Bless his soul!!! If he didn't come up with that special way he talked and laughed, the show probably wouldn't become so famous as it did. Freddie, Epstein, Arnold, Vinnie, each had their own special voice, talk and act. And together, they made the show so great.
Awesome story. I love to hear how actors struggle and then an idea pops into their head during an audition and then they have a part in a show that runs 4 years
Ron was such a talented guy and a total gentleman. I was waiting for one of the audience members to raise their hand while blurting out the classic Horshack "OH...OH...OH OH OH!!"
My parents and I went one summer to see Ron in a summer theater performance at the Pocono Playhouse which was nice. Ron was wonderful and did a great job with the play. It was a great birthday treat with my folks to see a play with Ron and have a nice meal with my parents.
I love Welcome Back Kotter with Gabe Kaplan, Ron Palillo, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs and John Travolta!!!!!! The best TV show of all time!!!!! Thanks for posting this video!!!! I love it!!!!! I love the 70s!!!! Can you dig it!!!!! R.I.P. Ron Palilllo AKA Horshack!!!!!!
I’m a HUGE Ron Palillo/Horshack fangirl! (Yes, I’m aware and know he was gay, but I still love him (at least back then when he was younger that is ) anyways.) 😁🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ R.I.P. Ron... The 2 dislikes are from Mr. Woodman. 🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂
Ron Palillo great person terrific actor very saddened by his passing in 2012 he made my 1970s childhood more enjoyable and fun Ron you made a positive difference to millions
You know what, though? He had the right idea to begin with for not wanting to audition for this show. Sure, he got the part and was popular in it, but it limited him in the years that followed because he was so hopelessly typecast in the unimaginative minds of the casting directors. He had a rough time for some years after "Kotter" went off the air.
In my childhood and teen years, I always seemed to have 3 other guys in my clique and I was always the 'Horshak' of the group. Or 'Pooter' from Cooley High.
Ron is brilliant in this interview. He is also brilliant in that he created such an iconic character. I was a freshman in HS and my friends and I loved the show and would imitate his character's voice and laugh to ourselves. On the subject of Ron portraying toughness, I always thought Arnold was a very bold, rousing and influential character. When he loudly spoke others listened; he didn't have to be the toughest guy of the group. He stirred the classroom disorder through his character's humorous antics as one of the top rankers in the school. He played the goon underling part very well. Him and Barbarino were my favorites though all 4 were great together. Epstein reminded me of my neighbor Lawrence "Bully Boy" Akee in Pacific Palisades, Oahu Hawaii. Everyone called him Bully for short. A tough older kid with black frizzy hair and a tough ethnic look who you wouldn't mess with, but was polite and respectful to my dad and really was a good guy under the tough reputation. I remember when I was a freshman in HS walking through the hall where they hung out and his punk school friends would try to "shake-down" a quarter of my lunch money out of me, and he would step up and say "no not him" and they'd leave me alone. RIP Bully Boy... sadly he passed away at around 50 back in the 2000s. Last time I saw him we said hello while I was on my Menehune Water delivery lunch break at Popeyes Chicken on Keeaumoku Street and he was delivering food items with his large work truck back in the late 80's.
He was the voice of Squealy from the Saturday morning Laverne & Shirley join the army animated show. And if you didn't know that, I'm going to tell Sgt. Turnbuckle about it
