Welcome Back, Kotter: Radio Free Freddie

Welcome Back, Kotter: Radio Free Freddie
ABC
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.

That Girl: Break a Leg

That Girl: Break a Leg
ABC
November 10, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is the episode where a very clean-cut George Carlin suggests Marlo Thomas push Sally Kellerman out the window, but this proves unnecessary because Dabney Coleman diagnoses Sally as having the measles.  Besides the OMGness of the casting, I think the story is solid, with Ann as understudy to her old friend who's making her Broadway debut.  Speaking of debuts, this is Carlin's very first screen credit, as Ann's agent.  It's also notable that Ann is still enough of a theater newbie to not know even such common superstitions as wishing someone luck with the episode's title.

This was Arnold Margolin and Jim Parker's second TG collaboration.