When Hollywood took on child molestation: Diff'rent Strokes episode from 1983 - "The Bicycle Man" - detailed portrayal of a child molester scheming and grooming children (pizzagate)

submitted ago by Psalm100

A 1983 two-part episode of the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes" is about child molestation. It's clear from both a message delivered by Conrad Bain, who played the father in the series, and the content of the show itself, that it was intended as a "public service" to educate people on child molestation.

While the show is educational in a sense, it can't be forgotten that Hollywood protects star pedophiles and many child stars have been abused and exploited. So, the motive for this show being done have to be suspect.

In the episode, the character played by Gary Coleman, Arnold Drummond, and a friend of his, are groomed by a child molester, played by actor Gordon Jump, who gives them ice cream and pizza to lure them in, and then wine. The grooming experiences are presented in a lot of detail, and seem to accurately portray how a molester would use twisted logic and deception to gradually draw children in. It's disturbing to watch.

I was trying to think of some of the social context for why this show would be made, and perhaps it was due to high-profile cases of child abductions and murders like those of Adam Walsh, Johnny Gosch, and the Atlanta child murders in the prior year or two. By doing such a show, Hollywood be putting itself in the "crusader" role.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYpVGaL81VQ

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equineluvr ago

I remember that episode. It was odd. I remember the actors coming across as uncomfortable, which then made ME uncomfortable. Secondary to that, the ep seemed to drag. Also, it wasn't funny, and I was tuning in for some laughs.

BTW, OP, Hollyweird is the film industry. DIfferent Strokes was a TV show.

Psalm100 ago

Well, I understand that often times when people say Hollywood, they do mean only the film industry. In reference to the Oscars, for instance.

But it's also used more broadly to mean the American popular entertainment industry, in which so many of the same people, from the stars on down, work in the different forms of entertainment and share the same general lifestyles, values and social networks.

Diff'rent Strokes was indeed filmed in Hollywood, too:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diff%27rent_Strokes