Product Details

• Actors: Gabe Kaplan, John Travolta, Ron Palillo, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Robert Hegyes
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: June 12, 2007
• Run Time: 553 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000NJMJHA
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #314 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #20 in Movies & TV > DVD > Comedy
• For more information about "Welcome Back, Kotter: The Complete First Season" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 06/12/2007 Run time: 553 minutes Rating: Nr

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome back, To that same old place that you laughed about., May 2, 2007

By 

James Ferguson (Vilnius, Lithuania) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Welcome Back, Kotter: The Complete First Season (DVD)

It has been years since I last saw "Welcome Back, Kotter." It is a real treat to see it coming out on DVD. No one could have imagined the break out star John Travolta would become, trading in his tight t-shirt for a white leisure suit, as Gabe Kaplan fights to hold his own against an unruly class of "Sweathogs," who fall below the curve of Buchanan High School. This was the first high school comedy to capture a gritty urban feel. Room 222 had its moments but was sticky sweet by comparison. Gabe Kaplan drew on his life experiences, which had been the fodder of his stand-up routines, to capture a lively classroom of remedial kids led by Vinnie Barbarino. They manage to stay one step ahead of Vice Principal Woodman (John Sylvester White), but Kotter knows the tricks all too well, having been a sweathog himself in his youth. Robert Hegyes, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (who enjoyed a brief celebrity of his own) and Ron Palillo round out the motley crew, representative of the racial diversity of the school. Marcia Strassman is wonderful as Kotter's wife, Julie, who has to listen to his daily accounts each evening, reminiscent of the bed conversations between Bob and Emily Newhart. The show had a good run of 4 seasons, which is appropriate given that it was a high school comedy. And, don't forget the wonderful theme song by John Sebastian.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars UP your Nose with laughter, June 18, 2007

By 

Bennet Pomerantz "Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD" (College Park, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Welcome Back, Kotter: The Complete First Season (DVD)

If you want to laugh and keep laughing, this is the DVD box set for you

Welcome Back Kotter was a cross between the Blackboard Jungle mixed with the Marx Brothers and Burns & Allen. The jokes were recycled Marx Brother msterial, but Gabe Kaplan (who created this show with Alan Sacks, based this on his stand up act) and crew made this stuff work.

And by crew, I mean actors John Travolta (pre Saturday Night Fever/Grease), Robert Hegyes, Lawrence Hilton Jacobs and Ron Palillo (as his students-the Sweathogs), Marcia Strassman (as Julie Kotter) and John Slyvester White (as Mr. Woodman). These actors keep this pace fun and well timed

A friend remarked I have not laughed that hard in years..and so will you. This perfect Family fare for all ages. It may be from 1975, but you could run it today and everyone would still enjoy it, GREAT STUFF

Bennet Pomerantz AUDIOWORLD

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Show, Unusually Good DVD Release!, November 16, 2008

By 

Retro_Saiyan (Australia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Welcome Back, Kotter: The Complete First Season (DVD)

I guess you could say I'm picky with DVD releases, but this one was quite good. The theme song is intact, the studio audience laughter is still there and the episodes are mostly complete, with the episodes usually running from 24-25 minutes. It's always annoying when a show is released on DVD but is badly edited, glad to see they left this show mostly intact. The price is also quite good, you get 22 episodes, compared with some DVDs which contain 15 at a higher price (I'm looking at you, Paramount). Picture quality is decent, certainly not the level seen in "I Love Lucy" or "MASH" but those shows were done on film, and considering this show was done on tape I'd say it's pretty good. As for the humor, well taste is subjective but I enjoyed this even if I didn't quite get the occasional topical joke, with much of it being quite watchable.