The 'Serious' Happy Days? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

carstonio · 09-29-2001, 02:33 PM

Has anybody noticed how serious Happy Days was in its first two seasons? I think I first noticed it through syndication, when I was able to watch the old episodes each weekday. It was like the station stuck another show in that time slot, and it didn't seem that way because those episodes were shot without a studio audience.

Not only was Richie the focus of the show, he was a lot more obsessed with sex, sort of like a 1950s version of "James at 15." ("Richie at 15"?) Remember "The Skin Game" episode, where Richie borrows Chuck's ID to get into a strip club? (Hey, maybe Chuck was kicked off the show for abetting his younger brother's lascivious ways!) The one that convinced me was "All the Way," where Richie dates a girl who "kind of has a reputation," lies about what happened on the date, and is scolded by Fonzie for his deception.
How about "Be the First on Your Block, the bomb shelter episode? Here's Richie bringing his girlfriend to the shelter: "It would be up to us to repopulate the town." Real smooth, Red!

After the switch to the studio audience, Happy Days did have its serious moments. Fonzie became somewhat of a crusader against the racism of the 1950s, not really surprising for a character originally drawn as a rebel. But I think the comedy became broader as the show progressed. Fonzie became more of a cartoon, with his magic power to start jukeboxes and his harem of chicks. Even the guest characters became cartoons, like Mork From Ork and Melvin Scratch. How many of you believe that the show finally lost its focus when Roger came on board? "Fonzie Gets Shot" (the cabin episode where Potsie, Roger, Chachi and Fonzie tell conflicting versions of how the Fonz was wounded) may have been funny, but it wasn't Happy Days.

danzin01_1983 · 09-30-2001, 01:16 PM

i agree with you, about the first two seasons. to tell u the truth i can't stand to watch them because they were so serious in some cases that it just caused it to be boring! I like seasons 3-11 alot better.
And on the subject of rodger, he was really there in my opinon to be a replacement for Richie but more on the compolsive side,(neatness, grammer, life style-boring) I think the last 4 seasons would have been better with out him!

CameraQueen · 10-02-2001, 05:00 PM

I don't really remember alot about the first season, but I do remember the last season, and I noticed that they started dealing with some more risque subjects, like drugs and the one where Joanie was attacked. It was kind of weird, not very "Happy Days-ish".

TV Guy · 10-05-2001, 09:54 PM

Agreed about the last season. Remember the one about Fonzie and the ghost? Weird.

09-29-2001, 02:33 PM	#1
carstonio Member First Time Poster Join Date: Sep 29, 2001 Posts: 1	The 'Serious' Happy Days? Has anybody noticed how serious Happy Days was in its first two seasons? I think I first noticed it through syndication, when I was able to watch the old episodes each weekday. It was like the station stuck another show in that time slot, and it didn't seem that way because those episodes were shot without a studio audience. Not only was Richie the focus of the show, he was a lot more obsessed with sex, sort of like a 1950s version of "James at 15." ("Richie at 15"?) Remember "The Skin Game" episode, where Richie borrows Chuck's ID to get into a strip club? (Hey, maybe Chuck was kicked off the show for abetting his younger brother's lascivious ways!) The one that convinced me was "All the Way," where Richie dates a girl who "kind of has a reputation," lies about what happened on the date, and is scolded by Fonzie for his deception. How about "Be the First on Your Block, the bomb shelter episode? Here's Richie bringing his girlfriend to the shelter: "It would be up to us to repopulate the town." Real smooth, Red! After the switch to the studio audience, Happy Days did have its serious moments. Fonzie became somewhat of a crusader against the racism of the 1950s, not really surprising for a character originally drawn as a rebel. But I think the comedy became broader as the show progressed. Fonzie became more of a cartoon, with his magic power to start jukeboxes and his harem of chicks. Even the guest characters became cartoons, like Mork From Ork and Melvin Scratch. How many of you believe that the show finally lost its focus when Roger came on board? "Fonzie Gets Shot" (the cabin episode where Potsie, Roger, Chachi and Fonzie tell conflicting versions of how the Fonz was wounded) may have been funny, but it wasn't Happy Days.

09-30-2001, 01:16 PM	#2
danzin01_1983 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 26, 2001 Posts: 50	i agree with you, about the first two seasons. to tell u the truth i can't stand to watch them because they were so serious in some cases that it just caused it to be boring! I like seasons 3-11 alot better. And on the subject of rodger, he was really there in my opinon to be a replacement for Richie but more on the compolsive side,(neatness, grammer, life style-boring) I think the last 4 seasons would have been better with out him!

10-02-2001, 05:00 PM	#3
CameraQueen Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 08, 2001 Location: MA Posts: 602	I don't really remember alot about the first season, but I do remember the last season, and I noticed that they started dealing with some more risque subjects, like drugs and the one where Joanie was attacked. It was kind of weird, not very "Happy Days-ish".

10-05-2001, 09:54 PM	#4
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	Agreed about the last season. Remember the one about Fonzie and the ghost? Weird.