In the '70s, when everyone was looking back with nostalgia, the decade everyone fell in love with was the '50s. Broadway was rocking with Grease, theaters were packed with American Graffiti, and television sets were glowing with Happy Days. It was a time when everything about the '50s seemed to have this magnetic charm.
Enter the Cunninghams: The Heart of Happy Days
Created by the legendary Garry Marshall, Happy Days was set in Milwaukee and introduced us to Richie Cunningham, the all-American high schooler, his loving family, and his tight-knit group of friends. Marion Ross, who played the beloved Mrs. Cunningham, shared her thoughts with Closer. "For years, fans have written to me, saying how much they wished they had a family like ours," the 95-year-old actress reminisces. "What people might not know is that off-screen, we were just as much a family as we were on-screen."
Before Happy Days: The Pilot That Almost Was
Before Happy Days, Marion, Ron Howard, and Anson Williams were already working together in a pilot called "Love and the Television Set." It was a segment on Love, American Style, set in the '50s. Anson recalls, "I was in awe of Ron because he was already a star." Coming from his childhood days on The Andy Griffith Show, Ron had mixed feelings about committing to another TV series. He admits, "I had a draft number that I didn’t want to deal with. I didn’t want to go to Vietnam, and I wasn’t about to head to Canada." The pilot didn’t sell, and a few months later, the draft was abolished, giving Ron a break he didn’t expect.
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A New Beginning: The Audition Process
After the success of American Graffiti, ABC decided to rework the '50s-set pilot. Ron and Anson were back for screen tests, but they had some serious competition. Robbie Benson auditioned for the Richie role, and Don Most tried out for Potsie Weber. Don, who was just 20 at the time, remembers the audition process as "a very long, emotionally draining day." In the end, Garry kept Ron as Richie and Anson as Potsie, but he liked Don so much that he created the role of loudmouth Ralph Malph just for him.
Fonzie Enters the Scene
By the time Henry Winkler auditioned for Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, the cast was pretty much set. Henry recalls, "I moved to L.A. in 1973, and two weeks later, I was at Paramount Studios for an audition. I was nervous, with hair down to my shoulders and sweat patches everywhere. I walked in, said six lines, and somehow, I got the part."
But Happy Days didn’t become an instant hit. In the second season, the show was retooled. Chuck, Richie’s basketball-playing older brother, was written out, the comedy got broader, and Fonzie became a main character. Anson remembers, "We were almost canceled after a year and a half. That’s when they decided to change the tone of the show. We had no idea that Fonzie would become such a breakout character."
Henry, who wasn’t allowed to wear a leather jacket in the first season, brought his own unique flair to the role. "Being cool in puce was no joke," he jokes about Fonzie’s original cotton jacket. He avoided greaser stereotypes, like cigarette packs tucked in shirt sleeves and combing his pompadour in a mirror. "I walked up, held up my comb, then said, 'Heeeey… that’s perfect, I don’t need to comb,'" Henry recalls. "That moment defined the Fonz. I got the 'heeeey' and the 'whoaaa' from my favorite sport at the time: horse riding."
The Impact of Fame
By 1976, Happy Days was the No. 1 show on TV. "There’s no way it wouldn’t change your life," says Don. "We couldn’t go anywhere without being recognized. At first, it’s thrilling, but then you realize it’s 24/7. It’s not like you can flip a switch and turn it off."
Teamwork and Camaraderie
Garry Marshall’s emphasis on camaraderie kept the cast united. They spent hours together on set and even played on a Happy Days softball team. "Garry thought it was very important for the Happy Days guys to become a team," explains Anson. Henry, who had never played ball before, eventually became a pretty good pitcher thanks to Ron and Anson’s support.
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Ron, who had been famous since he was 6, helped his co-stars navigate fame with his level-headedness. "Ron was so mature, so professional, and had such a lack of ego that we kind of followed his lead," admits Anson. Henry also kept his ego in check despite Fonzie’s popularity. "When Henry could own half the lot, he said, 'Nope
