On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 5 (Part 1) of Happy Days!
HAPPY DAYS: SEASON FIVE
1977-1978
27 episodes
Season Five is the year where Fonzie infamously jumps the shark. It happens at the beginning of the season and while Happy Days does eventually decline in quality, it is not this season. In fact, this season graded out slightly higher than the previous season even though it doesn't feel as strong. I think that's because there's not a lot of outright stinkers in this season. It's a very solid season with the show continuing to hum along. There are some signs of the troubles to come but it doesn't happen on a regular basis in the fifth season.
Starring
Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham (27 episodes)
Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli (27 episodes)
Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham (27 episodes)
Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham (27 episodes)
Anson Williams as Potsie Webber (27 episodes)
Don Most as Ralph Malph (27 episodes)
Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham (27 episodes)
Scott Baio as Chachi Arcola (23 episodes)
Al Molinaro as Al Delvecchio (24 episodes)
Lynda Goodfriend as Lori Beth Allen (10 episodes)
Suzi Quatro as Leather Tuscadero (5 episodes)
Lorrie Mahaffey as Jennifer Jerome (2 episodes)
Ed Peck as Officer Kirk (1 episode)
Beatrice Colon as Marsha Simms (1 episode)
Fonzie gets discovered by a talent scout at Arnold's and gets a screen test in Hollywood. The Cunninghams and Potsie and Ralph join Fonzie on the trip to California.
The "Hollywood" episodes of Happy Days are infamous for Fonzie's jumping the shark, something that has become synonymous with TV shows going off the rails. The thing that's always bothered me about that expression is this isn't really when Happy Days went south. It did go south but it was several years later so even though Fonzie jumping the shark is ridiculous, it's not a sign of the show falling apart. This hour-long episode (split into two parts for syndication and on DVD) has some good moments and is a fun opportunity to get the cast in a different setting. There are some silly things (the shark jumping of course - which doesn't happen until part three, and the guy who thinks he's Jack Benny). But it's not as bad as the rap it's gotten in the years since. This is also the first appearance by Scott Baio.
RATING: 6.5/10
91. Hollywood Part 3 (9/20/77)
Fonzie is challenged by a local California man to jump over a shark on water skis. Richie gets ready to sign a contract with a Hollywood studio.
Just because I was defensive that Happy Days didn't metaphorically "jump the shark" with this episode doesn't mean I'm defensive about the literal jumping of the shark that happens in this episode. That scene is completely ridiculous and unnecessary. It was so much more about a very popular show trying to have a huge moment as it returned from the summer hiatus. It was also about the writers starting to think they could just put Fonzie in any situation and it would work. The rest of the episode works better with Richie's dilemma about possibly staying in Hollywood. But the shark jumping does knock it down some notches. This wasn't the beginning of the end of Happy Days but it's not a good moment for the show.
RATING: 3/10
92. Hard Cover (9/27/77)
Fonzie takes Richie to the library to pick up college girls and then he tries to not get caught after being in Lori Beth's room past curfew.
Just a couple episodes after meeting Chachi, this episode introduces another character who will be very integral to the series. Lynda Goodfriend does a nice job as Lori Beth and provides Richie with some much needed character growth. This episode is really more about the shenanigans that occur with Richie and the Fonz after curfew though and it is a great madcap episode. The reveal of Ralph and Potsie in the window is a great moment and there's a fun guest turn by Marcia Lewis as the tough headmistress. The only thing that takes it down a bit is the odd Laurel and Hardy bit from Howard and Marion to end the episode.
RATING: 8.5/10
93. My Cousin the Cheat (10/4/77)
Fonzie arranges for Joanie to help tutor Chachi in school but Chachi ends up using the opportunity to cheat on a test.
Although we met Chachi in the season premiere, this is the first episode that really features him and boy does the "wah wah wah" catchphrase get old super quick. As in like the first couple minutes of the episode. The rest of the episode is decent and they do a pretty good job at making Chachi a more full fledged character as the episode goes on. It's interesting that Ralph and Potsie only appear at the very end of this episode. As the show starts to expand its ensemble, they become characters who aren't as essential to every single episode.
RATING: 6/10
Fonzie has to get his tonsills out on Halloween and he has to stay in the children's wing. The Cunninghams get ready for a Halloween party.
This is the first Halloween episode for Happy Days since the iconic "Haunted" one. This one isn't as strong but there are some good moments. It's a little bit of an odd setup that Fonzie has to go in a children's wing but it was clearly a mechanism for them to tell the story they wanted to tell with the young children in the ward. Children in the hospital can often be a breeding ground for bad acting on TV shows (I'm specifically thinking of the Christmas episode of The Donna Reed Show) but all three kids in this episode are strong and that helps it from becoming too sappy.
RATING: 6.5/10
95. The Apartment (11/1/77)
Richie, Potsie and Ralph get an apartment for themselves that Chachi sets them up with.
This is the third time in the series that has some type of plot about Richie wanting to move into his own apartment. This one makes a little more sense now though with Ralph and Potsie involved and all three of them now in college. It's a good opportunity for the show to get back to the original friendship of the series. It has been quite awhile since an episode with those three as the main story. There's also a pretty funny sight gag with Richie walking into Arnold's with his all green outfit (thanks to a laundry mishap).
RATING: 6.5/10
96. Fonzie and Leather Tuscadero Part 1 (11/8/77)
Pinky Tuscadero's young sister, Leather, shows up in Milwaukee after being in juvenile prison and Richie and Fonzie try to persuade others to give her a second chance.
This two-part episode introduces Suzi Quatro as a recurring character. She is a talented performer but she's not a great actress and she seems a whole lot more 70s than 50s even when she does 50s songs. I enjoyed the performance of "All Shook Up" in this episode (especially because it finally put the annoying chant of "go home jailbirds" to rest after way too long). I don't think this really needed to be a two part episode especially so soon after the "Hollywood" episodes. The stakes don't feel important enough to make it stretch over two episodes.
RATING: 5.5/10
97. Fonzie and Leather Tuscadero Part 2 (11/15/77)
After successfully re-starting her career, Leather Tuscadero plans to go on tour and wants to bring Joanie with her as a back-up singer.
The second part of the Leather Tuscadero saga plays a lot like the first part: basically a long commercial for Suzi Quatro's music career. I would argue that this two part episode is more symbolic of Happy Days "jumping the shark" than the actual jump the shark episode. Not that it actually jumps the shark with this episode but it's symbolic of the type of show Happy Days started to become in later years. It was too broad, not rooted at all in the 50s and treating average stories as overly dramatic. Once it finally settled back down a little bit, it was better with the scene between Fonzie, Richie and Joanie. Also, I don't really know why this two-parter had to have Fonzie in the title?
RATING: 5/10
Fonzie gets invited to a country club but snobby socialites who intend on embarrassing him.
Getting average sitcom characters into high society is a sitcom trope that has lasted from Lucy and Ethel to today. It makes sense to put Fonzie in this setting because Fonzie is everything that high society is not. While there are good guest performances by Sam Freed and a young Morgan Fairchild and it effectively gets a little bit cringey when Fonzie gets to the party, I do have one gripe with this episode. I think it demeans Fonzie a little too much early on. Fonzie is a character who generally is well aware of his surroundings and to have him be this oblivious on how to act seems more in service of making jokes than the character.
RATING: 6.5/10
99. Bye Bye Blackball (11/29/77)
Richie, Potsie and Ralph have to engage in increasingly odd activities in order to join a fraternity.
Similar to "The Apartment" and "Hard Cover"episode from earlier in the season, this episode firmly places Richie, Potsie and Ralph in college and that's a good thing. Too many shows have their characters grow up and then try to put them in the same situations they did when they were younger. It's fitting that Richie and the guys would be doing college-specific activities. The episode turns into a controversy between Richie and Ralph/Potsie and it doesn't really tread any new ground but the fresh concept for older characters makes it work for the most part.
RATING: 8/10
100. Requiem for a Malph (12/6/77)
After dating a football player's girl, Ralph ends up having to challenge him in a boxing match.
This is a completely Ralph-centered episode which is nice to see. He's not the type of character I would like to see a lot of episodes about but every once in awhile, it's good to give him the primary story. Don Most is usually up to the challenge. He certainly is here with a great energy and an opportunity for the audience to really root for the character. I'd also like to add that I think this is the right amount of influence from Fonzie. Sometimes the show goes too far with how much Fonzie contributes but not here. I don't love the boxing scenes because I don't care about boxing but I think this is a well-done episode.
RATING: 8/10
After getting a D in journalism class, Richie attempts to expose the sanitation department.
This episode is another one that deals with Richie's journalism career and sort of serves as a sequel to "The Muckrakers" episode from Season Four. It's not as strong as that episode but it's still a good one with a dense plot that goes in a lot of different directions. It's interesting after the Ralph-centric episode before this, how stupid Ralph and Potsie can seem when they're not integral to the plot. They are truly odd in their one and only scene in the episode and that would become a bigger problem for the show over the years and especially for Potsie once Ron Howard and Don Most leave the series. The sight gag of the reveal of Al's silhouette is a great one.
RATING: 7.5/10
102. Grandpa's Visit (12/20/77)
Howard's father visits and finds himself at loose ends with what to do after retirement.
This episode features the legendary Danny Thomas in a role that dominates the entire episode. They very clearly turned things over to Danny for this episode and he did a nice job. He was enjoyable as a disillusioned older man looking for his next act and also charming in the performance at the end of the episode. The rest of the cast seemed a little bit in awe of being around him and, while they weren't bad in the episode, they weren't particularly memorable. This episode was 100% about Danny Thomas and that's ok. He might not be as known today but he was a big name at the time.
RATING: 7/10
103. Potsie Gets Pinned (1/10/78)
Potsie falls quickly for a girl he meets at a kissing booth and asks her to get pinned, but then has second thoughts.
This is another very college-themed episode of Happy Days which, as I mentioned, I appreciate because it shows that the series is willing to go some different places with its stories and doesn't resort to ones they could have told in previous seasons. It's a mostly sweet story and gives Potsie a nice lead in an episode not long after Ralph had his own episode. Unfortunately, the show is leaning hard to into Potsie singing which has gotten increasingly grating. It's not that Anson Williams is a bad singer, but it just grinds every episode to a halt and stops the plot for a super sappy moment.
RATING: 7/10
Tomorrow: The Friday Five - Top 5 TV news stories of the week!
Next Thursday: A look at Season 5 (Part 2) of Happy Days!
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