‘Welcome Back, Kotter’ Star Gabe Kaplan Reveals Which Sweathogs He Still Keeps in Touch With (Exclusive)
Gabe Kaplan, 80, has had a long and diverse career that took him from stand-up comedy beginnings to his more recent run as a world-champion poker player and commentator. But we all know him best as Mr. Kotter, the Brooklyn high school teacher trying to whip a classroom of uninspired students into shape on Welcome Back, Kotter.
This September will bring the 50th anniversary of the show’s premiere episode — but five decades later, are the Sweathogs still in touch? Kaplan caught up with ReMind to reflect on some favorite memories of the show, and let us know which cast members are still in touch.
Everett Collection
When you look back at the four seasons of Welcome Back, Kotter, what episode is your favorite?
My favorite episode is one where Kotter’s father comes to school to see his son teach. The great character actor Harold J. Stone played and actually looked like my father. My dad didn’t think I’d be successful as an entertainer and Kotter’s father thought he was wasting his time as a teacher. Although my father watched the show every week, we never discussed that episode.
Share a funny prank or moment you remember.
After the first episode, I falsely told John Travolta he had a lot of fan mail in the office. The office wasn’t close to the rehearsal hall, but he trudged over and asked for his letters. He came back disappointed and empty-handed. Everyone laughed a little and he said, “Very funny.” A few weeks later he got a whole canvas sack of fan mail.
©ABC / courtesy Everett Collection
How often do you keep up with your surviving castmates John Travolta and Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs?
Larry, John and I had a lot of fun together doing the show. I’ve seen Larry frequently over the years and have seen John at reunion events. I talked to him for the article in Emmy Magazine [the September issue of Emmy Magazine features an in-depth interview with Gabe and others]. And it was like we didn’t miss a beat, we had a great time reminiscing. Marcia Strassman‘s daughter and my daughter wound up in the same school. One day, I heard someone yell “Gabriel” across the schoolyard. I knew instantly who it was. We stayed friendly until she passed. Cancer finally got Marcia but it had one of its hardest battles. Bobby Hegyes and I did a play about Groucho Marx together. Unfortunately Bobby, Ron [Palillo] and John White are also gone now.
Puzzler '80s Comedy Classics
Vol 1, Issue 6
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