Welcome Back, Kotter
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| Welcome Back, Kotter | |
|---|---|
 Welcome Back, Kotter intertitle |
|
| Format | Sitcom |
| Created by | Gabriel Kaplan Alan Sacks |
| Starring | Gabriel Kaplan Marcia Strassman John Sylvester White Robert Hegyes Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs Ron Palillo John Travolta Stephen Shortridge |
| Opening theme | "Welcome Back" by John Sebastian |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 95 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 Minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 9, 1975 – August 10, 1979 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Welcome Back, Kotter was an American television sitcom that originally aired on the ABC network from September 9, 1975 to June 8, 1979.
The show starred comedian Gabriel Kaplan as the title character Gabe Kotter, a wise-cracking teacher who returns to his high school alma mater - the fictional James Buchanan High in Brooklyn, New York - to teach an often unruly group of remedial wiseguys known as the "Sweathogs."
Kotter had attended the same remedial classes when he was a student at Buchanan and was a founding member of the Sweathogs. He soon befriends his students who often visit his Bensonhurst apartment, sometimes to the chagrin of his wife, Julie (Marcia Strassman).
Most of the major characters of Welcome Back, Kotter were based on actual people from Kaplan's teen years as a remedial high school student in Brooklyn. As a stand-up comic, one of Kaplan's most popular routines was "Holes and Mellow Rolls", in which he talked in depth about the kids with whom he had attended remedial education classes. The names of three of the four major characters in Holes and Mellow Rolls were changed for the TV series: "Vinnie Barbarino" was inspired by Eddie Lecarri; "Freddie Washington" was inspired by Freddie "Furdy" Peyton; and "Juan Epstein" was partially inspired by Epstein "The Animal"; only "Arnold Horshack's" name remained unchanged.
[edit] Characters and catchphrases
[edit] Gabe Kotter
(played by Gabriel Kaplan)
A facetious, but well-meaning teacher who returns to Buchanan High, his alma mater, to teach a group of remedial students known as the Sweathogs. Being a founding member of the original Sweathogs, Kotter has a special affinity for the potential of these supposedly "unteachable" students. His first day on the job, he shows the students both his authority and his playful side when he fires a giant paper airplane at them in response to a similar attack, and when he launches into a Groucho Marx impersonation. Kotter is married to Julie, with whom he eventually has twin girls (Robin and Rachel; named after their mothers). When Buchanan High principal John Lazarus retires, Kotter becomes the vice-principal, though maintaining some teaching duties. He teaches Social Studies, and frequently role-plays events to the class.
Kotter's catchphrase(s):
- "Did I ever tell you about... (Varying relatives, usually an uncle)?"
(early on, Kotter usually said this only to Julie, but it was later incorporated into conversations with other characters at the beginning and the end of a given episode. As episodes went on, the 'opening joke' dropped.)
[edit] Julie Kotter
(Marcia Strassman)
Gabe's wife and closest friend. Though she has a sense of humor, she often wishes Gabe would take matters more seriously. She is occasionally upset with the amount of time her husband spends with his students, and she is troubled that he allows them to regularly visit their apartment; during the first season the Sweathogs' constant intrusions led Julie to separate briefly from Gabe and even seriously consider divorce. Originally from Nebraska with a college degree in anthropology, Julie eventually became a secretary, and later a substitute teacher at Buchanan after Gabe's promotion to vice-principal. She makes several references to her "world famous tuna casserole", a common meal at the Kotter dinner, which Gabe (and the Sweathogs) dislike.
(from the episode Classroom Marriage)
Julie (to Gabe): You-u.. love my tuna casserole.
Gabe: No! You love your tuna casserole! Nobody puts prunes in a tuna casserole!
[edit] Mr. (Michael) Woodman
(John Sylvester White)
The curmudgeonous vice-principal (and later principal) of Buchanan High. He makes no secret of his dislike for the Sweathogs, whom he considers the bottom of the totem pole at his school. He refers to non-Sweathogs as "real" students. When Kotter was a student at Buchanan, Woodman taught Social Studies, the same class Kotter returns to Buchanan to teach. His old age (and sometimes height) are common jokes with the Sweathogs. Woodman was totally against Kotter's unorthodox teaching methods (though as the series progressed he began to marginally tolerate them), and at one point even put Kotter in front of the school's review board in an unsuccessful attempt to get him fired. Nonetheless, in the season one episode No More Mr. Nice Guy, Woodman is shown to be a gifted teacher, willing to wear historic costumes and role-play in front of the class.
Woodman was always looking to further his own career, his bitter personality having stemmed in part from being passed over in favor of John Lazarus for promotion to principal. In the season two episode Sweatgate Scandal, when the Sweathogs worked on the Buchanan Bugle, the school newspaper, a scandal implicating members of the school board and administration had broken; the unseen informant who leaked the information to the paper was revealed to be Mr. Woodman himself.
Woodman's Catchphrases:
- "You're Nuts!"
- "Nutsy Cuckoo!"
(Often used to describe Kotter's class, Kotter's teaching methods, and sometimes Kotter himself.) - "They're not people!"
(Another way he used to describe the Sweathogs.)
[edit] Vincent "Vinnie" Barbarino
(John Travolta)
A cocky Italian-American, leader and resident heartthrob of the Sweathogs. Barbarino's prowess with women was a source of envy (and more often amusement) among his classmates. On occasion he would break out in song of his last name to the tune of The Beach Boys' classic, "Barbara Ann". He was the first of the Sweathogs to move out on his own when he got a job as a hospital orderly. In the fourth season, he has a girlfriend, Sally. Vinnie is Catholic, and is a "big Star Trek fan."
Vinnie's Catchphrases:
- "Up your nose with a rubber hose!"
(Barbarino was the first in the series to rank somebody. In later episodes other body parts and objects whose names rhymed were incorporated into the rank. For example, "Up your gizzard with a rubber lizard!" was used by Washington in a later episode.)
(The so-called art of ranking was immortalized in song in 1976 performed by Gabe Kaplan. The song, "Up Your Nose", didn't get very far as it highly dated itself by making numerous contemporary references-- CB Radios, The Gong Show, singing cat commercials, et al). - "Wah-ha-ha-ha-howwww..."
(Whenever he becomes love-stricken) - "What?" "Where?" "Why?"
(Usually to feign ignorance when accused of something or asked to do something he's not ready to do) - "I'm so confu-used!" (Usually over-dramatized)
[edit] Arnold Horshack
(Ron Palillo)
The class clown of the Sweathogs, completely comfortable with his oddball, if innocent personality. Horshack was known for his unique observations and his wheezing laugh, similar to that of a hyena. He was the only one of the central Sweathogs to be promoted out of remedial academics class, but he soon returned after feeling out of place. He eventually married Mary Johnson, a co-worker and fellow Sweathog. Although his surname sounds like a term for a brothel, he claimed it's a "very old and respected name" meaning "the cattle are dying." His middle name (and his mother's maiden name) was "Dingfelder."
Arnold's Catchphrases:
- "Ooh-ooh-ooooh!"
(Used with raised hand when Arnold gets excited because he believes he knows an answer to Mr. Kotter's question. The shout was an imitation of Joe E. Ross's phrase from Car 54, Where Are You?.) - "Hello. How are ya? I'm Arnold Horsha-a-ck"
(How Arnold introduces himself) - "That was ver-ry impressive, Mister Kotter-r-r!"
(How Arnold praises Mr. Kotter's teaching, sometimes jokes.) - "G'head, G'head! (Go ahead, go ahead)"
[edit] Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington
(Lawrence Hilton Jacobs)
The hip African-American known as the athletic Sweathog for his skills on the basketball court, Washington claimed his nickname came from his habit of "pretending to play the bass"). Though often the voice of reason among his classmates, Washington nonetheless was a willing participant in the Sweathogs' various antics and pranks. Freddie also found success as a radio disc jockey along with another former Sweathog, Wally The Wow (played by George Carlin). At one point Washington challenged Barbarino for leadership of the Sweathogs, and even replaced him for a time until they all reached a consensus that the Sweathogs didn't need a leader.
Washington had an older sister who got divorced twice while living in Vermont, and another older sibling, Leroy. In another episode, he mentions another brother named Douglas and a father, Lincoln. Kotter would use his own past to bond with Freddie, as in addition to being a former Sweathog, he was a former star for Buchanan's basketball team as well.
Washington's Catchphrases:
- "Hi there."
(His normal greeting, usually in a basso profondo voice) - "Hey, Mister Kah-tare!"
(How he addresses Mr. Kotter) - "My assignment? Yes, Mr. Kotter. I have my assignment. Unfortunately, I don't have it here... han-n-dy-y..."
(Whenever he forgot his homework or didn't accomplish any given task)
[edit] Juan Luis Pedro Philippo DeHuevos Epstein
(Robert Hegyes)
A fiercely proud Puerto Rican Jew (his father was Puerto Rican; his mother's name was Bibbermann), and one of the toughest students at Buchanan High. He normally walked with a tough-man strut, wore a red handkerchief hanging out of his right back pocket, and was voted "Most Likely To Take A Life" by his peers. In the season one episode, One Of Our Sweathogs Is Missing, Epstein was shown to be the sixth child in his family, although his mother had 10. Epstein was also known to have a "buddy" relationship with Principal Lazarus as he often referred to him by his first name, Jack. On a few occasions when Kotter would do his Groucho Marx impersonation, Epstein would jump in and impersonate Marx Brother Chico. Epstein's height and hair are common jokes associated with him.
Epstein's Catchphrase:
- "Hey, Mr. Kotter, I got a note!"
(The phony notes, excusing Epstein from classes and other sundry functions, were always written by Epstein himself, though he claimed they were signed by, as written, "Epstein's Mother". Epstein would lip-synch the wording of the note while Kotter would read it aloud, usually proving the note was written by Epstein himself).
[edit] Recurring Characters
[edit] Rosalie "Hotsie" Totsie
(Debralee Scott)
The blazon-haired femme fatale purported to have put the "sweat" in Sweathog, though her reputation was largely exaggerated by the Sweathogs' word of mouth. Her promiscuity was at least in part a reaction to the strict discipline enforced by her father, the Rev. Totsie. To restore her good name (and to prove a point), she fabricated a story about one of the Sweathogs getting her pregnant.
The character was phased out of the series by the end of the first season when Scott was picked to co-star in "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman"), but she reprised her role in a 1978 episode, The Return Of Hotsie Totsie, in which it was revealed that she dropped out of school because she became pregnant and that she became a stripper to support her infant child.
[edit] Judy Borden
(Helaine Lembeck)
A recurring non-Sweathog character in the earlier seasons, Borden is a Straight A student and editor of the Buchanan Bugle, the school newspaper. She was Barbarino's tutor at one point, and even dated him for a time. Despite her academic superiority, she can easily hold her own in a ranking contest with any Sweathog.
(from the episode Sweatgate Scandal)
Judy: I'm an honor student. In my whole life I've never even gotten a "B".
Horshack: Neither have I.
[edit] Beauregarde "Beau" De Labarre
(Stephen Shortridge)
Introduced as a regular character in the fourth and final season, Beau is a smooth-talking southerner who transfers to Buchanan High after being kicked out of several other schools. He ends up in Kotter's class, though his first reaction to the term "Sweathog" is "That sounds gross." He seems to have a way with women, as mentioned in later episodes. One of his running jokes involved imparting whimsical sayings, such as one about how a real man never steps on a pregnant alligator.
[edit] Other recurring characters
- Vernee Watson as Verna Jean
- Susan Lanier as Bambi
- Charles Fleischer as Carvelli
- Bob Harcum as Murray
- Dennis Bowen as Todd Ludlow
- Geoffrey Stump as Kyle "the Heartbreaker" Lucas
- Irene Arranga as Mary Johnson-Horshack
[edit] Show History
Welcome Back, Kotter's beginning had its controversial moments.
- In Boston, the local ABC affiliate (WCVB) refused to air the show. The city was going through a tumultuous school busing program to enhance racial equality and the local affiliate felt Kotter's fictional integrated classroom would only add fuel to the fire. However, the show became an early ratings success and the affiliate relented, picking it up from its fifth episode.
- Teachers in other cities had concerns about how Kotter would be portrayed, so producers allowed a union representative on the set to ensure the show protected the image of those in the profession. Kaplan opposed the idea, at one point asking a reporter if there was a junkman on the set of Sanford and Son to protect the reputation of junkmen.
- There were also concerns that the show would celebrate juvenile delinquency. However, these sentiments faded after the Sweathogs' antics proved to be more silly than scary. Like Kaplan, Hegyes was a fan of the Marx Brothers. Hegyes claims that he suggested that the Sweathogs be modeled after the Marx Brothers in order to reduce tension.[1]
By the third season, the ratings began to slip. In an interview years later, Kaplan attributed the decline to the age of the actors playing the Sweathogs (Palillo was 30, Hegyes was 28, Hilton-Jacobs was 27 and Travolta was 25), saying they were no longer believable as high school students. His idea was that to have Kotter join the faculty of a community college attended by the Sweathogs.[verification needed] However, this storyline never materialized. To help lure more viewers, the Kotters had twin girls, but this didn't prove to be enough to regain the show's earlier momentum. A female Sweathog, Angie Globagoski, was introduced but the character played by Playboy centerfold Melonie Haller didn't last.
Major changes took place in the fourth and final season:
- Travolta, who had already starred in box office hits such as Grease and Saturday Night Fever, began to focus more time on his film career. He was featured in fewer than half of that year's episodes and was billed a "special guest star". It was Travolta's phasing out from the storyline that was the primary contributor to the cancellation of the show itself.
- Mr. Woodman was promoted to Principal of the school (Principal Lazarus retired), and Kotter was promoted to Vice-Principal, and the show's focus moved away from Kotter's class.
- Meanwhile, behind-the-scenes disputes led to limited appearances by Kaplan. To help fill the voids, Stephen Shortridge joined the cast as smooth-talking Southerner Beau De Labarre, and Kotter's wife, Julie, becomes a secretary at the school.
[edit] Popularity
The show enjoyed ratings success during its first two seasons, spawning a host of merchandising tie-ins including lunch boxes, dolls, comic books, novels and even a board game.
The TV characters' signature lines became enormously popular catch phrases such as Barbarino's "up your nose with a rubber hose" and Washington's deep-voiced "hi there" and Horshack's wheezing laugh. It wasn't long before the previously unknown actors became hot commodities, particularly Travolta, the show's breakout star.
[edit] Theme song
Welcome Back, Kotter theme song, (reduced quality)
The popular theme song Welcome Back, written and recorded by former Lovin' Spoonful frontman John Sebastian, became a #1 hit in the spring of 1976. The show was originally going to be called Kotter, but that was changed because of the theme song lyrics. Sebastian has said he tried to find a more general theme for the song after being unable to find any reasonable rhymes for Kotter.
In recent times, a few songs have sampled the show's theme song by hip-hop artists Onyx in "Slam Harder", AZ in "Once Again", and Mase in "Welcome Back".
| Preceded by "Let Your Love Flow" |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single May 8, 1976 |
Succeeded by "Boogie Fever" |
[edit] Comic books
DC Comics published ten issues of a Welcome Back, Kotter comic book starting in 1976.
[edit] Action figures
Azrak-Hamway produced a series of Welcome Back, Kotter action figures in 1977.
[edit] Episodes
[edit] DVD Releases
Warner Home Video released a 6-episode Television Favorites collection on February 28, 2006. Due to the success of this release, Warner released the Complete first Season on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time on June 12th, 2007. Not much is known about the second season.
| DVD Name | Ep # | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Complete First Season | 22 | June 12, 2007 |
[edit] Nominations
Kotter failed to receive any major awards, though it was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1976 after its first season- it lost to Mary Tyler Moore.
Kotter was also nominated for three technical Emmy Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Videotape Editing for a Series in 1976, Outstanding Art Direction for a Comedy Series in 1978 and Outstanding Individual Achievement - Creative Technical Crafts (Dick Wilson) in 1979.
[edit] Guest stars
Several noteworthy performers enjoyed guest stints on Kotter either during or prior to their widespread fame. James Woods guest starred in the second episode portraying a drama teacher. Pat Morita appeared in the first episode of the second season. Comedian George Carlin was featured, as was John Astin. Other guest stars included Ellen Travolta, Richard Moll, Jean Stapleton, Della Reese and Dinah Manoff.
Groucho Marx was set to have a brief walk-on role in one episode. He arrived on-set, but was deemed to be too sick to appear. Pictures of Marx with the cast were taken, but were never released because of his ill appearance. [2] [3]
[edit] Spin-offs
At least three spin-offs of Kotter were seriously considered, but only one ever became a series. The short-lived Mr. T and Tina starred Pat Morita as Taro Takahashi (Mr. T for short), a brilliant Japanese inventor whom he portrayed in one episode of Kotter. The show was not received well by critics and lasted just five episodes on ABC. There was also talk of developing a spin-off built around the Horshack character and his family, but it never went beyond the backdoor pilot stage, shown as an episode of "Kotter". In the mid-1990s, Hegyes announced on the Jenny Jones talk show that plans were in the works to create a spin-off featuring the Sweathogs (minus Travolta's Barbarino) all grown up. The project, however, never got off the ground, and little information about it was ever made public.
[edit] ABC broadcast history
| September 1975 - January 1976 | Tuesday 8:30-9:00 p.m. |
| January 1976 - August 1978 | Thursday 8:00-8:30 p.m. |
| September 1978 - October 1978 | Monday 8:00-8:30 p.m. |
| October 1978 - March 1979 | Saturday 8:00-8:30 p.m. |
| May 1979 - August 1979 | Friday 8:00-8:30 p.m. |
[edit] International Airing
- In Germany 23 episodes of "Welcome back, Kotter" were shown dubbed, but under its original name - first from September 1979 till May 1980 by the ZDF, then again from April to July 1985 by Sat.1.
- In the United Kingdom 26 episodes were shown from December 1981 till July 1983 on ITV.
[edit] After the show
When Travolta hosted Saturday Night Live in 1994, he appeared in a sketch that lampooned his old show. Quentin Tarantino's Welcome Back, Kotter gave viewers a humorous look at how the Pulp Fiction director might have brought a strong dose of violence to the tame show. Travolta reprised his old character, Barbarino, with Mike Myers as Mr. Kotter, Adam Sandler as Epstein, Tim Meadows as Washington and David Spade as Horshack.
In 1997, Hegyes, Hilton-Jacobs and Palillo reprised their Sweathog roles on an episode of the NBC sitcom Mr. Rhodes. Kaplan did not appear; instead, John Kassir assumed the role of Mr. Kotter. The episode originally aired on February 3, 1997 and was entitled The Welcome Back Show.
Kaplan welcomed back Hegyes and Hilton-Jacobs on his short-lived NBC 1981 sitcom, "Lewis & Clark". Their characters joked that Kaplan seemed familiar and being a smart guy, "should become a teacher."
Kotter had a renewed surge in popularity in the mid-1990s when it aired as part of the Nick at Nite lineup on Nickelodeon. Kaplan later said that the show found plenty of new fans during that run but that they were turned off by the quality of the episodes from the fourth season. The fourth season episodes rarely aired on Nick at Nite. A full weekend marathon occurred on TV Land during their Fandemonium weekend stunts in 1999.
Cast members opened up about their experiences on the show in 2000's Welcome Back, Kotter: The E! True Hollywood Story. The two-hour program included interviews with cast members, including Kaplan, Travolta, Palillo, Hilton-Jacobs, Strassman and Shortridge. Kaplan spoke of a difficult relationship with executive producer James Komack, whom he saw as not serving the show's best interests. Like many viewers, Kaplan said the quality of the show dropped off in the fourth and final season. Hilton-Jacobs agreed, saying that the new writers brought in that year were not suited to a show of this nature. Palillo said the impact of an attempted ratings-grabber in the final season, Horshack's wedding, was derailed when President Jimmy Carter gave a televised speech that pre-empted the heavily advertised episode. Strassman recalled how disappointed she was at her limited time on camera, a situation that changed in the fourth season when her character became a substitute teacher at Buchanan High.
In 2003, as part of ABC's 50th Anniversary Celebration telecast, Kotter was featured in tribute montage and the original cast appeared together on stage.
And in 2006, Welcome Back, Kotter was seen in reruns for a brief period on "i" (now ION Television) before its cancellation in December 2006.
[edit] Motion Picture
A motion picture based on this television series is being planned. Ice Cube has been selected to play the role of Gabe Kotter. Gabe Kaplan applauded the move of Ice Cube winning the part of Mr. Kotter.[1]
The film will take place in South Central Los Angeles as opposed to Brooklyn. No release date has been scheduled.
