Welcome Back, Kotter: Radio Free FreddieABC
February 17, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
B+
A little over a decade after playing Ann Marie's manager on That Girl, George Carlin shows up as DJ Wally "The Wow" Wechsel. Although Carlin was pushing 40, he's supposed to be a classmate of 30-year-old Gabe. No matter, he is wonderful in this proto-WKRP episode written by no less than five people (Nick Arnold, Mark Evanier, Peter Meyerson, Dennis Palumbo, and George Yanok). Whether he's reacting to the Sweathogs or naming off nonexistent disco bands and songs ("Reverend Funk" was my favorite), he's perfect. Freddie's "Hi there" smoothness turns out to be just right for radio and his friends are soon jealous of his success, especially since, as any Brady Bunch viewer could tell you, Freddie gets a swelled head. Wally's comparatively serious talk about life on the radio is also good. I'd go higher with the grade if we actually heard anything over the radio, like the music.
Fred Grandy, shortly after he became Gopher in the second Love Boat TV-movie (which I don't own), plays Wally's clumsy assistant Andy.
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