Happy Days etc. on DVD (1 Viewer)

[Jaime_Weinman]

I haven't seen anyone post about this: Thedigitalbits posted in The Rumor Mill that "soon to be announced by Paramount are first season DVD box sets of Happy Days, Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley. Look for those Summer 2004."

I'm very psyched for the "Happy Days" set -- a chance to revisit the good old days when Richie was the star, Fonzie was a supporting character, and there was no screaming studio audience. And the "Mork and Mindy" one sounds good too; really, the first season was the only good season of that show (they re-tooled it in the second season, nearly killing it, and never got it back to its initial success). I like "Laverne and Shirley" too but I don't remember which episodes were in season 1...

One thing I'll note is that Paramount sitcoms of this era will really benefit from DVD because the Paramount comedies looked much better than other comedies of the time -- mostly because they were one of the few studios in this era that continued to use film, rather than videotape, for sitcoms -- but you can't always tell that from the beat-up syndication prints. I hope these shows look as good as the remastered Cheers.

 

[Sean.S]

Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy I am really looking forward to. L&S I'm a fan of and I've never seen M&M, but it looks funny.

As for Happy Days, I won't start until the third season probably. Its just missing something (not just Chuck) until season 3. I even enjoy the episodes after Richie left.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

The first season or two of HAPPY DAYS are the only ones I need for this show - this is when it was as intended! Can't wait for this

 

[Pete Battista]

For me Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley is a maybe... possible purchase... but Mork and Mindy... I used to love this show and I am a big fan of Robin Williams so if true... that will be one I would definitely collect!

I liked the other 2... but the later seasons. never cared much for the first season of either. maybe because I only seen these in reruns so I am used to the later seasons.

 

[Chris:L]

For me I cannot wait to own the entire series of Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. I'd even pick up the first season of Mork & Mindy because of the two part pilot I'm dying to see.

 

[Rob P S]

I hope they use the original "Gulf & Western" Paramount logo at the end with the fanfare. An optional laugh track for the early HD episodes would be nice, if possible.


Interestingly, that was the same year ABC rescheduled most of its hit comedies from the year before and watched them crash in the ratings - Laverne & Shirley, for example, went from Tuesday to Thursday and fell out of the Top 30, forcing that ill-fated move to California the next season.

 

[Mark To]

I would buy the first season and a half of Happy Days. After that, it wasn't Happy Days anymore, it became the Fonzie Show. Those episodes you can keep. Laverne and Shirley, good for the first 2 or 3 seasons, downhill after that. Both are shows that ran far too long. I don't think you have to worry about collecting the whole runs on these shows. You have a better chance of seeing Mr. T and Tina on DVD than you do the last few seasons of Happy Days.

 

[Mark Lx]

I pretty much agree with what Mark said. I'd probably get the first 2 or 3 seasons. What annoys me is how TV shows which started with a short(or half) season (Three's Company, Married With Children, All in the Family) seem to cost twice as much per minute of programming than the second seasons, which are often the best deals on DVD (Three's Company Season 2, 25 episodes + pilot + extras, 34.99 Canadian). I'm sure Happy Days will follow this trend. I understand why they get away with it, everyone wants the beginning of a series.
Hey, I know I'm spoiled.

 

[DouglasRobert]

Laverne and Shirley and Mork and Mindy for me.

Not interested in Happy Days.

These shows are fun, light-weight entertainment. Not the boring sitcoms that's on TV now. IMO.

Can't wait for these. Hope they have some bloopers, deleted scenes or maybe even audio commentaries with the actors.

 

[Chuck L]

I am in for the long haul on Laverne and Shirley. All the seasons will sit proudly on my shelf.

 

[Richard Travale]

Mark, so what you're saying is that Happy Days jumped the shark long before Fonzie jumped the shark?

 

[Rob P S]

If My Big Fat Greek Life can make it to DVD, anything can.

 

[Joe_Pinney]

All three of these shows are must-buys for me, although I'll probably be buying seasons of Happy Days up until the 7th season, when Ron Howard left the show, as I lost interest in it after then.

(By the way, the episode where Fonzie jumps over the shark, giving us that classic term "jumping the shark", came in the beginning of the Fifth Season (September of 1977), while the episode where we first see Mork from Ork didn't arrive until late February 1978, so actually, even Happy Days didn't quite "jump the shark" when so many think it did. That happened closer to the end of the seventh season, IMHO.)

Laverne & Shirley I enjoyed pretty much up until Laverne's dad grew a mustache. I don't know why, just kinda noticed a sea change after that. Although Lenny & Squiggy were always good for a laugh.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I'm one of those who thinks HAPPY DAYS "jumped the shark" way BEFORE Fonzie actually jumped the shark!

 

[Carlos Garcia]

To me HAPPY DAYS seemed to want to jump the shark about half way through the 2nd season...It CLEARLY jumped as soon as Pinky Tuscadero was introduced in season 3. Sure Mork's episode was cool, but do you think I want to buy season sets until the '78 season just to see 1 episode? Nope. I'll be buying season 1 and probably 2. Then I'll look to borrow season 3 from someone so I can copy the Mork episode.

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

According to the episode guide, it was in season 4 that they did the Pinky Tuscadero episodes. Season 3 was when they introduced the live studio audience and made Fonzie a principal character (though they had already done these things as a test in one season 2 episode, "Fonzie's Getting Married"). Seasons 1 and 2 are the seasons with no studio audience and Richie as the star; they're the "good" seasons. Everything after that is shark jump IMO.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Man.... Pinky and Leather Tuscadero....Mork from Ork.....BLAH......

 

[Rob P S]

Post-1977 - Chachi "waa waa waa" Arcola, Leather Tuscadero, idiotic Potsie, over-the-top Ralph, mug-happy Al, boring Lori Beth, the "Pump Your Blood" song, Fonzie taking on the devil's nephew, Fonzie riding the bull, silly costumes, the new Arnold's, Richie's motorcycle accident, Fonzie goes blind - and I'm not even up to the post-Richie years. I wouldn't buy these episodes, but I can still get a lot of mindless laughs watching them on TV, as cheesy as a lot of them are. And the last season had some really good emotional scenes.

 

[David*P]

Man, I'm way excited for "Mork and Mindy" on DVD and even more so that Paramount says they will do all seasons. I love that show! Pam Dawber was one of the most beautiful women on TV and, of course, Robin Williams was hilarious! I know a lot of people thought the show went down hill with the birth of Mearth (is that how it's spelled) played by Jonathan Winters but I think he's hilarious!

I can't wait for this!

 

[Dane Marvin]

Woo hoo! "Happy Days"! "Mork"! And I can't wait to hear that great theme song from "L&S" on DVD! I wonder if "Happy Days" and these two spinoffs will all 3 be released on the same day like what is being done with "Cheers" and "Frasier".

The only thing I wish Paramount would do better right now is lower the MSRP for their season sets to about what Warner is charging for "Gilligan's Island". I know it isn't going to happen, but I can dream. In the end, Paramount would be helping themselves because lower prices would mean I could afford to actually purchase 3 of their sitcoms on the same release day!

The rumor about "Brady Bunch" being worked on is the most exciting news of the day though -- and I still look forward to "Taxi" more than "Happy Days" & its spinoffs and "Cheers"/"Frasier" combined! Go Latka!

In other news, my wallet is absolutely frightened of June.