Kelly’s Korner – Diff’rent Strokes Vs. Eight Is Enough [VIDEOS]

Diff'rent Strokes

This show aired from November of 1978 to March of 1986. The story was about two young boys from Harlem, Arnold and Willis Jackson, whose mother died. They went to live with the businessman that their mother worked for, Mr. Phillip Drummond and his daughter, Kimberly.

The show dealt with difficult social issues, which were somewhat taboo at the time. Unfortunately, after the show was cancelled, many of the actors were plagued with by legal troubles.

Eight Is Enough

Eight Is Enough ran from March 1977 to August of 1981. The show was actually modeled after a newspaper columnist, Thomas Braden, who was a parent of eight kids, and wrote a book of the same name.

There are some very interesting facts you might not remember about the show. The kids names were, from oldest to youngest: David, Mary, Joanie, Susan, Nancy, Elizabeth, Tommy, and Nicholas.Tom Bradford was the father, and his wife Joan, played by Diana Hyland, appeared in just four episodes before falling ill and dying 12 days after the first episode aired. When they returned for the second season, it had been written in the script that Tom had become a widower, and eventually married Sandra Sue, "Abby" Abbott.

The names of all eight children start with the first letter of the words of the first episode: "Never (Nicholas) Try (Tommy) Eating (Elizabeth) Nectarines (Nancy) Since (Susan) Juice (Joanie) May (Mary) Dispense (David)."

What were your most memorable television shows? Send me an email of your favorite shows of yesterday, and what it was that you found so intriguing, to kelly@mix949.com.