Happy Days Again (1979-1984) (1 Viewer)

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

For those of you that were old enough to have seen Happy Days in its early days of syndication from 1979 to 1984, as Happy Days Again, do any of you remember whether or not any of the holiday episodes other than the springtime one ("Three on a Porch") were aired during the appropriate times of the season rather than in sequence with the remaining episodes per syndication cycle?

There were ten such episodes, according to the CBS Syndication Bible's entry for Happy Days:
"Haunted" (60532-030), episode 2x06 (10/29/74)
"Guess Who's Coming to Christmas" (60532-034), episode 2x11 (12/17/74)
"Three on a Porch" (60533-048), episode 3x11 (11/18/75)
"Richie Branches Out" (60534-076), episode 4x10 (12/7/76)
"Be My Valentine" (60535-111), episode 5x19 (2/14/78)
"The Evil Eye" (60536-128), episode 6x08 (10/31/78)
"The First Thanksgiving" (60536-130), episode 6x11 (11/21/78)
"Christmas Time" (60536-132), episode 6x15 (12/19/78)
"White Christmas" (60538-174), episode 8x06 (12/16/80)
"All I Want for Christmas" (60530-222), episode 10x10 (12/14/82)

For the first syndication cycle (the 1979-80 season) that contained the first 130 episodes (if that is, indeed, how many there were initially), all but the last three were included, and then when the cycle was expanded to 165 episodes for the 1980-81 season by including the remaining 12 season 6 episodes and almost all those of season 7, the third Christmas episode ("Christmas Time") was then included.

~Ben

 

[Mark Y]

I think back then that was at the discretion of the TV station airing it.

 

[Wiseguy]

For those of you that were old enough to have seen Happy Days in its early days of syndication from 1979 to 1984, as Happy Days Again, do any of you remember whether or not any of the holiday episodes other than the springtime one ("Three on a Porch") were aired during the appropriate times of the season rather than in sequence with the remaining episodes per syndication cycle?

There were ten such episodes, according to the CBS Syndication Bible's entry for Happy Days:
"Haunted" (60532-030), episode 2x06 (10/29/74)
"Guess Who's Coming to Christmas" (60532-034), episode 2x11 (12/17/74)
"Three on a Porch" (60533-048), episode 3x11 (11/18/75)
"Richie Branches Out" (60534-076), episode 4x10 (12/7/76)
"Be My Valentine" (60535-111), episode 5x19 (2/14/78)
"The Evil Eye" (60536-128), episode 6x08 (10/31/78)
"The First Thanksgiving" (60536-130), episode 6x11 (11/21/78)
"Christmas Time" (60536-132), episode 6x15 (12/19/78)
"White Christmas" (60538-174), episode 8x06 (12/16/80)
"All I Want for Christmas" (60530-222), episode 10x10 (12/14/82)

For the first syndication cycle (the 1979-80 season) that contained the first 130 episodes (if that is, indeed, how many there were initially), all but the last three were included, and then when the cycle was expanded to 165 episodes for the 1980-81 season by including the remaining 12 season 6 episodes and almost all those of season 7, the third Christmas episode ("Christmas Time") was then included.

~Ben

I may be wrong, but I see no reason why the full first six seasons (1973-79) wouldn't have been released in syndication in 1979. I certainly don't recall any episode not included (I think I would have noticed). This would have included the 1978 Christmas episode "Christmas Time."

 

[ClassicTVMan1981X]

I may be wrong, but I see no reason why the full first six seasons (1973-79) wouldn't have been released in syndication in 1979. I certainly don't recall any episode not included (I think I would have noticed). This would have included the 1978 Christmas episode "Christmas Time."

I think you do have a point, that they release the first couple of seasons as long as there are a minimum of 100-130 episodes in the package.

Even so, some stations prefer to air the holiday-themed episodes during the specific times of the year instead of in sequence with the others.

~Ben

 

[Wiseguy]

I think you do have a point, that they release the first couple of seasons as long as there are a minimum of 100-130 episodes in the package.

Even so, some stations prefer to air the holiday-themed episodes during the specific times of the year instead of in sequence with the others.

~Ben

Well, I was referring more to what seasons were released that first syndication year. As far as the holiday episodes go, again as far as I can recall, Mark Y is correct, that was back in the era of unedited episodes released to stations on film. Stations could edit the episodes themselves* and show them in whatever order they wanted. If it was near the holiday they may have held it for while to show it nearer that holiday but if it was during the spring/summer they probably would have shown it in the correct episode order regardless of subject matter.

*The same year as Happy Days Again was first released so was Jim Rockford, Private Investigator. The same station showed both in my area. This church-owned (at the time) station would edit out some of the damns Rockford said along with the word "queer" in the pilot. It was obviously edited by the station itself.

 

[Mark Y]

I recently looked up "Happy Days" in back issues of Broadcasting Magazine and was interested to find that the initial syndicated "Happy Days Again" package consisted of 142 episodes (the Broadcasting listing said "142+," indicating that more episodes would be added later as the show was still in production).

So the currently available DVD set of the first six seasons consists of the exact same episodes in that 1979 syndication package. An interesting coincidence -- and of course, in 1979 they didn't have the issues with music licensing, or at least not anywhere near the same extent.

What I don't exactly remember is what year the ABC daytime reruns ended. Not sure if that coincided with the syndication launch, or if they ended sooner. It's possible that Broadcasting Magazine back issues might be able to tell us how many more episodes were added in syndication and when they were added. (I am pretty sure the entire series was eventually in syndication, but they reverted to the show's original title once it was out of production. Some of the later seasons may only have run as "Happy Days.")