Happy Days was a television sitcom that originally aired between 1974 and 1984 on the ABC television network. The show was set in the late 1950s and early 1960s America and was centered on the life of a middle-class family, the Cunninghams of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The family consisted of Howard, played by the late Tom Bosley, a hardware store owner, Marion, played by Marion Ross, his homemaker wife, and the couple's teenage children, Richie, played by Ron Howard, (who had an optimistic if somewhat naïve outlook on life), and his sweet but feisty younger sister Joanie, played by Erin Moran. The show began as an unsold pilot called New Family in Town, with Harold Gould in the role of Howard Cunningham, Ric Carrott as Charles "Chuck" Cunningham, and Susan Neher as Joanie. While Paramount passed on making it into a weekly series, the pilot was recycled with the title "Love and the Happy Days", for presentation on the television anthology series Love, American Style. In 1972, George Lucas asked to view the pilot to determine if Ron Howard would be suitable to play a teenager in American Graffiti, then in preproduction. Lucas immediately cast Howard in the film, which became one of the top-grossing films of 1973. Show creator Garry Marshall and ABC recast the unsold pilot to turn Happy Days into a series.
Trivia: Richie and Joanie older
brother Chuck (Gavan O'Herlihy, Randolph
Roberts) was written out of series with no explanation.
Trivia: Ron Howard made a guest appearance on an episode of M*A*S*H. Both Happy Days and M*A*S*H are 1970s sitcoms set in the 1950s. Although Howard wanted to concentrate on films, he wasn’t interested in working on another television show. But the appearance on the show changed his mind and led to his accepting the Richie Cunningham role in the Happy Days pilot.
Trivia: Ron Howard made a guest appearance on an episode of M*A*S*H. Both Happy Days and M*A*S*H are 1970s sitcoms set in the 1950s. Although Howard wanted to concentrate on films, he wasn’t interested in working on another television show. But the appearance on the show changed his mind and led to his accepting the Richie Cunningham role in the Happy Days pilot.
In the early Happy Days episodes, it was centered around Richie and his teenage friends Ralph Malph, played by Don Most and Warren "Potsie" Weber, played by Anson Williams, dealing with typical adolescent woes in the 1950s and early/mid 1960s Milwaukee. The boys were friends with Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli or "Fonzie," played by Henry Winkler. Fonzie was a greasy-haired motorcycle kid who had a very good friendship with Richie and was very popular with the girls. Fonzie was abandoned by his parents and was left in the care of his grandmother. Fonzie lived in his own apartment and later rents the apartment room over the Cunningham’s garage. Chachi Arcola, played by Scott Baio, was Fonzie's cousin.
Trivia: Fonzie had a little cousin named Spike, who called Fonzie his uncle.
Trivia: Fonzie had a little cousin named Spike, who called Fonzie his uncle.
The gang always hung out at Arnold’s, a local malt shop and drive-in. Arnold’s is named after the owner Arnold, played by the late Pat Morita, a Japanese American who is always looking for a way to make a profit. Arnold sold the restaurant to Al Delveccio, played by Al Molinaro, after he got married.
Trivia: Molinaro also played Al's twin brother Father Anthony Delveccio, a Catholic priest.
Trivia: Molinaro also played Al's twin brother Father Anthony Delveccio, a Catholic priest.
Richie, Potsie, and Ralph both went to Jefferson High School, except for Fonzie, who dropped out of school. But when the boys became seniors and was about to graduate, Fonzie went to night school so he could graduate with them. After graduation, the boys had a little vacation and then went to college and Fonzie went back to his mechanic job a Bronco’s Garage. Ralph and Potsie moves into their own apartment ran by Chachi's mother, played by Ellen Travolta, and Richie goes steady with Lori Beth Allan, played by Lynda Goodfriend.
Later on, Richie and Ralph graduated from college, joined the army and were shipped to Greenland. Fonzie became an auto mechanic teacher at Jefferson High and part owner of Arnold’s after an accidental fire. Roger Phillips, played by Ted McGinley, Howard and Marion nephew and the new Physical Education teacher at Jefferson High and his brother Flip, played by Billy Warlock, came to Milwaukee. Lori Beth marries Richie and joins him in Greenland. Joanie and Chachi began a relationship and a band. In the 10th season, they move to Chicago to start a music career. Al married Chachi’s mother and they went with the couple. Arnold returns and bought Al’s part of Arnold’s and Fonzie has a steady girlfriend named Ashley Pfister, played by Linda Pearl.
Trivia: Ron Howard left the series for a chance to be a director.
Trivia: Cathy Silvers, who played Joanie’s best friend Jenny Piccolo, is the daughter of actor Phil Silvers.
Trivia: Cathy Silvers, who played Joanie’s best friend Jenny Piccolo, is the daughter of actor Phil Silvers.
Near the end of the series, Joanie and Chachi move back to Milwaukee and Joanie begins to go to college. Richie, Lori Beth, their son Richie Jr., and Ralph return from Greenland and left to do what they want to. Fonzie and Ashley broke up and Fonzie moved to a singles apartment. At the end, Joanie and Chachi get married and Fonzie adopts a little orphan boy he has been a Big Brother to. At the very end, Howard gave a toast and looked at the camera and said, “And thank you for being part of our family. To Happy Days.”
Trivia: Before
Happy Days ended, it had a total of three spin-offs and a cartoon series. They were Laverne & Shirley (starring Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall, Garry Marshall’s
sister), Mork and Mindy (staring the late Robin Williams and Pam Dawber), and Joanie Loves Chachi.
Happy Days ran for 11 seasons with a total of 250 episodes.
Happy Days ran for 11 seasons with a total of 250 episodes.