It can be appealing to watch an actor age on film, especially if it involves the development of one’s wisdom, spiritual traits, and other characteristics of the sort. For some actors in long-running roles, the reverse is true and what’s highlighted are their decadence and physical deterioration, which can be attributed to many other things, dependent upon the audience’s various interpretations.
Ron Howard only wanted to play the role of Richie Cunningham for as long as his character would progress from high school to college as the years went on. He didn’t want to be frozen in time and didn’t want to be around for Richie’s adult years. The show’s producers agreed to this and kept their promise.
The Shows College Jock
Although Chuck Cunningham, brother of Richie and Joanie Cunningham, may have been deemed a redundant character, it is worth revisiting the quirks of his role. Chuck was in college, and he was a basketball player, too, but the show’s producers wanted viewers to remember him for two particular things.
Before his short-lived character mysteriously disappeared from the show, Chuck Cunningham was spotlighted as the dumb sibling. Also, he was regularly shown on-screen eating or holding a sandwich, or, dribbling a basketball; some very vapid things to remember him by.
Erin Moran's One Day Substitute
Erin Moran’s role in the show as Joanie Cunningham certainly had challenges peculiar to the character. Joanie was a very nosy sister, and that meant she had to be energetic and feisty at the same time. Erin was as natural as you can get in portraying those qualities, but that role wasn’t exclusive to her. Well, for 24 hours anyway.
Joanie was originally played by another actress, but it did not take long for the producers of the show to realize that Erin was too perfect of a fit to pass up.
Henry Winkler Turned Down Grease
If you think Henry Winkler’s character, the Fonz, looks strikingly similar to Danny from Grease— that leather jacket, the fashion and hairstyle—you will be fascinated to discover that Winkler he was supposed to play that role, too. Come to think of it, his performance in Happy Days showed how much he fitted the persona.
Unfortunately, Winkler had to turn down the offer due to one fatal flaw in his abilities: he’s tone-deaf. This is where John Travolta auditioned and secured the job, and he did it exceedingly well. To this day, Henry Winkler’s children can’t believe he turned down the opportunity to play one of the most popular characters of all time. Can you imagine a tone-deaf Danny though? We’re kind of thankful he did the right thing and stepped aside!
The Show Made Libraries Cool
If you want to know how influential the Happy Days series was, here is an example of how Fonzie and Richie made booklovers out of their viewers. In one episode, the pair decide to go to the library. If you find it odd that the twosome would even bother to go to such a place, we share your suspicions.
They went to get a library card, but not to read books; in fact, it was far from an academic purpose. They just thought it a clever way to meet new girls, hoping to snag a date. A week following this episode, the national library enrollment was strangely up by a mountainous 500%!