Welcome Back, Kotter 

A compassionate teacher returns to his inner city high school of his youth to teach a new generation of trouble making kids.

Creators:

Gabe Kaplan, Alan Sacks, Peter Meyerson

Stars:

Gabe Kaplan, Ron Palillo, John Travolta

Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Gabe Kaplan	...	Gabe Kotter 95 episodes, 1975-1979
Robert Hegyes	...	Juan Epstein 95 episodes, 1975-1979
Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs	...	Freddie 'Boom Boom' Washington 95 episodes, 1975-1979
Marcia Strassman	...	Julie Kotter 94 episodes, 1975-1979
John Sylvester White	...	Mr. Michael Woodman 94 episodes, 1975-1979
Ron Palillo	...	Arnold Horshack 94 episodes, 1975-1979
John Travolta	...	Vinnie Barbarino 82 episodes, 1975-1979

Storyline

Gabe Kotter is a high-school teacher with a bunch of unruly students in his class. The student troublemakers are led by Vinnie Barbarino, who has a knack for rhyming insults.

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Plot Keywords:

school | high school | teacher | insult | inner city | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 September 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kotter

Filming Locations:

ABC Television Center - 4151 Prospect Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Komack Company Inc.,Wolper Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min (95 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Ooo, Ooo I Do!" was supposed to air on May 25, 1979, but the episode was pre-empted when then-president Jimmy Carter gave a press conference about the recent fuel crisis in America. The episode was aired a week later and was intended as a series finale, but "The Breadwinners" aired after it.

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Quotes

Arnold Horshack: [gets on Epstein's case about his "notes from his mother"] "Please excuse Juan for being a sheephead." Signed: "Epstein's mother's veterinarian".

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Connections

Referenced in At the Waterfront After the Social: The Legacy of Sleepaway Camp (2014)

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Soundtracks

Welcome Back
Composed by John Sebastian
Performed by John Sebastian

User Reviews

Up Your Nose With a Rubber Hose!

"Welcome Back, Kotter" was one of the funniest serials I have ever seen. It starred Gabe Kaplan as Mr. Kotter, who taught a remedial class of "Sweathogs" which featured Arnold Horshack, Juan Epstein, Freddie "Boom-Boom" Washington, and Vinnie Barbarino as four of his students. Between the hilarious plots and the identifiable high school situations, the show was a hit. What student in a diverse environment can't identify with "Roses are red, violets are blue, my mom wants me to date a Puerto Rican Jew"? My favourite episode focused upon the Sweathogs cleaning for a pregnant Mrs. Kotter, only to destroy her apartment. Reruns have been off the air in Canada for quite some time, so I suggest that if networks want to improve ratings, that they welcome back Kotter!