Happy Days
 Happy Days revolved around the Cunningham family in the
latter days of the 1950s in Milwaukee - the heart of middle-class
America.
Howard Cunningham ran the local hardware store and attended
club meetings at the Leopard Lodge, while Marion (like all good TV
Mums) spent her time in the kitchen.
Their son, Richie, hung out at Arnold's Drive-in with his pals
Ralph Malph and Potsie, trying to be as cool as the coolest
greaser in town, Arthur Fonzarelli - aka The Fonz or just plain
old Fonzie.
Richie's sister, Joanie, tagged along whenever she wasn't at
her friend Jenny Piccolo's house.
The Cunningham's also originally
had an older son, Chuck, but he mysteriously disappeared after the
first season.
When the series started, Richie and his pals were using fake
ID's to sneak into bars and struggling to find dates. By the time the show ended, their teenage problems had given
way to decidedly adult topics like marriage and children.
The Fonz soon became the sitcom's central character and one of
the most beloved TV personalities of all time.
 The character of
Arthur Fonzarelli was so popular, there was talk of changing the
title to Fonzie's Happy Days. ABC also wanted to give the
Fonz his very own sitcom.
They resisted both ideas as they did not want to ruin the
carefully crafted chemistry of the hit show.
But the public and
the network demanded more. So ABC answered the call with two Happy
Days spin-offs.
First
came Laverne and Shirley. Fonzie's friends Laverne De Fazio
and Shirley Feeney first appeared in a 1975 Happy Days episode. In
1976 they were given their own show.
Two years later, in February 1978, Happy Days was used
as a launching pad for Robin Williams' space alien character, Mork
(pictured below left).
That year, Williams was starring in the sitcom Mork and Mindy.
The young stars of Happy Days grew up during the show's
ten and a half year run and so did their characters.
Richie and his pals graduated from high school, then attended
the University of Wisconsin.
The adult Potsie never realised his teenage dream of becoming a
singing star and ended up working at Mr. Cunningham's hardware
store.
 When actors Ron Howard and Donny Most left the series in 1980,
Richie and Ralph Malph joined the army and were shipped off to
Greenland.
Even the Fonz gradually lost his rebellious image. In the
show's final years, he became co-owner of Arnold's, manager of
Bronco's Auto Repairs, and an Auto-shop teacher at Jefferson High.
To add new life to the aging sitcom, the writers added new
people to the Cunningham's world. A new rebel moved to town,
Fonzie's cousin Chachi Arcola. Ted McGinley also joined the cast
in 1980 as Roger Phillips, Mrs. Cunningham's nephew and a teacher
at Jefferson High. Joanie's friend Jenny Piccolo, who had never
been seen onscreen before, became a regular that same year.
In 1982, Joanie stopped resisting Chachi's amorous advances and
the two of them moved off to Chicago. Joanie Loves Chachi
was the third Happy Days spin off and the only one that wasn't a
hit. Joanie and Chachi returned to Milwaukee and Happy Days
one year later.
 Happy
Days survived until mid-1984 - an astonishing ten and a half
years. In 1980, the Smithsonian Museum of American History
honoured the series' role in America's popular-culture history by
putting one of the Fonz's leather jackets on display.
By 1984, it was obvious the new characters had failed to hold
on to the show's once-loyal viewers. NBC's The A Team was
consistently beating Happy Days in the ratings.
So the
series was ended on July 12, 1984. Joanie and Chachi were married
in the very last episode.
This show was a big part of my teenage years. I would rush home
from high school on my bike, pour myself a glass of Coke or ten
and settle down in front of the TV. My favourite episodes were the
ones featuring Suzi Quatro as Leather Tuscadero.
Unfortunately the show gradually lost its 1950s look until
everyone had permed hair and it seemed the cast had been magically
transported to the 1970s.
TRIVIA NOTES
Happy Days began life as an episode of Love, American
Style. The theme originally used for the show was Rock
Around The Clock by Bill Haley. This was eventually replaced
by the purpose-built theme Happy Days.
Micky Dolenz of The Monkees auditioned for the role of Fonzie
(whose full name is Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli). The character was
originally to be named Arthur Maschiarelli (the real surname of
creator Garry Marshall) and nicknamed "Mash."
ABC made Marshall change the character's name because it might
remind people of M*A*S*H (1972) which aired on a rival
network.
Fonzie rode at least two different bikes on the show. The
initial model, ridden in the earlier episodes, is the subject of
some dispute among bike buffs. It was most likely a Harley
Sportster (Winkler himself merely refers to the early bike as a
"hog," but adds that it was so big all he could do was
lean against it!). The bike ridden in the later episodes was a
Triumph.
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