Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986): Season 1, Episode 20 - Getting Involved - full transcript

Arnold witnesses a mugging with his telescope.

♪ Now the world don't move
to the beat of just one drum

♪ What might be right for
you may not be right for some

♪ A man is born
he's a man of means

♪ Then along come two

♪ They got nothin'
but their jeans

♪ But they got Diff'rent Strokes

♪ It takes Diff'rent Strokes

♪ It takes Diff'rent
Strokes to move the world

♪ Everybody's got
a special kind of story

♪ Everybody finds a way to shine

♪ It don't matter that you got



♪ Not a lot, so what?

♪ They'll have
theirs you'll have yours

♪ And I'll have mine

♪ And together we'll be fine

♪ 'Cause it takes

♪ Diff'rent Strokes to
move the world, yes, it does

♪ It takes Diff'rent Strokes
to move the world! ♪

Hey, everybody!

Mr. Drummond, Kimberly,
Willis, Mrs. Garrett!

Coming.

Hey, what's going
on? What's happening?

Arnold, what is it?

I just saw a big holdup!

Holdup? Come on.



A holdup!

Yes! I was looking
through my telescope

and I saw this one dude stick a gun in
another dude's back and hold him up.

Show me where,
Arnold. It's too late.

The guy split on a motorcycle
and the other one ran away.

Right on the street?

In broad daylight?

Nobody wasn't even
paying any attention.

Arnold,

was one of the dudes naked,
throwing dollar bills in the air?

I don't know about
the rest of you,

but that question sounds
very strange to me.

That's 'cause it came
from a very strange place.

Arnold made up this story
about seeing a naked lady

throwing dollar
bills in the air.

He's making this one up, too.

No, I'm not!

If I'm lying, may my missing
front teeth never grow in.

Now, listen, Arnold.

Just tell us what these
people looked like.

Well, the guy with the
gun was white and real tall.

How tall is real tall?

Over four feet.

Well, what about the
guy he held up, Arnold?

The guy he held up was black,
and he was wearing a dress.

A man wearing a dress?

Why would a man wear
a... Forget I asked that.

He was also wearing
a funny red hat,

like an organ grinder's monkey.

And the holdup man got
away on a motorcycle?

Uh-huh. And the driver
was a lady with a beard.

Well, Daddy, do you think
we ought to call the police?

Uh-uh.

We ought to call
a head shrinker.

Arnold just flew over
the cuckoo's nest.

Listen, I'm trying very
hard to believe you,

so let's go over the facts, huh?

In broad daylight, you
saw a tall man of four feet

holding up another man wearing
a dress and a red monkey hat,

and he escaped on a motorcycle
driven by a bearded lady.

Is that what you said?

Yeah, but I forgot
that the bearded lady

was wearing a red banana.

I mean bandana.
What are we gonna do?

I know what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna write me a
letter to the liars' club

and tell them I got
the new champ.

You may be short, Arnold,
but you've got a tall imagination.

The next time you see a
holdup man, bring him home.

While I vacuum the furniture,
he can hold up the couch.

Come on, Arnold.

Guess you think
I'm lying too, Mr. D.

No, Arnold.

I don't think you're lying.

I just think you have a
very active imagination.

I had one, too, when
I was a little boy.

I remember once I woke up
the whole household, yelling,

"There's a Martian on the lawn!

"There's a Martian on the lawn!"

What was it really?

It was a drunk,
carrying a TV antenna.

Nobody believes me.

But I know what I saw.

Hello, operator?
Get me the police.

Hello, police?

This is a person.

I want to report a holdup.

My name is Arnold Jackson.

I'll spell it for you, so you won't
get it wrong in the headlines.

That's capital "A,"
small R-N-O-L-D.

I'm coming, I'm coming.

♪ Your chime is my chime ♪

Excuse me, lady. Police.

Police?

Please, lady, don't be nervous.

I'm only as nervous
as a person should be

when a nine-foot cop
comes to the door and says,

"Don't be nervous."

Lady, would you mind if I sat
down? My feet are killing me.

You won't believe this,
but I really do have flat feet.

So do I. Come on in, sit down.

Thanks.

Who is it, Mrs. Garrett?

A flatfoot. I mean, the police.

Flatfoot, cops, fuzz, whatever
they call us, we're all underpaid.

What can I do for you, Officer?

Detective Sergeant Morison.

One "R," one "S."

Philip Drummond. The usual way.

Does an Arnold
Jackson live here?

That's my son.

What about him?

Terrific. I guess
he didn't tell you.

He called us to say
he saw a holdup.

Oh, no.

Arnold! Come down here.

Sergeant, I'm sure this is just a
little boy's imagination gone wild.

I'm terribly sorry about this.

I'm afraid he made the
whole thing up, Officer. He...

Excuse me.

You want me,
Mr. Drummond? Mmm-hmm.

Is this your son?

That's right.

Now that's what I
call affirmative action.

Arnold, this is Sergeant
Morison from the police station.

He has come to see you.

He has?

Now, Arnold, I want you to
listen to me very carefully.

I want you to look Sergeant
Morison right in the eye

and tell him the truth
about that holdup today.

Yes, sir.

Right in the eye.

But I can't do it from here.

I think I still need
a phone book.

That's close enough.
Now go ahead and tell him.

Well, Officer, I...

Wait a minute.

Hold it, kid.

Before you start, there's
something I got to say...

You got the cutest, fattest
little cheeks I've ever seen.

Now I know what they
mean by police brutality.

Kid's got a great
sense of humor.

And a wild imagination.
Tell him, Arnold.

Well, I was looking
through my telescope,

and I saw this one dude
hold up this other dude

who was wearing a
dress and a red hat. And...

Arnold, please. The truth.

He is telling the
truth, Mr. Drummond.

You mean, there was actually a holdup
involving a bearded lady with a red banana?

Bandana.

Bandana.

A male Caucasian with long hair.

Well, what about the guy in
the dress and the monkey hat?

A caftan and a fez.

The victim was a UN delegate
from an African country.

They don't go in
much for leisure suits.

Neither do I.

The only leisure suit I got
is the one I was born with.

Arnold, look.

I apologize for doubting you.

But you must admit, your
story did sound pretty wild.

No, that's okay, Mr. Drummond.

Nobody ever
believes little kids.

Arnold, I'm proud of you.

Do you think I'll get a
reward for solving the crime?

Well, I think some city official
might write you a thank you note.

I hope he writes
it on a $10 bill.

We're gonna need your
son down at the station

to look at some
pictures, Mr. Drummond.

We think we know who the guy is,

but we need Arnold to
make a positive identification.

What time can he show up?

What time do they
deliver the doughnuts?

I'll bring him tomorrow
right after school, Sergeant.

That'll be fine.

Before I go.

Arnold,

would you mind if I...

Oh, all right.

I'm hooked on those cheeks.

Now it's my turn.

Hey, that hurts!

Get the picture?

Arnold, this mug book is
full of pictures of criminals.

Now let me know when you see
the guy who pulled the holdup.

Hmm.

Look at that one.

Shifty-looking, ain't he?

Never trust a guy
with half a moustache.

Boy, are these guys ugly.

Now I know why
crooks wear masks.

Take your time. We
really want this guy.

That's him!

That's the holdup man!

Are you sure, Arnold? Positive.

Hey, great. Frank,

the kid fingered him.
Bring him in, will you?

Right, Sergeant.

Arnold, you did great.

Now all you gotta do is
identify him in a lineup.

Arnold, if you'd had a
telescope a few years ago,

you could've wiped out
half the crime in New York.

Yeah, and the other half
would've moved to New Jersey.

You two are really good
citizens, Mr. Drummond.

A lot of people must've
seen this holdup,

but you were the only
ones willing to get involved.

How about a picture of
your kid for the paper?

Oh, I hadn't counted on his
picture being in the paper. I...

Oh, that's okay, Mr. Drummond.

I think I can force myself
to be on the front page.

How about that?

Our own Arnold's picture
in the evening paper.

That's fantastic, Arnold.

I like the picture.
I look mature.

Hey, Arnold, I'm proud of you.

You got your picture in the
paper without doing time.

Here we are.

Mr. Drummond, did you
get enough of those papers?

I just got what you
asked me for, Arnold.

Thirty copies.

Maybe we should get a few more.

They might turn
into collector's items.

I'll get it!

Hello. My picture's on
Page 3. Who is this?

What?

Who is it, Arnold? I don't know.

He sounds like he's trying
to bite me through the phone.

Hello.

What?

What's that?

What do you mean?

Yes.

Yes, I understand.

Who was that, Daddy?

Oh, it was just a wrong number.

How about that?

Even people with wrong
numbers are calling me.

I knew I shouldn't have let
them take Arnold's picture.

Why? What's the
matter, Mr. Drummond?

Some man said that if we don't
want anything to happen to Arnold,

he better not identify
that holdup man tomorrow.

How come my face
wasn't on Page 1?

You're not cute
enough. Get outta here.

Oh, Arnold. Yes, you are.

Now, look, Sergeant Morison,
I just can't let Arnold do it.

The guy on the phone
made it quite plain.

Arnold will be in danger if he
shows up at your lineup tomorrow.

But without your kid,

this guy's gonna be running
around in the street, loose.

I need Arnold to put him away.

I am sorry, Sergeant.

Chalk up another
one for the bad guys.

Everybody wants us to
do something about crime.

But when we need you,
everybody's out of town.

Now, listen, Sergeant. We are talking
about the safety of an 8-year-old child.

Now, if it was me, I assure
you, there'd be no problem.

But not you or I or anybody

has the right to lay
my son's life on the line!

You crushed my dinner.

I'm sorry.

That's okay.

It was a ham sandwich,

so now it's pressed ham.

Well, I hope you get that guy.

That's what they all say.

Arnold, you're actually gonna make
the whole album out of the same picture?

Sure.

That way, whatever page
I turn to, I can see me.

That makes sense.

Hey Arnold,

if you autograph a
few of these pictures,

I can make a lot of money
selling them to your biggest fan.

Who's that? You.

Oh-oh.

What's the matter, Mrs. Garrett?

Nothing, just...

Who is it?

Yes. I'm Louis Adams,
with the United Nations.

I'm here to see Arnold Jackson.

Did the doorman check
your identification?

Yes, he did.

May I see your identification?

Yes, you may.

I'd be glad to show it to
you if you'd open the door.

Uh-huh. Oh.

I'm Mrs. Garrett.

And do you know your driver's
license expires next month?

Thank you. I'll remember that.

May I present to you

the representative of the
government of Buwanda, Mr. Kwambe.

How do you do? I'm Mrs. Garrett.

Same to you.

I meant to say good
afternoon, and how do you do?

The same to you. Please come in.

Thank you.

Hey! That's the guy
I saw getting held up!

And he's still
wearing his dress!

It was Mr. Kwambe's wish to meet the
young man who reported the incident.

That's me. I'm Arnold,

this is my big brother, Willis,
and my sister, Kimberly.

Your sister?

Obviously from different tribes.

That's right.

She's Park Avenue. We're Harlem.

Mr. Kwambe, it is very kind of
you to take the trouble to come here.

Not at all.

Mr. Jackson,

allow me to express my gratitude

for your bravery,

and in coming forward,

and to present you
this medallion of merit

from my government.

It is real gold.

And may I hang it
around your neck?

If we're talking gold, you can
hang it anywhere you want.

What did you say?

I said I must pinch
those chubby cheeks.

Goodbye, Mr. Jackson.

As we say in my country.

As we say in my country,

"Hang in there, be
cool. Hallelujah, brother!"

Arrivederci!

Hey, guys!

How about this?

Hello, everybody.

Hi, Mr. Drummond.

Oh, Mr. Drummond,
you just missed them!

Whom?

Mr. Kwambe,

the man I saw getting held up.

And look what he gave me.

Well, that's quite
a medal, Arnold.

He said I was very brave.

I can't wait to get to that
police lineup tomorrow.

Arnold, I have to have
a little talk with you.

Would you all excuse us, please?

Sure, Daddy. Oh, sure.

Okay, kids. How about
a little cake in the kitch?

Great. Sure.

Mr. Drummond, couldn't we talk
better with our mouths full of cake?

This will only take a minute.

Now, Arnold,

you did the right thing by calling
the police. And you were very brave.

But sometimes, bravery can cause
more trouble than not being brave,

and so not being brave can
be a kind of bravery in itself.

What you talkin' about, Mr. D?

Well, Arnold, I'm
awfully worried

about you going to the
police station tomorrow.

Why, is it in a bad
neighborhood?

No, but if you do go there, it
could be dangerous for you.

So I am not gonna let you go.

But I already got
this medal for going.

Will I have to give it back?

No, no. You earned it.

I'm just not gonna let
you go tomorrow, that's all.

Come on, now,
let's have that cake.

I just don't know
why I can't go.

But I'll eat the cake
and figure it out.

Boy, I just don't
understand grownups.

First they tell you one thing,
then they tell you the opposite,

and when you ask 'em why,
they either give you a piece of cake

or send you to your room.

It's not hard to
understand, Arnold.

Mr. D doesn't want you
to go to the police lineup

because he's afraid for you.

What's he afraid of?

If you identify that holdup man,

one of his friends will
use your head for a drum.

Get it?

I got it, but I ain't
so happy about it.

This head's only for
eatin', pinchin', and kissin'.

Arnold,

you know,

I bet Mr. D really wants
you to go down there,

but he doesn't wanna
put you on the spot.

That makes two of us.

You gotta go to the
police station tomorrow.

Why do I "gotta"?

'Cause if you don't help
people when they're in trouble,

they won't help you
when you're in trouble.

We gotta get involved.

Isn't that what Mama and
Papa always taught us?

Yeah. That's right, Willis.

And you ain't got
nothin' to worry about,

because if anyone tries to hurt
you, I'll be right there to back you up.

Yeah, I'd feel better if you'd
back me up in front of me.

Are you kidding?
You're a tough little kid.

Remember how you took the
Gooch on in the playground?

Yeah. I wasn't
afraid of that bully,

even though the Gooch
was a full inch taller than me.

They better not mess with
you. You're a tough little hombre.

Okay. Okay.

And don't worry about Mr. D,
'cause we'll get him off the hook.

And we're gonna go down there
tomorrow before anybody wakes up. Okay?

Okay.

Good night. 'Night.

You know something, Willis?

I really don't have nothing to
worry about in the first place.

I'm a hero in two countries.

Look who's here!
Our star witness!

Hey, Frank.

Get that bum in the lineup.

Hi, Mr. Morison.

Hiya, Arnold.

Here's my big brother, Willis.

Hiya, Willis. How are you doing?

I'm glad your father changed
his mind. Where is he?

He dropped us off and
he went to his office.

Yeah, we're gonna
take the subway home.

Come on over here, boys.

Arnold,

when these guys come out,

I want you to look
them over very carefully.

Take your time, huh?

Now, you can see them,
but they can't see you.

I want you to be
absolutely sure it's him.

Okay? Okay.

All right, send in the clowns.

Boy, look at these guys.

Last time I seen faces like that,
they were swinging from trees.

Take a good look.

Is anyone up there the
one you saw pull the holdup?

That one. The second
one from the left.

Are you sure? Positive.

Hey, that's the guy we figured.

All right, take 'em away!

You guys did terrific.

How about some ice cream?

Great.

How about a couple
of chocolate cones?

Good idea.

I'll take a couple of
chocolate cones, too.

I'm proud of you, Arnold,

and Mr. D's gonna
be proud of you, too.

Yeah. Wait till he finds out
we did all this on our own.

He's gonna...

What did you say?

Oh, nothing, just...

I mean, what was that
about Mr. Drummond?

I refuse to answer on the
grounds that it may discriminate me.

They're still asleep.

They won't even know
we went down there.

Oh! Good morning, boys.

Say, you're up early
for a Saturday morning.

Everybody else is asleep.

Where have you been?

Jogging. Skateboarding.

What?

Skateboarding. Jogging.

Where is your skateboard?

Double parked.

Hello?

Good morning, Sergeant Morison.

Oh, they did, did they?

Well. Yeah. Thanks
for calling, Sergeant.

Goodbye.

Boys,

come down here, please.

Well, Arnold?

Don't blame Arnold, Mr. D.
It's my fault. I talked him into it.

But he went knowing
that I told him not to.

But I talked him into it.

Well, what have you
got to say, Arnold?

Nothing. You two
are doing just fine.

You got nothin' to worry about,
because they arrested the holdup guy

and his friend who called
Arnold on the phone.

What?

How did you know about that?

He confessed.

You should have told me
about that phone call, Mr. D.

I'm old enough.

I didn't want to frighten you,
Arnold. Maybe I should have told you.

Well, I forgive you this time.

But don't do it again.

You guys don't know
what you've done.

I mean, you could have
gotten into a terrible...

I mean, even if what
you did was right,

you might have...

Good heavens, I didn't even know
you were gone, and you, and you...

Oh, what the heck.

Hey, you guys, I'm proud of you.

♪ Now the world don't move
to the beat of just one drum

♪ What might be right for
you may not be right for some

♪ A man is born
he's a man of means

♪ Then along come two

♪ They got nothin'
but their jeans

♪ But they got Diff'rent Strokes

♪ It takes Diff'rent Strokes

♪ It takes Diff'rent
Strokes to move the world

♪ Yes, it does It takes Diff'rent
Strokes to move the world ♪