Gabe Kaplan and John Travolta Remember Ron Palillo

[catlover79]

Here you go:



http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...es-63-17003555


By MATT SEDENSKY

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. August 14, 2012 (AP)

Ron Palillo, the actor best known as the nerdy high school student Arnold Horshack on the 1970s sitcom "Welcome Back, Kotter," died Tuesday in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He was 63.

Palillo suffered an apparent heart attack at his home about 4 a.m., said Karen Poindexter, a close friend of the actor. He was pronounced dead at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center.

Palillo was inextricably linked with the character he played from 1975 to 1979 on "Kotter," the hit ABC sitcom, in which title character Gabe Kotter returns to his Brooklyn alma mater to teach a group of loveable wiseguys known as the Sweathogs. Horshack was the nasally teen who yelped, "Oooh, ooh," and shot his hand skyward whenever Kotter posed a question.

The show was a ratings success and pop cultural phenomenon, injecting smart-Alec phrases such as "Up your nose with a rubber hose" into the mainstream and propelling co-star John Travolta to stardom. But the series only lasted as long as a high school education and its end, for Palillo, brought difficulty.

He said he felt exiled throughout the 1980s, unable to find parts, sinking into depression, and rarely venturing from his apartment. When offers did come, he felt typecast as Horshack.

"While I loved him, I really loved him, I didn't want to do him forever," he told the Birmingham News in 1994.

Ronald Paolillo was born April 2, 1949, in Cheshire, Conn., eventually dropping the first "o'' from his surname. His father died of lung cancer when he was 10 and he developed a stutter. His mother thought getting him involved in a local theater might help. He fell in love with the stage and overcame his speech impediment.

He attended the University of Connecticut and earned parts in Shakespearean productions before his big break.

He told interviewers that his dying father's voice inspired Horshack's trademark wheezing laugh, but when he auditioned for "Kotter" he thought he'd be passed over for others who had more of a tough-guy New York look. The casting agents knew better, and so did Gabe Kaplan, who played Kotter.

"When Ron walked into the audition and did his first line, 'Hello, how are you, I'm Arnold Horshack,' I said 'That's him, That's the guy,'" Kaplan recalled in an email to The Associated Press.

"Ron was a wonderful person and talent, and helped catapult 'Welcome Back, Kotter' to great success," Travolta said. "We will miss him."

Besides Travolta, who played Vinnie Barbarino, also cast for the series was Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as Freddie "Boom-Boom" Washington and Robert Hegyes as Juan Epstein. Hegyes died earlier this year.

"I think he was the smartest kid in school," Palillo said of his character in a 2009 interview with the Miami Herald. "He was giving up his aptitude in order to be liked. Then and now, that is a very common thing in teenagers."

Palillo went on to get a host of bit parts in shows from "The Love Boat" to "Cagney and Lacey" to "The A-Team," and played himself for a time on the series "Ellen." But he remained best-known for his role on "Kotter," and focused in his later years on stage directing and writing.

His last act in life mirrored his most famous one, in a real-life classroom instead of one at the fictional James Buchanan High School. Palillo taught acting at G-Star School of the Arts, a high school in West Palm Beach. He was due to return for the school year Tuesday morning, Poindexter said, and classes were to resume next week.

Palillo is survived by his partner of 41 years, Joseph Gramm; two brothers, and a sister. Poindexter said that while her friend might, at times, have resented the shadow Horshack cast over him, he remained fond of the character and knew the part was always more of a blessing than a curse. He remained close to his co-stars, she said, and knew how closely fans related to the characters.

"All of us have been or known one of those Sweathogs," he told The Los Angeles Times last year.

———

Associated Press writer Frazier Moore in New York contributed to this report.

[Retro4Life]

"embedding disabled by request...watch on youtube..."

It's the same video, what difference does it make where I watch it?

Sigh. Thanks for the post, anyway.

[catlover79]

Try this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YHFAeM7sz4

[Retro4Life]

The top one worked, too, I was just fuming over the silliness of them not allowing you to imbed it, lol. Once I clicked on the 'watch at youtube' link it worked.

Sorry, didn't mean to make you go to extra work, and thanks again!

[Schmoopie]

That's a shame. Thanks so much for posting the link (twice!) Monika! So sad that "Horshack" and "Epstein" died so close to each other.

[catlover79]

No problem!!!

I wonder if Marcia Strassman (Julie Kotter) will make a public comment. I don't know if she and Ron stayed in touch over the years, but the two were the best of friends during the WBK years. They also appeared on Family Feud together.

[MikeLutton]

and what about the guy who played Freddy Boom Boom Washington i dont think they made a comment when robert hegyes died dont think any of them did goodjob with the video

[comedyfreak]

Great article RIP Ron we'll miss you.

[scottcokeley]

I only remember Ron Palillo making a comment about Robert Hegyes death, and then we lose Ron. Ron had mentioned talking w/ Lawrence Hilton Jacobs after Hegyes died and how devestated and sad he was.

[MikeLutton]

Originally Posted by scottcokeley

I only remember Ron Palillo making a comment about Robert Hegyes death, and then we lose Ron. Ron had mentioned talking w/ Lawrence Hilton Jacobs after Hegyes died and how devestated and sad he was.

oh ok i didnt know i did not see anything on you tube r anything,wonder how gabe felt this is sad mabye ron died of broken heart over losing his close friend