Apparently the first "live studio audience" episode that was filmed was the episode FONZIE GETS MARRIED. The one where Howard recognizes Fonzie's girlfriend as a stripper who performed at a hardware convention. Anyhoo, if the original air date of that episode is 1/14/1975. That is during season two, episode 13. I can't recall if they did in fact air that episode and then resorted back to the episodes the way we were used to seeing them, NOT filmed live in front of a studio audience, such as the episode where Richie finds a burglar in his home, Richie votes for Stevenson for President, etc.?

When I looked at sources such as TV.com, it lists FONZIE GETS MARRIED in the middle of season 2. I always thought FONZIE GETS MARRIED was shown at the start of season 3. I watched HD during its first run but I can't recall that detail. HELP!!!!!!

I know in reruns since the daytime ABC run, that episode always played in the second season and I was always so confused as to see the Cunningham dining room drastically modified (but the living room door was still in the old position)for that one episode. I knew later on that they used that episode as a test to see if the show would do better as a "filmed before a live audience". Perhaps that studio audience is responsible for starting the Fonzie craze??

These are the air dates of these three episodes:

#28- Open House (1/7/75)
Three women have to spend the night at the Cunningham's house when their car breaks down.

#29- Fonzie's Getting Married (1/14/75) (filmed before a live studio audience)
Fonzie wants to get married, only to find out that the girl is a stripper.

#30- The Cunningham Caper (1/21/75)
Fonzie, Potsie, Ralph, and a burglar cause pandemonium in the Cunningham house while Richie is sick in bed with the flu.

This is what I found when researching:

FONZIE GETS MARRIED:

Tom Bosley says "Tonight's Happy Days was filmed before a live audience". This is the only episode of the first 2 seasons that was taped with a live audience and three cameras (as opposed to a single camera) as they did it for an experiment. Starting with season 3, all the episodes were taped with a live audience and three cameras. They eat in the living room even though the interior had not changed, except the dining room was gone for this episode, because it would be hard to view them from the audience.

The episode was the last episode produced/filmed for the second season. It did air in the middle of the season on the date shown.

I think they were testing it in front of a live audience to see how it would look.

The episode was the last episode produced/filmed for the second season. It did air in the middle of the season on the date shown.
God, I am having a hard time remember the first run. I mean, I wonder how I reacted (as well as others) who seen that "live" episode play out in the middle of the season like that. If that were to have happened now, I know I would have been like, "WTF?" especially when the next episodes after that went back to the original way of filming. :crazy:

I know for a fact that episode has played out with it being shown right at the end of season 2 and the beginning of season 3 during syndication for as long as I can remember.

I know when TV Land aired the show a few years ago, they always aired it in the middle of the season.

I know when TV Land aired the show a few years ago, they always aired it in the middle of the season.
Really? Interesting. Never knew that. I didn't get a chance to watch HD when it aired on TVland. I am watching it now on my local channel.

You can easily see the difference between the Fonzie character from Seasons 1 & 2 and the one you see beginning with this particular episode. Such a difference.

it was the beginning of Fonzie, the superhero!

God, I am having a hard time remember the first run. I mean, I wonder how I reacted (as well as others) who seen that "live" episode play out in the middle of the season like that. If that were to have happened now, I know I would have been like, "WTF?" especially when the next episodes after that went back to the original way of filming. :crazy:

I know for a fact that episode has played out with it being shown right at the end of season 2 and the beginning of season 3 during syndication for as long as I can remember.
I remember when that episode first aired, and I was; like you say; "W.T.F."???!!!

I remember when that episode first aired, and I was; like you say; "W.T.F."???!!!
:rofl:

I know I must have been confused when it aired. :lol: If that occurred now, I know most definitely I would be saying, "WTF?" ;)

Ok, yesterdays episode was THE CUNNINGHAM CAPER. So they did in fact air it the same exact way it was aired during its first run. :eek: When I have seen HD in syndication, it was always with FONZIE GETTING MARRIED as the start of the third season episodes.