Happy Days

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ABC (ended 1984)
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One of the most successful series of the 1970s is Happy Days, which is set in the late 1950s, early 1960s in Milwaukee, the heart of middle-class America. Happy Days tells the story of the Cunninghams, one of America's most beloved TV families played by Tom Bosley (Howard), Erin Moran (Joanie), Marion Ross (Marion), and Ron Howard (Richie). Richie and Joanie had an older brother, Chuck (Gavan O'Herlihy and Randolph Roberts), but he was phased out by the third season. Richie, who hangs out at Arnold's Drive-In with his buddies Potsie Weber (Anson Williams) and Ralph Malph (Donny Most), forms a close bond with neighborhood greaser, the Fonz (Henry Winkler). Living in an apartment above the Cunningham garage, the Fonz gives Richie advice on just about everything that he wants to know. Wearing his leather jacket atop his motorcycle while saying phrases like "aaaayyyy" and "sit on it," the Fonz is the king of cool and quickly became a cultural icon. As time passed, additional characters were introduced. Al Delvecchio (Al Molinaro) replaced Arnold (Pat Morita) as owner of Arnold's Drive-In in season 4. He would remain until the end of season 9. Season 5 saw Fonzie's cousin, Chachi Arcola (Scott Baio), and Richie's love interest, Lori Beth Allen (Lynda Goodfriend), come onto the scene. When Ron Howard and Donny Most left the show after season 7, the producers felt that they needed to add some characters to fill the void. Enter Cathy Silvers (as Jenny Piccalo - the never-before-seen-but-often-talked-about best friend of Joanie) and Ted McGinley (as Roger Phillips - Marion's nephew). The focus of the series shifted to the relationship between Joanie and Chachi. Season 10 saw Fonzie get a season-long love interest in the person of Ashley Pfister (Linda Purl). Other recurring characters added during the last four seasons were Roger's brother, Leopold "Flip" Phillips (Billy Warlock), Howard's niece, K. C. Cunningham (Crystal Bernard), Ashley's daughter, Heather Pfister (Heather O'Rourke), and Joanie and Chachi's classmates, Eugene Belvin (Denis Mandel), Melvin Belvin (Scott Bernstein), Bobby Milner (Harris Kal), and Tommy (Kevin Sullivan). In addition, Pat Morita returned during season 10 (and the first episode of season 11) to reprise his role as Arnold. By the end of the series, Richie had married Lori Beth and had two children, Al had married Chachi's mother, Louisa, Potsie was, presumably, still in college, and Ralph was training to be an optometrist. In the series' finale, "Passages," Joanie and Chachi were married, and Fonzie (owner of Fonzie's Auto Repairing and Arnold's as well as Dean of Boys at Patton High) adopted an orphan boy named Danny. Howard thanked the audience for being a part of their family, and a sentimental clip montage was shown to Elvis Presley's "Memories." Main Title Theme Songs "Rock Around The Clock" - written by Jimmy DeKnight (James E. Myers) and Max C. Freedman; performed by Bill Haley and The Comets (Seasons 1-2) "Happy Days" - written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox; performed by Pratt & McClain (Seasons 3-10) "Happy Days" - written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox; performed by Bobby Arvon (Season 11) ABC Broadcast History January 15, 1974 - September 20, 1983 ---- Tuesdays ---- 8:00 - 8:30 P.M. September 27, 1983 - January 31, 1984 ---- Tuesdays ---- 8:30 - 9:00 P.M. April 24, 1984 - May 29, 1984 ----------------- Tuesdays ---- 8:30 - 9:00 P.M. June 7, 1984 - September 24, 1984 ---------- Tuesdays ---- 8:00 - 9:00 P.M. Nielsen Ratings - Top 30 Season 1 (1974) Not In Top 30 Season 2 (1974-1975) Not In Top 30 Season 3 (1975-1976) #11 (23.9) Season 4 (1976-1977) #1 (31.5) Season 5 (1977-1978) #2 (31.4) Season 6 (1978-1979) #3 (tie) (28.6) Season 7 (1979-1980) #17 (21.7) Season 8 (1980-1981) #15 (tie) (20.8) Season 9 (1981-1982) #18 (20.6) Season 10 (1982-1983) #28 (tie) (17.4) Season 11 (1983-1984) Not In Top 30 Emmy Awards Nominations Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series 1976 - Henry Winkler 1977 - Henry Winkler 1978 - Henry Winkler Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series 1978 - Tom Bosley Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series 1978 - Jerry Paris - "Richie Almost Dies" 1981 - Jerry Paris - "Hello Mrs. Arcola" Outstanding Film Editing in a Comedy Series 1978 - Ed Cotter - "Richie Almost Dies" (winner) Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy or Comedy-Variety or Music Series 1979 - Marion Ross Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series 1984 - Marion Ross (source: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences) Golden Globe Awards Nominations Outstanding Production - Musical Or Comedy Series 1976 1977 Actor In A Leading Role - Musical Or Comedy Series 1976 - Henry Winkler (winner) 1977 - Henry Winkler (winner) 1977 - Ron Howard Actor In A Supporting Role - Series, Mini-Series, Or Television Movie 1982 - Anson Williams Youth in Film Awards Nominations Best Young Comedian 1979-1980 - Scott Baio Best Young Comedian - Motion Picture or Television 1980-1981 - Scott Baio (winner) Best Television Series - Family Enjoyment 1980-1981 Best Young Actor In A Television Series 1980-1981 - Scott Baio Best Young Actress In A Comedy Series 1981-1982 - Heather O'Rourke (source: The Young Artist Foundation) Miscellaneous Awards and Honors The Producers Guild of America's Hall of Fame for Theatrical Motion Pictures 2002 Television Inductee Other shows connected with Happy Days Love, American Style (pilot series) Laverne & Shirley (spin off) Blansky's Beauties (spin off) Mork & Mindy (spin off) Out of the Blue (crossover) The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang (cartoon) The Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour (cartoon) Joanie Loves Chachi (spin off) First Telecast: January 15, 1974 Last Telecast: September 24, 1984 Episodes: 255 color episodes plus two reunion specialsmoreless
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Episode Guide

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S 11 :  Ep 24 Aired 2/3/05
S 11 :  Ep 23 Aired 3/3/92
S 11 :  Ep 22 Aired 9/24/84
S 11 :  Ep 21 Aired 7/19/84
S 11 :  Ep 20 Aired 7/12/84

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Fan Reviews (39)

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  • i think happy days is past its time its been on the air since 19somthing probably before i was this dang classic it SUCKS!!!!!!!

    5.3
    "Mediocre"
    By Jesse0000001, Dec 20, 2011
    i hate this mother fricking show it has the most annoyinhg theme song i have heard i my 15 years of existiance tv networks should put this off the air and play somthing new skool. and to all you people who watch this show advance to today and watch todays

  • I loved this show and recently found it on the Hub. I got misty-eyed watching the last season shows, knowing it was about to end. This show, imo, reflects things that are missing from our society today. Great family time around the dinner table.moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By cookiefoot, May 13, 2011
    This was an awesome show. It dealt with things like peer pressure and showed it could be cool to reject behavior such as drinking and smoking. Family tv at its best. The actors played their characters so well. I think kids these days are missing a lot. My kids enjoy watching it too. I hope it will be around for a long time to come. It's amazing to see how the characters evolved over the years. And another thing I liked is how they always made mention of something from previous episodes. They didn't just forget that something happened. Tv writing these days has gotten lazy. They'll never be another Fonz.moreless

  • a trully exlcent classic that made people want to dress and act like the fonz.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By cube2k8, May 06, 2010
    happy days was in my book one of the best show from the 70s. i really enjoyed it even though funny thin i was no where near born i the 70s i was from the 90s i grew up watching the repeats of the show and though it was great clasic and have the show on dvd. this show was about the the cunning hams it featured alot about the teen agers bfrom the 50s and early 60s. a very good show that had alot of good moments and really good catch fraize made by the foze aye. and the show was really good and had a good toon to it.i like alot of eps when they wanted to be apart of a group they had to go through eginishation and they had to dance with one of another it was funny.moreless

  • A classic for generations.. a staple from my childhood, with unforgettable characters.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By my1sunshine, May 18, 2008
    You would be hard pressed to find someone who lived through the seventies that didn't watch this show. It was a simple show, about a much simpler time that ingeniously appealed to all generations. A show built from hopeful nostalgia, and born of fortunate happenstance. In 1972, we had come a long way from the seemingly innocent mid-fifties. The sixties was the most turbulant and transformant time in our history since WWII. It was a time of a political, musical and sexual awakening, filled with battles fought, won and lost...messengers and prophets, poets and minstrels, and rights and lefts. The citizens of America were pretty tired by the dawn of the Seventies. Music got softer, rock icons started dropping like flies, and following events like Kent State and Nixon's re-election..even the most militant protesters had had enough and were putting the placcards and megaphones down . Not sure how to go forward anymore, writers started looking back and reflecting to simpler times. Starting in 1969 when a New York Doo-Wop revival spawned a group called Sha-Na-Na (who played Woodstock, no less), and continuing to a writer named Don Mclean , who's long nostalgic reflections would go to number One on the charts with his immortal tune "American Pie" in 1971. In 1972, a play called "Grease" premiered at the Wintergarden theater on Broadway. That same year, writer Gary Marshal had written a pilot for a new Show entitled, "New Family In Town", which took place in the mid-Fifties. Ron Howard, whom Americans had watched grow up in "The Andy Griffith Show" for a over a decade, played the youngest son Richie of this family the Cunninghams. Marion Ross was the mother, Marion, Anson Williams was Richie's best friend Potsie, and veteran character actor Harold Gould was the father, Howard. Paramount passed on the series proposal, but recycled the pilot footage for an episode of a popular sitcom "Love, American Style". The episode, "Love and the Happy Days" was seen by director George Lucas who was casting American Graffiti , and cast Ron Howard as the lead Steve, along with future Happy Days alumni Cindy Williams. The movie was a breakout hit, and Paramount reconsidered it's decision. Happy Days was born. I thank God that Harold Gould was busy filming "The Sting", and could not return as Howard Cunningham. Instead, Tom Bosley was cast as the beloved Mr.C. Howard, as we all know was still Richie, as well as Marion Ross and Anson Williams reprising their roles. Donny Most, first considered as Potsie had the role of Ralph Malph created just for him, and the trio of best friends was complete. The role of Joanie, Richie's younger sister, was also re-cast to an unknown... Erin Moran. The producers added another very minor role, designed to recur as the occasional plot of each episode demanded. Henry Winkler, a generally shy young man had been seen in the 1973 movie, "The Lords Of Flatbush", playing a leather clad gangmember . Marshall cast him as "Fonzie", a high-school dropout biker with a reputation that Richie would ask advice about women. Little did they know how that would pan out! Although the first season was not a blowout success, I remember it's episodes fondly. This show premiered at the same time frame my favorite childhood show "The Six Million Dollar Man" did , on the same network, ABC, and promos for one were always shown on the other. Like SMDM, the show was a mid-season drop-in, so the first season was very brief, 16 episodes. The familliar "Happy Days theme" did not start until the Third year. The original opening theme was actually a re-recording of "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets (the first Rock And Roll record to go to Number One, BTW). The stories early on almost always centered around Ritchie and focused on Potsie's hair brained schemes that got them into one pickle or another, Ritchie's relationship with his Father, and his dating life. Fonzie (later given the full name Arthur Fonzerelli), was not allowed to wear his trademark leather for a while. The producers thought it would look to intimidating. Fonzie was also much more laid back and soft spoken too. With the episode "Fonzie Drops In", the producers started receiving more and more fan mail, and the character was used more and more in episodes, becoming a lead character by the second year. For the first two seasons, Richie had an older brother, Chuck..who disappeared entirely from the show after that, with no explaination. Also, the atmosphere of the first two years was quite different in that the show was filmed on private sets, and had a laugh track inserted for the audience affect. With the episode, "Fonzie Gets Married', for the first time, and as an experiment, the show was filmed in front of a live audience. The reaction from viewers would change the show entirely, and from the third season on, the show was always filmed in front of an audience. I have always had mixed feelings about this. The first two years, i felt the acting was better, and more natural. However, I hate laugh tracks. When you start with an audience, you're performing, and you have to be louder and broader in your acting, to project yourself to the audience members, resulting more in a presentation than making you feel like you're a fly on the wall. However, it was during the third year, that the show really hit it's stride. Fonzie moved in, changing the Cunningham's family dynamic, Joanie was hitting puberty, and lest we not forget, Arnold (Pat Morita) was introduced. It's funny, but Pat Morita made such an impression as Arnold, that I'd always had it in my memory that he'd been there since the beginning. In reality, it was just this one year. After which Al Molinaro was brought in as the new owner, Al. It was this series which coined the phrase, "Jump The Shark". The fifth season opener "Hollywood', is the episode where Fonzie does just that, and many fans feel that this was the beginning of the downward spiral of the show. While I will say that it was a stupid plot device, I don't think the spiral started with that show. That episode also features Scott Baio's debut as Chachi. And let's not forget the episode which brought a new comic nationwide attention as an alien from the planet Ork. This season made Robin Williams a star. It did go downhill, and wore out it's welcome after a while. Ron Howard left, as did Donnie Most. The show was never the same. But I will always have fond memories of this show as a childhood favorite, and it will be in my heart forever.moreless

  • Love this show!!!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By PapaTazzz, May 04, 2008
    Happy Days is great! What a classic Gary Marshall show! There are so many episodes and adventures to follow, and The Fonz always keeping his cool(whether in giving advice or getting a girl). My personal favorite is Fonzie's Funeral #2, others would include the Christmas and Halloween episodes. Ralph Malph is funny, too. Marion is the sweet, doting mom, Howard, the loving dad, and their 2 all-american kids. The show started to lack, tho, once it hit the later seasons. To me, it din't "Jump the Shark" after the famous episode, but sometime later. The stories were more light hearted in the early days-Saturday night dates and first kisses, but they got too serious in the later ones-dealing with drug addiction and high school drop outs.(It was called "happy" days, after all). There was a little too much drama in Joanie and Chachi's back-and-forth relationship, but it all worked out in end, and the wedding episode made up for all the weaker ones. It made me teary when i first saw it (and i dont cry easily).To happy days!moreless
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for the nostalgic, ladies man, laugh track, long running show, sarcastic characters

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