I fear for Happy Days (1 Viewer)

[Chris:L]

The difference, for me, between the first and second season fonzie compared to the 3rd through 11th season is that the first two seasons... kind of rude.

 

[Mark To]

No, but those of us who started watching the show from the beginning were turned off by season 3 onward. Also, at what point did they stop existing in the 50s and transport themselves to a netherworld where time didn't exist? Modern music, modern hairstyles, etc. Blansky's Beauties, Mork and Mindy, shows spun off on HD episodes, didn't take place in the 50s. At some point all semblance of logic ceased and the show became a cartoon.

 

[Jaime_Weinman]

The thing about the early Fonzie is that you can see why he became so popular and why he displaced Potsie as Richie's main confidante (Potsie was already lessening in importance by the end of the first season, and Chuck, of course, was pratcially off the map, though he did appear a few times in season 2). Henry Winkler did an amazing job of making you forget his small size and conveying coolness by his movements and body language. In season 2 they actually did a lot more Fonzie stories -- but always in the context of Richie being the main character. But when they moved to the live audience, it became the Fonzie show, also starring Richie. Worse, because of Fonzie's popularity with kids, they made him a role model -- whereas the early Fonzie is interesting because he's obviously not a good role model, and Howard's not always happy about his son hanging around this guy, and Fonzie's advice to Richie isn't always good, and he's clearly kind of lonely and sad underneath. That got stripped away when they made him a good role model.

 

[Chris:L]

I thought they included Gavan O'Herlihy in the opening credit sequence to some of the episodes of Happy Days... what gives? Where is he? I've seen photos of his credit sequence online... but in the first season on the DVD... he's nowhere to be found, only on the end credit sequence.

 

[Dave Scarpa]

They Made Fonzie Dean of a Prep School for Cripes sake I mean come on.

 

[stringbean]

So how did this DVD release turn out after all these years? Did the releases simply dry up after season six?


I live in region 2 (UK) land and I'm glad that our first season set retained all the original music. Unlike the US Region 1 set.


I want to get season two here as well and from what I can gather is that even though season two R2 has all the music intact, for some reason, the original opening theme of Rock Around The Clock is not there, being replaced with the familiar Happy Days theme. Strange when you consider that season One has the original.


Like most people, I only want the first couple of seasons so I'll stop there. The show was never a favourite must-have of mine and I think I know why after reading all the reviews and comments online reminding me about how it eventually became the Fonzie Show because that's how I seem to remember it when watching it originally back in the day.

 

[Jack P]

Region 1 did retain the original music for S1. It was S2 that was butchered.

 

[stringbean]

Region 1 did retain the original music for S1. It was S2 that was butchered.

That's not what I read on Amazon comments.

 

[Jack P]

Well I own the set and I can tell you the comments are wrong there. S1 was cleared with all the music and that was the only season for years and when CBS/Paramount finally unstalled it with S2 that was butchered with "Rock Around The Clock"replaced by the Happy Days theme from S3 onward.

 

[stringbean]

Yes,..season 1 has the original title music replaced but season two onwards the sets were musically butchered upsetting many fans and quite understandably. Look at the Fugitive fiasco.

 

[Jack P]

The title music is NOT replaced on Season *1*. I really don't understand why this basic point is becoming hard to grasp. It isn't Season 1 that has replacement issues in Region 1, it's Season *2*, TWO and there are lesser amounts of replacement with subsequent seasons released in R1.

 

[LeoA]

I'm not a Happy Days expert, but I recently went through the region 1 release for season 1 of Happy Days. It sure seemed fully intact to me, just as Jack P says.