Happy Days Season 2 Cover Art!!! (1 Viewer)

[beatlejam]

Shoot, in hindsight, I think this show jumped after season two.

All these years later, I MUCH prefer the first two seasons when it was actually a 50's period piece with no studio audience. I really love all the outdoor scenes at Arnold's, Jefferson High, etc., and an emphasis on the Cunninghams.

From season three on, things get really silly (Fonzie's "powers," etc.) and drift away from the 50's (clothes, hairstyles, etc.). It was still a pleasant show....just very, very different.

I already have season one...and after this season two release, I'll be done with "Happy Days."

 

[mr.cool007]

hey happy days fans i am counting down the months until April 17 gets here, i just called paramount pictures and i spoke with one of there workers who works there and i asked them if they had the rights to all of the original music an they said yes finally i knew paramount could do it, i thought i pass the word along

 

[Carlos Garcia]

I guess some people liked the reality of the Fonz using a 70s style hair dryer in his car during the demolition derby. Happened all the time in the 50s! LOL!

 

[Carlos Garcia]

Me too...Seasons 1 and two were the best. Season 2 actually has the first episode in front of a live audience they did...it was the final episode when the Fonz dates the Lone Stripper. At least the best two seasons will finally be released. I seriously doubt sales will jump for later season sets. Something tells me the Chachi episodes will have a far harder time of ever seeing the light on DVD.

 

[Jay_B!]

the post-Richie episodes were the worst. Joanie in leg-warmers, and if I recall, didn't Flip also wear the really short t-shirts that were the in thing in the early 80's? Imagine if it ran on a few more years if Fonzie would've had a mullet on the show.

 

[Jon Baker]

I thought Joanie looked great in the later episodes and showed quite a bit of talent with her singing (along with Scott Baio). Also mustn't forget Pinky's sister, Leather Tuscadero (played by Suzi Quatro). Remember Pinky had the finger snapping and Leather had the quick smacking of her thighs and pointing?

Does anyone remember the episode where Fonzie orders everyone to listen to classical music? or Fonzie doing the see-it-to-believe-it "Russian Cossack" dance at Arnolds; Fonzie getting frozen/paralyzed in mid-punch by Mork from Ork (or was it Melvin Belvin?) which he manages to overcome by extending his thumb in "AYYYYY" fashion; the demolition derby episode with the Malachi brothers where Pinky Tuscadero climbs out onto the hood of her car IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ARENA; Ralph Malph doing the 'fake makeout' thing in the corner (which was actually pretty good now that I think about it); the Big Ragu showing up to sing "Rags to Riches" and help Fonz beat up a gang; the addition and subtraction of Spike, followed the even better permanent addition of Wha-wha-wha Crachi Arcola; the "pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pump your blood" song; Jenny Picolo; Fonzie's fear of liver??... All this makes me wish Paramount would've started the series in descending order beginning with the final season.

 

[Carlos Garcia]

YUK! I'll take Spike over wormy Chachi in a second. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I believe the show should've been cancelled after the 3rd or 4th seasons at most...Once Arnold left, that was it. Jenny Piccolo should've never been shown, she was one of those characters that was best when they were being talked about. Al was an awful replacement for Arnold. The show really stunk when it became "Happy Days the Next Generation" AKA the Joanie and Chachi show, featuring the girl from Wings and the kid showing his belly...What can I say other than thank you Paramount for releasing the 2nd and final season that "felt" like the show was taking place in the 50s...Once it went to a live audience, it lost all its charm....AYYYYY!

 

[Jon Baker]

Oh c'mon, Carlos. How could you not love a guy who's gotten so cool to the point of wearing a leather jacket while waterskiing? Where is the love for the later episodes?

I felt the live audience gave the show 'warmth'.

 

[Carlos Garcia]

Sorry Jon, but when the Fonz snaps his fingers and bathroom doors breakdown, or stools collapse, that's where I draw the line. I also wasn't crazy of the "tragedy of the week" format the later shows created...You know, Fonzi goes blind, Richie falls into a coma, Joanie almost gets raped...The show was supposed to be called "Happy Days", not "Sappy Days"...Somewhere into the live audience episodes, Happy Days sadly just lost its original charm...If they could do it over, I wish they would've never gone to a live audience...as soon as it went live, the audience took the show over. It became the Fonzi show...the audience would roar with applause as soon as he came in, ruining comedy timing while the performers waited for applause to die down. Oddly enough, Garry Marshall also went to a live audience with the Odd Couple, but for some reason, that show got better WITH the live audience. Happy Days had so much great potential when it started, but fell flat after it went live. Still, no one can deny those first couple of seasons (Hey even the 3rd season, which introduced Arnold was pretty good) made for fun entertainment, and a believable 50s sitcom...I only wish the rest of the seasons could've been as great.

 

[John Carr]

Great overview Carlos -- The Sappy Days! I never heard it put better for those late season 'relevant' episodes of Happy Days. It was like Fonzie show with Normal Lear at the helm!!! YUCK.

I loved the first 2 seasons, but also the Arnold years -- although, I agree the live audience put the show into a steep decline. As soon as Arnold leaves, I'm gone.

 

[Bill>Moore]

I agree with a lot of what Carlos says, but I also have fond memories of all the things Jon Baker mentioned in his summary of some of the middle years. As a kid in school, we were completely sucked in to Fonzie jumping his bike, Pinky and Leather and all that jazz. I like elements of the early seasons and elements of the seasons that followed.

 

[Jon Baker]

and that's probably the reason it lasted for 11 seasons and not 2.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

This says it all so perfectly, Carlos. I agree! I've always hated MARRIED WITH CHILDREN, but the whole "audience takeover" thing was also sickening with that show.

It is amazing that HAPPY DAYS lasted as long as it did. But who ever said the general mainstream public has good taste? HD lasted so long because children loved the silliness with SuperFonz. The show sold out.