On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 3 (Part 1) of Happy Days!
HAPPY DAYS: SEASON THREE
1975-1976
24 episodes
The third season of Happy Days kicks off a new era for the show. It is no longer the gentle, nostalgia-drenched sweet sitcom. It is louder and broader with a rambunctious studio audience. The move paid dividends for them as Happy Days started to fly up the ratings charts in its third season. The series is still very firmly set in the 50s with its plots and style but the live studio audience makes a huge difference in the feel of the show. This season graded out a little lower than the second season, but it's a mostly smooth transition.
Starring
Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham (24 episodes)
Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli (24 episodes)
Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham (24 episodes)
Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham (24 episodes)
Anson Williams as Potsie Webber (24 episodes)
Don Most as Ralph Malph (24 episodes)
Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham (23 episodes)
Pat Morita as Arnold Takahashi (14 episodes)
Ed Peck as Officer Kirk (2 episodes)
Beatrice Colen as Marsha Simms (1 episode)
Neil J. Schwartz as Bag Zombrowski (1 episode)
The Cunninghams decide to rent out the room above their garage at the same time Fonzie is looking for a new place to live.
The live audience era of Happy Days begin and the show feels broader from the very beginning. All the actors seem to playing their characters a little bit differently but the most notable ones are Tom Bosley and Henry Winkler. There's also three "sit on it" jokes within the first five minutes. These might sound like knocks on the show but it's really just pointing out the differences. There's a lot that works when Happy Days becomes a broader show, it just takes getting used to after the first two seasons. It was a smart idea to incorporate Fonzie into the family life more and it was probably necessary. The dinner scene in particular shows the comic gold they can get with this new arrangement.
RATING: 8/10
41. The Motorcycle (9/16/75)
Fonzie and the Cunninghams discover his motorcycle completely destroyed and try to figure out who was responsible.
There are some fun elements in this episode as the plot moves along at a nice clip for much of it. It has a nice build of suspense even though we find out pretty early that Ralph is the culprit. Waiting to see Fonzie's reaction and then his attempt at revenge keeps the episode interesting and the scene where the Cunninghams basically put Fonzie in a strait jacket before Ralph comes clean is a pretty funny one. This episode also has one of the best uses of "sit on it" in the entire series.
RATING: 6.5/10
42. Fearless Fonzarelli Part 1 (9/23/75)
Fonzie worries that he's in a slump and decides to perform a stunt with his motorcycle on the TV show "You Wanted to See It."
The first two part episode of Happy Days is the first "Fonzie stunt" episode and the first appearance of Pat Morita as Arnold, a great recurring character. These sorts of episodes became highly mocked (and of course a later one inspired the term "jump the shark") but this one is more grounded and the story is better. I remember watching this episode as a kid and genuinely being in suspense. Obviously Fonzie is not going to die but it leaves itself on a good cliffhanger and it's well done.
RATING: 8.5/10
After successfully performing his motorcycle stunt, Fonzie finds himself injured and needing lots of attention.
The second part of "Fearless Fonzarelli" is not as intriguing as the first as the big cliffhanger is of course resolved within seconds and the show is left with an entire episode to fill and not that much of a plot. The episode gets a little better when Fonzie gets back to the Cunningham house but the recurring joke throughout the episode is basically that Fonzie can't really handle his injury. I don't think Fonzie being a baby about things is ever as good a comic construct as the writers think it is.
RATING: 4.5/10
44. The Other Richie Cunningham (10/7/75)
Howard asks Richie to take out the daughter of a business associate on the same night that Richie already has a hot date so Richie enlists Potsie to fill in for him.
This episode starts with a bunch of sight gags that all are pretty funny as Richie pranks Joanie when he arrives home and then Howard (with a ridiculous hat) and a drunk Marion return. This was a very funny episode all the way through with a great plot that led to a lot of laughs. Richie, Potsie and Ralph were really funny at Arnold's and there was another great family scene when Richie comes home (singing "Blueberry Hill" for the first time). I think this is an underrated episode.
RATING: 9.5/10
45. Richie Fights Back (10/14/75)
After a run-in with some bullies, Richie decides to toughen himself up.
This is well-regarded as a classic Happy Days episode and it's really funny although I don't think it's quite as strong as the previous episode. Highlights include Fonzie putting the bullies (including guest Jeff Conaway) in their place and of course when Richie tries his toughness out on Marion in the morning. Although there are a lot of laughs in this episode, I think the reason I think it might be a bit overrated is the plot is pretty thin. It's basically just Richie being a "tough guy" over and over again and that humor can only go so far. It's still a good episode, just maybe not an all-timer.
RATING: 8/10
After vandalism at the high school, Officer Kirk puts a curfew on all the teenagers in town which upsets Richie, Potsie and Ralph on the night a train carrying Elvis is stopping through Milwaukee.
This is a plot heavy episode that goes a lot of different ways but my only criticism is it doesn't seem to give itself enough time to resolve the plots. There are some really funny moments (particularly when Kirk finds the boys at Arnold's after it closes). But the episode was built up with stories related to the Elvis train and Howard's poohbah election and both those stories are resolved in the matter of a couple lines in the tag scene.
RATING: 6/10
47. Howard's 45th Fiasco (10/28/75)
Howard has a mini midlife crisis on his 45th birthday when he thought he was only turning 43.
This episode is a good showcase for Tom Bosley and the cast doing their version of "You Bet Your Life" is a clever idea even if it doesn't totally work in execution. That part might be the most memorable part of the episode but the actual better scene happens later in the episode when Fonzie and Howard have a heart to heart as Howard hides out at Fonzie's apartment. It's one of the first real sweet scenes between Fonzie and Howard and Happy Days was still good at this point in its run at finding sentimental moments without being too sappy.
RATING: 7.5/10
48. Fonzie the Flatfoot (11/4/75)
Fonzie takes on a temporary role as a policeman to stop his old gang from having a rumble.
This is the first episode that puts Fonzie in a sort of ridiculous position (unless you count the "Fearless Fonzarelli" two-parter). The show became more and more guilty of putting Fonzie into all sorts of odd situations. Fonzie being a temporary cop is one such example and it also makes Fonzie a little too altruistic. This episode doesn't work primarily for that reason but also for how lame the gang members are. They seem far too square to have ever been something Fonzie was part of.
RATING: 2/10
Richie has lost his confidence with girls so Fonzie tries to get it back by setting him up on a double date with Laverne & Shirley.
A famous episode of Happy Days, this is the one that launched Laverne & Shirley and it's a great episode with super strong guest appearances from Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams. Even before we meet Laverne and Shirley, there's a great scene at the supermarket when Fonzie tries to help Richie pick up girls. Penny Marshall is very similar to the character she plays on the spinoff but Cindy Williams' Shirley is played pretty different and is actually a more prominent character. I actually think I like her in this episode more than I like her on her own series. It's a great episode filled with a ton of physical comedy.
RATING: 9.5/10
50. Three on a Porch (11/18/75)
Richie, Potsie and Ralph scheme to find a way to get to Lake Whitefish for Spring Break and then pretend to be businessmen when they get there.
Despite both episodes airing in November, the last episode took place at Valentine's Day and this one is set during Easter Vacation. TV didn't care as much about the calendar year back then. It's a fun setting but it's one of those episodes that is better in concept than execution. Also, though it has a funny final scene with Fonzie, the episode is barely resolved. It's one of those sitcom episodes that just really quickly ties up the action and doesn't really get a satisfactory conclusion to the different plots they explored during the episode.
RATING: 3/10
51. Fonzie's New Friend (11/25/75)
Fonzie finds a new drummer for Richie's band but the fact that he's black leads to prejudice from others.
Although Happy Days is set in the 1950s, this episode has a very distinct 70s flavor in terms of its approach to race relations. It is trying its best and it's not fair to judge it by contemporary standards but it's also rather clunky. A lively guest appearance from Jack Baker as Sticks helps matters as he has some really funny reactions to prejudiced or ignorant behaviors from the other characters. But ultimately it was Happy Days dipping its toes into a Norman Lear show plot and that really doesn't work at all with this show.
RATING: 5/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV news stories of the week!
Next Thursday: A look at Season Three (Part 2) of Happy Days!
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