The Garry Shandling Show: 25th Anniversary Special

Yes, I would rather watch Donny Osmond
on The Brady Bunch Variety Hour.

The Garry Shandling Show: 25th Anniversary Special
Showtime
Copyright 1985 but aired sometime in 1986
Parody, Variety
VHS
C

We're going to step back a little in time, to this precursor to The Larry Sanders Show, although it more immediately paved the way for It's Garry Shandling's Show.  I saw it after watching the first season of IGSS and was disappointed.  It hasn't improved with age.  It's not bad but it's not particularly funny.  It's mainly of historical interest, from a time when Johnny Carson was till the King of Late Night TV but had faced some challenges.

Paul Willson, who would be Leonard Smith on IGSS, plays Garry's sidekick Pete.  Britt Leach, who was Davy Jones's manager on The Brady Bunch, Reporter Dan Blevik on M*A*S*H, and three different characters on Three's Company, is Dr. Robert Lebec here.  DeVera Marcus, who was Violet on Bosom Buddies, plays Dee here and would be Willa on Who's the Boss?  Helaine Lembeck, of Welcome Back, Kotter, is Mindy here.  Doug McClure is among the many people appearing as themselves.  Tom Trbovich, who did one Bosom Buddies episode, is this special's director.

Welcome Back, Kotter: The Kiss

Sally Hightower

Welcome Back, Kotter: The Kiss
ABC
March 9, 1978
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Laura Stevens (Sally Hightower in her last appearance in the role) faints so Mr. Kotter tries to revive her with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.  Mr. Woodman walks in and of course jumps to the wrong conclusion.  I might've gone with a B-, but it's a borderline tasteless episode, as with Julie jokingly calling Gabe a "molester" and Judy Borden (Lembeck's last appearance in the role) expecting Mr. Kotter to treat her like a "sex object."  Peter Meyerson wrote this one with Max Goldenson, who didn't really write anything else.

Ernest Harada makes his last appearance, too, as "Mr. Jan from the School Board" (as he's almost invariably referred to).

Welcome Back, Kotter: Has Anyone Seen Arnold?

Welcome Back, Kotter: Has Anyone Seen Arnold?
ABC
February 3, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Nick Arnold and Peter Meyerson wrote this first of a two-parter, where Horshack plays Cyrano against Judy's Roxanne, until his friends make fun of him and he runs off.  They look for him but Vinnie ends up having to take the role, which he makes a shambles of.  This is another episode where the pay-off doesn't quite work.  And I understand that this was a cliffhanger for an episode that aired right after (in place of What's Happening!!) but it feels odd that Arnold's disappearance isn't even mentioned at the end.

Kristine Greco makes her last appearance on the show.

Welcome Back, Kotter: Sweatgate Scandal

Welcome Back, Kotter: Sweatgate Scandal
ABC
January 13, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is obviously inspired by All the President's Men, from its informer named Deep Throat (check out Vinnie's reaction to the suggestive name) to Vinnie and Juan taking on the roles of Woodward/Redford and Bernstein/Hoffman.  I still remember my initial amazement at the twist ending, although as an adult I can't help thinking that they don't have much evidence to print the story.

Both Todd Ludlow (Dennis Bowen) and Judy Borden (Lembeck) are on the school paper.  The script is by Eric Cohen, based on a story by a couple writers, one of whom, Paul Wayne, would go on to write eighteen Three's Company episodes.

Welcome Back, Kotter: Hello Ms. Chips

Welcome Back, Kotter: Hello Ms. Chips
ABC
December 2, 1976
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Valerie Curtin guest stars as student teacher Ms. Wright, whom Kotter mentors.  I remember first learning about President Buchanan from this episode.

Kristine Greco is again a female Sweathog.  Judy Borden is now apparently working in the main office.  Co-writer Royce D. Applegate acted on That Girl twice.

Welcome Back, Kotter: Sadie Hawkins Day

Welcome Back, Kotter: Sadie Hawkins Day
ABC
November 18, 1976
Sitcom
DVD
B+

This Eric Cohen script, based on a story by Joyce Gittlin and Steve Clements, who'd write another for WBK, is my favorite so far, even though I do have a couple complaints. which I'll get to.  First off, it's a hilarious episode, some of the humor coming from over the top things like the Hustle lesson that sweeps Mr. Woodman into it, and some of the humor coming from real and relatable adolescent moments.  I particularly like how Mr. Kotter keeps trying to get through to Vinnie, including telling a story about his friend Bonzo Moretti's sister Betty, and finally it sinks in.  I don't like Vernajean threatening Freddie to get him to go to the dance with her (particularly since they almost got married a year before).  And I think the thing about Judy being really unattractive is getting old.  That said, I was very impressed with this episode and it shows that the series was by no means getting stale in its second year.  And, yes, it was a good week for Travolta.

Eighteen-year-old Dinah Manoff, who would co-star with Travolta in Grease, and of course go on to Soap and Empty Nest, plays Charmaine, one of the girls who tries to ask Vinnie to the dance.  (A pre-It's a Living Wendy Schaal is another of the girls.)   Paula Victor, who was Mrs. Della Vella on The Bob Newhart Show, plays the often referred to but never previously seen Miss Fishbeck.

Welcome Back, Kotter: One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Welcome Back, Kotter: One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest
ABC
February 5, 1976
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This Eric Cohen story is somewhat forgettable, although like two of his previous episodes it includes Scott (Dennis Bowen) and Judy (Helaine Lembeck).  Note that Vinnie and Judy interact like they've never been friends or more.  This is the 400th ABC program I've reviewed, with many more ahead.

Welcome Back, Kotter: The Sit-In

Welcome Back, Kotter: The Sit-In
ABC
January 13, 1976
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is the only WBK story written by William Bickley and Michael Warren, who'd do one the following year for What's Happening!!  It nonetheless has such Kottery moments as jokes about Julie's tuna casserole, and Epstein playing Chico to Gabe's Groucho.  There's also a nice discussion of everyone's image of God, and a "Bicentennial Moment," which was a big thing in '76.  I'm not sure if it's LaHendro's fault that there's a very obvious hanging mic when the Sweathogs first sit on the floor.  Note that Julie used to organize sit-ins.

Dennis Bowen appears briefly as Todd Ludlow, and Woodman mentions that Todd is Student Body President.

Welcome Back, Kotter: Barbarino's Girl

Welcome Back, Kotter: Barbarino's Girl
ABC
November 25, 1975
Sitcom
DVD
C+

I like Helaine Lembeck, but this Eric Cohen story would be better if we got some sense of what draws Vinnie and Judy together, as well as how they make up.  His friends disapprove of his new friendship (maybe platonic, maybe not) because Judy is TV Fat.  Having Kotter join in on the "ranking" (insults) doesn't really help.

Welcome Back, Kotter: No More Mr. Nice Guy

Yes, Horshack wears belly shirts.

Welcome Back, Kotter: No More Mr. Nice Guy
ABC
October 14, 1975
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is the first of seven WBK scripts written by George Yanok, who did one episode of The Bob Newhart Show.  It has Woodman and Kotter sort of switching personalities, their characters enough established by this point for that to mean something.  Nothing spectacular here, although the image of Woodman in Revolutionary War costumes, not to mention Travolta and friends "boogying" into class, are certainly memorable.  Note that Julie says Gabe's mother doesn't like her.  (I remember seeing Julie's parents later, but not Gabe's.)

This is the 300th program I've given my default grade, B-.

Welcome Back, Kotter: The Election

Welcome Back, Kotter: The Election
ABC
October 7, 1975
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Eric Cohen's first of sixteen WBK stories (and Tiffany York's only) starts with an ethnic joke (Chinese) and tries to get humor out of the Sweathogs, particularly Epstein, threatening violence against Vinnie's opponents in the class election.  So it hasn't aged well.  Still, I liked finding out the student population (under 400) and that Juan is one of nine kids, with at least four brothers.  (Half of his Puerto-Rican-Jewish brothers were out stealing pants, and the other half were pressing them, which is a relatively clever ethnic joke.)

John Otrin, who's an uncredited Sweathog here, would much later be an Ambulance Driver on M*A*S*H.

Welcome Back, Kotter: The Great Debate

Welcome Back, Kotter: The Great Debate
ABC
September 9. 1975
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Rick Mittleman, who did four That Girl scripts, wrote this inauspicious debut of a very different New York sitcom, although I have more of an issue with director Bob LaHendro (who would direct 37 more episodes), because the timing and characterization is off through most of the episode.  The only one who really seems to know what he's doing at this point is John Sylvester White, who has already nailed the grumpy Mr. Michael Woodman.  The opening and closing "joke scenes" with Kaplan and Strassman (who had spent time around Alan Alda's Groucho impressions and probably found Kaplan's an improvement) aren't bad.  The main problem is that there's not the resonance of later episodes.  This is a program that perhaps more than any other of its time (even Happy Days) thrived on catchphrases and audience anticipation of what the characters would do.  Did I watch this from Week One?  Maybe, but probably not.  I do know that at some point in the first season it became my favorite evening program.  And if I wasn't yet an ABC loyalist, I would be by the time this show left the air, four years later.

The Sweathogs, about whom more later:

• 24-year-old Robert Hegyes as Juan [many middle names omitted] Epstein
• 22-year-old Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as Freddie "Boom-Boom" Washington
• 26-year-old Ron Palillo as Arnold Horshack
• 21-year-old John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino
• and as the only female Sweathog with lines at the moment, 22-year-old Debralee Scott as Rosalie "Hotsy" Totsy.

Scott Ben-Yashar makes his first of four uncredited appearances as a Sweathog, while Bill Adler does his first of two.  Twenty-three-year-old Helaine Lembeck (daughter of Harvey, sister of Michael) understandably would return a dozen more times as Judy Borden, while Dennis Bowen would be back four more times as "whitebread" Todd Ludlow.  (It's not too surprising that he played Archie Andrews in live-action specials around that time.)