Happy Days Season 3 DVD Review
Posted by Ryan Byers on 01.01.2008
It's 2007, and I'm reviewing a show which aired in 1975 despite depicting 1955. Does that mean I'm flashing back to a flashback?
Long before any of its main characters started using water skis to jump over sharks, Happy Days was one of the most popular and best received sitcoms of the 1970's. Though it struggled a little bit to find its identity in seasons one and two, by season three the series had all of the elements in place that would make it a well remembered piece of American pop culture for several decades to come. Gone was the Cunningham family's seemingly superfluous oldest son Chuck, the family's house received a new layout, and the final conversion was made from a one camera to a three camera shoot. Of course, the most notable change was Arthur Fonzarelli becoming the focus of the show. Despite being originally intended as a peripheral character, the extreme popularity of the Fonz resulted in writers greatly expanding his role.
Once these changes were made, Happy Days transformed in to the series that it is largely remembered as in the twenty-first century. Let us now take a look at the first episodes of the show's best-recalled years.
Fonzie Moves In: As previously mentioned, the Fonz was clearly established as the biggest draw of Happy Days by this point in its history. This episode creates an opportunity for him to be featured on the show even more, as financial difficulties lead to the Cunninghams renting out the room above their garage. Fonzie decides to take the spot, and by the end of the episode it's clear that he's going to be hanging around for a while.
The Motorcycle: The Fonz's first couple of weeks with the Cunninghams don't exactly go well, as somebody destroys his motorcycle during the middle of the night, breaking the bike in to hundreds of pieces and spreading them throughout the front yard. How nobody heard such a commotion as it was going on is beyond me, but we'll accept that for the purposes of moving the episode along. The culprit is ultimately revealed to be Ralph Malph, who inadvertently drove over the vehicle. He contemplates leaving town to avoid death by Fonz, but at the end of the day the Cunninghams come to the rescue and tie young Arthur to a chair until he cools off and agrees not to kill anybody. What pals.
Fearless Fonzarelli (Part 1): Feeling that he's losing his "cool," Fonz decides to get it back by going on national television and breaking a world record that will see him jump over fourteen trash cans on his motorcycle. Though the draw at the time was Fonzie's feat of daring-do, I have to say that the highlight thirty years later is Pat Morita's character Arnold, who is hilarious in his efforts to get as many plugs for his fried chicken stand as possible in to the TV program.
Fearless Fonzarelli (Part 2): Part 1 left us with Fonzie in mid-air as he attempted the jump. He clears the cans in the opening seconds of Part 2, but he loses his balance on the landing and destroys most of Arnold's chicken inventory. He also does a number on some of the cartilage in his knee, requiring surgery. As a result, he's laid out on the Cunninghams' couch for quite some time, and it's revealed that he's staying there for longer than he should for fear of visibly showing signs of pain. That would be uncool, you see. Ultimately, Richie lures him off of the davenport with women, which I hope you all saw coming. If you didn't, I'm assuming that you've never actually watched this show before.
The Other Richie Cunningham: This is one of the better episodes of the third season, as Howard wants Richie to take out the daughter of a potential business partner in order to seal a deal. Because Richie already has a date for the evening lined up, he implements a Fonz-constructed plan in which Potsie will pose as Richie and go on the set up date. Unfortunately, mass confusion erupts which Riche comes home to a ticked off Mr. C, who received a call from the girl's father, letting him know that "Richie" was a little too fresh. This results in Howard being let in on the dishonest events surrounding the date, though the gangs' lies and exasperation wind up being for naught when it turns out that the girl's father was apparently not being truthful about his business' potential.
Richie Fights Back: Richie is harassed by a pair of bullies at Arnold's, and he's tried of having the Fonz fight his battles. This results in the lad seeking out advice from anybody who will give it. Howard tries to impart some of his Army training to his son, Arnold attempts to school the boy in jujitsu, and Fonzie lets him know that perception may just be reality. Ultimately, Richie finds his own technique for running off the ne'er-do-wells, as he flips out and leaves them with the impression that he is far too mentally unbalanced to fight.
Jailhouse Rock: Richie and the gang are ticked off by a new curfew in the neighborhood, so they decide to violate it and then challenge the policy in court. They want Howard on board to add some legitimacy to their protest, but he refuses due to a fear that being involved in such a scene will cost him an upcoming lodge election. However, through an unfortunate turn of events, the boys and Howard all wind up in the clink. Eventually Mr. C admits that he should have been in his son's corner all along, and we're left with a warm, fuzzy feeling in our hearts. The odd thing is that we never actually learn whether the effort to have the curfew repealed succeeded, and I thought that plot point was more important to the episode than the development of the father/son relationship.
Howard's 45th Fiasco: Though he realizes it a few hours after everybody else does, Howard is turning forty-five. This leads to him having what is now popularly referred to as a "mid-life crisis," in which he feels that he's accomplished next to nothing. His family tries to help him out of this slump, but they actually wind up making things worse by hosting a mock version of This is Your Life. I don't have proof to confirm this, but I believe that this was the start of Howard's mental breakdown which saw him leave Milwaukee and adopt an assumed name before becoming a sheriff in Cabot Cove, Maine.
Fonzie the Flatfoot: The local police come to the Fonz with a proposition. They want him to become an honorary member of the force so that he can stop a rumble between two rival gangs, one of which is comprised of his old running buddies. Fonzie resists becoming an authority figure at first, but, when he learns that he's going to have an opportunity to ride a police motorcycle, he's all for it. Ultimately the rumble is prevented, though it's not before a bit of a swerve that temporarily leaves fans believing that Fonz may revert to some of his old ways.
A Date with Fonzie: This is perhaps one of the most historically significant episodes of Happy Days, as the characters Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney are introduced. Of course, they would eventually be spun off in to the series Laverne and Shirley. However, this is more than just a historical footnote. It's a hilarious episode of the show in its own right, perhaps one of the best of the entire series. The plot focuses on Fonz attempting to end Richie's recent "dry spell" with women by taking him on a double date with Laverne and Shirley. Of course, things do not go as planned. The two new characters fight with each other repeatedly, and Richie finds himself in a position that looks rather compromising when his parents return to the house a bit early. The final sequence with Shirley and Richie features some absolutely beautiful physical comedy which may justify the purchase price of the DVD set on its own.
Three on a Porch: It's spring break, so Richie, Potsie, and Ralph decide to rent a cabin in an area that they know is frequented by attractive college coeds. Once they arrive, they realize that they've only rented the cabin's porch, but the three young ladies who have taken up residence inside the building get them to stay. For reasons that I don't quite understand, they pretend to be foreigners as a part of their efforts to woo the ladies. This results in a handful of jokes that probably wouldn't make it past network standards and practices today. Ultimately the boys' cover is blown by the Fonz, putting an end to an episode that was unremarkable aside from our heroes' "foreign language" rendition of "Rock Around the Clock."
Fonzie's New Friend: Richie is hosting a party at Casa de Cunningham, but for it to go off well he needs somebody to play drums in the boys' band. Fonzie has just the man for the job, a fellow named Sticks Downey. Sticks has just moved in to town, and the gang thinks he's pretty cool. Unfortunately, the rest of the teens in the neighborhood refuse to attend the party because Sticks is black. It was certainly interesting to watch this episode in 2007. First of all, it featured some racial terms that, though acceptable in the show's setting of the 1950's, would not be considered acceptable today and were probably not acceptable when the episode first aired in the 1970's. I have no problem with using period appropriate language in what is essentially a period piece, but I found myself wondering if networks would allow the same words to be used if Happy Days were being produced in the twenty-first century. It's also worth noting that, from what I've read about the series, Sticks was originally intended to be a regular (or at the very least recurring) character, though he didn't catch on and only lasted a handful of episodes. I wonder if he would have made it longer if there had not been so much emphasis placed on his race in his first appearance. The manner in which the character was written made him seem more like a tool the writers used to force through an "issue" they wanted to tackle than it did a well-rounded character who was going to be involved in the show for the long haul.
They Call It Potsie Love: Joanie loves . . . Potsie? Yes, in this crazy, pre-Chachi world, the youngest Cunningham has developed a crush on Mr. Warren Webber. This results in her leaving a series of mysterious love notes which lead Potsie to a secret rendevous with his admirer at Arnold's. (Where else?) Though he's often portrayed as a goofball, he actually does a rather good job of letting her down easily. On the whole, this episode the perfect example of how to take a usually ancillary character and feature/develop her without the plot feeling too forced.
Tell It to the Marines: First Richie was striking out with the ladies, and now it's Ralph. His response to the situation is a bit more drastic, though, as he decides he's going to enlist in the Marines at Fonzie's urging. Everybody but the Fonz thinks that this is an awful idea, including Ralph's father, who refuses to sign off on his son joining the military. Because of that, Ralph contemplates running off to Chicago to do the deed, and the Fonz is left with the responsibility of talking him out of the scheme. This leads to a somewhat well-remembered scene in which our leather-clad hero is physically incapable of admitting that he was wrong, although from a humor standpoint I far preferred the show's closing moments, which featured Ralph falling for a girl in Groucho marks glasses while wearing the same. That was a hilarious scene, though I'm disappointed that the writers didn't think of doing a spot in which the two attempted to kiss only for it to be blocked by their ridiculously large rubber noses.
Dance Contest: Howard was feeling unfulfilled earlier in the season It's only fitting that Marion gets a turn in the same role. She proposes to resolve this problem through entering a television station's dance contest, though Howard refuses to act as her partner. Thus, she does what every character on this show does when she's presented with a problem: She turns to Fonzie. The Fonz agrees to be her partner, although he's not a regular dancer and needs a little bit of practice. The two meet regularly at Arnold's and at the auto repair shop Fonzie works at, which leaves Howard under the impression that they are having an affair. Ultimately, he follows them to the television studio to break up the "relationship," though the truth is revealed rather quickly. We also get to see the rather nice tango performed by the Fonz and Mrs. C.
Fonzie the Salesman: A wealthy gentleman with no understanding of cars buys the garage that employs Fonzie, and Fonz quits after a dispute about the direction of the business. He tries out a multitude of different jobs to fill the void, and the one that gets the most play is his stint as an encyclopedia salesman. (Now there's a job that the internet has rendered completely meaningless.) The episode also alluded to Fonzie spending some time as an ice cream man, which quite frankly I think would have made for far more entertaining television than the book selling gimmick. Ultimately, Fonz does return to the garage, using a combination of his talent and the new owner's desperation to leverage himself in to a position in which he has complete control over the business' operation.
Football Frolics: There is surprisingly little football in this episode given the title. The plot actually revolves around the gang's efforts to get money to buy football tickets for an upcoming Bears game. I'm no NFL historian, but I guess that the rampant Bears fandom in Milwaukee in the episode means that Green Bay Packers hadn't quite come along yet. Ultimately they turn to babysitting, hosting a camp of unruly rugrats at Casa de Cunningham. It was at this point I realized that Potsie, Ralph Malph, and Richie are almost completely incapable of handling any real world situation on their own, as the children run all over them until Fonz makes the save. This episode also featured the return of Fonzie's nephew (or more accurately his cousin, as explained in a later episode) Spike. Spike was originally supposed to fill the role that went to Chachi in later seasons, though he didn't connect with fans for whatever reason and was ultimately replaced with Scott Baio's character.
Fonzie the Superstar: Richie's band has a big gig lined up at Arnold's, but they run in to some problems when Potsie is forced to go out of town. To save his payoff, Richie promises Arnold that Fonz will fill in for Mr. Webber, although he doesn't get young Arthur's approval first. The majority of the episode is then spent convincing Fonzie to accept the job and then getting him to rehearse. He has uncharacteristic cold feet about both of these tasks, though he comes through in the end and gets a great reaction from the crowd despite the fact that he's really no good.
Two Angry Men: This week, Fonzie's wacky hobby is raising pigeons, and, to facilitate this goal, he pays Ralph and Potsie to build a coop on the roof of the Cunninghams' garage. When the cumulative weight of the coop and snow piled on to the building cause the roof to cave in, Howard and the Fonz are at each other's throats. Mr. C thinks that Fonz should pay for the repairs, while Fonzie thinks that Howard should take care of his living expenses while his apartment is damaged. This results in the Fonz filing a lawsuit against his landlord and Howard countersuing, and we get ourselves a good, old fashioned television courtroom showdown. Judge Judy is sadly not presiding. Of course, any semblance of actual law is thrown out the window in order to make sure that the hearing is as amusing as possible. Though Howard wins, he ultimate decides to split the cost of the repairs with Fonzie.
Beauty Contest: Once again, the focus of the episode is the boys' efforts to get themselves some sweet Milwaukee lovin'. Fonz tells them to host and judge a beauty contest at Arnold's, at which point the contestants will pay them all sorts of attention in order to get the win. Fonz further suggests that, in order to attract primo contestants, they should offer phenomenal prizes but rig the contest so that a ringer wins and doesn't actually claim her winnings. I'm sure anybody who has watched television for more than three months cans ee where this one is going. Of course, the ringer no shows the contest, leaving the boys to declare a legitimate winner. They attempt to determine which girl would be least angered by the prizes not coming through, but one contestant dupes them by giving an "unselfish" answer for the sole purpose of victory. When the prizes are revealed as fakes, she and the contests' observers riot, though Fonz intervenes and tells everybody that the prize has been changed to a month's worth of dates with him. This pacifies the angry girl. I don't know why that wasn't the prize from the beginning, honestly.
Bringing Up Spike: Yes, it's more Spike action, as he is left with the Fonz for a week while his parents are out of town. Fonzie's somewhat lax parenting skills come back to bite him, though, as Spike and two other delinquents are caught robbing Arnold's. Ultimately, Fonz (after a pep talk from Howard) does manage to explain to Spike why his actions were wrong. The big moment here was supposed to be Fonzie's transition from rebel to authority figure, but the fact that he'd already undertaken several "establishment" actions earlier in the season while still maintaining his cool lessened the impact quite a bit.
Sight for Sore Eyes: Fonz has had to do a lot of reading as he attempts to add foreign automobiles to his mechanical repertoire, though it's not because our favorite grease monkey is semi-literate. It's because he's having problems with his vision as he gets older, and he needs to get glasses. Fonzie initially denies this fact, but a motorcycle accident that sees him driving in to Lake Michigan changes his mind. Fonz even dons his reading glasses in public, letting all of the kids know that spectacles can be cool. Though most episodes of Happy Days come off as entertainment that can be enjoyed by viewers of almost every age, this one felt far too much like something out of a children's show.
Arnold's Wedding: Ahhh, for the simpler days when a season finale didn't have to be a cliffhanger or an episode in which five thousand major plot points came to a head. The last episode of season three is in fact just another episode, as Arnold gets hitched. The marriage was arranged by the bride and groom's families, though, unlike in most television arranged marriages, the couple has had the opportunity to interact for a while prior to the ceremony and has fallen in love. Unfortunately, there is some miscommunication when the bride lands in the United States, as she fears that her traditional Japanese roots will inhibit Arnold's business. Once that is cleared up, we've got problems with the Fonz, who is the best man but has difficulty bringing himself to wear his ceremonial kimono for the nuptials. When he does finally put it on, it's only over his regular outfit. For somebody who's supposedly so cool, this guy can be a real baby.
The Happy Days Second Anniversary Show: The DVD packaging lists this as a bonus feature, though every resource I've checked online indicates that it was actually a third season episode. If it is an episode, it's certainly the least notable of the lot, as it's your typical sitcom clip show. Almost all of the clips are from the first half of season three, though there are also a couple of scenes from seasons one and two. The video quality on this episode is also significantly worse than the rest of the DVD set, which I would imagine is due to the original source material not being tended to as well as more important episodes.
The 411: Though it would probably be considered too "squeaky clean" to fly on television today, the humor present in the third season of Happy Days still holds up well over thirty years after it was originally written. The series lacks the biting social commentary of its contemporary All in the Family and doesn't have the same witty writing as its contemporary The Mary Tyler Moore Show. However, what Happy Day does have is a set of genuinely likeable characters dealing with situations to which anybody who has ever been an adolescent can relate. That, combined with some legitimately amusing comedy, makes the third season of the show an excellent way to kill a couple of afternoons.
