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Welcome Back, Kotter

Plot

Having previously built the popular situation comedy Chico and the Man around the monologues of standup comic Freddie Prinze, producer James Komack followed the same formula in fashioning a sitcom vehicle for another "hot" comic, Gabriel Kaplan. Debuting September 9, 1975 on ABC, Welcome Back Kotter was co-created (with Allan Sacks) by Kaplan, inspired by the routines he'd performed about his own experience while attending a remedial high school class in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn. One of his teachers care enough to spur Kaplan to improve himself, and the comedian dedicated his series to that person. Kaplan starred as teacher Gabe Kotter, who, ten years after graduating from Brooklyn's James Buchanan High School, returned to his alma mater to take over the "sweathog" class, comprised of underachievers who'd been written off as "hopeless" by vice principal Michael Woodman (John Sylvester White). Having once been a "sweathog" himself, Kotter empathized with his students, and used a variety of unorthodox but effective techniques to teach them history and social studies, and to curb their enthusiasms in his home-room class. Meanwhile, Mr. Woodman did everything he could to undermine Kotter, whom he still remembered as one of Buchanan's biggest (and funniest) troublemakers. Each episode opened with Kotter telling a joke about his family to his loyal wife Julie (Marcia Strassman), then segued into a session with the Sweathogs. The self-appointed leader of the class was swaggering Vinnie Barbarino, which proved to be a breakthrough role for future movie superstar John Travolta). Vinnie's fellow students included nerdish Arnold Horshack (Ron Palillo), he of the braying laugh and constant shouts of "Ooo! Ooo!"; Juan Epstein (Robert Hegyes), a quick-witted Jewish Puerto Rican who frequently played "Chico Marx" to Mr. Kotter's "Groucho" in their wisecrack-laden dialogue exchanges; and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (later a prolific film and TV producer) as Freddie "Boom-Boom" Washington, a cool black dude with a well-hidden streak of sensitivity. Halfway through season three, Melonie Haller joined cast as Angie Globagoski, loudly proclaiming her intention to be Buchanan's first "female sweathog." When John Travolta's film commitments prevented him from making anything more than token appearances in Season Four, a potential "Vinnie" replacement was introduced in the form of Beau De Labarre (Stephen Shortridge), a Southern-born charmer who was not so much an underachiever as he was an incorrigible prankster, which fact had previously gotten him expelled from seven different schools. Depite the popularity of Gabriel Kaplan and John Travolta, Welcome Back Kotter never cracked the "Top Ten" ratings list, possibly because ABC kept moving its time slot, from Tuesday to Thursday to Monday to Saturday, and finally Friday. Even so, the series had a loyal following, enabling it to remain in active production for 95 half-hour episodes. The series' now-famous theme song was written and performed by John Sebastian. Welcome Back Kotter ending its ABC run on August 3, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Episodes

Welcome Back, Kotter: Season 01 (1975)
The pilot episode of Welcome Back Kotter finds history and social studies teacher Gabe Kotter (Gabriel Kaplan) taking charge of the remedial class at Brooklyn's James Buchanan High School, some ten years after he had graduated from the same class. Despite his status as a former "Sweathog", Gabe has a lot of trouble riding herd over such "unteachable" 10th graders as Barbarino (John Travolta, Horshack (Ron Palillo), Epstein (Robert Hegyes) and Washington (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs), and by the end of the first day he is sadly informing his wife Julie (Marica Strassman) that he intends to quit. Gabe is prevented from doing so when the "Sweathogs" tell him how much they really like and appreciate him--much to dismay of our hero's longtime nemesis, Buchanan's scowling vice-principal Woodman (John Sylvester White). Incredibly, this pilot show was NOT the debut episode of Welcome Back, Kotter's first season: Instead it was shown third, after episodes in which the sweathogs match wits with a snotty debate team, and in which Washington contemplates dropping out to become a basketball star. Though audiences of the time were probably confused by the chronological mixup, they quickly picked up on the comic rhythm of the show, especially those scenes in which Kotter's charges indulge in their pet hobb of "ranking"--that is, topping each other's insults. Before long, all of America was rooting for Kotter's sweathogs and booing the efforts of Mr. Woodman to undermine Kotter--which including finding an academic loophole forcing Gabe to retake his high school finals! Among the first season's best episodes are "Whodunit", in which student Rosalie "Hotsy" Totzie gets even with the sweathogs for underservedly tagging her with a "fast" reputation; "No More Mr. Nice Guy", in which Kotter and Woodman unexpectedly exchange personalities when Woodman takes over teaching the class one day; "Arriverdci Arnold", wherein the nerdy Horshack is promoted to a "smart" class--and hate it); "Follow the Leader", a two-part power struggle with Barbarino and Washington vying for the unofficial position of class leader; and "Dr. Epstein, I Presume", in which Epstein displays a hitherto unsuspected talent as a veterinarian. In addition to the actors mentioned above, Season One features a number of recurring characters: Vernee Jean Williams (Vernee Watson), who in one installment is talked out of marrying Washington by his pals; supersmart Judy Borden (Helaine Lembeck), whom Barbarino despises until she helps him improve his grades; and Todd (Dennis Bowen) and Maria (Catarina Cellino). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Great Debate
The Reunion
Barbarino's Girl
California Dreamin'
Arrividerci, Arnold
Basket Case
Welcome Back
Whodunit?
The Election
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Classroom Marriage
One of Our Sweathogs Is Missing
Mr. Kotter, Teacher
The Longest Weekend
The Sit-In
Follow the Leader, Part 1
Follow the Leader, Part 2
Dr. Epstein, I Presume
One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The Telethon
Kotter Makes Good
Father Vinnie

Welcome Back, Kotter: Season 02 (1976)
The opening episode of Welcome Back Kotter's second season finds Buchanan High School teacher Gabe Kotter (Gabe Kaplan) considering the idea of giving up his "sweathog" class to accept a job with a Japanese inventor, played by Pat Morita. Other noteworthy guest stars appearing this year are John Astin as a ghoulish museum curator who convinces Kotter's students that they're being stalked by a mummy; Valerie Curtin as a student teacher who has her hands full with the sweathogs until Gabe comes to her rescue; veteran western star Scott Brady as an ill-tempered gym teacher who punches remedial student Vinnie Barbarino (John Travolta) right in front of a group of his female admirers; Harold J. Stone as Kotter's hyper-judgemental; George Carlin and Fred Grandy (what a combo!) in an episode wherein Kotter's student Epstein (Robert Hegyes) becomes a popular radio DJ; and Ellen Travolta, the sister of series costar John Travolta, in the first of several appearances as "Mrs. O'Hara", this time in a two-parter in which the nerdish Horshack (Ron Palillo) thinks about quitting school to support his family. In addition to the aforementioned "regular" sweathogs (plus Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as Freddie "Boom-Boom" Washington), Charles Fleischer, future voice of cartoon star Roger Rabbit, makes his intial appearance this season as Carvelli, Barbarino's tough-guy rival from another school; by the end of Season Three, Carvelli will have transferred into Kotter's class at Buchanan High. Season Two ends with the news that Gabe's ever-lovin' wife Julie (Marcia Strassman) is pregnant with twins. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sweatside Story
I'm Having Their Baby

Welcome Back, Kotter: Season 03 (1977)
As Season Three of Welcome Back, Kotter gets under way, Julie Kotter (Marcia Strassman), the wife of Buchanan High School's funniest teacher Gabe Kotter (Gabriel Kaplan), gives birth to twin daughters. Before long, the babies are being hugged and coddled by the four prankish-but-lovable remedial students in Gabe's home room, better known as the "sweathogs": Vinnie Barbarino (John Travolta, Juan Epstein (Robert Hegyes), Horshack (Ron Palillo) and Washington (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs). This situation leads to one of the season's funnier episodes, in which Gabe peers into the future when his twin daughters are grown up and he and the sweathogs are all doddering oldsters! Joining the cast halfway through the season is Melonie Haller as Angie Globagoski, a defiant underachiever whose goal in life is to be the first "female sweathog." Evidently she doesn't meet that goal, inasmuch as she has been written out the show by season's end. Another recurring character appears in the form of Murray (Bob Harcum), a remedial student from another school who frequently matches wits (such as they are) with Buchanan's sweathogs. By the end of Season Three, both Murray and his pal Carvelli (Charles Fleischer) will have transferred to Buchanan, possibly as means of "cast insurance" should costar John Travolta, whose star was ascending rapidly via such films as Carrie and Saturday Night Fever), decide to break his contract and quit the show (PS: He didn't). Ironically, although it was Travolta's character Vinnie who was expected to exit at any moment, it is Gabe Kotter who considers "dropping out" of Buchanan to pursue a career as a stand-up comic (with material supplied by his students) in the two-part episode "There's No Business Like Show Business". Other third-season episodes worth mentioning are a brace of Welcome Back Kotter "specials", "The Sweathogs Back-to-School Special" and "The Sweathogs Christmas Special", both of which consist primarily of highlights from earlier seasons. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Deprogramming of Arnold Horshack
Goodbye, Mr. Kripps

Welcome Back, Kotter: Season 04 (1978)
The fourth and final season of Welcome Back Kotter opens as capricious remedial-class teacher Gabe Kotter (Gabriel Kaplan) is promoted to vice principal of Buchanan High School, replacing his long-time nemesis Mr. Woodman (John Sylvester White)--who in turn has moved up the food chain to full principal. Meanwhile, Kotter's students--aka the "sweathogs"--have all gotten off-campus jobs, following the example of self-appointed class leader Vinnie Barbarino (John Travolta), who has left school to work as a hospital orderly. This move was made primarily to accommodate the ever-increasing motion picture commitments of John Travolta, who makes only a handful of appearances this season. As a potential replacement for the swaggering Vinnie, Stephen Shortridge joins the cast as Southerner Beau De Labarre, a charming prankster with above-average intelligence who has landed in the remedial program because of his propensity for wreaking havoc--which he has done with considerable success in the seven previous schools from which he has been expelled. Another noteworthy cast addition is Irene Arranga, as lonely, insecure student Mary Johnson, who makes her first appearance in "Once Upon a Ledge" as a would-be suicide who is brought back to her sense by--of all people--Mr. Kotter's nerdiest student, Arnold Horshack (Ron Palillo). By series' end, Arnold and Mary will have become husband and wife, much to the amazement of Horshack's "cooler" classmates Epstein (Robert Hegyes) and Washington (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi