Marcia Strassman became a household name in the 1970s as Julie Kotter on ABC’s hit sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. While the show brought her fame, Marcia Strassman often struggled on set. She found her co-star, Gabe Kaplan, unpredictable and difficult to work with. For her, the role that made her famous also became a source of frustration. Strassman, who died in 2014 at 66, openly admitted that she prayed every day for the series’ cancellation. According to Parade, she felt trapped by a five-year contract that limited her opportunities. She had to turn down several movie roles, leaving her feeling creatively stifled. Despite the show’s popularity, Marcia Strassman struggled behind the scenes and longed for freedom from the restrictions. Marcia Strassman’s On-Set Challenges WELCOME BACK, KOTTER, Marcia Strassman, 1975-79/Everett Collection During the show’s four-year run from 1975 to 1979, Marcia Strassman faced daily challenges. Gabe Kaplan’s behavior swung from friendly one day to cold the next. She said that blatant hostility would have been easier to manage than the constant unpredictability. She particularly struggled with intimate or emotionally charged scenes, which left her feeling isolated. WELCOME BACK, KOTTER, Marcia Strassman, 1975-79/Everett Collection Marcia Strassman tried for 18 months to quietly break her contract. When she finally spoke out during a press junket, it revealed her deep frustration. Other cast members even joked that she should wear a bulletproof vest to protect herself from Kaplan. Her boldness reflected not only her unhappiness but also her courage to stand up for herself. Life After Welcome Back, Kotter WELCOME BACK, KOTTER, clockwise from upper left, Robert Hegyes, John Sylvester White, Ron Palillo, Gabe Kaplan, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Marcia Strassman, and John Travolta, 1975-79. ©ABC/courtesy Everett Collection After leaving the show, Strassman continued acting in television and film. She appeared on series such as Magnum, P.I., Stingray, and Booker. She also starred in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and its sequel, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, alongside Rick Moranis. These roles showcased her versatility and determination, proving she could succeed beyond her early sitcom fame. WELCOME BACK, KOTTER, from left: Robert Hegyes, Ron Palillo, Stephen Shortridge, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Marcia Strassman, John Sylvester White, 1975-79/Everett Collection In 2007, Strassman received a breast cancer diagnosis. She fought the disease until her death in 2014 at age 66. Her career and resilience left a lasting legacy. Fans remember Strassman not only for her talent but also for her strength and honesty. Even with challenges, she never lost her voice or her commitment to her craft. Next up: ‘Lost In Space’ Reunion Brings Bill Mumy And Barry Livingston Back Together After 65 Years The post Why Marcia Strassman ‘Prayed’ That ‘Welcome Back, Kotter’ Would Be Canceled appeared first on DoYouRemember? - The Home of Nostalgia. Author, Ruth A

It was announced late last night by authorities that a woman was arrested for stealing an ambulance and trying to burn down an ICE office. The FBI and ATF helped with the arrest. Her name is Sarah Elizabeth…

While the SAVE America Act is being hotly debated within the Senate, well over two-thirds of likely voters across five battleground states support proof of citizenship to register to vote, a core element…

Too fast, too risky, too disruptive. The AI "revolution" has become a juggernaut, a powerful, world-changing event that is frightening many Americans with its speed and technical wizardry while unsettling…

In some cases, the administration has kept immigrants locked up even after a judge has ordered their release, according to an investigation by Reuters.I warned about the Trump administration’s “crackdown”…

Please share our story! Print

Dana Bash did something that honestly surprised me in her recent interview with Gavin Newsom. She made him admit what he’s spent years dancing around: the fact that he was born into privilege and benefited…

"It was the worst ending that it could have been," the guitarist laments. Continue reading…

Theodore Roosevelt led the Rough Riders up San Juan Hill, survived an assassination attempt, and almost died while exploring the Amazon.Roosevelt did what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it. And what he wanted to do on August 25, 1905, was to go underneath the surface of Long Island Sound in New York aboard the USS Plunger, one of the U.S. Navy’s first submarines.Related: Teddy Roosevelt is the reason for military PT testsIt was a stormy day, but bad weather (or anything else, for that matter) rarely stopped the nation’s 26th president. Ignoring the Secret Service’s advice, Roosevelt surreptitiously rowed alone through the rain and wind toward the Plunger.“TR was chomping at the bit to get out to her,” recalled Tweed Roosevelt, the president’s great-grandson and the family historian. “… The crew must have been rather startled, but they obeyed when TR ordered them to conduct a series of dives.” Learning Through Trial and Error An A-3 Polaris is fired from the USS Woodrow Wilson (SSBN-624) on October 15, 1969. Early submarines were not capable of such technology. (U.S. Navy) Submarines were a new technology in the early 20th century.While submarines date to the American Revolution, the Navy commissioned its first sub, the USS Holland, in 1900. The Plunger came along three years later. At the time, the U.S. military generally considered what subs it had as experimental vessels. Much of what it learned about them came through trial and error.Unnecessary risks, such as demonstrating a submarine’s capability for a president, were best avoided. Catastrophic accidents were an everpresent concern, as the British and French learned in submarine tragedies earlier in 1905, according to a 2018 article from the U.S. Naval Institute.Roosevelt was not swayed. The headstrong president’s cabinet previously talked him out of accompanying the Holland’s crew underwater. He wasn’t going to miss his second chance. Putting on a Show You wouldn’t expect the leader of the ‘Rough Riders’ to be scared of going on a submarine. (White House Historical Association) Inside the Plunger, Roosevelt served as both a participant and observer during the 2 hours, 40 minutes he was confined under the surface.Not one simply to stand around, Roosevelt took the helm, operated various controls, and fired a “blank” torpedo, per the USNI article. What he witnessed amazed Roosevelt, and Lt. Charles P. Nelson, the Plunger’s commander, ensured he was entertained.A follow-up newspaper article with the enticing headline “President Roosevelt under water three hours in Plunger” provided further details. The Plunger descended 40 feet to the bottom of Long Island Sound, remaining there for 30 minutes. It swiftly moved through the water while alternately going above and below the surface. The Plunger touched the bottom of the sound again, then emerged above water in a minute.Finally, the article described how the Plunger went down 20 feet, turned off its lights, and showed Roosevelt how its nine-man crew worked on the boat completely shrouded in darkness. “So Much Enjoyment in So Few Hours” Once the demonstration was over, Roosevelt effusively praised the experience. “So much enjoyment in so few hours” made the day memorable, the former assistant secretary of the Navy enthused.Despite his myriad adventures, Roosevelt had never experienced anything like it. No, it didn’t compare to the times he defied death while battling malaria or surviving a trolley car accident, but in its own way, the exhilaration he felt on the sub was unlike any of his other adventures (and misfortunes).Speaking like the military veteran that he was, he considered it his role as commander in chief to show service members that he wouldn’t ask them to do anything he wasn’t willing to undertake himself.He was not disappointed. Neither was at least one member of the Plunger’s crew.“I would not want a better shipman than the president,” the unidentified machinist said. “He is a democratic sort. One more trip, and he would be ready to take any one of our places.” A “Worse Than Absurd” Situation Roosevelt was so moved by his time on the Plunger that he acted quickly on his personal experience.A few days after his visit, Roosevelt wrote to Navy Secretary Charles P. Bonaparte, coincidentally the grand nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, and urged a series of changes that would improve submariners’ lives. Roosevelt described a “worse than absurd” situation in which submariners were undertaking tremendous risks with little benefit in return.“They received landsman pay, and in terms of seniority and promotion, they were in line after sea-duty sailors,” the USNI noted. “Officers had no quarters on board the submarine or ashore.”Roosevelt outlined five ways in which enlisted submariners’ lives could be improved, and later in 1905, he signed an executive order that provided extra pay for enlisted sailors serving on submarine torpedo boats. Fairly Compensating Submariners Today’s submariners and their families owe a debt of gratitude to former President Theodore Roosevelt. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nicholas Russell) Roosevelt, who died in 1919 at the age of 60, never got to see the full potential of what submarines can do. He never got to watch the USS Theodore Roosevelt ballistic missile submarine, which was in service for 20 years before being decommissioned in 1981.Submariners likely would have received hazardous duty pay at some point without Roosevelt’s direct knowledge of their plight, but he deserves credit for taking action. Because of his transformative visit to the Plunger, Roosevelt saw something clearly with his own eyes:Submarine crews should be compensated fairly for the dangers they faced, and that needed to happen as soon as possible. Roosevelt, the ultimate man of action, saw that it did. Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty • 7 cool facts about the Battle of San Juan Hill• The insane military legacy of the Roosevelts• That time a US general challenged Teddy Roosevelt’s orders with a 90-mile ride Featured Navy How a trip underwater propelled Teddy Roosevelt to improve submariners’ pay By Stephen Ruiz World War I That time MacArthur promised to capture a hill or die on it By Logan Nye World War II How I teach the rise of dictators and America’s uneasy road to World War II By Daniel Tobias Flint World War II Patton’s famous speech was way more vulgar than the one in the movie By Blake Stilwell World War II This Marine survived the Bataan Death March, a ship sinking, and an atomic bomb By Stephen Ruiz The post How a trip underwater propelled Teddy Roosevelt to improve submariners’ pay appeared first on We Are The Mighty.