Although John Travolta was the last cast member listed inthe first season opening credits for “Welcome Back, Kotter” (1975-1976), he soon became the show's biggest success, leveraginghis “Italian stallion” role as Vinnie Barbarino into his leading role as TonyManero in Saturday Night Fever (1977). A star was born on a modestly budgeted situation comedy.
“Welcome Back, Kotter: The Complete Series” hasbeen released on a 16-disc DVD set with all 95 episodes plus screen tests andother odds and ends. Like most sitcoms, the potential for viable newstories shrank after a few seasons. “Welcome Back” eventually faced otherproblems as well. Gabe Kaplan, who played the lead character Gabe Kotter, wasseldom seen in season four because of contract disputes; also, the actors castas his high school students were starting to look a little too old for theirparts.
What’s interesting about “Welcome Back, Kotter”all these years later is not so much the stream of one liners, some of themfunnier then than now, than the show’s semi-autobiographical concept. Kaplanwas a talented stand-up comic; routines drawing inspiration from his formerremedial classmates at a run-down urban high school in New York became thebasis for the TV series. Although obviously shot on a set, “Kotter’s” schoolconveys the dingy, underfunded look of big city public schools. The maincharacters have an exaggerated authenticity. And surely, the sourpuss viceprincipal, Mr. Woodman (John Sylvester White), was closely based on a realcharacter.
Kaplan is always worth watching as he channelshis life into the title role. Kotter wins over his initiallyuncooperative class of “sweathogs” by becoming the class clown. When Barbarinotries to flummox him with a dose of the dozens, Kotter out-lips the delinquent.He turned insults inside out, all the while imagining in his gruff, streetwiseway that good teachers can make a difference.
The show was also a “welcome back” for theLovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian, whose solo career had a sudden uptick fromthe success of the Kotter theme song. It would be his last hit single.
