The TV series "
Diff'rent Strokes" aired from 1978 - 1986 and starred
Conrad Bain as
Philip Drummond, a rich Manhattan widower who owns the
multi-million-dollar firm Trans Allied, Inc. When his black
maid Mrs. Jackson dies, he fulfills the
promise he made to her to care for her two sons, eight-year-old
Arnold (
Gary Coleman)and twelve-year-old
Willis (
Todd Bridges), by adopting them as his own. They soon find their new home to be
more than they could have hoped for as they are cheerfully accepted into the
Drummond family by both Philip and his teenage daughter
Kimberly (
Dana Plato).
The littlest member of the
Drummond family for quite a while,
Gary Coleman made a name for himself early in his career, making audiences laugh as he exhibited that childish charm only a few gifted child actors possess. It was this role that popularized the line, "
What you talkin bout, Willis?," which Coleman would utter whenever he was confused about something his older brother
Willis said.
Arnold was also well-known for carrying his
teddy bear Homer with him.
The long-running series often guest-starred such celebrities as
Muhammad Ali and
Nancy Reagan as the characters learned important lessons about issues like
drugs,
cheating,
friendship, and
family.