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.
Why Wisconsin?
Some fans wonder why Milwaukee, Wisconsin was chosen as the show’s perceived location, and if it could have been any other place. The show’s storyline was focused on the lifestyle during the '50s in Midwestern United States, and the location happened to have that appeal. Producers felt that this would resonate with its viewers, too.
Director, Garry Marshall, also wanted the show to be as credible as possible, and knowing that Tom Miller, one of its producers, lived in Milwaukee and knew its ins and outs, they would have a kind of hometown advantage, so to speak.
A Missing Jacket
The Happy Days sitcom was modified to make its episodes cater to broad comedy. And like many other shows where the comedy isn’t limited to the fictional scenes alone, Happy Days did have its fair share of incidents and bloopers while at work.
While preparing to shoot a new scene, the production staff noticed that Arthur Fonzarelli’s iconic jacket was missing on the set. They couldn’t believe it could have stolen, but that seems to be the case. With the jacket nowhere to be found, they had to scramble to get a new one that would exactly look like the original. To match it, they had one specially made and this was what Fonzie wore when he jumped the shark.
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.
Ron Howard's Condition
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.