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You and I are gonna have a lot of good times together.
~ Mr. Horton to Arnold

Mr. Horton is the main antagonist in the two-part Diff'rent Strokes episode "The Bicycle Man". He is a bicycle shop owner who secretly molests young boys.

He was portrayed by the late Gordon Jump.

Biography[]

Mr. Horton is the owner of Horton's Bike Shop. He is friendly with the Drummond family and rents bikes to them for their weekly bike rides. Mr. Drummond and Mr. Horton talk about getting Drummond's adopted son Arnold a bike for his birthday, and Mr. Horton makes a deal with Arnold that if he passes out fliers at his school advertising a special sale at the shop, he will give Arnold a free radio for his bike.

The next day, Arnold and his friend Dudley pass out fliers at school and Mr. Horton tells Arnold he will give Dudley a free radio, as well. He treats Arnold to a banana split and tells Arnold not to tell his family he was at the bicycle shop, claiming that it might "ruin the surprise" of Arnold getting his bike.

The following day when Arnold and Dudley go to the bicycle shop, Mr. Horton sneaks a pornographic magazine in his pile of comic books. He then invites Arnold and Dudley to his house in the back of the store for pizza and shows them his pile of comic books. Arnold and Dudley see the pornographic magazine, and Mr. Horton tells them it's okay to be naked; he then gives them wine to drink with their pizza, saying that people in France drink wine as children. Mr. Horton then shows them pictures of himself skinny dipping with young boys. He then has them play "Tarzan" and has Dudley take off his shirt.

When Mr. Drummond arrives at the bicycle shop to pay for the bike from Mr. Horton, Arnold and Dudley, who have sensed that something is wrong, escape through the back door. Arnold comes home chewing a piece of gum that Mr. Horton had given to him and Dudley in an attempt to cover up the scent of wine on their breath. His brother Willis and adoptive sister Kimberly smell alcohol on his breath, however, and tell him that they will not tell Mr. Drummond if Arnold tells them who gave him alcohol and promises not to drink again. Not wanting to get Mr. Horton in trouble, Arnold says that Mr. Ramsey, Dudley's father, gave them wine.

The next day, Arnold and Dudley go back to the bicycle shop. Mr. Horton shows them a pornographic cartoon called "Murphy the Mouse", which so upsets Arnold that he flees the shop, leaving Dudley behind. Mr. Horton tells Dudley they can play the game "Neptune: King of the Sea" and says it involves a bathtub and lots of water.

Later on, Mr. Ramsey goes to the Drummond's house and accuses Mr. Drummond of giving Dudley wine, which Mr. Drummond denies. Willis and Kimberly tell them that Arnold also had wine on his breath, and he said Mr. Ramsey gave it to him. They all realize that something is wrong.

Arrest[]

Ep1Pic2-1-

Mr. Horton getting arrested.

When Arnold comes home, Mr. Drummond asks him about who really gave him the wine. Arnold says he is not supposed to tell, but when Mr. Drummond presses him, a scared Arnold blurts out "Mr. Horton" and tells his family the whole story. Mr. Drummond calls the police and tells Mr. Ramsey that Dudley is in danger.

Mr. Drummond, Mr. Ramsey and the police show up at the bicycle shop. Mr. Horton panics and tries to run, but Detective Simpson, the senior officer on the case, catches and arrests him. Simpson, Drummond and Mr. Ramsey go to the back of the shop, where they find a shirtless Dudley, who says that Mr. Horton gave him a pill and then started "bad touching" him.

Mr. Horton is then sentenced to prison. It is unknown what happened to his bicycle shop following Mr. Horton's arrest, but it can be assumed that it was either shut down as punishment for his crimes or gained a new owner.

Trivia[]

  • At the beginning of both episodes, Conrad Bain (the actor who played Mr. Drummond) delivers a message about the episode's subject of pedophilia. At the end of the concluding episode, Conrad Bain makes a PSA saying, "If you know of a problem with child sexual abuse, please contact your local law enforcement or social service agency." He would do the same for "The Hitchhikers", which featured a rapist.
  • Due to the sexual abuse he suffered as a child, Todd Bridges, who portrayed Willis on the show, stated in the film An Open Secret that this episode made him uncomfortable.
    • Shavar Ross, who portrayed Dudley, later revealed in 2006 that he had been sexually abused by a family member.
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