Happy Days - General Discussion

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 minute ago, mmecorday said:

I'm just glad that Chachi didn't crash Ralph, Ritchie, Fonzie and Postie's reunion at Arnold's. I loved hearing them singing "Blueberry Hill."

Word. At least Chachi left shortly after he told Richie that Joanie dumped [his worthless ass].

And it was great to hear them all sing Blueberry Hill, even though that's Richie's "song"!😄

[Spartan Girl]

18 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Absolutely. To both statements. Even on MeTV's mini-interviews, Marion Ross stated how she could tell that Erin was troubled even at a young age, and she took Erin under her wing, as she had a daughter that was Erin's age.

Now I can't recall if Donny/Ralph returned for the series finale. If he didn't, then his just walking out of Richie's room, to go to Madison makes me go, that's it?

And I'm pretty sure the cast knew Ron was returning for this episode, yet looking at Henry's huge smile when he hugged Ron, I saw Henry smiling, and not Fonzi. Or maybe I'm just seeing what I want to see!😁

Nope I definitely saw Henry (not Fonzi) smiling too!

[GHScorpiosRule]

Just finished watching “Welcome Home Richie, Part 2”

Me: 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[nilyank]

11 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Just finished watching “Welcome Home Richie, Part 2”

Me: 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Omg, I realized that I missed yesterday's episode but made sure I saw the conclusion of the 2 parter. 

When Fonzie goes to find drunk Richie at the bar, not letting anything that Richie said or did to him stop him for being the best friend that a person could have.

And then final scene where Richie says he wrote the letter because he didn't know how to say goodbye to Fonzie but still managed to say the words and then Fonzie takes the letter and says softly that he loves Richie.

Oh lord, I am crying as I am typing this just remembering those scenes from a few hours ago.

Those were fantastic scenes. Fucking fantastic. It was all Ron and Henry.

 

[mmecorday]

The scenes with Henry and Ron are pure gold. You're not just seeing the interaction between characters who are friends on a TV show. You are witnessing two real friends who care very deeply for each other and their affection for each other bleeds through and creates a palpable authenticity.  If you listen carefully Fonzie sounds more like Henry in those scenes.

I also thought it was a nice touch that Ritchie kissed his father goodbye.

Like Ritchie, Ron felt the pull to move on to bigger and better things Ron could have stayed with the show until the end, but it was holding him back. He really wanted to tell his own stories on the big screen. I'm glad that his is a true success story because not many former child actors have those. 

And now the show can resume its season 11 awful self until we return to the start of the series.

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 minute ago, mmecorday said:

The scenes with Henry and Ron are pure gold. You're not just seeing the interaction between characters who are friends on a TV show. You are witnessing two real friends who care very deeply for each other and their affection for each other bleeds through and creates a palpable authenticity.  If you listen carefully Fonzie sounds more like Henry in those scenes.

I also thought it was a nice touch that Ritchie kissed his father goodbye.

Like Ritchie, Ron felt the pull to move on to bigger and better things Ron could have stayed with the show until the end, but it was holding him back. He really wanted to tell his own stories on the big screen. I'm glad that his is a true success story because not many former child actors have those. 

And now the show can resume its season 11 awful self until we return to the start of the series.

EXACTLY! I say this every time I talk about this episode—that it’s just not Richie and Fonzi, but Ron and Henry in these scenes.

And I’m keeping these episodes on my dvr.

And it’s in this very same year that his first movie as director came out: Splash.

But I still think that both Ron and Donny should have been in the opening credits. 

[Waterston Fan]

Watching the first part of Richie comes home and I admit, I love those scenes when they see each other. 

I liked how they are talking at the table at Arnold's and just trying to think of what to talk about. 😂

Didn't like how we said goodbye to Ralph though, could have been better. 

I confess, I didn't like Howard in the first part as I thought he was being a bit pushy but I guess we all have parents like that so it was good to show that Richie had trouble with what he wanted versus what Howard wanted. 

I do like how things ended in the second episode. 

[chessiegal]

I'm slogging through the awful Season 11, and who should show up but Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond).

[GHScorpiosRule]

2 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I'm slogging through the awful Season 11, and who should show up but Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond).

I don't remember Eddie! Then again, I've pretty much bleached out most of this last, awful season! But I'll suffer to see Eddie. Hope he doesn't disappoint like Tom Hanks did.

[mmecorday]

This light-hearted show took a REALLY dark turn in Season 11 when Joanie was almost assaulted by one of her students at the high school. Luckily the Commissioner turned on the Fonzie Signal and she wasn't harmed, and her would-be assailant elected to defenestrate himself and ended up an accessory on the school flag pole. It's amazing what people will do to avoid the wrath of Fonzie.

[GHScorpiosRule]

16 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

This light-hearted show took a REALLY dark turn in Season 11 when Joanie was almost assaulted by one of her students at the high school. Luckily the Commissioner turned on the Fonzie Signal and she wasn't harmed, and her would-be assailant elected to defenestrate himself and ended up an accessory on the school flag pole. It's amazing what people will do to avoid the wrath of Fonzie.

It really did. I fast forwarded through most of it, but I could have sworn I saw someone Baio listed as one of the guest stars??? There's more than once Chachi out there in the universe? I know, I know, I shouldn't tar them all...

And phooey. I deleted the Eddie Haskell episode, which aired last week. But YouTube came to the rescue! And Hee! Eddie Haskell as a teacher at a vocational school! I loved it.

[Snow Apple]

I skip that episode. I saw it once back in the day and don't want to see it again. I have a vague memory of Joanie being grabbed in the classroom. I remember I wanted to kick that kid in the face.

[GHScorpiosRule]

WAHOOOOOO!!!!!

Season one returns on Wednesday!!!

Today is Kaka and Joanie’s wedding. So yay to Richie cameo! I always thought that these episodes were the series finale, but apparently there are four more episodes? They aired during the summer though, so I suspect they were never aired? I bet Joanie and Kaka aren’t married in them.

[chessiegal]

I'm confused, Season 11, eps 16 and 17 - Passages, we see Joanie and Chachi get married. Then ep 19, Low Notes, Joanie and Chachi aren't married?

[Snow Apple]

7 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I'm confused, Season 11, eps 16 and 17 - Passages, we see Joanie and Chachi get married. Then ep 19, Low Notes, Joanie and Chachi aren't married?

Those episodes were filmed but didn't air during the regular season. Then they showed them during the summer as "extra" episodes.

[GHScorpiosRule]

22 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

I'm confused, Season 11, eps 16 and 17 - Passages, we see Joanie and Chachi get married. Then ep 19, Low Notes, Joanie and Chachi aren't married?

Did you see what I posted above? And When you look at the air date, you can see they aired in July-which was when reruns/summer shows aired.

[chessiegal]

Thanks for clarifying what seemed like out of order episodes. I am no longer confused. Just annoyed.

[mmecorday]

So Jenny Piccolo returned for Joanie's wedding, but not Potsie and Ralph?

Someone I know -- and by someone I know I might mean me -- cried when Howard broke the fourth wall and raised a glass to the audience during the wedding toast.

[GHScorpiosRule]

11 hours ago, mmecorday said:

So Jenny Piccolo returned for Joanie's wedding, but not Potsie and Ralph?

Someone I know -- and by someone I know I might mean me -- cried when Howard broke the fourth wall and raised a glass to the audience during the wedding toast.

I know, right? Potsie was still on the show and should have been there!!

They even showed him in the “Memories” montage! Which I loved, by the way!

Poor Chuck. Who?

Edited December 14, 2020 by GHScorpiosRule

[GHScorpiosRule]

17 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

Those episodes were filmed but didn't air during the regular season. Then they showed them during the summer as "extra" episodes.

It would make more sense for them to air it before the series finale, even though they aired them during the summer during the original run. If only for continuity's sake!

But I don't care, because I deleted them as I wasn't interested.

Just can't wait until Wednesday to see a scrubbed, fresh-eyed, grown up Opie! Err, I mean a teenage Richie.

[mmecorday]

Quote

Just can't wait until Wednesday to see a scrubbed, fresh-eyed, grown up Opie! Err, I mean a teenage Richie.

I'm looking forward to NOT hearing the audience go ape shit every time Fonzie walks in. I liked his subtle coolness at the beginning. He was a bit more of a mystery then.

[GHScorpiosRule]

48 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

I'm looking forward to NOT hearing the audience go ape shit every time Fonzie walks in. I liked his subtle coolness at the beginning. He was a bit more of a mystery then.

I don't think he even showed up until the second or third episode? And in that beige jacket!

 

[Snow Apple]

7 hours ago, mmecorday said:

I'm looking forward to NOT hearing the audience go ape shit every time Fonzie walks in. 

Not just Fonzie. They scream for every character in the later seasons. Even characters who just showed up for the first time!

[mmecorday]

Here's an explanation why the finale wasn't really the finale: https://www.metv.com/stories/the-network-had-this-ridiculous-gripe-with-the-happy-days-finale?fbclid=IwAR0Wv80nx7RcuPty1d_qNKPRHmYnLEPl2YCH5HWk-TAx6JNZqtBJ5wAW7L0

[GHScorpiosRule]

5 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

Here's an explanation why the finale wasn't really the finale: https://www.metv.com/stories/the-network-had-this-ridiculous-gripe-with-the-happy-days-finale?fbclid=IwAR0Wv80nx7RcuPty1d_qNKPRHmYnLEPl2YCH5HWk-TAx6JNZqtBJ5wAW7L0

And it's nonsense. Only the network Boobs would think it was a good idea to air these AFTER the series finale.

[ifionlyknew]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

And it's nonsense. Only the network Boobs would think it was a good idea to air these AFTER the series finale.

I think the only of one the remainder episodes I ever saw was the one with Chachi having diabetes. I must have caught it when it aired that summer because any time I ever watched the series in reruns I don't ever remember them showing any of them.  For good reason apparently.  I read recaps of them over at IMDB and I'm glad I missed them. 

[nilyank]

On 12/14/2020 at 12:56 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

I don't think he even showed up until the second or third episode? And in that beige jacket!

 

Oh the beige jacket was just not cool. Did that last more than one season?

[chessiegal]

Fonzie shows up in the pilot episode in the beige jacket. It will be nice to see their house with a real dining room. They reduced the size of the house so much when they went with the live audience.

[GHScorpiosRule]

39 minutes ago, chessiegal said:

Fonzie shows up in the pilot episode in the beige jacket. It will be nice to see their house with a real dining room. They reduced the size of the house so much when they went with the live audience.

Huh. How'd I forget that?

And they also had the front door on the opposite side--our left side when viewing!

[Spartan Girl]

Yay, back to the pilot today! Smell ya later, Chachi!!!!

[mmecorday]

Quote

Yay, back to the pilot today! Smell ya later, Chachi!!!!

Wah, wah, wah!

It's interesting that in the first couple seasons, Potsie was much more worldly and seemed to have more than two brain cells. His character got really dumbed down as the series went on.

[GHScorpiosRule]

33 minutes ago, mmecorday said:

It's interesting that in the first couple seasons, Potsie was much more worldly and seemed to have more than two brain cells. His character got really dumbed down as the series went on.

I know, right? And he was Richie's best friend in the first season. Poor Potsie. Replaced by Fonzi. And Ralph was this oh so coooool dude. He got a hickie!

And it was sooooo nice seeing this pilot; Chuck was a moron, who was failing college; Arnold's was actually Arthur's, as the sign showed near the end of the episode, and Richie had that red, red, hair, that sadly, faded over the years.

But how'd I forget that Rob Reiner wrote or was one of the writers of the pilot? Saw his name in the ending credits.

And we got confirmation they were juniors! So either the first three seasons they were stuck in the same year, or they just made their junior year last for three seasons, so they were seniors in the fourth, when they graduated.

Edited December 17, 2020 by GHScorpiosRule

[GHScorpiosRule]

Also, watching these early episodes, just makes me 🙄and 😒 in that later season episode where Richie tells Chachi about how he and Fonzi first met--how Fonzi was in a gang and was gonna beat Richie up; and they ended up friends/pals. It was a made up flashback because you could see Ron wasn't as scrubbed up teen from the first season. And his hair wasn't that deep rich ginger!

You can see in just the first two episodes so far, that Richie wants to be friends with Fonzi. But he's just a guy they all know who dropped out of school and is the cool dude, even in that horrid bluishgrayish jacket.

[mmecorday]

I love the truly nostalgic feel of the first episodes. They must have been so refreshing for TV viewers who needed a break from the misery of Watergate

[WinnieWinkle]

 I was wondering - do they ever mention in these early episodes how old Fonzie is supposed to be?  I always assumed he was meant to be only a few years older than Richie and the gang, especially as he is dating high school girls, but seeing one of the older episodes I was struck again by how, well 30ish, Henry Winkler looked.

[Snow Apple]

1 hour ago, WinnieWinkle said:

 I was wondering - do they ever mention in these early episodes how old Fonzie is supposed to be?  I always assumed he was meant to be only a few years older than Richie and the gang, especially as he is dating high school girls, but seeing one of the older episodes I was struck again by how, well 30ish, Henry Winkler looked.

I don't think they ever said, but I think he was supposed to be 18-20 in the first season. He was young enough to go back to regular high school when he tried again after dropping out. Most adults go to night school or get tutored for their GED.

[ifionlyknew]

On 12/18/2020 at 4:49 PM, WinnieWinkle said:

 I was wondering - do they ever mention in these early episodes how old Fonzie is supposed to be?  I always assumed he was meant to be only a few years older than Richie and the gang, especially as he is dating high school girls, but seeing one of the older episodes I was struck again by how, well 30ish, Henry Winkler looked.

Well Henry Winkler was 29 years old when Happy Days started. Ron Howard was 20. So yeah there was a reason HW looked so much older than RH.

[Snow Apple]

I wouldn't go by his job though. He's been working since he was six years old. He probably dropped out of high school at 16 to work full time at the garage. 

I agree he looks and behave old though so who knows? I'm not sure why they didn't have him date at least college girls right from the beginning. 

[chessiegal]

I thought it was interesting that in the early episodes the Jefferson High jackets were a paler blue color than in later seasons.

[ifionlyknew]

16 hours ago, Snow Apple said:

I agree he looks and behave old though so who knows? I'm not sure why they didn't have him date at least college girls right from the beginning. 

I never thought the girls he dated were  high school girls. They were never girls the other guys dated. And some of the girls Fonzie talked about (Palaski twins, Hooper triplets) we never saw.  Paula Petralunga showed up at his "funeral" and she sure didn't look like a high school girl. And let's not forget he dated Laverne DiFazio and she wasn't a teenager.

I find it best to not analyze Happy Days too much.  Yes there are a few thing that don't make sense but for the most part it doesn't take away from my enjoyment in watching it. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

12 minutes ago, ifionlyknew said:

I never thought the girls he dated were  high school girls. They were never girls the other guys dated. And some of the girls Fonzie talked about (Palaski twins, Hooper triplets) we never saw.  Paula Petralunga showed up at his "funeral" and she sure didn't look like a high school girl. And let's not forget he dated Laverne DiFazio and she wasn't a teenager.

I find it best to not analyze Happy Days too much.  Yes there are a few thing that don't make sense but for the most part it doesn't take away from my enjoyment in watching it. 

Well, there were all those girls at Arnold's who would run up to him whenever he snapped his fingers, so there's that.

But I always thought he was a couple years older, but never thought too much about it, and never analyzed this show or others that I watched. It takes the enjoyment of watching them out of it.

[ifionlyknew]

6 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

but never thought too much about it, and never analyzed this show or others that I watched. It takes the enjoyment of watching them out of it.

Also watching shows now that I originally watched when I was much younger I see them through different eyes. Some things bug but I can wave them away. Happy Days is like comfort food for me. Watching it always makes me feel good. Let's me remember a happier time.

On the other hand I cannot re watch Three's Company.  What I found funny forty years ago I just now find stupid.

 

[Snow Apple]

Although I like the middle seasons best, I appreciate the first season because we don't have to endure the screaming every time a character walk into the room. There's a calmness and realism in the early years.

[chessiegal]

I'm really enjoying these early episodes when the show was about what teenagers go through. It's been a loooonnnng time, but I still remember it.

[GHScorpiosRule]

I need to find the FULL interview of this. Just what Henry says here, validates my opinion about the great chemistry Ron and Henry had and no one will ever convince me it wasn't Ron and Henry saying good-bye to each other when Richie was leaving for California:

 

And here's one with Anson and Don. Some awesome Truth Telling! In a Happy Days kinda way!

 

[GHScorpiosRule]

Was Spike 10 years old when he was Joanie’s first date in season one? Because when he showed up again at the end of season three, he’s 12 years old and Joanie is 14! But they act like they don’t know each other! Did the show keep him at 12 because the actor hadn’t had his growth spurt yet???

[Egg McMuffin]

Ron Howard expected to return for season 8 - that’s why he didn’t have a farewell episode. But he got an offer from NBC in between seasons to direct TV movies, so he left. It was great to have him back for the season 11 episodes - it was the farewell that he never got.

Also, Anson Williams and Lorrie Mahaffey (Jennifer) did a pilot for a variety show. If it had been picked up, he would have left HD. I would love to see it - I bet it was a disaster. Here’s the promo for it - Ron guest starred.

[mmecorday]

Programing alert: Fonzie jumps the shark this evening at 6:30 EDST on MeTV.

[GHScorpiosRule]

On 4/13/2021 at 12:55 PM, mmecorday said:

Programing alert: Fonzie jumps the shark this evening at 6:30 EDST on MeTV.

Nope. He jumps the shark tonight. Last night ended with that dude who was impersonating someone, who told the surfer dude to challenge Fonzi to jump the shark, and the episode ended there.

Even as a kid, I found it so LAME, that Fonzi, in CALIFORNIA, where it was SUMMER, kept his jacket on and his socks and boots! Though I think, for obvious reasons, he removed them when getting on the water skis. But he looked ridiculous.

[Spartan Girl]

Happy Days taught us a valuable lesson that sadly few shows have heeded:

It is ALWAYS better to go out while you’re still on top instead of going on long past your prime, replacing your stars with new characters nobody gives a shit about.

And for God’s sake, if you have a perfect theme song, don’t replace it with a cheap ripoff in your final season!

Edited May 7, 2021 by Spartan Girl