Diff'rent Strokes — Season 4

Aired 29 October 1981

His friends' stories of their sexual exploits convince Willis it's time he ""became a man""--now he must convince his steady girl friend Charlene.

Aired 5 November 1981

Willis has the normal jitters on his first day of high school, and in his hurry to make friends, hooks up with a bad group, goes overboard to impress them, and, for his efforts could wind up in jail.

Aired 12 November 1981

Kimberly hopes a summer job will make her more independent, but when it becomes an undreamt chance at international modeling, it may be more independence than her father will agree to.

Aired 19 November 1981

A happy household is torn by the repercussions of meeting racial quotas -- Drummond faces a lawsuit when he hires a black man from outside his company for a prized executive position and Willis seeks justice when told his color is the only thing preventing him from making the school's predominantly black basketball team.

Aired 26 November 1981

Arnold is elated when he's accepted into an "elite" club at school, but his membership could lead to consequences far beyond his wildest dreams when he learns he must commit a crime as part of his secret initiation.

Aired 3 December 1981

Arnold's big plans for his first real ""date"" are quickly deflated when parental-imposed restrictions threaten to ruin his encounter before it ever gets off the ground.

Aired 10 December 1981 • 30 min

Kimberly must face the biggest decision of her life -- whether to spend a ski weekend with a popular boy or turn down the opportunity to get away on her own and remain, in her mind, daddy's ""little girl.""

Aired 17 December 1981

Arnold and Willis face a puzzling dilemma -- how to tell Drummond that the award he worked so hard for comes from a health club with a ""restricted membership.""

Aired 7 January 1982

Arnold and Willis go on a hunger strike to save a historic landmark when they learn construction by Drummond's company may destroy what could be an ancient Indian burial ground.

Aired 14 January 1982

Does Drummond have a third son, there's a young man at the door who claims he does and that he is.

Aired 21 January 1982 • 30 min

When Willis takes his steady girl friend for granted, his selfishness sends her out with another guy -- who won't ignore her, but there may be hope for happiness if a self-appointed Cupid succeeds in his plan.

Aired 28 January 1982 • 30 min

A cancelled fishing trip leaves Arnold having a series of bad dreams that the entire family loses sleep over, until a psychiatrist's examination reveals what really is causing his nighttime terror.

Aired 4 February 1982

Arnold and his friend Kathy face big challenges in their lives and each holds the key to overcoming the other's obstacles, but when Arnold takes the first step forward, their entire relationship takes a big step backwards.

Aired 11 February 1982

A fire traps Drummond and his family in their penthouse and has him ""working"" overtime trying to protect them without letting on that there's anything wrong.

Aired 18 February 1982

Drummond learns the hard way that converting apartments into condominiums can mean hurting lots of innocent people when he becomes the unsuspecting ""victim"" of an eccentric tenant he's displacing.

Aired 25 February 1982

When his girl friend plans on taking a drive with someone else, a careless Willis -- refusing to be outdone -- gets an idea for a real joy ride neither of them will forget.

Aired 11 March 1982

Arnold and his friend Dudley are scared to death by two teenage bullies who pose the intimidating demand ""your lunch money or your life.""

Aired 18 March 1982

Arnold doesn't know when to leave well enough alone after Willis comes to his rescue, he gets himself involved in an ""undercover"" scheme to capture the ""punks"" at school who have been harassing him.

Aired 25 March 1982

Willis' obsession with joining an ""exclusive"" high school club rocks the Drummond household and leaves several victims in its wake, including a shaken Arnold who takes his brother's ""insensitive"" actions to heart.

Aired 1 April 1982

An adamant Drummond ignores sister Sophia's pleas to get involved in a group effort to combat air pollution, until Kimberly becomes victimized by the unnatural phenomenon.

Aired 8 April 1982

Aunt Sophia's matchmaking unites an unsuspecting Drummond with her ""working-class"" hairdresser, but a slip of Arnold's tongue ignites charges that Drummond is a snob, turning a ""budding romance"" into a roaring feud.

Aired 15 April 1982

A quick-thinking, fast-acting Willis saves Arnold from a near-fatal accident and in doing so unleashes an adoring monster who dedicates his life to repaying his ""hero.""

Aired 22 April 1982

Stress is diagnosed as the cause of hard-working Drummond's frequent attacks of pain, but suddenly young, healthy and ""normal"" Willis learns that he, too, is a prime candidate for the same debilitating ""attacks.""

Aired 6 May 1982

Willis sets what he's sure is a ""cinch"" audition for girl friend Charlene to sing with his musical group, but his ""big plane"" hit a sour not when Arnold's intervention threatens to destroy both Charlene's chances with the group and her relationship with Willis.

Aired 13 May 1982

Arnold feels shortchanged, he's growing older but he's not getting any taller and he's convinced that's the reason why he doesn't have a girl friend.

Aired 20 May 1982

A famed choreographer encourages Arnold to learn ballet, but his youthful dancing days could be numbered when Willis' taunting remarks convince Arnold to drop out of an upcoming recital.