Fonzie first episode scenes - Happy Days

[@mattm7798]

It's amazing how especially the first season was shot like a movie. Really made the show stand out. The second season has no audience either but was shot more like a traditional 1 camera show, and of course the 3rd season onward was shot like every other sitcom.

[@fshoaps]

was probably shot like and made to emulate “American Grafitti” frankly.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

I was glad when they got rid of the laugh track and started filming before a live studio audience. It got a little dumb in the last few seasons on occasion, like when Fonzi competes with Mork from Ork, but overall an outstanding series IMO.

[@mattm7798]

Season 3 for me was the pinnacle. Fonzi was more likable but still had the edge, it wasn't super silly yet, and still felt very 1950s. By the latter season, it felt like every other sitcom in a bad way. I get why people like season 1 the best, but for me, it was a bit too serious if that makes sense.@@JustWasted3HoursHere

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

@@mattm7798I need to rewatch the series some day. It has literally been decades. Some other shows too that I loved, like "Little House on the Prairie" and "Quantum Leap" (except the finale: Boo!)

[@ZulcanPrime]

The first season episodes were shot using a single camera and no live audience. They used a laughing track on every episode.

[@glennwatson3313]

That show started out so much better than it became later.

[@lancemanyon7645]

When Fonzie jumped the shark

[@thelastjohnwayne]

You are so right

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

Season one was a lot of outdoor shots. They found their groove after that up until the last two seasons or so. Overall, it's still a good show even with some of the mistakes later on (like having an alien compete with Fonzi - Mork from Ork).

[@robertmasina7388]

In the early parts of the show's run, the actors had real 1950's hairdos, the decade the show takes place.

[@briantruitt5218]

As soon as it was filmed before a live audience it took a nose-dive. The early ones were classic.

[@atomicflash1753]

Fonzie was so much cooler when he said less and before they filmed it before a live audience were everybody hammed it up ,it seems so much real like It was in the fifties the first two seasons

[@tammyramey7441]

Completely agree!

[@mcgannahanskyjellyfetti6854]

I agree, also I ALWAYS believed that the Fonze should NEVER be smiling...

[@seanshortall3983]

The first two years were gold

[@todwest]

SAG rules meant they had to pay you more for scenes in which you had a speaking role. I think they filmed the first few scenes without him speaking, liked what they saw in the rushes, and decided to give him a couple of lines at the of the episode. They were saving a few bucks and this inadvertently made him look cooler. LOL.

[@brinsonharris9816]

It got really, really bad when the live audience would bust out in thunderous applause when Fonzie appeared. Cast had to wait for applause to subside before anybody could speak dialogue. On the other side, the canned audience here has been used to death. The Pink Panther Show on Saturday morning cartoons used exactly this laugh track.

[@pbetftdi]

That young man went on to coach a football team that used high quality H2O.

[@BobRooney290]

she got on the bike and her long red dress got caught in the wheels and ripped off. oh wait, this isnt benny hill. never mind. i thought it was a funny show.

[@bobtillman5769]

With a sweet Roy Orbison tattoo on his ass!

[@jalaynelindberg3631]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@ColinRichardson]

Yeah, but he made Bobby look like a cheater! Not nice, no matter how much the other coaches make you fake talk to your mother in high heels

[@LanceManyon-p3x]

Water sucks it really really sucks! Gatorade, Gatorade

Fonzie always respected Richie because he was honest.

[@Porsche996driver]

That’s right. There was some good messaging in there. ✨

[@EconAtheist]

He respected the entire Cunningham family, natch. Some of the best gags were Marion/Howard/Joanie telling Fonz to sit on it. Almost cringey-quaint by 2024 standards, but worked really well in the Age Of Sitcom Catchphrases. Especially if you were (as I was then) a kid. tangentially... DY NO MITE

[@bobdavis4848]

@@EconAtheist My parents didn't let me watch Happy Days the first year because of the subject matter and the "Sit on it"; they never liked the latter.

[@highschoolhockeyminnesota]

seems disrespectful to steal another's girlfriend. i'd call Fonz parasitic

[@DJK-cq2uy]

Hiw observant😂😂🎉😂🎉😂 👌 🤡 🤣 😂 🙄 😆 👌 🤡 🤣 😂 🙄 😆

[@Elkcib]

When I used to watch this show as a kid, they looked so old. Now they look so young.

[@pbtaxes]

That's what a fifty burger in years will do to ya..😂😂....same thought😂

[@JeromeDizon-x2c]

To me, they still look old, for high school students any way.

[@caocao45590]

I'm amazed that Happy Days was made only 20 years after the 50's and now it's 50 years since Happy Days was released.

[@ThomasThomasT]

15 years from 59 to 74. It’s so crazy.

[@Ayeohx]

Jesus Im old

[@murrayspiffy2815]

and Chelsy Clinton is 44 years old.

[@joshuatrees797]

Dude. You just scared me, real bad.

[@whodidit99]

Oldies on the radio were like 10 years old!

[@stanknight9159]

According to Henry, Fonzie was suppose to comb his hair, but then he improvised because he felt this was a better expression of Fonzie.

[@AMindInOverdrive]

Makes me laugh every time - that was a genius improv

[@STho205]

He had just played a JD greaser in Lords of Flatbush (with Sylvester Stallone) which hadn't released yet. He was offered a similar supporting part as Gary Marshall was reworking Love and the Television (Love and the Happy Days) into an American Graffiti clone. He needed three good schoolboys and one hot rodder James Dean type. So Ralph Malph and Fonzie were added, the show was mover to 1955 (rock era begins) and relocated to be Milwaukee instead or Brooklyn. Winkler took the role but said he just didn't want to be combing his hair in every other scene as that had been a cliche for two decades. His take here was an improv mild protest. Jerry Paris loved it and kept the take. It defined the character as a confident man amongst boys.

[@Ninjanimegamer]

Henry Winkler is dyslexic. He couldn't read; therefore couldn't memorize his lines. He didn't know the script, so he winged it and he did great. The first time he auditioned, he went in, combed back his hair and said one word...."hey". He got the part.

[@stanknight9159]

@@Ninjanimegamer I love the behind the scenes stuff. Really adds depth. I didn't know he was dyslexic. Cool to know.

[@sharonjensen3016]

He didn't know he was dyslexic either, until it was discovered that his stepson had it. Then it twigged: "That sounds like me!" There wasn't a name for it back when Henry was young. Even his own parents called him dumb. How sad is that?

[@thomaswalker1539]

Season 1 was great. Gotta love those mountains surrounding Milwaukee.😊

[@cvan7681]

Milwaukee? And Fonzie didn't ride a Harley?

[@thomaswalker1539]

The series was set in Milwaukee (but shot on a back lot in LA and you can just make out the mountains in that first clip.) In season 1, Fonzie rode a 1947 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead. Other seasons used different bikes such as a Triumph Bonneville and a 1949 Triumph Trophy TR5 Scrambler Custom.

[@klovenkane5982]

Lol 😂

[@johngilmore697]

@@thomaswalker1539 Apparently, because Winkler was terrified of bikes and felt more comfortable handling something smaller. Looked stupid

[@1Immortalmortal]

Such a photogenic area. 😊

[@lotsaringwear]

The first season of Happy Days was by far the best. The subdued understated Fonzie was great.

[@edwardcricchio6106]

@lotsaringwear2937: I want you to join the Happy Days Purist Society.

[@ROBERT-z3l]

Yep, that's true. Check out 1981's 'Night Shift,' directed by Ron Howard himself, Henry is back to his own quiet self just like he was during H. Days 1st season as Fonzie.

[@simonmadi1177]

Anyone notice Arnold's was called Arthur's?

[@tommccallan8802]

Yep they change the name of it . they kept the big red a on the roof

[@thomaskemer8109]

They went to a fake building on a back lot after this episode

[@afriend9428]

*it was Fonz restaurant before he sold it!*

[@michaelbruvolt4221]

Good catch

[@BrianLevine-q7e]

Arthur was the previous owner.

[@NordicSnowhammer]

I remember when this show came out. Funny, haven't seen an episode for 40 years but watching these clips makes it feel like yesterday.

[@bruce8808]

Definitely. It was over 50 years that Season 1 was released in early 74 and S.2 in the fall. The show had some great characters that were underrated. Richie's older brother Chuck and Neil J. Schwartz who played Bag. Gavin O' Herlihy in S.1 was better than Randolph Roberts in S.2.

[@Rockhound6165]

Kathy O'Dare was a real hottie. This isn't the only time she acted with Ron Howard. She did a movie called Eat My Dust with him. Sadly she passed away at 53.

[@Lava1964]

She and Ron Howard were on a TV Guide cover--as if she was a recurring character.

[@edwardcricchio6106]

@@Lava1964 She had problems with mental illness. Her brother wrote a book about her. I just happened to see a video yesterday on You Tube about her.

[@sistagirllondon]

😫😫😫😫😫 awwwww. Probably from all the filthy guys telling lies on her.

[@2010JUSTICE]

Loved this clean show.

[@Mike-v4c5l]

Henry was just so good, he had to become the star.

[@TOCC50]

She gets passed around

[@beeenn649]

The first year was shot on film, not videotaped, so it had a cinema a feel to it. They really were the best episodes.

[@pjc3163]

Happy Days was always shot on film. It looks more cinematic with the scenes shot outside.

[@HailAnts]

_Happy Days_ was *always* filmed, never videotaped. The first season it was shot so-called ‘film style’, with only one camera and no overlapped scenes, every edit was done in post. And no studio audience (it had a very obvious laugh track). Nearly every TV show was done this way until the 70s. The second season and later it was shot what’s called ‘Desi style’ named after Desi Arnez for pioneering it on _I Love Lucy._ It was filmed with three cameras on a sound stage with a live audience. This was more expensive as it used a lot more film but gave the creators much more flexibility when editing. It also allowed for real laughter from a studio audience. Because of the expense it didn’t become popular until the 1970s.

[@robertmasina7388]

In the early part of the show's run, the actors had real 1950's hairdos, the decade it takes place and not 1970's like with men having hair over their ears in the later years of the run of this show.

[@MikeCee7]

Why did they change the format after the first two years?

[@edwardcricchio6106]

@@MikeCee7 because ABC said the show was going to be cancelled. So Garry Marshall sold his soul and revamped the original intention of the show. They made Fonzie the center of the show because their research showed audiences liked the character. Marshall compromised his principles and the show was never the same to us Purists.

[@torreyintahoe]

When I was in middle school, a pair of brothers moved to our area from France. The younger one thought that everyone would think he was cool if he acted like Fonzie. He figured out pretty quick that they didn't.

[@mvejar1970]

You got any more stories about those kids from France

[@torreyintahoe]

@@mvejar1970 Lots

[@thenightporter]

​@@torreyintahoeI want to hear more! Do you know what they are doing now?

[@davefout5548]

Aaaaaah!

[@paulpinball9952]

@@davefout5548: Ooh-la-la! Translate to English

[@unclecreepy4324]

Happy Days started out about the 50s but as it stayed on it transported to the 70s with the clothes and hairstyle.

[@Nighthaunter-t3j]

Haha yeah, timeline wise it should have been the late 60s by the time the show ended.

[@paulpinball9952]

The pinball machine in Arnold's was a 1973 Bally "Nip-It." How's *that* for time travel?

[@charmcrackermusic4250]

The Happy is gone today now it’s angry blue hair woke nuts

[@bradyguy7701]

@@Nighthaunter-t3j Well.....1966. More MID 60s... If the timeline is "true" - season for season... Historically, I'm guessing it wasn't...too much work to prove it right or wrong...

[@billkeithchannel]

And Suzie Quatro doing a modern song that was supposed to be in the late 50's or early 60's. Although _Devil's Gate Drive_ is an excellent song.

[@em6680]

He absolutely was. I grew up with this show. Watched it many times, but now I only watch the first two seasons.

[@JohnArchbell]

On a loop? You know there are plenty of quality movies and shows that you could be watching instead?

[@ricktheitalianrebel6687]

That may be but if you have to understand that ratings for the show were sagging in the second half of season 2 and that is why they made the changes making Fonzie one of the main characters. the show's rating IMMEDIATELY went thru the roof.

[@mcarrusa]

"You played with her chest?" I love this line, and have remembered it since back-then. Never realized it was the very first episode, and maybe even Fonzie's first spoken line of dialog (not sure about that part). Bravo!

[@bradyguy7701]

If you watched the video, you'd know it wasn't Fonzie's first line....but it IS a classic!!

[@bladecastlevania3653]

Richie Cunningham's persona is so much like Archie Andrews from the Archie comics📚

[@negativeindustrial]

They all are. All his friends except Fonzie.

[@DeputyDog-mh1yo]

I liked Veronica best

[@billkeithchannel]

Naming the school Riverdale instead of Jefferson would have given it away.

[@Rick_King]

This is weird to think about. Happy Days was nostalgia about a time 20 years before. Now, Happy Days was 50 years ago! Mind blowing, isn't it?

[@davidc6032]

And the era they reference on the show was almost 70 years ago.

[@thegrinch7989]

If they did Happy Days today the first season would be set in 2006

[@olsongl]

American Graffiti, which started the whole nostalgia craze that spawned Happy Days, was made only ten years after the time it depicted. So much had changed in the culture during those ten years, it seemed like another world to kids who were too young to remember it.

[@Rick_King]

@@olsongl I suppose things have changed a lot since the 1970s, but it doesn't feel like it. From the 1950s to the 1970s, big time change.

[@olsongl]

@@Rick_King Agreed. There's been especially little cultural change over the last 30 years. A person from today would fit right in in 1994.

[@thejerk95]

They wanted a bigger person for Fonzie, but Henry came across bigger than expected.

[@gearoiddom]

Hard now to imagine anyone but Winkler.

[@zentriffid]

He always looked small to me. But I viewed the show like a cartoon, which it was really.

[@MortonT1958]

Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees auditioned and was a finalist for the role.

[@ciadella1971]

Winkler is 5'7" but his acting made him 6'4".

[@thomaskemer8109]

​@@ciadella1971that thick cowhide leather didn't hurt👍

[@jamespgray6928]

"we played chess...... you played with her chest??" That line has stuck in my head for 40+ years lol.

[@KenOnStrength]

I thought I was the only one

[@tymz-r-achangin]

Yeah ok goober ... sure it was stuck in your head for 40 years. More like a dunce cap stuck on your head for 40 years and still increasing

[@jamespgray6928]

@@tymz-r-achangin sorry your life is so miserable that you need to try to insult someone over a post on a Fonzie episode.

[@tymz-r-achangin]

@@jamespgray6928 Its sad that the truth hurt your feelings. Grow up, buttercup.

[@CaseAgainstFaith1]

@@jamespgray6928 Me too. When I saw the title of this video, I immediately wondered if that line would be here, and I wasn’t disappointed. I remembered that it was early in the series, but I didn’t remember for sure that was in the first episode. So I wasn’t sure if it would be here or not.

[@todd5082]

I wish the entire show was filmed like the first season.

[@tomwotton9]

It’s amazing how if you rewatch an old first series you find yourself going “God look how young they are!” But with The Fonzie he looks exactly the same! It’s like throughout the intire show he stayed egzactly the same!

[@charlesming7875]

He looked 30

[@billkeithchannel]

Anson Williams looks like a kid. Kinda wild he went on to direct episodes of Star Trek.

[@connywelch5192]

I can still hear the theme song when l think of how much fun that show has always been. It takes me back- and l have the years to go the distance. Thanks for posting this!!!

[@robertphillips6296]

They didn't know how the audience would react to Fonzie wearing his Landmark Leather Jacket at first, that is why he is in the cloth one.

[@tech9803]

At first he could only wear the leather jacket on/near his motorcycle because of its association with hoodlums.

[@ComeAlongKay]

@@tech9803that’s interesting yeah the seventies had a lot of that.

[@bradyguy7701]

@@tech9803 Yep. That's why he would often bring the motorcycle indoors...

[@anneliesevoelker2502]

What a great show. Used to watch it all the time.

[@jonhohensee3258]

No you didn't .

[@anneliesevoelker2502]

@@jonhohensee3258 I assure I did. While at my grandma's house as a kid it was guiding light, love boat, fantasy island, happy days, laver and Shirley, etc. at home Dallas, falcon crest, dynasty etc. I'm 52 tomorrow.

[@jonhohensee3258]

@@anneliesevoelker2502 sure

[@donaldshotts4429]

​@@anneliesevoelker2502I'm surprised you forgot The Six Million Dollar Man, but I'm 58 and Happy Days lasted alot longer

[@edwardcricchio6106]

AS a founding member of the Happy Days Purist Society, this is the way Happy Days was supposed to be before Garry Marshall sold out his vision to the suits at ABC and Paramount. It was to be filmed like a movie. It was to be a quaint story about a teenager growing up in the 1950s. It was to be subtle humor but more about the trials and tribulations of being a teenager at the time. Then it all changed, filmed in front of an audience, with Borscht Belt humor and emphasis on a Fonzie character which ruined the original premise. The HDPS recommends only watching Seasons 1 & 2.

[@STho205]

Paramount is into the gimmicky route, but Marshal has already done the same for The Odd Couple, that started as a fairly faithful TV adaptation of the play/movie and morphed into a pop culture fad and gimmick of the week show after a season and a half just like HD. Paramount is doing the same with their current streaming shows. Started out serious then turn goofy camp. However even this was not just Gary Marshals true original vision of a family sitcom in 1952 in Brooklyn with two teen boys coming of age. It got retooled after American Graffiti incredible success the year between the two pilots. This 2nd pilot, written by Rob Reiner incorporates the Drive In (originally it was the soda shop you see in BTTF), the car culture, 1955 so they could open with Rock Around the Clock and have rock classics playing all the time, incorporated a 20 something 17 year old tough guy mechanic/lady killer and a goofy 2nd friend like Toad. Richie and Postie were basically Ron Howard and Richard Dryfuss so that was why ABC and Paramount gave him a second chance. I guess when you start out writing for Carl Reiner sitcoms you learn to adapt.

[@edwardcricchio6106]

@@STho205 Marshall actually wanted to do a show about a family in the 1920s, if you can believe that. Yes, Marshall's experience with the Dick Van Dyke Show helped him in those later Happy Days years with the Borscht Belt humor and the "let's put on a show" in our living room. The Happy Days Purist Society will never bend a knee to the Fonzie years at Happy Days. We believe in Seasons 1 & 2 and that's it. By the way, your Odd Couple reference is interesting. The fact that Marshall got away from the movie after Season 1, is what made the OC far funnier and more enjoyable to watch. Yes, the Paramount suits and ABC suits loved the "stars" who appeared each week as a friend of either Felix and Oscar. But if you recall that was a hallmark of ABC during that decade.

[@STho205]

@@edwardcricchio6106 Happy Days would not have made it out of the 2nd or 3rd season without Fonz. Fonz was an accidental phenomenon and they knew it. I was 14 or so in 75 and every guy wanted to be The Fonz or have him as a big brother. I like the first half season and the full 2nd. 3rd was hit or miss for me as a nostalgia show since it was becoming That 70s Show....but for most people that's when it got their interest. Dang thing was on for 10 years through Evil Kineval stunts, shark jumps, alien visitation (GM wrote that into DvDyke too as dreams or mistaken observations making their most popular episodes), karate fights, ballet, ballroom dancing, two Scrappy Doos, Pinky Tuscadaro, Ritchie quitting..... And still had strong audiences. GM, his producers, Jerry Paris and the suits at Paramount and ABC must have known the audience. They did similar stuff with Laverne and Shirley which started out just trying to do Lucy and Ethel antics of two single working girls. It went on a similar trajectory.

[@edwardcricchio6106]

@@STho205 I'm a couple of years older than you so I lived it just like you did. I know full well the show would have been cancelled had the Fonzie character not been bumped up to co-starring with Ron Howard. But in many ways, what they did to the show to a purist like me, hurt more than had they cancelled it. Actually, 1975 was a perfect time for ABC to make the switch because that was the time when TV took the turn into the "breakout star" especially ABC which had always been the 3rd network in the ratings. Travolta comes to mind along with Winkler, Suzanne Somers and I'm sure there were others but I just can't remember the ABC shows at that time. I'm kind of spit balling here, but I'm kind of feeling you aren't a member of the Happy Days Purist Society.

[@kingbolo4579]

@@edwardcricchio6106 Do you think the Happy Days Purist Society will accept me and my love for The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang? I'll be happy to sit around with you all discussing Mr Cool.

[@EagleSlightlyBetter]

Seeing the man Henry became throughout his life makes watching him in Happy Days that much more iconic.

[@lolitabridges1974]

Ron Howard too. From Opie to Richie to respected director.

[@MrBuc128]

In the early days of Happy Days there was a clear effort to depict the clothing and hairstyles of that era ( Late -50s ) but by the time the show was in its final few seasons much of the hairstyles and fashion was of the actual time ( Late 1970s )

[@ncasti]

Truth. Look at Chachi/Scott Baio, long haired.

[@MrBuc128]

@@ncasti exactly

[@billycloudy9078]

Yeah, especially when they did Joni loves Chachi show that was totally 80s clothing and hair. It was just ridiculous. They didn’t even try to hide it.

[@troubledsole9104]

Yeah, and that was annoying.

[@MrBuc128]

@@billycloudy9078 that’s true I had forgotten about that

[@MrBradfordchild]

I'm loving all the expert commentary regarding the best series etc. It's just a TV show people. However, the Triumph he rides is period perfect.

[@scottwall4669]

This clip is a Harley knucklehead. Not a trumpet

[@MrBradfordchild]

@@scottwall4669 yes, with forks that didn't come out until the sixties, and a tank from an even later sportster. Like I said, the Triumph he rides in most of the series is a period perfect TR5 Trophy.

[@patrickmorgan4006]

@@MrBradfordchild Same bike that Steve McQueen rode in "The Great Escape", or so I've read.

[@billmago7991]

​@@MrBradfordchild yep those forks stick out like dogs balls

[@MrBradfordchild]

@@patrickmorgan4006 I’m pretty sure it was a 60s triumph in the Great Escape. He rode a 65 in the ISDT. But yeah, very similar.

[@KidFresh71]

Wow, Happy Days started with a real cinematic quality. Wild to see the characters out of the Cunningham household, or Al’s Restaurant. Seemed so grounded in reality, and just oozes this “American Graffiti” cool vibe. The show would become a hammy stage play in later seasons; and the last couple of seasons- well- we don’t talk about those. “Happy Days” post-Ron Howard was a sad parody of itself.

[@danielkroha5440]

"Jumped the shark"

[@edwardcricchio6106]

I see we have another member of the Happy Days Purist Society here.

[@RM_VFX]

Fonzie slowly changed from James Dean into a cartoon character.

[@edwardcricchio6106]

I want you as a member of the happy Day Purist Society

[@blackspace007]

They certainly did morph all of the characters into good two shoes.

[@DeputyDog-mh1yo]

But Ralph Malph evolved well 👍

[@Spillers72]

Actually they had a Happy Days cartoon and he was in it.

[@DeputyDog-mh1yo]

@@Spillers72 Ralph Malph?

[@TheCaptinAwesomo]

I heard they weren't allowed to let Fonzie wear a leather jacket in the first season. Because they didn't want him to look like a criminal or lowlife. Now I can see they went with a Harrington jacket.

[@ahhamartin]

Correct. The leather idea was finally "sold" to the producers as a safety item for a bike rider, arguing it made him more responsible...but only in brown.

[@tomcostello8220]

The Fonz was 29 while playing a kid in highschool.

[@elmoblatch9787]

That was a "Fallstaff" jacket, at least that's what the kids called it. Or "Fall" for short.

[@Cindy-xg6yn]

​@@tomcostello8220I thought The Fonz character was supposed to be about 20.

[@kateruterbories2692]

And the leather jacket is now an exibit in the Smithsonian.

[@anderjohmetallica]

"I polish my bike for a kiss?" - that was great early Fonzie

[@adipsous]

I'd clean my whole house for a kiss from her. Gotta be a good, long one, though.

[@chrissullivan40]

Boy, they passed Mary Lou around, didn’t they. 😂

[@johningle1]

Fonzie was hoping to smash.

[@Vincerama]

They did, but they didn't "do anything", she just liked to go out and have fun (but not too much fun).

[@326vince]

She gave good headache

[@Savagemister]

Even Ricky Nelson had a go.

[@jjkool48]

@@Vincerama Nothing for Richie but Fonzie hit a homerun for sure.

[@just_another_Joe]

The girl at 1:40 (Kathy D'Orazi, stage name Kathy O’Dare) was one of my sister’s classmates. She babysat my little brothers and me a few times. I’m not sure if I vaguely remember her or not. I mostly know of her only because my sister told me of her once Happy Days debuted.

[@fredfinks]

i looked her up. Geez mortality is a bitch. That person is now just an oxidising plaque on the ground, already been dead over 13 years. Not saying her experience is unique, but fuk man i try not to think about it and sometimes is so stark , that once a vivacious loving person is now a goddamn patch of grass. Coming to terms with death?? i dont think i ever will. Is it truly possible or just compartmentalization? get that shite out of my head.

[@Raptorman0909]

I just looked her up and sadly she passed away in 2010. Her look was true to the period but certainly out of date today, but I think she was beautiful.

[@onelove1968]

Words can't describe how much I loved watching Happy Days when I was a kid. I idolized the Fonz, and still do!

[@marcdewey1242]

It was edited out here,but originally Mary Lou told Richie that a teacher whom she refers to as good ol Mr B made a pass at her and thinks nothing of it,he'd be unemployed and doing time today.

[@gregorylata4830]

Fonzie oh my goodness what did I get myself into 🇨🇦😄😄😄👍Heyyyy I like him when he didn't talk he was very good cool Cat 👍👍👍👍☮️👍☮️

[@frankmurray5216]

This is when television was great.

[@Pidabred1]

its when tv was everything

[@nap871]

No it wasn't. Good old days fallacy strikes again!

[@StopSayingLiterally]

@@nap871 Now is always better than the "good old days" cherished by nostalgia freaks. For the record, I am 66 and prefer the modern world over the past.

[@DeputyDog-mh1yo]

Everything was so swell back then, we didn't all hate each other. Not like now. Sad.

[@jedichris79]

0:46 Looks straight down the barrel of the camera.

[@daimyo2k]

I loved that show as a kid. So weird seeing the cast soooooo young!

[@vdimasteremeritus]

The character of Fonzie was meant to be recurring in the 1st season. Producers thought he was a bad influence, but were amazed at how popular he became. I was 10 years old when this show started and every boy started going to school wearing blue jeans, white t-shirts and their best approximation of the DA hair cut. Within a year it became clear who the star was and they even considered changing the show’s name to “Fonzie’s Happy Days”.

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@RetiredVDI Fonzie also wore the windbreaker instead of his leather jacket in the early episodes because ABC thought veiwers would associate it with him being in a gang LOL! 🧛🏍👍👍

[@georgeelder8415]

For you young ins, the DA stands for, Ducks azz...

[@markbouldin6513]

Imagine producer's with ethics and morals, those were Happy Day's....

[@johnkruton9708]

Spelling Gaffe aside Fozie’s Happy days would have been the Muppet Show on at 7pm before Happy Days. 😅

[@thegrinch7989]

wocka wocka wocka@@johnkruton9708

[@johnwdavisjr]

see him just hanging around the harley, but pulls up sitting on a Triumph. he was too short to ride the Harley he later said in an interview.

[@todwest]

SAG rules meant they had to pay you more for scenes in which you had a speaking role. I think they filmed the first few scenes without him speaking, liked what they saw in the rushes, and decided to give him a couple of lines at the of the episode. They were saving a few bucks and this inadvertently made him look cooler. LOL.

[@Sarasdad91]

Bet I know why Arthur's was changed to Arnold's. Arthur was Fonzie's first name, and didn't want viewers thinking he owned it.

[@glennwatson3313]

He did later own it.

[@2002honda954]

It changed cause some G ook bought it.

[@STho205]

They changed it in the 1st regular episode of the series. The sign on the interior set says "Under New Management". The drive in was dressed for another movie when they filmed this second pilot....but they kept the rotating A. Ironic when you get to the season where Fonz invests as a partner for Al to rebuild the diner and wants to make it after himself. They could have just called it Arthur's.

[@STho205]

This may be one of the few times they used the actual outside drive-in. Often the outside of Arnold's was a soundstage and studio set, especially after S2. This particular episode is the most beautifully filmed and music scored of the entire series. They were trying to replicate American Graffiti to catch an audience. When he says "Going all the Way" and Ralph hits his head...that night pan up and music lift at the drive-in was motion picture grade.

[@billkeithchannel]

I wouldn't be surprised if the lawyers of Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips had a say in that.

[@GumbootZone]

Apparently, he couldn't ride motorbikes because he was scared of them. All the bike scenes where you can see his face, he's only crawling along at walking speed or just sitting still on it. Any shot of him riding down the road, you can't see his face because they had to use a "double" to ride it for him.

[@stephenpenrice1230]

He did know how to water ski, however.

[@darrellhall6622]

The first time he wrecked on a bike. The crew ran over to check the motorcycle because it was a rental.

[@jamiejohnson4524]

@@darrellhall6622😂 OMG!! Is the bike okay?!

[@alan933]

the opening sequence showed him riding one (?)

[@GumbootZone]

@@alan933 Yes. Very brief and at quite a low speed. That particular shot was the best they could get out of him. Most of his rides were even slower than that.

[@RichardTetta]

A beautifully sweet, understated vibe, that gets completely lost among the catch phrases when they move to the "Happy Days was filmed live before a studio audience" format.

[@scottkinney8669]

The show started out as an segment from an episode of "Love American Style" called "Love and the Television Set"

[@patrickmorgan4006]

Yes. I watched that episode when it first aired.

[@edwardcricchio6106]

@@patrickmorgan4006 it was on You Tube for a while but has since been deleted. I guess rights and all that stuff were not granted.

[@halseyknox]

Remember seeing the first episode watching "Love American Style" with my mom so long ago...R I.P. mom.....did you know the Cowsills sang the Love American Style song?

[@edwardcricchio6106]

@@halseyknox That first aired February 25, 1972. The Cowsills sang the song the first season only. They used a studio group (the same voices used for the Partridge Family) the rest of the series run.

[@garyleesimon2358]

I believe it was called what the show would become ''Love and The Happy Days''

[@FritzFritzarini]

What a small, sweet, wonderful show it was in the beginning. I remember it well. Never missed an episode in the early days. But then they started filming before a studio audience, and it was all downhill from there (as so many others in these comments have already pointed out). Oh, well...

[@leodrosia4369]

The first 2 years were the best

[@chrisoakley5830]

Like MASH, was only good for 3 years.

[@ricktheitalianrebel6687]

That may be but if you have to understand that ratings for the show were sagging in the second half of season 2 and that is why they made the changes making Fonzie one of the main characters. the show's rating IMMEDIATELY went thru the roof.

[@mattwin-b2j]

Amazing that the Fonz is 80 next year.

[@bobzacamano658]

A 5’1 Juw. Very intimidating 😂😂😂😂😂

[@cannonfodder4812]

Boy how times change. Imagine trying to film a show today where an adult is hanging out picking up high school girls..

[@GiacomoSorbi]

Wasn't Fonz the same age as the rest of the gang?

[@Omar_Zazzle]

@@GiacomoSorbi No, Fonzie dropped out of school and he was a bit older but by how much I am not sure.

[@jpslim7279]

Relax. He was 19.

[@steveh5882]

Never knew this but just noticed that the restaurant's name is Arthur's. So it was later Arnold's, then Al took over, then the fire hit and became owned by Al and Fonzie so that restaurant belong to Fonzie all along. Arthur Fonzerelli.

[@SteveGranger-wc3mp]

Same with Dukes of Hazzard. First 5 episodes are the best. Seems when something is changed for improvement it doesn t

[@gordonhall9871]

they were filmed in Georgia --- then when back to LA and cut corners

[@ModelA]

Yes! The DoH episodes filmed in Covington-Conyers Georgia were the best. I remember watching the show when it debuted. It was on at 9PM after Dallas on Friday night. Dukes had a late time slot because it was considered a bit edgy at the time. That "edginess" was what makes the first episodes so good. Young John Schneider and Tom Wopat weren't yet comfortable in the roles, but Denver Pyle, Sorrell Booke, and James Best were SPOT on! Boss Hogg telling Roscoe (about his re-election campaign), "If you were running unopposed, you'd still come in second" was the kind of banter one would actually hear in the south.

[@brianjlevine]

Same with the early 90 minute episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man. They were only aired once a month, so there was a much higher production value. When it went weekly, the quality dropped.

[@Cokie907]

This was my dad's era. He got his license in my grandfather's new 57 Chevy when he was 16. Graduated in 1960 and all seemed perfect with the world. Boy, that didn't last long. LOL

[@kaztouch1]

Fonzie was at his best the first two seasons. All he had to do is roll his eyes and I would break up. Less is more with him. All of a sudden they turned him into a superhero and he was no longer cool.

[@Jim_L]

I absolutely agree with you! 👍 I loved those first two seasons when the show was not taped before a live audience but was done on film. It had a more nostalgic feel that way. I thought the show rocked when Ritchie and Potsie were the focus. So often, people think more is better, but like you said, the less of Fonzie, the better. Not because he was a weak character -- Henry Winkler, for sure, did an outstanding job of portraying what he thought Fonzie should be like -- but because you looked forward to those small appearances of him from time to time. After those first two seasons, however, yeah, Fonzie became this cartoonish super hero, and the show lost its appeal for me. 😥

[@dontgiveinfo]

so you are saying he jumped the shark after the 2nd season?

[@kaztouch1]

@@dontgiveinfo in my humble opinion, yes. After the second season they were also restricted to filming in front of a studio audience as well. No more outdoors. Everything was a set. Yes Fonzie jumped the shark before he jumped the shark.

[@ricktheitalianrebel6687]

@@kaztouch1 That may be but if you have to understand that ratings for the show were sagging in the second half of season 2 and that is why they made the changes making Fonzie one of the main characters. the show's rating IMMEDIATELY went thru the roof.

[@KennyGohn]

I first saw Winkler on a movie titled ‘The Lords of Flatbush’ with Sly Stallone. I knew they would both be big. It too was a movie about the 50’s. The first episodes of Happy Days were more cinema-like and I lost interest after the live audience gig.

[@dhaley8847]

the first season was the BEST of Happy Days! way more realistic with outside filming and all the actors looked the part. In later years the show just became corny and stupid, but the first season was pure gold!

[@bbo40]

yep, my dad loved the 1st couple of seasons, reminded him of his teenage years

[@bquietsouhear]

@dhaley8847 That's true but for a kid like me who didn't know the difference, the seasons that followed served as a very happy memory of my, otherwise, traumatic & abusive childhood. Therefore, I would ask you; did what you perceive as a loss, actually, serve as a gain?🤔😎

[@tammyramey7441]

Agree! I liked Fonzie better as more mysterious and not such a larger than life, god-like character. I also liked Ritchie and Potsie being best friends, instead of everyone bagging on Potsie all the time.

[@tammyramey7441]

@@bbo40 My mom too.

[@fshoaps]

That’s every TV show, and piece of media.

[@peterkirgan2921]

I loved the comedy take off ! It was called Sappy Days there was Fansley Itchy lol wish I could get this on DVD!!!

[@atomicflash1753]

The first two seasons were great, when it was put in front of a live audience it was no longer the same show

[@patrickmorgan4006]

It sucked after the first couple of seasons.

[@tommyriam8320]

...stating the obvious

[@vine3112]

Plus it had a better song with Rock around the clock.

[@dennisv8934]

I loved the first season when it was filmed without a studio audience. It felt like you were really there in the 1950s.

[@justinturley7071]

If you didn’t notice, the original name for the restaurant that Richie, Potsie, Ralph and Fonz hung out at, was Arthur’s. There were 2 different pilots filmed, the original had a different actress playing Joanie, but Garry didn’t like her chemistry with the rest of the cast, so her scenes were reshot with Erin Moran, it’s very noticeable those are reshot scenes, because Marion’s hair is noticeably longer than the original scene, it’s noticeable in scenes shot in between the reshot scenes. The original pilot used to be available on Dailymotion.

[@bradyguy7701]

Nope...not exactly. The original "pilot" was shot COMPLETELY with Susan Neher. Her scenes were not "reshot with Erin Moran". That's what aired on LAS. Did you also happen to notice that Howard and Chuck are now played by completely different actors???

[@justinturley7071]

@@bradyguy7701 The one I mentioned is indeed the original pilot that was filmed after the series was picked up by ABC. Here’s a comparison video which confirms my comment about their being 2 pilots filmed kzbin.info/www/bejne/fn6VcpupbMqDq7ssi=xAtbKAbFaVlKOzBG

[@billkeithchannel]

@@justinturley7071 Thanks. I spent an hour on that site. Good stuff.

[@tommyriam8320]

@@justinturley7071 '.. _there_ being...'

[@steveygti1978]

Great show and great cast! The script is actually still pretty funny for these days. I remember watching this show in my childhood days pulling the silver knob to turn on the box television and adjusting the bunny ears to get a clear picture; oh, such happy days!They don’t make sitcoms like they used to!

[@LeagalizeCrime]

I remember the episode where Fonzie jumped the grand canyon on his bike while being engulfed in flames. What a great show!

[@cambarr6933]

How about the time he jumped the shark. That meme is still going.

[@olsongl]

I remember the episode with Nelson Mandela's funeral. That was the best!

[@williamPaull]

Fonzie with the James Dean windbreaker and the Harley, was a lot cooler than later when he got a leather jacket and a Triumph.

[@samspade4050]

After watching the interview with Winkler him saying he was terrified on the motorcycle if you watch his face when he pulls up he looked so nervous lol

[@ahhamartin]

Yet he did al the waterskiing except the infamous jump.

[@dashriprock5720]

This show first aired in 1974 and represented era that had already seemed so far in the past but was in reality only 15-16 years earlier. The 20th century was a time when each decade was so unique in the way things looked and how people behaved, change came quick. The past 25-30 years all seem so homogeneous.

[@billkeithchannel]

After the 2000's each decade of the past became a cliche parody and everything just got rehashed from there. 1999 is when humanity jumped the shark.

[@bobross1829]

True story. NBC tried to redo "Quantum Leap" recently where a guy goes back in time in his own lifetime. (Like the 1980's version) and they had to expand the time he could travel in because after 1999 everything looks pretty much as it does now, the music stinks, and really no one in 2000 really had any beliefs or attitudes that are much different from the 2020's. The first episodes were just bland so they made it so he could travel to all kinds of times.

[@dashriprock5720]

@@bobross1829 Interesting. Was that part of the plot or an observation? We no the part about the music is a fact..LOL

[@billkeithchannel]

@@bobross1829Humanity jumped the shark in 2000. 1999 was the last year for great and lasting original content from Hollywood.

[@bobross1829]

@@dashriprock5720 The second season ditched the "time travel in his lifetime premise" for time travel to any time, and this was the reason why I read. Clothing, attitudes, everything are too similar. There was just no difference. After the standard 9/11 episode there was just no difference.

[@dm95422]

They all looked so boyishly young in this first episode from 1973.

[@bradyguy7701]

Well...actually 1974. But shot in 1973... 😁😁

[@Ramblingpete]

You can see where grease came from great stuff in its day 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

[@eluberimabib4070]

And that's when Grease got the idea.

[@lowbridge7070]

Actually, Grease predates Happy Days (and American Graffiti). The creators of Grease started writing it in 1970. Grease debuted as experimental theater in Chicago in 1971. It moved to Broadway in 1972 where it was a big hit. Happy Days didn't debut until 1974.

[@williewasahippie]

When I was a kid, I lived in Petaluma around when American Graffiti was filmed there. I kept thinking Happy Days was like a TV spinoff of the move because Ron Howard was in both. ☮

[@riverraisin1]

It kinda was. At least it was the inspiration for the TV series.

[@bradyguy7701]

@@riverraisin1 Nope. It wasn't. Happy Days was originally an unsold pilot that aired as part of Love, American Style. George Lucas saw Ron Howard's work on that pilot, and offered him the similar part in AG. AFTER the success of AG, Michael Eisner (yep...him!) remembered the pilot that Garry Marshall had done, and put the series into production at ABC.

[@SteelDinger]

That bike he's sitting on is a H-D Knucklehead, in later episodes he crusing on a pre-unit Triumph, what happened to the Knucklehead

[@seththomas9105]

I've looked but never really seen anything about the Knuck. Don't know who built it or owned it. The Triumph seems to have about 20 people claiming they have the "real" Fonz bike. From what I have gathered there were 2 Triumphs built for the show. I would love to ride the Knuckle.

[@Earthtime3978]

A little story. I was in Catholic school, about 5th grade, when this episode was being played as a rerun on the black and white tv up on the wall. When Fonzie said,” you played with her chest?” The teacher pulled the plug and said when can never watch that show again.

[@riverraisin1]

And you were all scarred for life and entered a life of crime.

[@Earthtime3978]

@@riverraisin1 All entered a life of crime? You’re pretty fucked up.

[@betelguese3909]

Everyone is right. The first 2 seasons were the best. They got the feel of the fifties perfectly. Richie was the center character and his friends were well fleshed out. After season 2 it became the fonzie show and the live audience setup was just the worst.

[@chrisoakley5830]

Most tv shows are good for about 3 seasons, after that they lose there way.

[@CoolDaysEnd]

Richie's brother Chuck was kidnapped by an international ring of spies, never to be found or mentioned again.

[@tommyriam8320]

@@chrisoakley5830 '... _their_ way..'

[@Tarantulisimo]

Back when Fonzie was just another second-tier supporting character who barely even spoke -- and he initially "wasn't allowed to wear a leather jacket", which eventually evolved to "unless he was actually sitting on or riding the motorcycle"

[@bradyguy7701]

or"working on" the motorcycel. That's why he would bring it up (THE STAIRS!) to his apartment...

[@moharak]

Funny to think that when this came out it had been less than 2 decades since the 50's. It would be like making a 2000's nostalgia show now which is kind of weird.

[@billkeithchannel]

_"You played with her chest?"_ That line has stuck with me since 1974 when this episode was brand new and I was almost 9. I didn't realize it was Fonzie's first spoken words.

[@Sparkina]

The way the girl at 2:23 was dressed is how my mother dressed when she was a teen (or so I’ve been told)

[@ModeratelyAmused]

I feel like I was the only kid that thought it was strange that the show started out being in the 50's but only a a few years later at it's peak they started looking like they were in the 70's but had all the same characters being only a few years older.

[@lifeinlimbo2186]

That first line...'you played with her chest?!

[@Omar_Zazzle]

If not her kitty, then it doesn't really matter.

[@bonniekloes6746]

Happy days.awhile I was growing up.this show was the best.

[@JJP316]

The show turned into something very different when they went into the studio. Fonz isn't even wearing a leather jacket here.

[@ordinaryman1904]

He doesn’t need a leather jacket. He’s riding a rigid frame Knucklehead. So cool ! Triumphs and Hondas aren’t even in the same league.

[@MrBradfordchild]

@@ordinaryman1904 funnily enough. a knuckle head was a 20 year old bike when this is set, and the little alloy 500cc triumph he rides later would have been new, and the go fast bike to have for a "Fonzie".

[@ordinaryman1904]

@@MrBradfordchild the bike could have been as new as 1947. And it was already customized, running a peanut tank and glide front end. The Fonz was shown polishing the rear axle, and stated he cleaned the whole bike before a date. Indicating the bike was well cared for. Other than a desire of the writers to move his character in a different direction, there would have been no reason for The Fonz to ditch his Harley in favor of a Limey, and later, a Honda.

[@eddierascalhaskell4954]

Fonz wasnt allowed to wear the leather jacket at first. Then it was changed to, he could only wear the leather jacket if his bike was in the same scene as he was. Then they dropped all the executive meddling and made the jacket part of his costume. This tan windbreaker reappears in the first episode of the final season called "Because its There" where Fonzie loses his confidence over failing to ride some challenging uphill road. He briefly trades his leather jacket back to this tan windbreaker.

[@davidv.3135]

I remember this when I was a kid. Loved this show.

[@SHENDOH]

That knucklehead Fonzie had in the first season was a badass bike

[@scottkinney8669]

'47 Knucklehead. Nice ride

[@patrickgregory1078]

I noticed that too, bad ass bike then they put him on a triumph. Because the Harley looked like a gangster bike!

[@jeffreybaker100]

That actress who played Mary Lou was in the Brady Bunch episode where Peter played a double as Arthur Owen

[@bradyguy7701]

That she was, Jeffrey! Good eye. Along with Denise Nickerson from Willy Wonky and the Chocolate Factory!! Quick HD/BB trivia for you - Which of the Brady kids appeared on Happy Days???

[@jeffreybaker100]

@bradyguy7701 Maureen McCormick and Christopher Knight

[@rockfish74]

Fonzie had the restaurant from the beginning????

[@sistagirllondon]

Arnold's used to be called "Arthur's?" 🤔 never knew that!

[@Bosco-knows-all]

Fonzie was 5'6"....what girl would been thrilled about a short guy like that...

[@OnceWasSomething]

Plenty! A buncha girls don't care.

[@ahhamartin]

Maybe he was only short in height....

[@bencerwinske559]

Hey, I'm 5" 5' and...yeah you're right...

[@tonyanderson5123]

I used to watch the reruns of this show back in high school, and that was many, many moons ago.

[@damienlong3009]

I love happy days

[@steveconn1375]

Soo much like a scene from American graffiti 73 movie interesting that Fonze didn't have his famous leather jacket he looked more original 50s like he did but as the series went on its started to look more like the age 70s with long hair and I recall once seeing an Elvis 70s poster ?

[@TheQuantumWave]

The show started out so good. The first two seasons were great. It really lost something as it went on.

[@ricktheitalianrebel6687]

That may be but if you have to understand that ratings for the show were sagging in the second half of season 2 and that is why they made the changes making Fonzie one of the main characters. the show's rating IMMEDIATELY went thru the roof.

[@OffensiveBiz]

The man, the Fonz, the character..... Iconic!!!

[@jime6688]

I never did really get why Fonzie was friends with Richie and the gang. He was older and greaser.

[@stephenr3910]

It was an unrealistic thing, but that's sitcoms.

[@AnthonyIacono-x6y]

I think Fonzie and Richie became friends because Fonzie rented an apartment over the garage, from Richie's parents.

[@eddierascalhaskell4954]

Fonz was developed into an older brother figure for Richie once Chuck was written out.

[@andrewscott7728]

@@eddierascalhaskell4954 That explains why he disappeared. Imagine trying to compete with the Fonz.

[@bradyguy7701]

I believe there was an ep called "When Richie met Fonzie". Flashback...sort of explains it...

[@timopper5488]

Henry Winkler wasn’t allowed to wear a leather jacket as Fonzie at first, because the network thought it evoked dangerous motorcycle gangs too much. Even though EVERY biker has to wear a leather jacket or risk serious roadburn from an otherwise non-life-threatening fall. They finally relented in the third season, maybe the second. Anyone know for sure what season & episode?

[@pdoylemi]

No, but I do know that it made for some weird contrived scenes for a while because the compromise the network made was that he could only wear the jacket when he was with the bike. So they had him on the bike in Arnold's, in the school, etc.

[@timopper5488]

@@pdoylemi Oh yeah, I forgot that that deal went along with the jacket! 🤣

[@pdoylemi]

@@timopper5488 Glad the network finally realized how stupid it was!

[@ThePerpetualStudent]

is that freaking Ron Howard?