WELCOME BACK, KOTTER: FOLLOW THE LEADER {PART 2 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of programs about high school teacher Gabe Kotter, who returns to his alma mater, James Buchanan High in Brooklyn, to teach a group of incorrigible students known as "sweathogs." Continued from B:55840. Vinnie is still staying with Mr. Kotter as Horshack and Epstein arrive for breakfast. Mr. Kotter realizes that Julie was right about spending too much time with his students and calls her. He finds out she contacted his cousin Bernie, a divorce lawyer; they launch into an argument before she hangs up. He throws Horshack and Epstein out and tells Vinnie to either return to school or get a job. Vinnie claims he can easily get a job and leaves. Mr. Kotter calls Julie back and she agrees to come over to see him after school to talk. Meanwhile, Freddie is running the sweathogs like a military commander, constantly pestering them with a whistle. Mr. Kotter is also getting fed up with Freddie's behavior. He calls the class to attention and announces that he will no longer be joking or friendly with them due to the tension they've caused between him and Julie. Later, Julie arrives and they start talking. She feels as though the sweathogs have garnered all of Mr. Kotter's time and attention, while he notes that she hasn't done anything to make a life for herself as she wanted. Vinnie arrives, trying to sell cleaning products door-to-door. Mr. Kotter sits both of them down; he tells Vinnie to go back to school and Julie that they can solve their problems together and that he can't make her live her own life for her. Both of them leave, but say they'll think about what he said. Freddie's behavior gets worse, even affecting Mr. Woodman, who wishes Vinnie were back. In class, Mr. Kotter effectively abolishes Freddie's "dictatorship" over the class. Freddie admits that he was just trying to do a good job, and that he didn't want to be a leader so much as he didn't want to be a follower. Vinnie returns, revealing he has come back to school, much to everyone's approval. He proposes that there no longer be any formal leader of the sweathogs, a motion which is appreciated by the others. Julie is out in the hall and Mr. Kotter goes out to talk to her. They both admit they are lonely without each other and although they have issues to work out they'd rather be together than apart. Mr. Kotter says he'll do away with all his jokes with the students and try to be serious, but Julie points out that humor is how he communicates with them. The episode ends as Julie attempts to demonstrate that she can be funny as well. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: January 22, 1976 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:25:10
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:55841
- GENRE: Comedy
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1975-1979
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- James Komack … Executive Producer
- Alan Sacks … Producer, Created by, Based on characters conceived by
- Thomas Hill … Associate Producer
- Bob LaHendro … Director
- Peter Meyerson … Developed by
- Gabriel Kaplan … Created by, Based on character conceived by
- Jerry Rannow … Writer
- Jewel Jaffe Rannow … Writer
- Eric Cohen … Based on characters conceived by
- John B. Sebastian … Music by
- Gabriel Kaplan … Cast, Gabe Kotter
- Marcia Strassman … Cast, Julie Kotter
- John Sylvester White … Cast, Vice Principal Michael Woodman
- Robert Hegyes … Cast, Juan Pedro Felipo de Huevos Epstein
- Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs … Cast, Freddie "Boom Boom" Percy Washington
- Ron Palillo … Cast, Arnold Horshack
- John Travolta … Cast, Vinnie Barbarino
- Vernee Watson … Cast, Vernajean Williams