By June L.
Jun 12, 2007, 20:27 GMT
Welcome back to the 1970’s with this series that broke ground in both style and content, focusing on the problems of an inner city high school, and a teacher who was trying to make a difference.
From the box: “Mr. Kotter meet the Sweathogs, the goofiest group of remedial students who ever set off the fire alarm two minutes before a test or spent algebra class constructing spit wads. Sweathogs, meet Mr. Kotter, a former Sweathog who’s returned to his old high school as your new teacher. Gabriel Kaplan stars as Kotter and John Travolta in his breakthrough role, plays Sweathog leader Vinnie Barbarino in this multicultural, multicomical 1970’s smash hit.”
Viewed by today’s standards, the Sweathogs seem somewhat harmless, almost sweet natured and really very funny. What were tough teens in the 1970’s translate to stereotypes in the present day, but that does not harm the entertainment value of this series. It is worth watching again.
Mr. Kotter believed that he could reach the dejected, misguided, underserved Sweathogs and teach them to respect themselves and others. He had hope that they would rise above their situations.
Welcome Back, Kotter, the complete first season is a four disc set, including all 22 season one episodes. It is presented in standard version, and contains 553 minutes of play.
There are special features “Only a Few Degrees from a Sweathog” that is a restrospective look, and a special feature that contains the actor’s original screen tests. In this arrangement of the episodes, the pilot shows up as the third episode on disc one.
Disc One:
Disc Two:
Disc Three:
Disc Four:
Welcome Back Kotter is a nice addition to any collection. It should remind us that teachers everywhere still care, and are still trying to help. Mr. Kotter’s patience, humor, and his teaching style are timeless.
Welcome Back Kotter – The Complete First Season is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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