WELCOME BACK, KUTTER

\WELCOME BACK, KOTTER
ABC 1975-1979

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.

WELCOME BACK, KLODDER

WELCOME BACK, KOTTER
ABC 1975-1979

WELCOME BACK, KLODDER
MAD #189, March 1977
w: Lou Silverstone
a: Angelo Torres

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.

THE SIX BILLION DOLLAR MAN

THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN
ABC 1973-1978

For those who didn't tune in yesterday and/or are too lazy to click on “previous post”. In a nutshell, The Six Million Dollar Manis about how Col. Steve Austin (Lee Majors) got in a bad accident astronauting and was rebuilt by the government as a cyborg, costing six million dollars to make him robotic. His origin is explained in the opening credits.

Now as promised, here are more takes from Cracked, and it's still not all.

THE SPECIALIZED BIONIC MAN
Cracked #129, November 1975
a: John Severin

Telly Savalas and Raquel Welch are caricatured on this page.

And Paul Newman with Elvis.

A CRACKED HISTORY OF THE BIONIC MAN
Cracked #136, October 1976
a: Nireves (John Severin)

The Six Million Dollar Man often did crossover episodes with The Bionic Woman, Steve Austin's female counterpart, which was also parodied here.

They also did If The Fonz Became Bionic.

From How TV Shows Could Be Killed Without Cancelling Them in #138, December 1976, drawn by John Severin.

From If King Kong Made Guest Appearances in #140, March 1977, art by Howard Nostrand

From If Frankenstein's Monster Did Guest Appearances on TV, in #151, July 1978, art by Howard Nostrand

And continuing with their cross-pollination, they had Steve Austin fight Darth Vader.

THE SIX BILLION DOLLAR MAN VS. DARK BADAR
Cracked #149, March 1978
a: O.O. Severin (John Severin)

THE REAL ORIGIN OF THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN Bananas #?, c. 1980
w: Jovial Bob Stine
a: Bob Taylor