The Bicycle Man

"The Bicycle Man" is a two-part very special episode of the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986), starring Conrad Bain, Gary Coleman, Todd Bridges, and Dana Plato. Serving as the 16th and 17th episodes of the fifth season, it was written by Blake Hunter, directed by Gerren Keith, and guest-stars Gordon Jump as a bicycle shop owner who tries to molest Arnold Jackson (Coleman) and his friend Dudley Johnson (Shavar Ross). The episode also features Le Tari as Ted Ramsey, Dudley's adoptive father, and Brad Trumbull as Detective Simpson.

"The Bicycle Man"
Diff'rent Strokes episode
Gordon Jump as Mr. Horton
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 16/17
Directed byGerren Keith
Teleplay byBlake Hunter
Production code0516/0517
Original air dateFebruary 5, 1983 (1983-02-05) (Part 1)
February 12, 1983 (1983-02-12) (Part 2)
Guest appearance(s)

"The Bicycle Man" originally aired on NBC on February 5 and 12, 1983, and was critically acclaimed. In later years, "The Bicycle Man" has been notable for beginning the trend of "very special" sitcom episodes that deal with social issue topics very serious for the tone of the overall series; as well as its dark content. Several publications have ranked it one of the best very special episodes. A scene from "The Bicycle Man" was used in An Open Secret (2015), a documentary film about pedophilia in the film industry.

Plot

"The Bicycle Man" opens with Conrad Bain, out of character, informing viewers that the episode will deal with a very sensitive and important subject. He instructs families to discuss the issues presented afterward.

The Drummonds and Jacksons are acquaintances of Mr. Horton (Jump), who owns a bicycle shop from which the family regularly rents bikes. Arnold Jackson (Coleman) is interested in buying a bike, but there is skepticism from his father, Phillip Drummond (Bain), as well as his siblings, Willis Jackson (Bridges) and Kimberly Drummond (Plato). However, Arnold's pleading plus a deal to purchase a bicycle for a third lower than the actual price offered by Horton influences Phillip to buy it for Arnold's birthday. Horton then makes a deal with Arnold for a free radio if he sends out flyers to other kids at school advertising a sale at the shop, which he successfully does the next day with the help of his friend Dudley (Ross).

Later Arnold goes to the shop asking Horton for more flyers. In the encounter, Horton brings Arnold to the shop owner's apartment, in the store's back room, and feeds Arnold a banana split, while discussing the possibility of Arnold using the bike for free before his birthday; Horton also instructs the Arnold to keep their encounters a secret. Arnold comes home later than usual that night, which is noticed by Phillip as well as Kimberly and Willis; however, Arnold's lie about getting pretzels before he got home is enough for his relatives to think little of it. Arnold brings Dudley to his next private meeting with Horton, but it is too rainy for Arnold to ride around the park. Horton uses this opportunity to entice the two with pizza, wine, and pornographic magazines. Horton also shows them pictures of himself skinny dipping with other kids and plays a game of "Tarzan" involving them taking pictures of each other, with Dudley being shirtless.

Arnold then realizes the possibility of his father smelling wine on his breath, so Horton offeres the boys gum and breath mints to hide the scent. Then the shop bell rings, indicating that another customer has arrived. When Mr. Horton sees Phillip has entered the shop, he instructs the boys to keep it down as he goes to the front. When Arnold sees his father is in the shop, he and Dudley leave because they could get in trouble. Mr. Horton locks up the shop and sees that the boys have left. At the Drummond home, Kimberly and Willis notice the smell. Arnold admits to drinking alcohol, but lies that it was Dudley's father Ted that offered a couple of sips. The siblings agree to keep it a secret from Phillip. Arnold and Dudley go to the shop again the next day, Arnold admitting to Horton that he feels funny about having the secret meetings. However, Horton's showing of a Fritz the Cat-esque[1] adult cartoon Murphy the Mouse, while gaining Dudley's attention, also bothers Arnold to the point where he leaves the shop; this leaves Dudley and Horton to play a game of "Neptune: King of the Sea" alone.

Arnold returns home, just after Phillip learns from Ted (Tari) about Dudley's drinking, forcing Willis and Kimberly to tell them about Arnold getting involved. This forces Arnold to confess, especially as a result of being bothered by the cartoon, that Mr. Horton offered him the wine and pizza, along with the other graphic content he showed Arnold and Dudley. This plus revealing that Dudley is still at the shop triggers Phillip into action, calling the police to raid the place, and to arrest Mr. Horton. Phillip, Ted, and Police Det. Simpson (Trumbull) go and find Dudley in the bathroom, feeling dizzy after Horton offered him a pill that would make him "feel good". He also confesses to the three that Horton tried to touch him and admits to feeling scared. At the Drummonds', Det. Simpson tells the siblings that Dudley will come out of this experience just fine, and informs them about child molesters in America. Phillip tells Arnold he can still have the bicycle and the radio for his birthday, and the two hug as the episode ends.

In a voiceover, Bain instructs viewers to contact law enforcement or social service agencies if there is suspicion of child sex abuse.

Production

As with all episodes of Diff'rent Strokes for seasons two to eight, "The Bicycle Man" was directed by Gerren Keith. It was also Blake Hunter's third writing credit for the series,[2][3] after "In the Swim"[4] and "Shoot-Out at the O.K. Arcade."[5] Gordon Jump, who was typecasted through his career, described it as a "gamble" to portray a pedophile "because you get typed so easily". He called playing Mr. Horton "one of [his] most painful but rewarding parts".[6] Todd Bridges described acting in "The Bicycle Man" a "very hard week", as he had been sexually abused several times by his publicist during his time with Diff'rent Strokes.[7]

Reception

Initial broadcast

The first part of "The Bicycle Man" originally aired on NBC on February 5, 1983, its second part a week later. The episode was critically acclaimed. The New York Times praised the episode for being "written skillfully" and "directed sensitively", particularly highlighting the acknowledgement of pedophiles not being homosexuals.[8] The Washington Post called it "a calm, careful and intelligent treatment of a difficult and potentially traumatizing subject. There seems little possibility that watching this program would do children harm, and considerable likelihood it could do them good."[9] Later in 1983, a nine-year-old kid in La Porte, Indiana viewed a re-run of the episode, which influenced him to inform his mother about a man doing inappropriate behavior around the area; he was arrested by police in September, and LaPorte police credited the episode for the arrest.[10] "The Bicycle Man" started a trend of "very special episodes" in sitcoms, which feature subject matter serious for the general comedic tone of the shows.[11] For writing the second part of "The Bicycle Man", Hunter was nominated for a Humanitas Prize award in the 30 Minute Network or Syndicated Television category.[12]

Later years

Publication obituaries of Jump's death in September 2003 highlighted his role in "The Bicycle Man",[13][14] the Los Angeles Times describing it as a "daring career turn"[15] and Reason his "most notorious turn."[16] Scenes from the episode have made lists of best moments from the series by publications such as Entertainment Weekly[17] and The Daily Beast.[18] Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle ranked it the third best very special episode in 2009;[19] and it topped both Mental Floss's list of best very special episodes[20] and MeTV's ranking of the best very special episodes from Diff'rent Strokes.[21] In 2008, it was one of Esquire's "Five Most Very Special Episodes from 1980s Sitcoms."[22] Greg Wyshynski named the very special episodes of Diff'rent Strokes his favorite from the show, including "The Bicycle Man."[23]

Mark A. Robinson, writer of Sitcommentary: Television Comedies That Changed America, claimed "The Bicycle Man" was "a haunting episode of sitcom television, bearing a gravitas that shaped the minds of many children of making safe choices."[24] Concluded writer Bill Simmons, "I can't imagine any sitcom ever went to a darker place. And no, I have never forgiven Gordon Jump for what he did to Dudley."[25] "These scenes have the Very Special Episode’s uniquely cringe-worthy meld of earnest edutainment and laugh-track yuks. But I’ve never seen one that actually dramatizes a child molester seducing a child with a banana split," opined Vulture's Emily Nussbaum in 2010.[26] "The Bicycle Man" has been featured on publication lists of dark television moments, some of them uncomforted by its inappropriate use of jokes and canned laughter for the subject of the story.[27][28] Esquire claimed the cartoon porn sequence "wasn't just risqué for primetime television; this is risqué even by niche Internet porn standards."[22]

Zack Furness, a writer and scholar of bicycle culture, noted that bicyclists had a stereotype of being "sexually bizarre", which he partially attributed to "The Bicycle Man."[29]

In other media

Cinefamily's 2011 event TV Tuesday: A Very Special Episode Returns presented "The Bicycle Man" among other notable very special episodes.[30] The scene of the detective differentiating homosexuals and pedophiles is featured in the documentary film An Open Secret (2015).[31]

See also

References
  1. Graham, Mark (September 11, 2014). "Nose Candy, Prehistoric Steroids And The Pointer Sisters: The Very Special Dangers That Led To Television's Most Memorable Very Special Episodes". Decider. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  2. Gerren Keith (director); Blake Hunter (writer) (February 5, 1983). "The Bicycle Man: Part 1". Diff'rent Strokes. Season 5. Episode 16. NBC.
  3. Gerren Keith (director); Blake Hunter (writer) (February 5, 1983). "The Bicycle Man: Part 2". Diff'rent Strokes. Season 5. Episode 17. NBC.
  4. Gerren Keith (director); Blake Hunter (writer); Blake Hunter, Howard Leeds and Martin Cohan (story) (October 9, 1982). "In the Swim". Diff'rent Strokes. Season 5. Episode 2. NBC.
  5. Gerren Keith (director); Howard Leeds & Martin Cohan (writer); Blake Hunter, Howard Leeds and Martin Cohan (story) (October 2, 1982). "Shoot-Out at the O.K. Arcade". Diff'rent Strokes. Season 5. Episode 1. NBC.
  6. Grossberg, Michael (August 12, 1997). "A Jump Shot". The Columbus Dispatch (Home Final ed.). p. 08E.
  7. Deerwester, Jayme (November 16, 2017). "'Diff'rent Strokes' star Todd Bridges recounts being molested to 'Dr. Oz'". USA Today. Mclean, Virginia: Gannett. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  8. Connor, John (February 11, 1983). "Final Six Hours for 'Winds of War'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  9. Shales, Tom (February 12, 1983). "A Bold Show Treated with Care". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  10. Hastings, Julianne (September 20, 1983). "TV World;NEWLN:Networks target shows to fight child abuse". United Press International. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  11. Flynn, Gillian (March 14, 2005). "Which comedies pulled a downer stunt that hurt the show?". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  12. "Humanitas Prize (1983)". IMDb. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  13. Ross, Dalton (October 3, 2003). "Legacy". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  14. Grossberg, Joss (September 23, 2003). "WKRP's Gordon Jump Dies". E! Online. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  15. Oliver, Myrna (September 24, 2003). "Gordon Jump, 71; Was 'Maytag Man' in Ads, 'Big Guy' on 'WKRP' TV Series". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  16. Cavanaugh, Tim (September 23, 2003). "They Really Do Come In Threes". Reason. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  17. "Gary Coleman: Five memorable moments from 'Diff'rent Strokes'". Entertainment Weekly. May 28, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  18. "Gary Coleman 9 Best Videos Including Diff'rent Strokes Clips". The Daily Beast. May 28, 2010. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  19. Hartlaub, Peter (April 14, 2009). "A very special episode ..." San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  20. Kovalchik, Kara (March 18, 2013). "12 Very Special 'Very Special Episodes'". Mental Floss. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  21. "Diff'rent Strokes was the king of the 'very special episode'". MeTV. August 9, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  22. Murphy, Daniel (August 1, 2008). "VIDEO: The Five Most Very Special Episodes from 1980s Sitcoms". Esquire. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  23. Wyshynski, Greg (February 1, 2010). "Minor League Malarkey: Gary Coleman, Boba Fett invade hockey". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  24. A. Robinson, Mark (October 15, 2019). Sitcommentary: Television Comedies That Changed America. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 102. ISBN 9781538114209. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  25. "YouTube Hall of Fame: When Sitcoms Got Dark". Grantland. October 12, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  26. Nussbaum, Emily (November 19, 2010). "Nussbaum Flashes Back to a Very Special, Very Molester-y Diff'rent Strokes". Vulture. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  27. "23 of the Most Disturbing TV Scenes Ever". Entertainment Weekly. June 3, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  28. O'Brien, Jon (December 1, 2018). "20 Times A Typically Feel-Good Show Startled Viewers By Addressing Somber Themes". Scribol. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  29. Furness, Zack (March 12, 2010). One Less Car: Bicycling and the Politics of Automobility. Temple University Press. p. 258. ISBN 9781592136148. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  30. Thomas, Derek (January 13, 2011). "A Very Special Tuesday". LA Weekly. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  31. Scherstuhl, Alan (June 4, 2015). "An Open Secret Exposes Hollywood Pedophilia — But Not Quite a Conspiracy". Westword. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
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