Line #74 Characters/WelcomeBackKotter


1	[[foldercontrol]]
2
3	[[folder:The Kotters]]
4	!!Gabriel "Gabe" Kotter
5	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/a_kotter_8.jpg]]
6	[[caption-width-right:231:''Have I ever told you about my Uncle....'']]
7	->Played by: Creator/GabrielKaplan.
8
9	The main protagonist and school teacher. A former Sweathog who made good and is coming back to his old Alma Mater to teach.
10
11	%%* CoolTeacher
12	%%* DeadpanSnarker
13	* DeanBitterman: After he becomes vice-principal in Season 4, the jokes are less frequent as he takes his new position more seriously.
14	* DemotedToExtra: After Season 3 ended, the writing staff was fired, and writers from older sitcoms were brought in to try and boost the low Nielsen ratings. Off-screen disputes resulted in Gabe breaking his contract and reducing his appearances in Season 4.
15	%%* InformedJudaism
16	* TheMentor: To the Sweathogs. This even causes tension between him and Julie in a two-parter episode of the first season.
17	* ParentalSubstitute: Often played this role with the Sweathogs, especially Horshack.
18	%%* PornStache
19	%%* SaveOurStudents
20	* TheOneWhoMadeItOut: But he came back to teach a new generation of Sweathogs.
21
22
23	!!Julie Kotter
24	[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/b_kotter.jpg]]
25	[[caption-width-right:225:''They're not students! They are inmates and YOU are the 'Head Cuckoo'!'']]
26	->Played by: Creator/MarciaStrassman
27
28	Gabe Kotter's long-suffering young Mid-Western wife from Nebraska.
29
30	* ADegreeInUseless: Has an Anthropology degree, which isn't much when you're a homemaker who lives in inner city of BigApplesauce. She even hangs a lampshade on this in a first-season episode.
31	%%* BabiesMakeEverythingBetter
32	* CordonBleughChef: She puts stuff like prunes and coffee beans in the tuna casserole. It doesn't go over well.
33	* DeadpanSnarker: To balance out her husband's terrible jokes.
34	%%* FarmersDaughter: She grew up in Nebraska.
35	* HouseWife: Starts out as this. Eventually becomes a secretary and teacher.
36	%%* LethalChef: Especially with tuna casserole.
37	* StraightManAndWiseGuy: A rare romantic example, she's often the straight man to Gabe's wise guy.
38	* SugarAndIcePersonality: Has this towards the Sweathogs initially, but eventually becomes a motherly figure to them the way Gabe's like their father.
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:The Main Sweathogs]]
42	!!Vincent "Vinnie" Barbarino
43	[[quoteright:218:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/c_kotter.jpg]]
44	[[caption-width-right:218:''Who?....What?....Where?....When?....'']]
45	->Played by: Creator/JohnTravolta
46
47	Sicilian-American self-proclaimed Leader of the Sweathogs. A poor student but a big-time hearthrob who's also a bit of a big-time doofus.
48
49	* BerserkButton: Whenever other students insult him, resorting to YourMom jokes is going too far; Vinnie will stand up and say that she's a saint.
50	%%* BookDumb
51	* BrainlessBeauty: Even by Sweathog standards, Vinnie isn't too bright. The girls don't seem to mind.
52	%%* TheCasanova
53	%%* CloudCuckooLander
54	* CommutingOnABus: Gets a job as a hospital orderly in the final season, meaning he's not seen in class as much.
55	* EarnYourHappyEnding: In "Barbarino's Baby", when Vinnie is trapped in an elevator with an expectant mother-to-be and her husband and she goes into labor, the nurse talks Vinnie through the delivery process. After the baby has been delivered, the head nurse promotes Vinnie, who had been working at the hospital as an orderly and a janitor.
56	* ItsAllMyFault: Feels this way when the shop teacher dies of a heart attack while yelling at him. He even turns himself in to the police as a murderer!
57	%%* LazyBum
58	* TheLeader: Of the Sweathogs.
59	* MamasBoy: He loves his mama, insulting her is a huge BerserkButton for him.
60	%%* MrFanservice
61	%%* NobodyTouchesTheHair
62	%%* ReallyGetsAround
63	%%* StreetSmart
64
65
66	!!Arnold Dingfelder Horshack
67	[[quoteright:226:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d_kotter.jpg]]
68	[[caption-width-right:226:''....OOH! OOH! OOH!....'']]
69	->Played by: Ron Palillo
70
71	A strange, diminutive, Polish-American oddball and a bit of a sidekick to Barbarino.
72
73	* CloudCuckooLander: In spades!
74	* {{Determinator}}: In "Horshack vs. Carvelli", he volunteers to take on Carvelli in a boxing match, with the other Sweathogs and Mr. Kotter trying to talk him out of it to no avail. When Wooodman gets word that Horshack is the one that volunteers for the fight, he roots for Horshack in the hopes that Buchanan will get bragging rights. Even though he gets knocked out by Carvelli, he gains the Sweathogs' respect for his valiant efforts.
75	* DisappearedDad: Zigzagged; Arnold's father had died, and then each of his stepdads die. In "There Goes Number 5", another one of Arnold's stepdads has died, and his mother remarries, becoming Mrs. O'Hara. Later, in "Oo-Oo, I Do", Arnold's mother marries Swifty Grauman, a blackjack dealer in Atlantic City, and she wants Arnold to leave Buchanan High. Arnold refuses, proposing to Mary Johnson, who gladly accepts, and they continue to live in Brooklyn at a print shop owned by one of Mary's relatives while continuing to attend Buchanan High School.
76	%%* DitzyGenius
77	%%* GagNose
78	* HiddenDepths: It turns out he's actually a fairly good student when he applies himself; he is even placed with regular mainstream classes in one episode. He struggles with being separated from the other Sweathogs and is [[StatusQuoIsGod brought back to Mr. Kotter's class.]]
79	** In the final season, [[spoiler:he successfully manages to talk down the suicidal Mary Johnson when even Julie and Mr. Woodman fail.]]
80	* HonorableMarriageProposal: Proposes to Rosalie when she's trying to guilt-trip the other boys with a pregnancy scare (she made it up). It earns him a second date once she drops the charade.
81	* KavorkaMan: Downplayed; even though he's though he's geeky and somewhat unattractive, and doesn't have a ton of success with the ladies, he still manages to get lucky once in a while at first, offering to be a fatherly figure to Rosalie's baby in Season 1 (which was part of Rosalie's scheme to teach the other Sweathogs a lesson) and later in Season 3 when Rosalie had a baby for real. He manages to get a good-looking date in Season 2's "Sadie Hawkins Day", goes on a date with Juan's sister Carmen, falls for Julie after several rejections, and eventually helps save the life of Mary Johnson, whom he eventually marries.
82	%%* LittleGuyBigBuddy: The Little Guy to Vinnie's Big Buddy.
83	* LovableNerd: The geekiest of the Sweathogs who feels uncomfortable in any other classroom, preferring to hang out with the Sweathogs.
84	%%* MoralityPet: Somewhat to Vinnie.
85	%%* NoSocialSkills
86	* PromotionToParent: Tries to do this in "Whatever Happened To Arnold" part 2 after his fifth stepfather dies. He seems successful at the end, but little more is said about this.
87	%%* SideKick: To Vinnie.
88	%%* TheSmartGuy
89	* TagalongKid: In the beginning. He comes into his own in later seasons [[spoiler: and is the first of the Sweathogs to marry.]]
90	* TeacherStudentRomance: A teacher's wife variant; Arnold has a brief crush on Mrs. Kotter in "Horshack and Madame X", when Julie offers him words of comfort after failing to be noticed by the other girls at Buchanan High. By the end of the episode, Julie and Arnold decide to discontinue while remaining friends, out of respect for Mr. Kotter.
91
92
93	!!Freddie "Boom Boom" Washington
94	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/f_kotter.jpg]]
95	[[caption-width-right:200:''Hi, there!'']]
96	->Played by: Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
97
98	A tall, wise-cracking African-American "cool dude" who's also a school basketball player.
99
100	%%* AbusiveParents: Offscreen, mentioned in passing and PlayedForLaughs.
101	* CharacterCatchphrase:
102	** "Hi, there."
103	** "About my homework, I just don't happen to have it hann-dy.
104	* DumbJock: Is a star basketball player but gets terrible grades.
105	%%* {{Elopement}}: Attempted this with his girlfriend, Verna Jean.
106	* EmbarrassingMiddleName: When filling out an application in Part 2 of "The Drop-Ins", his middle name is revealed as Percy.
107	%%* JiveTurkey
108	* StarcrossedLovers: How he and Verna Jean saw themselves.
109	* TheLancer: Especially to Vinnie. Becomes TheLeader in the 4th season, after Vinnie's appearances become more sporadic.
110	%%* StreetSmart
111	%%* UncleTomfoolery: He veers into this a bit.
112
113
114	!!Juan Luis Pedro Phillipo de Huevos Epstein
115	[[quoteright:218:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e_kotter.jpg]]
116	[[caption-width-right:218:''Mr. Kotter! I gotta note!'']]
117	->Played by: Robert Hegyes
118
119	Short, pugnacious Puerto-Rican Jewish guy who is famous for writing his own hilarious B.S. excuse notes.
120
121	%%* AlterKocker: Shade of this in an otherwise young, muscular, Latino youth, usually played for laughs.
122	%%* TheBigGuy
123	%%* BigScrewedUpFamily: Emphasis on ''big''.
124	%%* BookDumb
125	* BruiserWithASoftCenter: He's a good guy deep down, and he's very good with animals.
126	* FaceOfAThug: When he goes missing, one episode, the Sweathogs create a poster complete with "Have you seen ''this''?"
127	* InformedJudaism: In one episode, when asked if his mother was Puerto Rican, he replies that his mother's maiden name was Bibberman.
128	* MySisterIsOffLimits: Gets ''mad'' when Freddie and Vinnie attempt to date Carmen, the only reason he gives Arnold his blessing is because he thinks Arnold is "safe". Luckily, Carmen calls him out for it and he admits it's his only way of showing he loves her.
129	* TheNapoleon: It is not a good idea to get Juan mad, especially since he was voted "most likely to take a life" by his peers.
130	* OddFriendship: On a couple of occasions, Epstein and Principal Lazarus get along quite well at times, occasionally on a friendly basis.
131	* ThePigPen: His gym locker is considered a major hazard and often used for a threat against people the Sweathogs dislike.
132	* TwoferTokenMinority: A Puerto Rican Jew.
133	[[/folder]]
134
135	[[folder:Other Sweathogs]]
136	!!Angie Grabowski
137	[[quoteright:120:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/angie_7.jpg]]
138	->Played by: Melonie Haller
139
140	Female Sweathog and Proud of it.
141
142	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Gone by the end of Season 3.
143	* CousinOliver: She appears in the second half of the third season for seven episodes and then is never heard from again, presumably as a result of the writing staff being fired after Season 3 and replaced with veteran scriptwriters who had worked with older sitcoms.
144	* YouGoGirl: Only with being a Sweathog rather than sports.
145
146
147	!!Bambi Forrester
148	[[quoteright:130:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bambi.PNG]]
149	->Played by: Suze Lanier Bramlett
150
151	A pretty blonde student and one-episode Sweathog who's not what she seems.
152
153	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: In only one episode as an actual character. In others, she's just some random student.
154	* DistractedByTheSexy: The other Sweathogs go crazy over her when she shows up in class on her first day.
155	%%* DumbBlonde
156	%%* FosterKid: A troubled one from Lubbock, Texas (what she really is).
157	%%* NewTransferStudent
158	%%* ParentalAbandonment
159	%%* TroubledButCute
160	%%* ValleyGirl: Pretends to be this, along with GranolaGirl.
161
162
163	!!Beauregarde "Beau" [=DeLabarre=]
164	[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beau_2.jpg]]
165	->Played by: Stephen Shortridge
166
167	Southern Cajun boy, replacement-Sweathog for Barbarino.
168
169	%%* TheCasanova
170	* CousinOliver: After Gabe reduced his appearances in the fourth season and Creator/JohnTravolta focused more on his movie career, Beau helped to fill some of the void, along with Carvelli and Murray transferring to Buchanan.
171	%%* FishOutOfWater
172	%%* GoodOlBoy
173	* IJustWantToHaveFriends: [[spoiler:It's revealed he's been shuffled from school to school and relative to relative, and that his slick SouthernGentleman personality is mostly an act he puts on to charm people into liking him. Later, he's so desperate to keep the Sweathogs as his friends that he plays a prank on Mr. Woodman just to impress them.]]
174	* NewTransferStudent
175	* RuleOfThree: His main gag is to make "there are three things" lists pertaining to a situation. Only one of those three is relevant. Julie even calls him on this in his debut episode.
176	%%* SouthernGentleman
177	%%* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: For Barbarino.
178	%%* TheBigEasy: Where he's from.
179
180	!!Mary Johnson
181
182	->Played by: Irene Arranga
183	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mary.PNG]]
184	A meek, plain and awkward new student. Becomes Horshack's girlfriend and [[spoiler: eventual wife.]]
185
186	%%* HappilyFailedSuicide
187	%%* InterruptedSuicide
188	%%* IJustWantToBeSpecial
189	%%* PlainJane
190	%%* ShrinkingViolet
191
192	!!Rosalie "Hotsie" Totsie
193	[[quoteright:130:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px_debraleescott.jpg]]
194	->Played by: Debralee Scott
195
196	The main female Sweathog of the first season (along with Verna Jean). A redhead with a rumored "bad reputation".
197
198	* TheBusCameBack: In Season 3, she's a stripper who dropped out of school due to a real TeenPregnancy.
199	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: She drops out of school after Season 1; in a Season 3 followup, Gabe and the Sweathogs help her get back into school to finish her education.
200	%%* DeadpanSnarker
201	%%* FieryRedhead
202	* {{Foreshadowing}}: In "Whodunit?", Rosalie fakes a TeenPregnancy to show the other students that she's not a loose and easy girl. Later, in "The Return of Hotsy Totsy", after she's dropped out of school and has mothered a child for real, Arnold and the other Sweathogs help her return to Buchanan so she can resume her education and improve her career prospects.
203	%%* PutOnABus
204	* ReallyGetsAround: Is wrongly thought to be this & subject to rumors in Season 1; she fakes a TeenPregnancy to make the guys admit otherwise.
205
206	!![=VernaJean=] Williams
207	[[quoteright:140:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vernajean.jpg]]
208	->Played by: Vernee Watson Johnson (credited as Creator/VerneeWatson)
209
210	Female Sweathog and Freddie Washington's girlfriend. [[spoiler: She eventually moves away to Staten Island.]]
211
212	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: After Season 2, she makes no further appearances, and apart from ClipShow episodes, she isn't mentioned from that point onwards.
213	%%* DeadpanSnarker
214	* OnlySaneMan: She was probably the closest thing to the reasonable straight man among the Sweathogs.
215	%%* PutOnABus
216	%%* SassyBlackWoman
217	* StarCrossedLovers: Freddie treats the idea of her moving away like they're about to become this, even trying to marry her to prevent it.
218
219	!!Carvelli
220	[[quoteright:150:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kotter_cavelli.png]]
221	->Played by: Creator/CharlesFleischer
222
223	A dopey neighborhood bully.
224
225	* AscendedExtra: He transfers to Buchanan High as a regular student in the last episode of Season 3 and continues to attend Buchanan for the fourth season.
226	%%* GoldfishPoopGang
227	%%* TheBully
228	* HiddenDepths: Proved to be a gifted guitar player and singer during a school talent show in the last season.
229	* SitcomArchNemesis: Frequently antagonises the Sweathogs.
230	* TheSixthRanger: After being transferred from New Utrecht H.S. to Buchanan, Carvelli and Murray become Sweathogs.
231
232	!!Wilbur Murray
233	[[quoteright:100:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/d2cbc4a33f3689d16f8abb354da9b541.jpg]]
234	->Played by: Bob Harcum
235
236	Carvelli's toadie.
237
238	* AscendedExtra: Murray transfers to Buchanan High alongside his friend Carvelli.
239	%%* GoldfishPoopGang
240	* MadLibsCatchphrase: "Did you hear dat? My man Carvelli said ''[crack Carvelli just made]''."
241	%%* SideKick: To Carvelli
242	* TheSixthRanger: Murray becomes a Sweathog after being transferred from New Utrecht to Buchanan.
243	[[/folder]]
244
245	[[folder:Other Characters]]
246	!!Principal Lazarus
247
248	The unseen Principal. Is on very chummy terms with Juan Epstein, much to the chagrin of Mr. Woodman.
249
250	* TheGhost: Downplayed; even though he's never seen onscreen, his voice is heard over the intercom in the first season's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" episode.
251	%%* TheUnseen
252	%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
253
254	!!Vice Principal Michael Woodman
255	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/g_kotter.jpg]]
256	[[caption-width-right:200:''THEY'RE NOT PEOPLE, KOTTER! THEY'RE NOT PEOPLE!!!'']]
257	->Played by: John Sylvester White
258
259	The main antagonist. An old grump with a very dim view of all things "Sweathog".
260
261	%%* DeanBitterman
262	%%* FriendlessBackground
263	* GeniusDitz: In "No More Mr. Nice Guy", he takes over Kotter's class and does an exceptional job teaching the students with dramatized versions of the American Revolution.
264	%%* GrumpyOldMan
265	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's actually helped the Sweathogs a few times, though it's ''extremely'' rare; he helps the Kotters move into their new apartment after the twins are born, and when Barbarino moves into his own apartment, he takes part in the housewarming party. He and Kotter also seem to have a VitriolicBestBuds thing going on.
266	%%* LonersAreFreaks
267	%%* MiniatureSeniorCitizen
268	* PetTheDog: In Season 3, after Julie's twin daughters are born, Woodman admits that he finds babies adorable.
269	%%* ScrewPolitenessImASenior
270	%%* TheNapoleon
271
272	!!Judy Borden
273	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/judy_4.jpg]]
274	[[caption-width-right:300:Be sure to wear earplugs when she's around!]]
275	->Played by: Helaine Lembeck
276
277	An incredibly shrill, snooty, snotty, loud but very studious young student. Often an antagonist towards the Sweathogs.
278
279	* AbhorrentAdmirer: To Vinnie, though this is downplayed in that he seems to like her back at times.
280	%%* BrainyBrunette
281	%%* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Eventually disappeared from the show.
282	* CuteButCacophonic: Emphasis on the "Cacophonic" part. Like scratching a chalkboard.
283	%%* DeadpanSnarker
284	%%* InsufferableGenius
285	%%* {{Jerkass}}
286	%%* NoIndoorVoice
287	%%* SlapSlapKiss: With Vinnie
288	%%* SmallNameBigEgo
289	%%* StudentCouncilPresident
290	%%* TeachersPet
291
292	!!Todd Ludlow
293	[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/todd_4.jpg]]
294	[[caption-width-right:200:''This'' ginger has no soul.]]
295	->Played by: Dennis Bowen
296
297	Another super-studious but insufferable fellow student & antagonist. Is also a very hot-tempered, physically and emotionally aggressive jerk who even [[spoiler: defeats Juan Epstein in a fist-fight.]]
298
299	%%* BadAssBookworm
300	%%* TheBully
301	%%* TheEvilGenius
302	%%* FieryRedhead
303	%%* InsufferableGenius
304	%%* {{Jerkass}}
305	%%* StudentCouncilPresident
306	%%* TeachersPet
307
308	!!Miss Fishbeck
309
310	An unseen female teacher who's mentioned often in passing as a gag. Presumably an elderly woman.
311
312	%%* TheGhost
313	%%* NoodleIncident: Embodies This
314	%%* TheUnseen
315	* NewJobAsThePlotDemands: The teacher version. Depending on the episode, she's either described as the Social Studies teacher, Art teacher or something else.

Context Characters / WelcomeBackKotter