‘Welcome Back Kotter’ is 45

“Ooooh ooooh ooooh Mr. Kotter, Mr. Kotter.” I remember very little from watching Mr. Kotter, but the catchphrases and nicknames stick out. “Up your nose with a broken hose.” Epstein always having a note from his parents. Boom Boom Washington. Horseshack’s laugh. But why are they named the “Sweathogs”?

The show, which kicked off on September 9,1975, was a success during it’s first two seasons. Ratings started to slide during Season 3, with the age of the actors vs the age of the students they were playing possibly part of the issue. John Travolta starred in “Grease” and “Saturday Night Live” during the time of the show and really was the only classmate to see post Kotter success. The show eventually ended in 1979.