Show Notes: Diff'rent Strokes: "The Adoption" (Parts 1 and 2)

*The two-part episode "The Adoption" aired on NBC October 31, 1979 and November 7, 1979, Wednesday nights at 9:00 P.M.

*According to an interesting Mental Floss article, NBC wanted to cast Gary Coleman in something and chose Diff'rent Strokes when a Little Rascals pilot fell through. The article also mentions Coleman's contract disputes, something we didn't really explore on the show.

*Speaking of Little Rascals, Matthew "Stymie" Beard does appear in this episode. He was in the Little Rascals until the mid 30s, when he was replaced by Buckwheat. Beard suffered through drug addiction before getting clean in the 1960s and then re-entering acting with parts such as a recurring role in Good Times before guesting in "The Adoption."

*Alan Thicke does indeed sing the theme song, but it's more evident in some versions than in others. Check our YouTube playlist for this episode for more!

*Actor Walter Stocker was the "generic voice-over guy" who narrated this episode. He has a name, guys! He has a name!

*Todd Bridges did date Janet Jackson "back in the day," but he later told Oprah that he kept his distance from her as a girlfriend because he she was so nice that he didn't want to hurt her.

*Wikipedia says Willis' catchphrase is "Say what?" The BOTNS research team (I'm leaving out the word "crack" in this case out of respect) is unable to verify this.

*The BOTNS research team DID confirm that Redd Foxx  was originally slated for the role Whitman Mayo assumed in this episode. Check the blog next week for the results of our special investigation.

*Mayo, best known as "Grady" in Sanford and Son, was 48 years old when this episode aired.

*A note on the Drummonds' apartment: A poster on the Sitcoms Online message boards says that in a later episode, Willis moves into Kimberly's bedroom when Kimberly "studies abroad" (i.e. is kicked off the show). That doesn't really clear up the bathroom situation, though, does it?

*Kimberly's trip to Eastland, which served as the backdoor pilot for The Facts of Life, is at the end of season 1, "The Girls School."

*A partial list of Gary Coleman's TV movies (he also appeared in several theatrical films during the series' run):
The Kid from Left Field (1979)
The Kid with the Broken Halo (1982)
The Kid with the 200 I.Q. (1983)
The Fantastic World of D.C. Collins (1984)