Welcome Back, Kotter: Career Day

Welcome Back, Kotter: Career Day
ABC
September 23, 1976
Sitcom
DVD
C

This is a crossover episode for Morita's Mr. T & Tina, which premiered later that week.  And I guess it worked on my eight-year-old self, because I did watch that short-lived series.  Watching this episode now is a little painful because of the ignorance about what would've been called "Oriental cultures," the way jokes about, e.g. Kung Fu, are thrown in when they run out of Japanese stereotypes.  Also, the set-up that Mr. Takahashi suddenly wants to hire Gabe feels a bit forced.  Still, Morita does his best, including with his monologue towards the end.  The funniest part of the episode is actually the difference between the entrances to Principal Lazarus's office and Woodman's, although no attention is called to it.

A staff writer again makes an onscreen appearance in an episode he didn't write (Eric Cohen did), this time George Yanok as Mr. Ferguson.  Note that the primary director of Season One (all but the pilot) has been replaced for the moment by Bill Hobin.