Happy Days is a classic and dearly beloved sitcom that first ran on ABC on January 15th, 1974, and ran for a total of eleven seasons until it eventually ended on September 24th, 1984. The show followed the Cunningham family, who lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin during the 1950s and, later, the 1960s.
The show starts as a moderate success, but after ratings begin to drop in the second season, the writers prompt to shift the focus to other characters and bring in more elements of comedy. This revitalized the interest of their American audience, and before long, Happy Days was all but integral to American life. Between 1967 and 1977, Happy Days was the single most popular sitcom in the country.
Happy Days
The show featured a rich cast of characters, some of the most popular including Richard Cummingham, Fonzie, Chachi, Joanie, and Ralph Malph. They had amazing chemistry on screen, which is surely part of the reason the show was so incredibly successful. Of course, the writing was excellently done, but even shows with the best writers can fail due to a poor cast.
Unsurprisingly, after spending hours together filming the show, the cast of Happy Days developed an unshakeable bond with one another. Over time, they learned and grew together, and also learned more about each other and themselves. Today, many of the original cast members of Happy Days are still close friends who keep in touch regularly.
The cast members went on to pursue very different things in life. While some continued to act throughout their lives, others followed different career paths such as directing, music, business, and more! Even though not all of these cast members remained actors well after the conclusion of Happy Days, they all shared the same experiences while on the set of that beloved sitcom.
The Tight-Knit
Today, many of the cast members still reunite for various projects, or to simply catch up with one another. For the most part, they get along quite well. Unfortunately, however, there are a few differences that they still can’t settle.
In today’s video, we’re going to take a look at the members of the cast of Happy Days, including where they are now and how they still manage to get along after all these years. We’re also going to look at some of the personal feuds these actors dealt with. Make sure you stick around, because we’re going to reveal how the actors who played the beloved roles of Chachi and Ralph Malph sparked a political feud!
It’s impressive how the cast of Happy Days has managed to remain so tight-knit after all this time. Still, it’s impossible to avoid all forms of tension and anger towards one another. Were you more surprised to learn that Henry Winkler and Ron Howard were able to remain close friends despite some filming tension, or that Scott Baio and Don Most sparked a bitter political feud? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to subscribe to Facts Verse for more!
Marion Ross Had a Difficult Time Connecting with Tom Bosley
Marion Ross played Marion Cunningham, the dear mother of the Cunningham family. However, she once confessed in an interview that she initially had trouble warming up to the role. Marion Ross was already an accomplished actress before she appeared on Happy Days, having landed roles in films like The Glenn Miller Story, Sabrina, and Teacher’s Pet. However, her role as Marion was quite small to begin with, and many of her lines were quite generic.
As a result, she had a difficult time finding her character, and had even more difficulty making a connection with Tom Bosley, who played her on screen husband, Howard Cunningham. While the two were polite with one another, it took a while to warm up, and she even admitted that they didn’t get along “for a couple of years.” After she fell into her role better, however, Ross and Bosley finally clicked as partners, and developed a close friendship with one another.
Don Most and Scott Baio Sparked a Political Feud
Many of the cast members of Happy Days remained very close with one another, and a lot of this is probably due to their similarities in political view. Recently, cast members Don Most, Henry Winkler, Anson Williams, and Marion Ross all got together to run a Democratic fundraiser in Wisconsin, where they supported the presidential candidate Joe Biden. However, not every cast member was thrilled about the idea.
Scott Baio, who played the role of Chachi, did not show up to the fundraiser. In an interview, Don Most explained that he wasn’t surprised Baio wanted nothing to do with the fundraiser, but was sympathetic, explaining that he didn’t expect him to show up based on his political differences. Scott Baio became heated, however, and expressed the strong opinion that “Entertainment shouldn’t be political.” The two had some terse words to share with one another, and it seems that while most of the cast members were able to retain close bonds with one another, Don Most and Scott Baio likely won’t be friendly to each other anytime soon.
Henry Winkler and Marion Ross Had a Special Relationship
Henry Winkler and Marion Ross, who played Fonzie and Marion Cunnighman respectively, had a very special friendship outside of the filming of Happy Days. The two were famously good friends while on the set of the sitcom, and remained so long after the show ended. Some speculate that this close relationship may be because Winkler’s character, Fonzie, was the only one allowed to call Marion Cunningham by her first name.
The Cast Supported Henry Winkler Through a Series of Struggles
As a young boy, Henry Winkler suffered from dyslexia, which caused him to have difficulty in school. Far from being supportive, however, his parents were verbally abusive. Still, Winkler persevered, and finally accomplished his dream of being an actor. Still, his struggles weren’t over. He found that his dyslexia made it difficult to memorize lines. As a result, he would often improvise instead. Thankfully, his fellow cast members were there to support him, and were far kinder than his parents had ever been.
Despite all the support the cast offered Henry Winkler, however, there was still the chance for his relationship with one of his cast members to turn sour. Make sure you stick around until the very end of the video, because we’re going to reveal how Henry Winkler and Ron Howard nearly became bitter rivals! And if you’re enjoying this video so far, please take a moment to like this video, and don’t forget to subscribe to Facts Verse for more!
Pinky Tuscadero Was Cut From the Cast Due to Her Abrasive Personality
The actor Roz Kelly portrayed the character of Pinky Tuscadero, who was originally intended to be the love interest of Fonzie. However, before long, her fellow cast members began complaining that they didn’t particularly get along with her. The biggest problem came when Henry Winkler, who was supposed to spend the largest amount of screen time with Roz Kelly, explained that he did not get along with her. Knowing how important chemistry was to any show, the writers quickly cut Roz Kelly from Happy Days entirely.
The Cast Formed a Softball Team
One way the actors were to spend close, quality time with one another was through softball. This was the perfect outlet for the cast members to learn teamwork, and many of the actors on the show were naturally athletic. The team even flew all over the world just to play other people, including the U.S. Marines in Okinawa and the U.S. Third Infantry in Germany. They didn’t just play softball for fun, though; the team also played other teams to raise money for various charities. Actor Marion Ross insisted that the reason the cast was able to remain so close through all those years was due largely in part to their softball team.
Henry Winkler and Ron Howard Crossed Paths During a Second Sitcom
While Henry Winkler and Ron Howard met each other on the cast of Happy Days, the two were able to work together once more during the filming of the popular sitcom Arrested Development. Ron Howard played the narrator of the show, and also appeared in several episodes. Meanwhile, Winkler appeared for a short time as Barry Zuckerhorn. Winkler and Howard already knew each other’s acting styles well, and they collaborated frequently on the set of Arrested Development.
The close relationship between these two is even more surprising when you learn how easily the two could have become rivals.
Henry Winkler and Ron Howard Could Have Been Rivals
Ron Howard played the role of Ron Cunningham, who was originally meant to be the lead character of Happy Days. However, over time, Henry Winkler’s portrayal of Fonzie grew so popular among audience members that he became increasingly prominent on the show. This could have easily led to tensions between Howard and Winkler, because Howard could have interpreted Winkler’s actions as being an attempt to upstage him. The two did not allow this potential rivalry get in the way of their close bond. They were able to put aside their feelings and remain close friends through it all.
