna Garrett, the Drummonds' first housekeeper, who ultimately spun off into her own sitcom, The Facts of Life, as a housemother at the fictional Eastland School. Rae has never been shy about describing the difficulty of being an actor in those days: Being an actor is not like any other job. Who was Todd Bridges girlfriend in Diff rent Strokes? Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 1, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodwards Daughters Appreciated the Fuck Hut Detail Too. At the end of the episode, Bain (in an out-of-character PSA) spoke about what to do if real life situations as the one portrayed on the show were to occur. "Backdoor pilot" is a TV industry term for when a show airs an episode in which few of its regular characters appear, with the action focusing on brand new people and situations, all with the intent of setting up a brand new show which would technically be a spinoff of the mother series. Shes on the board of directors of weSPARK, the cancer survivor organization founded by actress Wendie Jo Sperber. Beginning with the third-season episode "Count Your Blessings" and also touched upon in several other episodes is the fact that Arnold will never grow much taller, reflecting Gary Coleman's real-life medical condition. The actresss career spanned several decades in theater, television, and the movies. 04/18 - Blondie - The Complete 1957 Television Series (Blu-ray) Edna: Oh, you don't have to apologize to me boys! As with Bridges, Rae was offered the role without audition, but was locked into a contract with CBS; however, Lear was determined to have Rae for the role and used his influence to convince CBS to release her from her contract, freeing her up to be available for the role. According to the New York Times, his initial salary on "Diff'rent Strokes" was commensurate with his experience he earned $1,800 per episode. For the shows 35th anniversary in 2014, they again got together for the closing night of PaleyFest in Los Angeles. As Arnold, Coleman popularized the catchphrase "What'cha talkin' 'bout, Willis?" Two unofficial docudramas were produced about the show: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (formerly Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment) has released Seasons 1 and 2 of Diff'rent Strokes on DVD in Region 1 & 4. October 15, 1958 Opa-locka, Florida, U.S. An oft-mentioned character spanning the entire show's run, was "The Gooch", a notorious bully at Arnold's school. Phillip Drummond is the only character to appear in every episode of the series. The show began airing in 1979; Garrett stuck with it until the eighth season, eventually bowing out due to health problems. Unrivaled Mac notes apps for fuss-free note-taking, 6 Actionable Tips for Improving Your Websites SEO, Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes. As a result, from the later first season and on into the second season, Plato became a regular character. What About the Rest? Mrs. Garrett was a mother figure to Blair (Lisa Whelchel), Tootie (Kim Fields), Natalie (Mindy Cohen) and Jo (Nancy McKeon). In addition, she wanted to focus on other aspects of her life. Rae already had big plans in 1986. Charlotte Rae, the former Mrs. Garrett, keeps busy with stage work, cruise ship performances, lecturing, and occasional TV and movie roles. Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) is a . Nancy McKeon, 42, moved to Hollywood when her brother Philip was cast as Linda Lavins son on Alice. Stay tuned! I felt I had investigated every nook and cranny, and for my own stimulation as an actress, it was important for me to move on.. They reference Willis by name before meeting Will Smith's character, leading to Coleman uttering a variation of his catchphrase, "What'cha talkin' about, Will?". [34] On September 29, 2009, a "Fan Favorites" DVD was released. For the role of kindly Mr. Drummond, he inserted Conrad Bain, who had a deal to star in another show as soon as possible following the end of his previous series, "Maude," a Lear production. She broke into television playing Sylvia Schnauser, the wife of Al Lewis Officer Leo Schnauser on Car 54, Where Are You? Although he was awarded over $1 million in the decision, he filed for bankruptcy in 1999. Im grateful for the life Ive already had.. Other classmates and friends of Arnold seen over time included Robbie Jason (Steven Mond) and snobby Lisa Hayes (Nikki Swasey), who initially was sweet on Arnold, but later came to despise him, leading to hatred between the pair and many squabbles. Charlotte Rae Fan I'm glad you admire her but I personally think when someone starts a show, they stick with it! 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. She won an Academy Award for The Last Picture Show. In the seventh season, after years of harassing Arnold (and later Sam), the Gooch was finally defeated by Arnold's neighbor and nemesis (and eventually friend) Carmella, a foreign exchange student. Arnold is writing a report on athletes at his school who are using anabolic steroids. 01/27 - Master of None - Season Three / The Complete Series The show is wonderfully popular and the public loves all the characters, but I just felt I had done all that I could do with Mrs. Garrett. [27] Bridges was also arrested on a concealed weapon charge and possession of cocaine. All rights reserved. The latter is one of the few he also performed himself, along with the "Diff'rent Strokes" opening tune, which Thicke sang with his then-wife, Gloria Loring. Search Sitcoms Online: