Happy Days

by Michael RichComment — Updated August 3, 2023

Buy Happy Days on DVD

The First Season (1974)
The Second Season (1974)
The Third Season (1975)
The Fourth Season (1976)
The Fifth Season (1977)
The Sixth Season (1978)

Happy Days

January 15, 1974 – September 24, 1984
(255) one half hour episodes (11 seasons)
in color ABC
Created by: Garry Marshall
Produced by: Garry Marshall, Thomas L. Miller and Edward K. Milkis

Opening Theme Music :

(1st Season) Rock Around the Clock” by Bill Haley & His Comets (next 10 seasons) “Happy Days theme” by: Pratt & McClain

Happy Days

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days,
Thursday, Friday, Happy Days,
The weekend comes, my cycle hums,
Ready to race to you.

These days are ours…., happy and free. (Oh happy days)
These days are ours…., share them with me. (Those days)

Goodbye gray sky, hello blue,
There’s nothin’ can hold me when I hold you.
Feels so right, it can’t be wrong,
Rockin’ and rollin’ all week long.

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days,
Thursday, Friday, Happy Days,
Saturday. What a day. Groovin’ all week with you.

These days are ours…., share them with me. (Oh happy days)
These days are ours…., happy and free. (Those days)

These happy days are yours and mine,
These happy days are yours and mine,
Happy days!

CAST

  • Ron Howard
  • Henry Winkler
  • Tom Bosley
  • Marion Ross
  • Erin Moran
  • Don Most
  • Anson Williams
  • Al Molinaro
  • Scott Baio
  • Richie Cunningham
  • Arthur ‘Fonzie’ Fonzarelli
  • Howard Cunningham
  • Marion Cunningham
  • Joanie Cunningham
  • Ralph Malph
  • Potsie Weber
  • Al Delvecchio
  • Chachi Arcola

STORYLINE

Happy Days was centered around Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) his family and his friends. It was a period piece set in the 1950s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with most of the scenes taking place either in the Cunningham’s living room or in the local hangout drive-in called Arnold’s.

Richie’s family included his dad Howard (Tom Bosley), his mom Marion (Marion Ross) and his younger sister Joanie (Erin Moran). In the first couple of episodes and the pilot he had an older brother but this character was phased out to make room to expand another characters role, Fonzi as sort of a big brother.

Which brings us to that character Arthur ‘Fonzie’ Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler) originally he was just going to be kind of a tough guy minor friend of Richie’s who would occasionally help him out of jams but the character was so wildly popular with the fans that his role kept growing until he became the central character. Fonzi “the Fonz” was a leather jacketed, motorcycle riding chick magnet with magic hands and a loaded thumb. He was so popular with the fans that in one episode Fonzi goes to the library for a book and that week library card registration went up by 500%.

Other characters included Richie’s best friend, Potsie Weber (Anson Williams), another friend Ralph Malph (Don Most) and in seasons 4-11 Fonzi’s cousin Charles “Chachi” Arcola (Scott Baio). Mitsumo “Arnold” Takahashi (Pat Morita) owned Arnold’s Drive-in until he sold it to Al Delvecchio (Al Molinaro).

The series was an unsold tv pilot first but after the success of the movie American Graffiti (with Ron Howard) the creators dug up the pilot and tried it as a segment on Love, American Style called Love and the Television Set. That was well received so producer Garry Marshall tried his idea for the series again and this time it was pickup by ABC. Besides being the second longest running prime time series on ABC it also spawned several spin-offs, Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy as well as a few that weren’t overnight hits, Joanie Loves Chachi, Out of the Blue and Blansky’s Beauties.

Video Clip of Happy Days Intro

Passings

Tom Bosley died in 2010 of lung cancer, he was 83
Pat Morita passed away of kidney failure in 2005, he was only 73
Al Molinaro died of complications from an infected gallbladder in 2005, he was 96
Erin Moran died in 2017 of cancer, she was only 56

1970s tv sitcoms

1970s tv sit-com

70s oldies tv

tv show about Fonzie

1970s classic tv comedies

70s retro tv     70s oldies tv

a show about life in the 1950s

1970s sit-coms     1970s comedy series with Fonz

1970s nostalic tv

TRIVIA:

Robin Williams appeared as Mork in two Happy Days episodes. The first was a vehicle to introduce him to the viewers for a spin-off series,Mork & Mindy, the second appearance was to establish Mork as a time traveler. Williams dialogue in both episodes was as usual scripted by the writers. Williams however tossed the scripts and improvised his entire dialogue for both episodes. This became so common place for Williams that the writers for Mork & Mindybegan handing Williams virtually blank script sheets with only a few hand written notes on them.

Robin Williams in Happy Days 1970s sitcom

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