Mystery Show – Case #6: Kotter
Podcast: Mystery Show
Host: Starlee Kine
Episode Title: Case #6: Kotter
Release Date: July 31, 2015
Episode Overview
In this episode, host Starlee Kine tackles a peculiar and charmingly trivial mystery submitted by her friend Jonathan: Why does the Welcome Back, Kotter lunchbox, displayed at the Smithsonian, feature a scene that makes no sense—a character holding up a denim jacket with its sleeves tied into knots? Did this odd image actually happen on the show, or did the lunchbox illustrator invent it? With Starlee’s signature wit and an investigative journey spanning TV re-runs, interviews, and even professional wrestling locker rooms, the episode asks: what’s with the knots, and where did this mysterious prank originate?
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Genesis of the Mystery
[01:03 – 07:52]
- Jonathan, a passionate Welcome Back, Kotter fan, sees the lunchbox at the Smithsonian and is baffled by the depiction of a knotted-sleeve prank.
- Recalls being so obsessed with the show he used to tape the audio and memorize lines like, “My mother was a saint!” (Jonathan quoting Vinnie Barbarino, [02:45])
- Jonathan pleads with Starlee to investigate the origin of the scene.
Memorable Quote:
"They could have put Freddy Boom Boom Washington doing the air base… Barbarino doing the Barbarino dance. Why this?"
—Jonathan [07:04]
2. Exhausting Canonical Explanations
[08:01 – 14:57]
- Starlee delegates seasons of Kotter to her investigators to see if the jacket prank ever appeared in the show.
- Recap of Kotter’s denim-heavy wardrobe and penchant for pranks, but nothing resembling the lunchbox scene.
Notable Quotes:
"Denim is so pervasive in Welcome Back Kotter…"
—Lisa, Investigator [09:40]
"As far as I can tell, that jacket thing never happened in season two. I'm a little afraid I was watching so closely, I missed it…"
—Eric, Investigator [11:02]
3. Speaking with the Show Creators
[14:57 – 24:11]
- Starlee meets Alan Sachs (co-creator), who shares an unrelated but wild story about being held at gunpoint by Phil Spector, triggered by the phrase “who’s we?” [15:02–21:47]
- When questioned about the lunchbox, Sachs admits with candor:
Memorable Quote:
"Oh, that. I don’t remember."
—Alan Sachs [22:04]
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Sachs confirms he had no input on merchandise imagery and didn't know what the knotted jacket was about.
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Starlee then gets email input from Gabe Kaplan (who played Kotter):
“I think you're making way too much out of this… The images are solely from the mind of the illustrator."
—Gabe Kaplan (via email) [24:30]
4. Who Was the Illustrator?
[25:37 – 47:45]
- Starlee investigates Aladdin Industries and Elmer Lennart (the artist).
- Interviews with Beverly and “Joe the neighbor kid”—Elmer’s protégés and friends—paint Elmer as exacting, intensely dedicated, and a craftsman with quirky humor.
- Elmer was notorious for inserting shirt/hand gags in his illustrations and sometimes painted himself into the scenes.
- Beverly recalls Elmer advised her to practice her weaknesses: “Don’t run away from something you’re not good at. Go at it, learn it.” [31:07]
Memorable Quote:
"He spent so much time and took so much pride in what he was doing. He very much loved his work… I can attribute the fact I wanted to become a commercial artist because of him."
—Joe, Neighbor Kid [30:19]
- No one directly remembers the reason for the jacket knots, though Beverly suspects:
"It might be a joke, but what's the joke? … You try to put on your jean jacket and the knots are in the sleeve, and you can't get it on.”
—Beverly [41:38]
5. Tracing the Prank’s Origin: Wrestling, Sitcoms, & Pranking Traditions
[45:01 – 56:48]
- Starlee explores whether Elmer’s wrestling background inspired the prank, but professional wrestler (and seamster) Colt Cabana hasn't seen it as a wrestling move:
"There's wrestling moves where you can actually put a person in a physical knot."
—Colt Cabana [49:37]
- The prank of tying sleeves in knots does show up elsewhere: in an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, written by Dave, who admits it just popped into his mind:
"No, no, it came from my mind, I guess."
—Dave [55:40]
- Still, the direct link is elusive; perhaps it’s simply an old, mischievous idea.
6. The Cowboy Connection
[66:14 – 69:43]
- The eureka moment arrives: Starlee finds John, dubbed “the modern cowboy,” who confirms it’s an old cowboy prank:
“I've done it many times. Uncountable times… All of us think in simple cause and effect terms. Our arm is a sleeve. Our arm will go through the sleeve.”
—John the Cowboy [66:14]
- Cowboys left shirts lying around at roundups; others would tie the sleeves, leaving the prank victim to struggle.
- The prank migrated into other contexts—like church choir robes.
Memorable Exchange:
"Do you think this is a distinct cowboy prank?"
—Starlee [68:37]"The knotted sleeves… only people I ever knew who did it."
—John the Cowboy [68:40]
7. Conclusion & Resolution
[69:02 – 70:14]
- Jonathan expresses satisfaction: the mystery of the knotted sleeves is solved—it was an old, obscure American prank (even if not iconic).
"This is very satisfying. This is great."
—Jonathan [70:09]
- Starlee gifts Jonathan the lunchbox, transforming his home into a mini-Smithsonian.
- The true “mystery” transcends the TV show: how everyday absurdities and personal quirks can become lasting artifacts.
Highlighted Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)
- "My mother was a saint." —Jonathan quoting Kotter ([02:45], recurring joke)
- "He’s accusing somebody of doing something to his jacket… He’s saying to Travolta, ‘You tied this up, you tied knots in my shirt.’" —Alan Sachs ([22:40])
- "I think you’re making way too much out of this… The images are solely from the mind of the illustrator." —Gabe Kaplan ([24:30])
- "His sketches and concepts were just unbelievable." —Beverly, on Elmer ([27:18])
- "You could always tell an Elmer lunchbox by the character's hands… Each finger was individual, defined." —Starlee ([31:53])
- "It might be a joke, but what's the joke?" —Beverly ([41:38])
- "I can't say that I have [seen this in wrestling]." —Colt Cabana ([49:37])
- "I've done it many times. Uncountable times." —John the Cowboy ([66:14])
- "This is very satisfying. This is great." —Jonathan ([70:09])
Fun Anecdotes & Cultural Connections
- Alan Sachs' harrowing Phil Spector story ([15:02–21:47])
- The rigid approval process and superstar egos behind every lunchbox design (Rex Harrison’s eye color dispute, Disney's 30 concepts for one box)
- Starlee and her team spot a Welcome Back, Kotter lunchbox perched atop a random coffee shop ice machine ([58:08])—the mystery haunts them everywhere.
- Professional wrestling subculture’s ribbing/prank parallels, especially the anecdote of hiding a champion’s belt ([50:57])
- Realization that both Beverly and Joe ended up in lunchbox art themselves
Key Timestamps for Major Segments
- 00:58 – 07:52: Jonathan’s mystery presented; origins of his Kotter fandom and lunchbox discovery
- 08:01 – 14:57: Investigators watch Kotter for signs of the prank
- 14:57 – 24:11: Interview with co-creator Alan Sachs; Gabe Kaplan’s email
- 25:37 – 47:45: Inside Aladdin Industries, Elmer’s colleagues reflect on his life and creative choices
- 49:37 – 52:55: Wrestling world and pranks, with Colt Cabana
- 54:34 – 56:48: The Always Sunny in Philadelphia connection explored
- 66:14 – 69:43: Discovery of the cowboy origin
- 69:02 – End: Resolution, Jonathan receives the lunchbox
Tone & Style
- Playful, curious, and wry throughout—Starlee’s narration is self-deprecating, gently mocking the absurdity and sweetness of the quest.
- The episode leans into the nostalgia and oddity of TV memorabilia, elevating a trivial question into a meaningful adventure about cultural memory, personal obsession, and the quirky ways small mysteries endure.
In Summary
Case #6 “Kotter” takes what sounds like a small, absurd question—why a lunchbox shows a prank never seen on Welcome Back, Kotter—and spins it into a wide-ranging exploration of American pop culture, artistic invention, and the persistence of old jokes. Ultimately, the knotted-sleeve jacket prank is found not in the canon of TV, but in a forgotten cowboy tradition—and in the whimsical mind of an artist, Elmer Lennart, whose work continues to boggle and enchant. As always, Starlee Kine delivers a tale that's less about the answer, and more about the pursuit.