A-Z GUIDE TO MOVIES AND TV SHOWS PARODIED BY MAD, CRACKED, CRAZY, ETC. UP TO 1996. THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS. SPOILERS AND OTHER NON-SEQUITURS, TOO. SOMETIMES THESE THINGS HAVE WORDS OR SITUATIONS WE DON'T USE ANYMORE. YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE THEY'RE OLD.
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Yesterday was a look at MAD and Cracked's take on Welcome Back, Kotter, now we'll see Crazy and Sick's versions...
A CRAZY LOOK AT THOSE KOOKY KOTTER KIDS
Crazy #29, September 1977
WELCOME BACK, KUTTER
Crazy #18, July 1976
w: Len Herman
a: Ernie Colon
This sitcom was a vehicle for stand-up comic Gabe Kaplan, who had a show based on one single routine he did a few months earlier. The premise was that Gabe Kotter (Gabe Kaplan) is now a teacher and has returned to the school where he grew up ten years earlier, and now teaches the gang of juvenile delinquents that he once belonged to known as The Sweathogs. The principal of James Buchanan High School was Mr. Woodman (John Sylvester-White)
The Sweathogs were Vinnie Barbarino (John Travolta), Freddie “Boom-Boom” Washington (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs), Juan Epstein (Robert Hegyes), and Arnold Horshack (Ron Palillo)
WELCOME BACK, KNOTHEAD
Sick #110, June 1976
a: Dick Ayers
One thing Crazy didn't use was Gabe's at-home life with his wife Julie (Marcia Strassman)
“Up your nose with a rubber hose” was one of their catchphrases. More of their catchphrases and recurring motifs are in the video above.
WELCOME BACK, KRUDDER
Sick #115, June 1977
w:Arnold Drake
a: Jack Sparling
Gabe telling one-liners to his wife at the beginning and end of each episode was another regular theme. Charlie Tuna was the mascot for Star-Kist tuna and their catchphrase was “Star-Kist wants tunas that taste good”
The Sweathogs were always dropping in on Mr. Kotter at home, usually climbing into his window.
As a palatte cleanser, here's a TV Guide cover by Jack Davis.
This sitcom was a vehicle for stand-up comic Gabe Kaplan, who had a show based on one single routine he did a few months earlier. The premise was that Gabe Kotter (Gabe Kaplan) is now a teacher and has returned to the school where he grew up ten years earlier, and now teaches the gang of juvenile delinquents that he once belonged to known as The Sweathogs. He lived in a small apartment in Brooklyn with his wife Julie (Marcia Strassman). When he's not teaching the Sweathogs, they often come to his home at night. The show opened and closed with Gabe giving one-liners like Groucho Marx or Henny Youngman.
The Sweathogs were Juan Epstein (Robert Hegyes), Arnold Horshack (Ron Palillo), Freddy “Boom-Boom” Washington (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) and Vinnie Barbarino (John Travolta)
Some of the running bits was Epstein bringing in faked written excuses to get out of tests signed “Epstein's Mother”, and the Sweathogs always saying “up your nose with a rubber hose” (sanitized for TV from Kaplan's original “up your hole with a Melo-Role”. The principal of James Buchanan High School was Michael Woodman (John Sylvester-White)
Woodman slightly resembled then mayor of New York Abe Beame.
From TV Spinoffs Yet to Come by Tom Koch and Harry North, in #206, April 1979
From MAD's “Whatever Became Of...” TV Characters Edition by Mike Snider and Bob Clarke, in #266, October 1986.
WELCOME BACK, KUTTER
Cracked #133, July 1976
a: John Severin
Another example of Cracked parodying the same shows and movies over and over.
HOW THE KOTTER GANG SPENT THEIR SUMMER VACATION
Cracked #137, November 1976
a: John Severin
From If the Carter Family Became TV Regulars in Cracked #150, art by...who else?...John Severin.
From The Final Episodes of Soured Sitcoms by Frank Caruso in Cracked #232, November 1987
This is only the first part. Tomorrow are Crazy and Sick's versions of the program.
WEB*STAR
MAD #251, December 1984
w: Larry Siegel
a: Angelo Torres
Alex Karras, football player turned actor, went out of his range to play a football player turned sports announcer, George Papadopilus. Together with his wife Katherine (Susan Clark, his real-life wife) they're a newly wed couple in Webster who are the godparents of the child of the title (Emmanuel Lewis) that get custody after the death of Travis Short, the child's natural father. The show was inspired by the NBC sitcom Diff'rent Strokes which had a similar premise of a rich white man acquiring custody of small black children, the star played by someone with a kidney disease that made the character eternally five years younger than the real actor. ABC saw this and said “Hold my beer”.
Alex Karras' most famous role before this was Mongo in Blazing Saddles and the parody makes a few background references to it.
Merlin Olsen was one of the first known football players-turned-actors with Father Murphy. Marv Thornberry, Dick Butkiss, Bubba Smith, and John Madden were other athletes-turned-actors who did commercials.
Jerry Silver (Henry Polic II) was Katherine's secretary.
WEBFOOT
Cracked #205, August 1984
a: O.O. Severin (John Severin)
Eventually Diff'rent Strokes moved to ABC and the two shows were teamed together.
From If TV Shows Were Combined, same issue.
George Peppard was Hannibal and Mr.T. was B.A. Baracus.
