This is my first post! :wave: :happyface

I grew up watching Happy Days. What a great time to be a 7-12 year old kid. Fonzie was my hero. I had a Fonzie t-shirt and a Fonzie doll (now they call them "figures"). I could relate to Richie Cunningham the most... I was a good student, but I had difficulties with girls and bullies.

My favorite episodes are the early stuff... when Fonzie didn't have many lines, wore his grey jacket and had a black gas tank on his motorcycle.

Some observations:

Did you ever notice how Mr C. was more calm, cool and collected during the 1st season versus later on? He hardly ever raised his voice.

Did you ever notice the obvious studio looping in the dialog? This was more noticable during the earlier episodes.

Did you ever notice the palm trees and Hollywood hills in the backround when they filmed the Arnold's daytime parking lot scenes?

Did you ever notice that certain cars were usually in the same spaces in Arnold's parking lot?

Did you ever notice how Richie was able to play every musical instrument in the band?

I look forward to interacting with the members here. :)

welcome to the board! :wave:

Welcome to the boards Nip It! Great observations about the early seasons of Happy Days. I never noticed the palm trees and Hollywood hills in the background of the exterior shots of Arnolds.

Welcome to SO. I agree with you. Happy Days was a great sitcom...one of the best. :wave:

Did you ever notice how Mr C. was more calm, cool and collected during the 1st season versus later on? He hardly ever raised his voice.

Did you ever notice the obvious studio looping in the dialog? This was more noticable during the earlier episodes.

Did you ever notice the palm trees and Hollywood hills in the backround when they filmed the Arnold's daytime parking lot scenes?

Did you ever notice that certain cars were usually in the same spaces in Arnold's parking lot?

Did you ever notice how Richie was able to play every musical instrument in the band?


Mr C was always great, I liked the way he was in the first season best.

i never noticed it, but never paid much attention to it

yup

yup - in syndication they always show the same guys pushing that same car through the parking lot in the bumper scenes

lessee, richie played saxophone, drums, sang, piano/keyboard, guitar, bass, harmonica, kazoo and ...?

lessee, richie played saxophone, drums, sang, piano/keyboard, guitar, bass, harmonica, kazoo and ...?
Al was pretty good too - he played ukelele, violin, piano, kazoo, and I think the accordion

A few more observations:

Richie wore the same dress jacket (on dates and for any event that required a shirt and tie) for the first 3 seasons. I guess the wardrobe department budget was limited then.

Fonzie appears in his leather jacket for the first time when he uses Ralph's yellow hot rod to drag race Skizzy in "Guess Who's Coming to Visit".

During (first season) daytime Arnold's parking lot scenes the microphone boom can be seen panning back and forth in the reflection of the car windshield. This was visible in several episodes... watch for it.

I'll post more when I see or think of them.

all the seasons are great but I like the end ones a little bit less than the others

Welcome to the board! Hope you'll post here often! I agree that the earlier seasons were a lot different than the middle ones. I "got" everything you mentioned, having rented seasons 1-3 several months ago. Back then, Fonzie wasn't as popular and the show had a different "feel" to it. I almost bought Seasons 1-3, but then changed my mind. I haven't decided if I'm going to buy them or not.

i LOVE ALL SEASONS !

happy days is best sitcoms of ever !

I do not understand how people can say that there are some bad seasons!.

I tried it once in another topic to say which were my favorite seasons but then I realized that there is a season that I like less.

ok ok the first few seasons are history but I really loved all 11 seasons.

In every season I have seen episodes and ugly and beautiful in every season there is something that I really like and that I do not like.

I think Happy Days will be the next show I buy (I'm still going thru LHOP). I remember HD fondly from my college yrs - it would come on during lunch

i LOVE ALL SEASONS !
I do not understand how people can say that there are some bad seasons!.


I'm a big fan, but I'm objective. IMO, the last few seasons were truly awful.

I'm a big fan, but I'm objective. IMO, the last few seasons were truly awful.
heeeeeeee! that exaggerated, even horrible?

I also prefer the early years of Happy Days. I don't exactly hate the later seasons but I probably wouldn't buy them.

OK, on the other hand, there are many fans, like me, who like all season, ok?

I was watching seasons 1-3 again this week. I noticed that sometime during the beginning of the 3rd season the Cunningham's kitchen door was changed. The hinges were on the right side, but they turned it around so that the hinges are on the left side. It stayed that way until the showed ended.

OK, but I have to assume you didnt watch Happy Days from when it was originally on to when it ended 1974-84

OK, on the other hand, there are many fans, like me, who like all season, ok?

During the end of the first episode "All the Way" Richie is talking to Mary Lou Milligan outside Jefferson High. Mary Lou is talking about how the gym teacher "Mr Brockington" also grabbed her sweater.

This scene must have been filmed during different times of the day and edited later on. Notice the shadows cast by the people walking in the backround change drastically during that scene. May Lou also changes... the knot on her neckscarf changes postion, so does her hair and makeup. The same thing happens during Richie's interaction with Potsie.

I think I've seen these episodes way too many times! :crazy: