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Happy Days on DVD: Season 1 Season 2 Season 3 Season 4
"Happy Days" The Fourth Season DVD Review
In Season 3, after experiencing a sophomore slump that probably had more to do with CBS' Tuesday night programming than anything else, "Happy Days" returned to the types of ratings numbers it earned in its shortened first season. One needn't hear the boisterous studio audience's response to "Happy Days" to recognize its abundant appeal. This Garry Marshall-created 1970s ABC sitcom had something for everyone with its depiction of a middle class, middle American family of the late 1950s. Teens of either gender could relate with or at least appreciate the comedic adventures of the focal adolescent males. So could their pre-Baby Boom parents, who would have been around the same age as the young protagonists in the period portrayed and now fell into the same age bracket as the prominently featured Cunningham parents. For younger children permitted to tune in at 8:00 Eastern/Pacific on a school night, the idyllic proceedings must have seemed especially cool and accessible. Grandparents and those old enough to be them may also have found more to like here than in other popular shows of the time, having raised their own spawn in the celebrated era.
Warm, nostalgic, and ceaselessly entertaining, "Happy Days" continues in its fourth season (1976-77) to focus on Milwaukee's Cunningham family and their small circle of friends. As portrayed by top-billed Ron Howard (who grew up on "The Andy Griffith Show"), polite All-American boy Richie Cunningham remains the heart and logical center of the show. Fonzie is truly one of television's all-time most fascinating characters. (Bravo named him fourth in a 100 greatest characters Thanksgiving 2004 countdown.) Surely, no fictional creation embodies "cool" quite as wholeheartedly. A protector of his friends and his own image, the Fonz is a threatening, influential hero. Living out some male fantasy without a hint of immaturity, he beckons a new girl or two or six at every snap of the fingers. Making polygamy as endearing as it can be with the Aloha Pussycats and no shortage of other comely love interests, Fonzie can delight audiences with his mere appearance or the utterance of his signature syllable. If aliens come to our planet at some point, Fonz is probably their best bet at a rich small screen subject worth studying.
There's more than just Richie's horse sense and the Fonz's savoir-faire. The two are regularly joined by parentally underloved musician "Potsie" Weber (Anson Williams) and redheaded comedian of the group Ralph Malph (Donny Most). Though they stand chiefly as comic relief, these two characters have enough substance and hints of soul to justify their ample screentime.
In the Cunningham living room, which along with hamburger hangout Arnold's is one of the show's two favorite settings, our attentions often turn to Richie's parents. The father, Howard (Tom Bosley), is increasingly the subject of fat jokes this season. His standing in the fez-wearing Leopard Lodge seems to matter more to him than his career as a hardware shop owner. Housewife Marion (Marion Ross) has neither a social outlet nor a paying job to define her, but she's so at home with the kids and family you hardly notice. The parents are there primarily to provide guidance and to underscore the generation gap. They achieve both without being too fuddy-duddy, broad, or square, thanks in no small part to the natural, comfortable delivery of their actors. Howard especially reveals himself to be overprotective of their younger teenage daughter Joanie (Erin Moran), who's eager to grow up and evidently influenced by the unseen Jenny Piccalo.
Joining the cast in Season 4 is Alfred (Al Molinaro), an agreeable, large-nosed, Italian-American restaurateur who takes over Arnold's. The character replaces the diner's Chinese-Japanese namesake (The Karate Kid's Pat Morita), who makes one guest appearance here and would return again as a recurring character in Season 10.
The fourth season opens with a 3-part story that claimed 90 minutes of airtime during the show's first two weeks of episodes in the fall of 1976. The arc introduces Pinky Tuscadero (Roz Kelly), a serious love interest to Fonzie who shares his tough attitude and sense of adventure. Though she would vanish along with a broken engagement, her male counterpart stays in the spotlight throughout. Even Richie, Potsie, and Ralph's graduation from Jefferson High School becomes about Fonzie when he secretly plots to earn his diploma alongside them. This two-part graduation occurs pre-St. Patrick's Day for apparently no reason other than to correspond with February sweeps.
Season 4 is not too concerned with period accuracy, although it does throw out the occasional reference. Sex talk increases, though true to a wholesomeness at least retrospectively perceived, this rarely exceeds mere suggestion. Throughout the year, "Happy Days" flirts with corniness, a fact that everyone involved with it seems aware of. And yet, it always avoids crossing a line. It may be sentimental or contrived at times, but never here does it give reason for our support to waver. Were a present-day show to take a page from the "Happy Days" playbook, I think it'd probably rub many folks the wrong way, myself included. Whether it's this show's sincerity or the three decades that have passed since the season's debut, it always manages to remain likeable and effervescent.
In contrast to past "Happy Days" releases and most Paramount/CBS' complete sitcom season DVDs, this Fourth Season pushes compression by fitting the ten hours of content onto just three discs. With no evident downside to that decision, why not? Unfortunately, it hasn't contributed to a lower list price. With a suggested tag of $40.99, Paramount's The Fourth Season set is not only a little more expensive than Seasons 1-3 initially were, it's also pricier than just about any half-hour show not carrying the HBO or BBC logo.
On the plus side, music appears not to have been replaced here. The usual package claim about music substitution is nowhere to be found from the commendably-open Paramount. The case does, however, state that "Some episodes may be edited from their original network versions." If they are, there's no evidence of it and runtimes consistently wind up in the neighborhood of 25½ minutes. Though 1950s songs reportedly featured most in the show's laugh-track-free first two seasons, there are a number of familiar melodies noticeably cleared here. Some are prerecorded, others are performed by band lead singer Anson Williams. Among the tunes heard: "(You've Got) Personality", "Splish Splash", "Sh-Boom", "All I Have to Do is Dream", "Yakety Yak", "Que Sera, Sera", "Bye Bye Love", "I'm Walkin'", "Mona Lisa", and, Richie's recurring anthem of exuberance, "Blueberry Hill."
Synopses of the DVD's episodes follow. As usual, a star () denotes my ten favorite episodes from the season.
Disc 1
1. Fonzie Loves Pinky (Parts 1 & 2) (47:18) (Originally aired September 21, 1976)
2. Fonzie Loves Pinky (Part 3) (25:34) (Originally aired September 28, 1976)
3. A Mind of Their Own (25:33) (Originally aired October 5, 1976)
4. Fonzie the Father (25:03) (Originally aired October 19, 1976)
5. Fonzie's Hero (25:34) (Originally aired October 26, 1976)
6. A Place of His Own (25:34) (Originally aired November 9, 1976)
7. They Shoot Fonzies, Don't They? (25:32) (Originally aired November 16, 1976)
Disc 2
8. The Muckrakers (25:33) (Originally aired November 23, 1976)
9. A.K.A. The Fonz (25:33) (Originally aired November 30, 1976)
10. Richie Branches Out (25:33) (Originally aired December 7, 1976)
11. Fonzie's Old Lady (25:33) (Originally aired January 4, 1977)
12. Time Capsule (25:36) (Originally aired January 11, 1977)
13. The Book of Records (25:32) (Originally aired January 18, 1977)
14. A Shot in the Dark (25:35) (Originally aired January 25, 1977)
15. Marion Rebels (25:35) (Originally aired February 1, 1977)
Disc 3
16. The Graduation (Part 1) (25:34) (Originally aired February 8, 1977)
17. The Graduation (Part 2) (25:34) (Originally aired February 15, 1977)
18. The Physical (25:34) (Originally aired February 22, 1977)
19. Joanie's Weird Boyfriend (25:34) (Originally aired March 1, 1977)
20. Fonz-How, Inc. (25:24) (Originally aired March 8, 1977)
21. Spunky Come Home (25:36) (Originally aired March 15, 1977)
22. Last of the Big Time Malphs (25:32) (Originally aired March 22, 1977)
23. Fonzie's Baptism (25:26) (Originally aired March 29, 1977)
VIDEO and AUDIO
"Happy Days" is naturally presented in 1.33:1 fullscreen. The picture quality is pretty good, but it's not entirely pleasing. Some scenes really don't look so hot. You'll notice a digital artifact from time to time and certain moments look rather grainy (typically, establishing shots, location ones, and certain close-ups). I have no doubt that more extensive and expensive efforts would yield some improvement. But on the whole, this feels like a clear upgrade from the last set.
The two-channel Mono soundtrack is pretty good as well. There is vitality to the music and though the dialogue always shows signs of age, it is always easily discernible, even when it's been awkwardly looped. That makes the studio's usual lack of English subtitles a little easier to forgive.
BONUS FEATURES, MENUS and PACKAGING
As on the previous season's DVD, the only designated special feature is the year's anniversary show. "The Third Anniversary Show" (24:33) celebrates Howard and Marion's 20th wedding anniversary. Dialogue during the secret preparations and the surprise party itself cue clips from the first three and a half seasons of "Happy Days." It's disappointing that more isn't done for a sitcom of this stature. Even something as simple as picking a different cast member for each season and sitting them down for a brief interview would add considerable value and help justify the comparably high list price.
Each disc's menu features a leading character photo against a bubbly animated backdrop while the theme song loops in full. There are only four menus across the three discs, which in the absence of set-up options and bonus features, is just fine.
As usual for the studio, when Disc 1 loads, it gives you the choice to play previews or jump right to the main menu. Should you opt for the former, you're treated to promos for classic Paramount TV comedies, "I Love Lucy": The Complete Series, "Becker": The First Season, and "Evening Shade": The First Season.
Packaged in a standard-sized case with a double-sided swinging tray, the DVD makes use of its keepcase's transparency by aptly printing episode synopses and original airdates on the reverse side of the cover artwork.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
"Happy Days" is one of the best examples of a family sitcom done right. It definitely doesn't reinvent the wheel, nor does it try to. Instead, embracing the conventions of the thrifty, dialogue-driven format, it constantly entertains us with winning characters, sharp wit, and amusing situations. The Fourth Season is probably the series at its best. It's not the show it started as. It's not the show that it would become with time and cast departures. Nope, this is the "Happy Days" that people seem to know and love best.
Next in line is the 3-episode premiere responsible for the phrase "jumping the shark", so if you deem that a drop-off point as many now do, this could be your stop on a "Happy Days" DVD ride that should continue for several years and seven more seasons. Unfortunately, Paramount hasn't done too much to sweeten the set holding arguably the sitcom's creative apex. Picture and sound are adequate, but the price is high compared to competitors, bonus features are pretty much a no-show, and a disclaimer means there's a chance an edit could be spotted. Still, we would both be remiss to outright dismiss this release of a crowd-pleasing chapter in TV history.
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Happy Days: The Third Season Laverne and Shirley: The Third Season The Odd Couple: The Third Season
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Reviewed December 11, 2008.
Text copyright 2008 DVDizzy.com. Images copyright 1976-77 Paramount Pictures and 2008 CBS DVD/Paramount Home Entertainment. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.