Friday, April 19, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
Ron Palillo suffered the consequences of creating a TV character so popular that, when the TV show ("Welcome Back, Kotter") went off the air, the character (Arnold Horshack) refused to go with it.
As a result, the whiny nerd that had been a boon to his career became the bane of his existence.
"I like him," Palillo says today, 16 years since he uttered his last "ooo-ooo-ooo" on the ABC sitcom, "but he brought me a lot of heartache during the decade of the '80s. I was so typecast I couldn't work."
Which isn't technically true. Palillo did pilots (none of which sold), occasional TV guest spots (none of which helped), some unforgettable movies and numerous plays, but to no avail. Palillo came to the realization that, while he created Arnold Horshack, Arnold Horshack made Ron Palillo.
Clinical depression and agoraphobic paralysis set in, and remained for about five years. Therapy eventually got him on his feet and his life on track. Palillo moved back to New York City and resumed his stage career, embarking on national tours and performing in regional productions.
He also found unexpected success as an artist, the result of entering a pen-and-ink drawing in a celebrity auction in 1987. Since then he has had gallery shows in Los Angeles and has created a line of art T-shirts.
Additionally, Palillo has contributed illustrations to two children's books, "The Red Wings of Christmas" and "A Gift for the Contessa," due out in September.
He also cultivated a standup comedy act about a year ago, which is less standing up and telling jokes than emceeing and being funny. And yes, even Arnold Horshack makes an appearance.
"I give (Horshack) to them as soon as I come out," Palillo says. "There's a lot you can get away with as Arnold Horshack that you can't get away with as someone else. He can say all the wrong things and get away with it because he's so lovable."
Palillo introduces acts (in this case Andy Kindler and Etta May) and gives a "Welcome Back, Kotter" quiz.
Audiences have responded to him "very well," says Palillo, who made his Las Vegas debut this week.
"I keep forgetting that 'Kotter's' back on the air (on the cable station Nickelodeon). It's just amazing to get out into the country and realize that (he hasn't been forgotten). It's very gratifying that people still remember me."
Ron Palillo
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