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Diff'rent Strokes : Season 3
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Air date: 12 Nov '80 - 22 episodesThe series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson, two African American boys from Harlem who are taken in by a rich white Park Avenue businessman named Phillip Drummond and his daughter Kimberly, for whom their deceased mother previously worked. During the first season and first half of the second season, Charlotte Rae also starred as the Drummonds' housekeeper, Mrs. Garrett.
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List of Episodes (22)
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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1. The Bank Job (1)
12 Nov '80Willis accompanies Arnold as he sets out to withdraw some money from his bank account to pay for his first ""real"" date, but two bank robbers force a change of plans when they attempt their own, very large withdrawal, in the first episode of a special two-part story.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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2. The Bank Job (2)
12 Nov '80Drummond offers himself and his company airplane as hostages to protect Arnold and Willis, but his sons' future hangs in the balance when the robbers announce their own very different choice of hostages, in the conclusion of a special two-part story.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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3. Small Claims Court
19 Nov '80Arnold has his day in court when an unfortunate ""train"" of events puts him at odds with a less than understanding merchant.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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4. Substitute Mother
26 Nov '80Arnold falls head-over-heels for a temporary housekeeper and embarks on a romantic scheme he hopes will make her a permanent member of the Drummond household.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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5. The Accident (1)
03 Dec '80The festive family celebration of Drummond's 50th birthday suddenly becomes a disaster after a drunk driver puts Drummond in the hospital, unconscious, his life hanging in the balance, in the first episode of a special two-part story.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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6. The Accident (2)
03 Dec '80When Drummond finally comes to, he is suffering from amnesia and unless he can regain his memory, he may lose not only his business, but also custody of Arnold, Willis and Kimberly.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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7. Little Mother
10 Dec '80Kimberly's efforts to help a pregnant girl friend, have Willis and Arnold convinced the Kimberly's the one expecting.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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8. Football Father
17 Dec '80After Arnold fails to measure up to the demands of the basketball, baseball and volleyball teams, Drummond convinces the boy to try football on for size and then pays the coach a clandestine visit to ensure Arnold a place on the team.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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9. First Love
31 Dec '80Drummond orders Willis to spend more time with his studies and less time with his ""first love,"" but Willis and Arnold concoct a plan they're sure will fulfill the wishes of both father and son.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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10. Count Your Blessings
07 Jan '81Arnold tries a regimen of stretching exercises and a change of diet to speed his growth, but Drummond finds he must go to a very special source to get the boy to accept that he will never be tall.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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11. The Loan
14 Jan '81Arnold learns the true value of a dollar when Drummond turns down his request to lend $4,000 to the apartment building doorman anxious to take part in an attractive business deal.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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12. Roots
21 Jan '81Willis and Arnold turn the Drummond household upside down as they try to prove to their old Harlem neighbors -- and themselves -- that they haven't lost tough with their cultural roots.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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13. Junk Food Junkie (a.k.a.) Junk Food
28 Jan '81Arnold's poor dental checkup and a visit by Drummond's health-conscious sister, Sophia, launches Drummond on a campaign to have ""junk"" food machines banned from Arnold's school, even though Arnold's drive for his class' presidency may depend on keeping the machines in place.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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14. The Bus
04 Feb '81Arnold's excitement at being one of a small group of students in an exchange program with an all-white school is turned to fear by a threatening phone call from a zealous busing opponent.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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15. The Older Man
25 Feb '81Through Blair's makeup artistry, 15-year-old Kimberly discovers she can pass for 20, but when she accepts a date with a 25-year-old and the passes start flying, she finds there may be more to being older than looking it.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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16. Where There's Hope
04 Mar '81Arnold's tenth birthday party means a lot to him, but for some reason it means a whole lot more to the one person he's determined won't be invited -- a pesky young lady who always tries just too hard to be friends.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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17. The Magician (a.k.a.) It's Magic
11 Mar '81Arnold's ""famous"" magic disappearing act, designed to impress a magazine reporter and special guest star Dallas Cowboys' defensive end Ed ""Too Tall"" Jones, leaves him dangerously high and dry, with no place to go but down -- about 30 stories.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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18. Drummond's Fair Lady
18 Mar '81Drummond runs into some stiff competition to the candidate he's chosen to head a new division of his company -- his board members think the attractive young executive's sex disqualifies her -- and his family thinks he's being used.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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19. The Ancestors
25 Mar '81Drummond and his sister Sophia inherit a prime piece of land in Harlem from a long lost ancestor, but their plan to dedicate it to a cultural center in his name could spell disaster if the truth of their ancestor's life gets out.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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20. Almost American
01 Apr '81Arnold's dejection at being grounded for a ""D"" on a history test turns to inspiration after an immigrant studying for naturalization introduces him to another perspective on America.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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21. Room for One More
06 May '81Dudley, fearing his foster father's lost job means he's headed back to the orphanage, cons Arnold into getting Drummond to consider adopting him into their family.
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Diff'rent Strokes (1978)
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22. The Athlete
13 May '81The coach of the city's top high school baseball team is after Willis and is prepared to do anything to make it possible for Willis to attend his school.
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