Happy Days: Season 2 (DVD)
APPROX. 576 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 1974 - MPA RATING: NR
" The writing is is certainly better-than-average, especially delivered with the wide-eyed innocence of these wannabe grownups.
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Most actors would kill (or at least maim) for the chance to star in a long-running, popular sitcom. But two? It boggles the mind.
First Opie, then Richie? Ron Howard was twice-blessed. Just when you thought it would be hard for him to top the eight-year run he had with "The Andy Griffith Show," which finished as the top-rated show its last year, along comes "Happy Days," which lasted eleven seasons and also finished one year as the most-watched show in America. And while "The Andy Griffith Show" was a spin-off of the old "Danny Thomas Show," "Happy Days" spawned "Laverne & Shirley," "Mork & Mindy," and "Joanie Loves Chachi." That might not be the greatest measure of success, but how about the fact that the leather jacket worn by "Happy Days" greaser "Fonzie" is now on display at the Smithsonian, alongside Dorothy's ruby slippers and Archie Bunker's chair?
AAAAYYYYH!
Like "The Andy Griffith Show," "Happy Days" underwent quite a few changes over the years, with characters moving in and out of the picture. The second season is the last you'll see of Richie's older brother, Chuck (this year played by Randolph Roberts with no more panache than his predecessor, Gavan O'Herlihy). But as Richie's good friend Ralph Malph (Donny Most) always says, "When you got it, you got it!" The heart of the show quickly became the relationship between geeky good-guy Richie and his pals and older leather-jacketed drop-out Arthur Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler).
This season, we see signs saying Arnold's Drive-In is under new management, but Arnold (Pat Morita) himself doesn't appear until Season Three. This is the first year we see Fonzie's mini-me nephew, Spike, and the last year we see Bag Zombroski, the leader of a gang called The Demons. It's the year that Potsie Weber (Anson Williams) really starts throwing around his catch phrase, "Got it made in the shade," and the season that spawned several episodes with serious moments involving Fonzie--one, which saw him rescued from a lonely Christmas by the Cunninghams. The show really hit its stride in Season 2, and much of that has to do with the wacky but warm energy of creator Garry Marshall.
Of course, Howard owes a bit to George Lucas too. It was his success in Lucas's "American Graffiti" the year before that led to his "Happy Days" debut. As Richie Cunningham, Howard is a likable Everyboy trying to become an Everyman, with friends who are just as clueless as he. The setting is Milwaukee in the '50s, and at that time there were just three types of high school students: greasers, jocks, and dupers (everybody else, nerds and otherwise). Richie is the latter, and the contrast between his wholesomeness and Fonzie's savvy is but one point of interest. Richie also has a younger sister, Joanie (Erin Moran), to spar with, and parents who are a lot hipper (Tom Bosley, Marion Ross) than most would have been.
What sets this sitcom apart is that it doesn't have an easily recognizable three-act structure. Instead, it feels like a slice of life, with the focus on Richie. We see moments with Richie and his friends, Richie and his parents, Richie and his awkward dating attempts, Richie confronting his fears and insecurities, Richie and his siblings, and Richie and his Obi-wan figure, The Fonz. Mom and Dad may be good with advice related to morals and ideals, but when it came right down to the nitty-gritty, Fonzie was the go-to guy, especially where females were concerned. This season, Fonzie was still a character who hadn't grown into too much of a caricature, and that's frankly one of the best things that can be said about the show that "jumped the shark" when Fonzie water-skied over a shark pen. Fonzie became a phenomenon, but when the "Happy Days" gang started to make him a character t rival Richie, the show lost its charm and central focus.
Like "WKRP in Cincinnati," though, "Happy Days" has had its problems obtaining affordable rights to some of the '50s music that was incorporated into the episodes. Alas, as "WKRP" was forced to do, "Happy Days" is presented with music replacement. But as with "WKRP," the replacement is so skillfully done that you hardly even notice, unless you have a photographic memory. The acting and the characters are still as fun as they were when the show first aired. So enjoy Season 2, when it's still almost as strong a slice-of-life coming-of-age story from week to week as "American Graffiti." The writing is is certainly better-than-average, especially delivered with the wide-eyed innocence of these wannabe grownups.
Potsie: "This girl's got potential. I took her to the drive-in last night and she's still talking to me."
Here's a quick rundown on the 23 episodes, housed on four single-sided discs in a clear plastic keep-case that's the size of a standard DVD case, but which has a center "page" that holds two of the discs. It's a nifty design, actually.
