Happy Days: The Complete First Season [3 Discs]

Howard

Overview

A sentimental, long-running sitcom about life in the 1950s centered on the squeaky-clean Cunningham family in Milwaukee and their relationship with Fonzie, a motorcycle-riding Casanova who became a pop-culture phenomenon during the show's heyday in the 1970s. One of the top-rated series of its time, `Happy Days' withstood various cast changes over its 10-year run. The finale brought Joanie and Chachi's courtship to a happy end with an hourlong wedding that included Richie's return.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/17/2004
UPC:	0097360537741
Original Release:	2004
Rating:	NR
Source:	Paramount
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	6:00:00

Editorial Reviews

Happy Days, the 1974 sitcom with a case of '50s nostalgia, was originally created to focus on the friendship between Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) and his best bud, Potsie Weber (Anson Williams) as they grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All that changed when a greaser character named "The Fonz" (Henry Winkler) turned up at the malt shop, Arnold's -- albeit without his trademark leather jacket at first -- and completely changed the thrust of the show. Happy Days was centered around Richie's family: his father, Howard (Tom Bosley), who ran the neighborhood hardware store; mother, Marion (the perfect TV mom, Marion Ross); sister, Joanie (Erin Moran); and older brother, Chuck, who was played by two different actors and eventually forgotten about by Season 3. Richie hung around Arnold's after attending Jefferson High with friends Potsie, the loveable loser, and Ralph Malph (Donny Most), the class clown. High school dropout Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli drove a motorcycle, had a way with the ladies, and regularly dispensed advice to the teenagers at Arnold's about love and life. Fans ate up Fonzie's coolness and his catchphrases, propelling what could have been a one-note character to star of the show. Even though it was a comedy, Happy Days often tackled topics such as racism ("The Best Man"); teenage drinking ("Richie's Cup Runneth Over"); and the Cold War ("Be the First on Your Block"). Other standout episodes include "All the Way, " wherein Richie exaggerates about how far he got with a date, and Richie's and Potsie's desire to join a gang in "The Deadly Dares." Happy Days ran for ten seasons on ABC -- gathering Emmy nominations along the way -- and became a permanent part of history: Fonzie's leather jacket now sits in the Smithsonian.