When pint-sized Gary Coleman uttered the phrase ‘Whatchoo talkin bout Willis?‘ to his TV brother, audiences were hooked and a star was born.
But the show’s popularity was based on more than the rise of the diminutive, wisecracking Coleman. Diff’rent Strokes was a pop-culture phenomenon that broke through cultural barriers as well.
The story of two-African-American kids from Harlem who move to Park Avenue with a wealthy white widower and his teenage daughter not only gave audiences lots to laugh about but gave them something to talk about for eight amusing seasons.
