Happy Days is an American television sitcom franchise created by Garry Marshall and owned by the CBS Entertainment Group that originally debuted on the its original pilot series', Love, American Style Season 3 segment titled "Love and the Television Set", aired on February 25, 1972. Happy Days spawned successful television shows Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy as well as three failures, Joanie Loves Chachi, Blansky's Beauties featuring Nancy Walker as Howard's cousin,[1] and Out of the Blue. The show is the basis for the Happy Days musical touring the United States since 2008. The leather jacket worn by Winkler during the series was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution for the permanent collection at the National Museum of American History.[2] The original tan McGregor windbreaker Winkler wore during the first season was eventually thrown into the garbage after ABC relented and allowed the Fonzie character to wear a leather jacket.
The franchise itself made its own tv series' 50-year fame a successful era, It even made "The Fonz" sculpture in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA) called The Bronze Fonz in 2008.
Characters of the franchise
- Richie Cunningham – The protagonist for the first seven years of the series (1974–80). When Ron Howard left the show due to his burgeoning directorial career, Richie was written out by leaving to join the United States Army. He marries his girlfriend, Lori Beth, in season eight by phone, while Fonzie stands in for him in the wedding.[3] Howard returned for guest appearances as Richie during the show's final season. He came back with Lori Beth and their son, Richie Jr., and Ralph in the season 11 two-part episode, "Welcome Home", and then left for California with Lori Beth and Richie Sr. to pursue a career in screenwriting. He also returned in "Passages", when he and his family attended Joanie and Chachi's wedding.[4]
- Marion Cunningham – Wife of Howard Cunningham, mother of Richie and Joanie, and a traditional homemaker. She is the only character who is allowed to call Fonzie by his real first name, Arthur, which she does affectionately.[5] She sometimes gets tired of being at home, such as in "Marion Rebels" where she gets into an argument with Howard and briefly gets a job as a waitress at Arnold's.[6] In "Empty Nest" when Joanie left for Chicago to pursue her music career, Marion had "empty nest syndrome" and was thrilled when her and Howard's niece, K.C., moved in with them.[7] Marion was one of only four characters to remain with the show throughout its entire run.
- Howard Cunningham – Husband of Marion Cunningham, father of Richie and Joanie, business owner of a hardware store called "Cunningham's Hardware", he is a lodge member, and family man. Frequently seen reading the daily newspaper in his easy chair.[8] Enjoys driving his beloved 1948 DeSoto Suburban. In "Letting Go", he did not want Joanie to go to Chicago, still seeing her as his "little girl". But after talking with Fonzie and realizing how much she has grown up, he supports her going.[9] In "Passages", Howard says that he is proud of Richie and Joanie in Joanie and Chachi's wedding. Howard is one of only two characters (the other being Fonzie) to appear in every episode of the series.
- Joanie Cunningham – Richie's younger sister. In early seasons, she is sometimes snooping on Richie's activities and would occasionally be sent to her room by her parents. She is affectionately called "Shortcake" by Fonzie. Later on, Joanie briefly joins a motorcycle gang after going on a date with a boy, whom she considered to be "dull". In "Smokin' Ain't Cool", Joanie started smoking in order to be in a cool club, until Fonzie sets her straight. For years, Fonzie's cousin, Chachi, had been chasing her until she eventually agreed to a date with him. She and Chachi would eventually form a band together; and in "Letting Go", they leave for Chicago to pursue their music career (which spun off the short-lived series Joanie Loves Chachi). Joanie, however, eventually left the band to return home to pursue a teaching career.[10] She and Chachi then broke up for a time until Chachi proposes to her and they get married in the series finale.
- Arthur Fonzarelli, a.k.a. The Fonz or Fonzie – Initially a minor character, he was a hugely popular breakout character and was made a series regular. Fonzarelli's "Fonzie" nickname and comeback phrase, "Sit on it", were created by the show's producer, Bob Brunner.[11][12][13] Known for being especially cool and for his catchphrases "(H)eyyyy!" and "Whoa!" His coolness gave him special powers, such as making machinery (such as Arnold's jukebox and other vending machines, electric lights, and car engines) function by pounding on them with his fist, or getting the attention of girls by snapping his fingers. His parents abandoned him as a child and his grandmother raised him from the age of four.
- Potsie Weber – Richie's best friend and an aspiring talented singer. He is somewhat more carefree and worldly than Richie in early seasons, then in mid-seasons, he becomes more often paired with Ralph for plots, and the two became inseparable. In later seasons, his character evolves to increasingly emphasize his dimwitted side, and Ralph would often say to him "You're such a Potsie". Potsie often lightheartedly mentioned the supposed hatred his father (who never appeared on the show) had for him. Potsie remained with the show after Richie and Ralph joined the Army; however, he was seen less frequently. While Potsie's character became underdeveloped in these later episodes (and he, along with Ralph, was one of the few characters absent from the finale), he is mentioned to regularly bowl with the Cunninghams and still continues his position as assistant manager of Cunningham Hardware, and as pledge master of the Leopard Lodge.
- Ralph Malph – In the first season, Ralph was more of a side character to plots, but when Most became a main cast member in season two, Ralph was more commonly seen, and he, Richie, and Potsie (these two also later became roommates) became the three amigos. Known for saying "I still got it!" after delivering one of his jokes. Ralph left with Richie after the 1979–80 season to join the Army. Ralph returned as a guest star in the final season, although he is absent in the finale (along with Potsie)—he is mentioned as having left to continue college to become an optometrist like his father.
- Chachi Arcola – Fonzie's younger cousin and later Al Delvecchio's stepson. Chachi is very close to his older cousin Fonzie. Fonzie acts as the older brother figure that Chachi needs. Chachi has a similar personality to his older cousin. He has Fonzie's smoothness and charisma, but Chachi is more laidback. Chachi becomes "one of the guys" as he gets older, joining Richie, Potsie, Ralph, and Fonzie in their antics. After Richie and Ralph leave the show, Chachi and Fonzie often have plots together. Chachi has a crush on Joanie Cunningham from the moment he meets her in season 5, but she initially thinks of him as a little kid, calling him names like "shrimp", "drip", etc. But as they enter high school, she too begins to find him attractive. In season 11, they broke up for a short period. But as the season progresses, they get back together and Chachi eventually proposes to Joanie and she says yes. The series finale features Chachi and Joanie's wedding.
- Al Delvecchio – From seasons four to nine (1976–82), Al became the new owner/cook of the drive-in after Arnold got married the previous season. Al later married Chachi's mother Louisa, thereby becoming Chachi's stepfather and Fonzie's uncle. Molinaro left Happy Days in 1982 to take his "Al" character to Joanie Loves Chachi, and returned as Al in three later episodes of Happy Days. Known for sighing "Yeeep, yep, yep, yep, yep" when he was disappointed or when things did not go his way.
- Mitsumo "Arnold" Takahashi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita) (seasons 3, 10–11: 26 episodes) depicted the owner of Arnold's Drive-In for season three (1975–76). He stated that he obtained the moniker when he purchased Arnold's restaurant and people thought it was named after him, explaining that it was too costly to buy enough letter signs needed to rename it "Takahashi". He moonlighted as a martial arts instructor, teaching self-defense classes at the drive-in after hours. Morita also played "Arnold" as a guest star in 1977 and 1979 before returning as a recurring character after Al Molinaro departed in 1982.
- Template:Vanchor (also Jenny Piccalo) – Joanie's boy-crazy best friend (1980–83), frequently mentioned but never seen in early episodes. She made her first on-screen appearance in the eighth season and remained a recurring character through the ninth season, becoming a regular during the tenth season in 1983. She returned as a guest star in the 1984 series finale.[14] Jenny's father, played by Cathy Silvers' real-life father Phil Silvers, appeared in one episode.
- Roger Phillips (Ted McGinley) – Marion's nephew; coach and teacher at Jefferson High, until "Vocational Education" where he became principal at Patton High.[15] Introduced in 1980 after Richie left the show as a recurring character.
- Lori Beth Allen-Cunningham (Lynda Goodfriend) – Richie's girlfriend and later his wife (1977–82). She married Richie by phone in season eight. Fonzie helped Lori Beth deliver her baby in "Little Baby Cunningham". She returned as a guest star in the final season, where she is revealed to be pregnant with her second baby.
- Ashley Pfister (Linda Purl) – Divorced mother who becomes Fonzie's steady girlfriend until they broke up offscreen sometime before "Where the Guys Are". Purl also played as Richie's part-time girlfriend Gloria in season 2.
Franchise's inspiration
The George Lucas film American Graffiti is the franchise' main inspiration.
Television pilot
:Main article: "Love and the Television Set / Love and the Newscasters"
"Love and the Television Set." (Titled "Love and the Happy Days" in syndication.) An American family of the 1950s gets their first television; teenage son Richie and his friend Potsie assume it can be used as a chick magnet. Written directly for television by Garry K. Marshall, this was the pilot episode for Happy Days. It also inspired the George Lucas film American Graffiti.
Main series
- Main article: Happy Days (television series)
The main series took a higher turn-in-hollywood fame after finishing it's tv pilot Love and the Television Set / Love and the Newscasters. The production of Happy Days originated during a time of 1950s nostalgic interest as evident in 1970s film, television, and music.
Reunion specials
There have been two reunion specials which aired on ABC: the first was The Happy Days Reunion Special originally aired in March 1992, followed by Happy Days: 30th Anniversary Reunion in February 2005 to commemorate the program's 30th anniversary. Both were set up in interview/clip format.
Spin-offs
Happy Days resulted in seven different spin-off series, including two that were animated: Laverne & Shirley, Blansky's Beauties, Mork & Mindy, Out of the Blue, Joanie Loves Chachi, The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang (animated) and Laverne & Shirley with The Fonz (animated).
- The most successful of these spin-offs, Laverne & Shirley (1976–83) starring Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, respectively, also took place in early/mid-1960s Milwaukee. As Shotz Brewery workers, modeled after the Miller, Schlitz, and Pabst Breweries once located in Milwaukee, Laverne and Shirley find themselves in adventures with The Fonz, Lenny and Squiggy and even the Cunninghams also living in the midwestern city. The two starring characters eventually moved to Los Angeles in the show's later years. Penny Marshall was the sister of producer Garry Marshall. Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley had a crossover episode, "Shotgun Wedding", in which Richie and Fonzie get into trouble with a farmer for courting his daughters, and Laverne and Shirley try to help them. Part one is the season seven premiere of Happy Days and part two is the season five premiere of Laverne & Shirley.
- After Robin Williams appeared as Mork in "My Favorite Orkan", he was given his own sitcom, Mork & Mindy (1978–82). In this series, Mork is an alien from the planet Ork, who lands in 1970s Boulder, Colorado, to study humans. He moves in with Pam Dawber's character of Mindy McConnell.
- Joanie Loves Chachi (1982–83) was a short-lived show about Richie's younger sister Joanie and Fonzie's younger cousin Chachi's relationship during their years as musicians in Chicago. While commonly believed that the show was canceled due to low ratings, the program finished in the Top 20 its first season, but ABC determined that the show was losing too much of its lead-in, suggesting low appeal if the show were moved (a suggestion that came to be realized, as the show's ratings dropped dramatically after a move to another time slot in its second season). This type of cancellation seemed strange in the early 1980s, but soon became a commonplace part of TV audience research.
- Out of the Blue (1979) is a spin-off of Happy Days, though a scheduling error had the series airing prior to the main character's introduction on Happy Days.
- Blansky's Beauties (1977) starred Nancy Walker as former Las Vegas showgirl Nancy Blansky. One week before the show's premiere, the Blansky character appeared on Happy Days as a cousin of Howard Cunningham. Scott Baio and Lynda Goodfriend co-starred before joining Happy Days the following fall, and Pat Morita reprised his role of Arnold. Similarly, Eddie Mekka of Laverne & Shirley played the cousin of his Carmine character, while pulling double duty as a regular in both shows.
Spin-off pilots that did not succeed include The Ralph and Potsie Show as well as The Pinky Tuscadero Show.[16]
Media
Books
:Main article: Happy Days (books)
A series of novels based on characters and dialog of the series was written by William Johnston and published by Tempo Books in the 1970s.
Comic books
- Main article: Happy Days (comics)
Western Publishing published a Happy Days comic book series in 1979 under their Gold Key Comics brand and Whitman Comics brand.
Animation
There are two animated series, both produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in association with Paramount Television (now known as CBS Television Distribution). The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang ran from 1980 to 1982. There are also animated spin-offs of Laverne & Shirley (Laverne & Shirley in the Army) and Mork & Mindy (centering on a young Mork and Mindy in high school). The following season, they were connected together as Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour (1982).[17]
Musicals
In the late 1990s, a touring arena show called Happy Days: The Arena Spectacular toured Australia's major cities.[18] The story featured a property developer, and former girlfriend of Fonzie's, called Miss Frost (Rebecca Gibney), wanting to buy the diner and redevelop it. It starred Craig McLachlan as Fonzie, Max Gillies and Wendy Hughes as Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, Doug Parkinson as Al, and Jo Beth Taylor as Richie's love interest Laura. Tom Bosley presented an introduction before each performance live on stage, and pop group Human Nature played a 1950s-style rock group.
Another stage show, Happy Days: A New Musical, began touring in 2008.[19][20]
Music videos
The music video for the song Buddy Holly (which takes place at Arnold's Drive-in) by Weezer features footage from the series, including clips of Richie, Potsie, Ralph Malph, Joanie, and Fonzie.[21] Al Molinaro also reprises his role as Al Delvecchio in the video, joking about how bad his fish is at the beginning and end of the video.
Video game
- Main article: Fonz (video game)
A 1976 car driving arcade racing video game based on the franchise' main characters "Arthur Fonzarelli, a.k.a. The Fonz or Fonzie" developed and released by Sega on the Sega Discrete Logic arcade system in February 1976.
Notes
- Tied with Petrocelli
- Tied with Mork & Mindy
- Tied with Too Close for Comfort
- Tied with Little House: A New Beginning
- A broadcast date of September 24, 1984, for Fonzie's Spots has not been verified.
References
- ↑ "Blansky's Beauties".
- ↑ "How Now, Mr. Fonzarelli?", People Magazine.
- ↑ "Happy Days Episode Guide 1981 Season 8- R.C. and L.B. Forever, Episode 19". tvguide.com.
- ↑ "Happy Days Episodes- Happy Days Full Episode Guides from Season 11 on ABC". tvguide.com.
- ↑ King, Susan. "Marion Ross on 'Happy Days' and today", Los Angeles Times, October 7, 2009. Template:Better source needed
- ↑ "Happy Days Episode Guide 1977 Season 4- Marion Rebels". tvguide.com.
- ↑ "Happy Days Episodes- Happy Days Full Episode Guides from Season 10 on ABC". tvguide.com.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedHappy Days Actor Tom Bosley Dies - ↑ "Happy Days Episode- Happy Days Full Episode Guides from Season 10 on ABC". tvguide.com.
- ↑ "Happy Days Episode Guide 1983 Season 10- Turn Around...and You're Home". tvguide.com.
- ↑ "Bob Brunner, 'Happy Days' writer, dies", Variety, November 8, 2012.
- ↑ "Bob Brunner, 'Happy Days' writer and producer, dies aged 78", Digital Spy, November 7, 2012.
- ↑ Barnes, Mike. "'Happy Days' Writer-Producer Bob Brunner Dies at 78", The Hollywood Reporter, November 7, 2012.
- ↑ "Cathy Silvers is so much like Jenny Piccalo that it's frightening".
- ↑ "Happy Days Episodes Guide 1983 Season 11- Vocational Education, Episode 7". tvguide.com.
- ↑ Charles Fox interview with EmmyTvLegends.org (posted to YouTube on June 16, 2015)
- ↑ ""Happy Days" (1974)". Imdb.com.
- ↑ "Show Gives Fonz Some Happy Days", The Sun Sentinel.
- ↑ "Happy Days: The Musical". nytheatre.com.
- ↑ Ng, David. "'Happy Days' is here again", Los Angeles Times, November 10, 2008.
- ↑ Nashawaty, Chris (9 December 1994). "Weezer loves "Happy Days"" (en). EW.com.
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