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Happy Days Original Christmas Episode Question

B

Braves2005

I was wondering why the original Christmas episode of Happy Days has not been seen in its unedited entirety since it first premiered in December 1974.

In reruns between 1975 and 1977 and I happen to have seen all of these episodes in syndication that the openings are a little bit different. For instance:

1975: Fonzie talks to Arnold about his Christmas at the Cunninghams.
1976: Fonzie talks to Al when the Cunninghams ask him to come to their Christmas party and Al thinks that he is the third wheel in everything until Fonzie tells him about his experience.
1977: Al talks to Chachi about Fonzie's Christmas at the Cunninghams.

I wish that we could see the original Christmas episode that aired in 1974. But I guess we will have to wait until the season 2 DVD release of Happy Days comes out,if it ever comes out.
 
> I was wondering why the original Christmas episode of Happy
> Days has not been seen in its unedited entirety since it
> first premiered in December 1974.
>
> In reruns between 1975 and 1977 and I happen to have seen
> all of these episodes in syndication that the openings are a
> little bit different. For instance:
>
> 1975: Fonzie talks to Arnold about his Christmas at the
> Cunninghams.
> 1976: Fonzie talks to Al when the Cunninghams ask him to
> come to their Christmas party and Al thinks that he is the
> third wheel in everything until Fonzie tells him about his
> experience.
> 1977: Al talks to Chachi about Fonzie's Christmas at the
> Cunninghams.
>
> I wish that we could see the original Christmas episode that
> aired in 1974. But I guess we will have to wait until the
> season 2 DVD release of Happy Days comes out,if it ever
> comes out.
>

Nick at Nite and TV Land have aired all versions of that episode.
 
>
> Nick at Nite and TV Land have aired all versions of that
> episode.

Even the original airing of the episode from 1974?? I have yet to see this particular episode. All of the episodes that I have seen usually at the open said "Happy Days Is Filmed Before A Live Audience" whereas the first 2 seasons did not have the opening. What was the opening to the original episode like? Did it start from the beginning from where the other 3 episodes left off?
 
This particular 1974 episode was filmed BEFORE the days of the "live audience", before Fonzie became the central character. The central theme of this episode was Fonzie not having a place to stay for Christmas. He had his pride (and his "coolness") and was trying to avoid giving the secret away. Richie, being the astute person has he is, KNEW he did NOT have a place to stay and was trying to get the family to make him welcome for the holiday. In this episode, you'll see that Richie actually had a brother (a part that was eventually written out of the series). Some the characters were still somewhat "real" at this time. "Joannie" was a true BRAT. "Howard" was the man of the house. "Marion" was not yet ditzy and had a brain. It wasn't until the beginning of 1975-1976 season that the series went "live" and lost any crediblity of being a true nostalgic show. The "Fonzie" character started the "HEY" and "WHOA" and became the central character. Everything else was secondary. "Sit On IT!" and "Nerd" were the buzz words of the day. The first 1 and a half seasons ("Happy Days" was a mid-season replacement in January, 1974 and only enough episodes for a half a season) were really good. But the producers and the network (ABC) had to "modernize" it to get a younger audience. It worked and became a BIGGER hit in the fall of 1975. It would be a Tuesday night staple for many more years, well into the 1980's.


> Even the original airing of the episode from 1974?? I have
> yet to see this particular episode. All of the episodes that
> I have seen usually at the open said "Happy Days Is Filmed
> Before A Live Audience" whereas the first 2 seasons did not
> have the opening. What was the opening to the original
> episode like? Did it start from the beginning from where the
> other 3 episodes left off?
> <P ID="signature">______________
Peter Q. George (K1XRB)
Whitman, Massachusetts</P>
 
Actually,I wanted to know what the opening of the Christmas show from 1974 were like. Did they show the door with the Christmas wreath with the original credits shown? I have seen all 3 of the episodes with the different openings from 1975-1977 in reruns. Today on WGN they showed the one with Fonzie talking to Al from 1976. Since I don't have TV Land,I don't know which version of the Christmas show they're showing. But I have been watching Happy Days ever since I was little and have watched it in reruns and its regular run on Tuesday nights on ABC and have seen all 3 episodes with the different openings(in reruns,not in its original run on ABC) but have never seen the original 1974 Christmas episode at all. What I'm getting at,are there more scenes to the original than they show in syndication with the different openings?
 
> Some the
> characters were still somewhat "real" at this time.
> "Joannie" was a true BRAT. "Howard" was the man of the
> house. "Marion" was not yet ditzy and had a brain. It
> wasn't until the beginning of 1975-1976 season that the
> series went "live" and lost any crediblity of being a true
> nostalgic show. The "Fonzie" character started the "HEY" and
> "WHOA" and became the central character. Everything else
> was secondary. "Sit On IT!" and "Nerd" were the buzz words
> of the day.

Funny you mention it because this was probably the first episode to turn Fonzie into a full character with "depth" to him.<P ID="signature">______________
Once I figured out the meaning of life....Then I forgot to write it down.</P>
 
My guess is that they decided to re-edit the show each year to feature the new characters and keep if "fresh" so it wasn't a true "rerun".
 
> My guess is that they decided to re-edit the show each year
> to feature the new characters and keep if "fresh" so it
> wasn't a true "rerun".
>
Not having seen the episode (or if I did, it was quite aways ago), have the other episodes dealt with the same topic? If they all involved Fonzie finding a place to live, they would've been in flashbacks, since he was already living with the Cunninghams (in his little "apartment") by 1975.
 
> Not having seen the episode (or if I did, it was quite aways
> ago), have the other episodes dealt with the same topic? If
> they all involved Fonzie finding a place to live, they
> would've been in flashbacks, since he was already living
> with the Cunninghams (in his little "apartment") by 1975.

The Christmas 1974 episode that was rerun from 1975-1977 all had different openings and they did not have flashbacks to when Fonzie moved into his apartment above the Cunninghams' garage just Fonzie or Al retelling the story of his/Fonzie's Christmas at the Cunninghams.
 
> Actually,I wanted to know what the opening of the Christmas
> show from 1974 were like. Did they show the door with the
> Christmas wreath with the original credits shown? I have
> seen all 3 of the episodes with the different openings from
> 1975-1977 in reruns. Today on WGN they showed the one with
> Fonzie talking to Al from 1976. Since I don't have TV Land,I
> don't know which version of the Christmas show they're
> showing. But I have been watching Happy Days ever since I
> was little and have watched it in reruns and its regular run
> on Tuesday nights on ABC and have seen all 3 episodes with
> the different openings(in reruns,not in its original run on
> ABC) but have never seen the original 1974 Christmas episode
> at all. What I'm getting at,are there more scenes to the
> original than they show in syndication with the different
> openings?
They have probably did do some editing of the orignial (and all the episodes) to fit in more time for comercials in syndication. The orignial Christmas did feature Fonzie pretending to be going out of town to a relatives house for Christmas and the Cunninghams took him in. It was the episode where the Christmas decoration Santa in the front yard was supposed to be waving but was punching everybody. Fonzie ended up fixing it. As said above it was from the originial first year and a half. It opened with Bill Haley's Rock Around the Clock. Don't even bother watching any episode that starts with the Happy Days theme- they were a waste of film.
 
> > Actually,I wanted to know what the opening of the
> Christmas
> > show from 1974 were like. Did they show the door with the
> > Christmas wreath with the original credits shown? I have
> > seen all 3 of the episodes with the different openings
> from
> > 1975-1977 in reruns. Today on WGN they showed the one with
>
> > Fonzie talking to Al from 1976. Since I don't have TV
> Land,I
> > don't know which version of the Christmas show they're
> > showing. But I have been watching Happy Days ever since I
> > was little and have watched it in reruns and its regular
> run
> > on Tuesday nights on ABC and have seen all 3 episodes with
>
> > the different openings(in reruns,not in its original run
> on
> > ABC) but have never seen the original 1974 Christmas
> episode
> > at all. What I'm getting at,are there more scenes to the
> > original than they show in syndication with the different
> > openings?
> They have probably did do some editing of the orignial (and
> all the episodes) to fit in more time for comercials in
> syndication. The orignial Christmas did feature Fonzie
> pretending to be going out of town to a relatives house for
> Christmas and the Cunninghams took him in. It was the
> episode where the Christmas decoration Santa in the front
> yard was supposed to be waving but was punching everybody.
> Fonzie ended up fixing it. As said above it was from the
> originial first year and a half. It opened with Bill
> Haley's Rock Around the Clock. Don't even bother watching
> any episode that starts with the Happy Days theme- they were
> a waste of film.
>



And who can forget the long-lost Cunningham brother Chuck who just disappeared.
 
> And who can forget the long-lost Cunningham brother Chuck
> who just disappeared.


Well evidently Marion, Howard, Richie, Joanie, Fonzie and everybody else was able to forget he ever existed...LOL...

I recall even at the series end when Joanie and Chachi were married Howard makes a toast to his wife and TWO kids. I was still like "You have THREE kids you idiot"

LOL

:)
<P ID="signature">______________
Once I figured out the meaning of life....Then I forgot to write it down.</P>
 
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