Happy Days: "The First Thanksgiving"

Premiered November 21, 1978.

"Thanksgiving is a time of family togetherness, a time of sharing and working together toward a common...uh... common turkey!"
-Marion Cunningham

It's Thanksgiving Day in Milwaukee, 1950-something. The Cunninghams and their guests Fonzie (Henry Winkler) , Potsie (Anson Williams) and Ralph (Donnie Most) are glued to the TV, watching a football game.

Meanwhile, Marion Cunningham (Marion Ross) is slaving away in the kitchen, preparing their Thanksgiving feast.  She asks various family members for assistance and is ignored, they can't take their eyes off the game.  Marion reaches the end of her rope and turns off the TV.

She says they have forgotten what Thanksgiving is all about and "insulted the memory of our forefathers."  Marion decides it's a good time to tell them the story of the first Thanksgiving in 1621.

We see the story acted out, with the Cunninghams and friends playing pilgrims:

Howard (Tom Bosley) is a blacksmith in Plymouth, where he lives with his wife Marion and their kids Richard (Ron Howard) and Joanie (Erin Moran).  Marion suggests that the community should celebrate a very successful harvest by organizing a feast of Thanksgiving.

Richard's friend "Master Fonzie", shows up at the house.  Howard doesn't like him due to Fonzie's "strange ways."  Fonzie has also broken the elders' rules and made friends with the Indians.

"Master Fonzie" arrives on his "motorcycle."

Later at the inn owned by Alfred (Al Molinaro), two trappers named Wolfstalker and Bearslayer (Potsie and Ralph) stop in for cider.

Fonzie confronts them and accuses the trappers of taking pelts from the Indians in exchange for "counterfeit wampum."  The Fonz brings the Indians in seeking justice.

But Howard says that inviting Indians into their compound violates the law, and Fonzie must be put in the stocks.  Richard believes this isn't fair and petitions for Fonzie's freedom.  

Mistress Joanie arrives at the inn with her foot caught in a trap.  It's the work of Wolfstalker and Bearslayer, but they don't know how to open it.

But "Pilgrim Fonzie," just like his 1950s counterpart, has super powers and uses them to free Joanie.  Howard is grateful, realizes he was wrong about the Fonz and invites him to Thanksgiving dinner.  But Fonzie has already been invited to dine with the Indians.  Howard says they may come too, and Thanksgiving Day is born!

But what about Marion of 1950s Milwaukee?  Will her family help her with food preparation and cleanup?

J.A. Morris' says:
I saw this when it first aired in 1978, so I bring some nostalgia to this review.  I should mention that "The First Thanksgiving" ran a season after  Fonzie (and Happy Days itself) famously "jumped the shark", but it's a solid, entertaining Thanksgiving episode.

It's funny to see familiar characters dressed up in Pilgrim "drag."  Fonzie's 15th century "motorcycle" is especially amusing.  Marion's garbled definition of "the meaning of Thanksgiving" is also funny.

"When Master Fonzie talks, EVERYBODY listens."

This episode will be released on dvd this December 2 as part of of Happy Days:Season 6.  But it is currently (at "press time") streaming for free at Hulu.

Ralph brings a bucket of "Plymouth Colonel" chicken to Thanksgiving dinner.

"The First Thanksgiving" is not classic television, but it's an enjoyable holiday episode and a humorous retelling of how the tradition of Thanksgiving began.  If you enjoyed Happy Days, it's a nice excuse to revisit the series. 

J.A. Morris' rating:

 3 pumpkin pies.


RigbyMel says:

Unlike J.A. Morris,  I have never seen this particular Happy Days episode before this year.
I found it to be amusing but not especially great.

I also think that a little of the "Ye Olde Speechifcation" goes a long way.   It is rather overused by writers who seem to have thought it much cleverer than it really is.   How many times can we hear "Greeteth" and "Master Fonzie" before it gets old?   (Not very many, in my estimation.)

I did enjoy "Master Fonzie's" wooden motorcycle and the message about tolerance of people who look different.  This episode is okay, but probably not worth going out of your way to watch unless you are a die-hard fan of Happy Days.  

RigbyMel's rating:

2 pumpkin pies

Happy Days: "Haunted"

Premiered October 29, 1974.

"Everyone knows about old Magnolia Simpson.  Ever since she lost her head, anyone who goes in there gets THEIR head chopped off too!"
 -Joanie Cunningham

The kids decorate Arnold's for Halloween

It's Halloween in 1950s Milwaukee.  Ralph Malph (Donny Most) has a plan for his Halloween party.  He wants to hold it in "the old Simpson House," an abandoned house that many believe is haunted by the headless ghost of Magnolia Simpson.  Ralph figures "chicks think it's haunted, they get scared, they need comforting."  Ralph tells Richie (Ron Howard) and Potsie (Anson Williams) not to tell anyone their plan.

Ralph tells Richie & Potsie that his Halloween party will take place in a "haunted" house.

He especially doesn't want a local gang called the Demons to know about the party.  The Demons' leader Bag Zombrowski (Neil J. Schwartz) has a history of crashing parties.

Arnold's carhop Marsha (Beatrice Colen) tells Bag she has no time for him & his gang, the Demons.

Ralph asks Richie to check on the house before the party, to make sure it looks appropriately scary and dusty.

Richie & Joanie check out the Simpson house.

Richie and his sister Joanie (Erin Moran) stop by the house to inspect it.  Joanie believes the house is haunted and doesn't want to go inside.  She says everyone who enters gets their head chopped off, adding that four people disappeared inside the house last year.   Richie scoffs, but upon entering the house, he opens the closet and sees something that scares him.  Richie freaks out (much to Joanie's amusement) and runs away.

Howard & Richie get scared while watching a horror movie.

Richie tells his father Howard that he saw a "headless body."  Howard says his "mind must have been playing tricks" and that these stories have been around since he was a kid. Richie's father says he needs to look at things logically, but adds he "wouldn't be caught dead" at the Simpson house.

Fonzie bristles when he hears Richie mention the Simpson house.

At Arnold's the next day, Richie seeks advice from Fonzie (Henry Winkler) about his spooky experience.  The Fonz tells him he must face his fears to get over them.

Gloria & Richie nervously walk through the Simpson house.

On Halloween night, Richie and his girlfriend Gloria (Linda Purl) set out for the Simpson house.  They're both a bit edgy, but Richie refuses to give in to his fears.  Richie and Gloria walk through the house, trying their best not to be afraid.  They see a coffin in front of them...it starts opening from the inside!

  But it turns out to be a Halloween gag from Ralph!
 

Potsie and the rest of their friends emerge and the party begins.  It appears that Richie's has conquered his fears...but the Simpson house has some more Halloween surprises for Richie and his friends...

Potsie, Ralph & Richie encounter...Magnolia Simpson?!

J.A. Morris says:
This episode is good, not great, but it's grown on me after multiple viewings.

Fonzie draws glasses on a skull decoration.

It gets the spookiness of Halloween right.  Director Garry Marshall and Cinematographer Richard A. Kelley do a nice job creating the atmosphere of a horror movie.  It's got a lot more jump cuts than the average episode. 

When I was a kid, every town I lived in had a "Simpson House", allegedly haunted by ghosts. Even hardcore skeptics like myself can get creeped out by such houses, so I can identify with Richie here.  It seemed like every year, some kid would talk about breaking into the local "haunted" house on Halloween, but they always chickened out.

Ralph shows off his "Alfred Hitchcock" costume!

I watched Happy Days religiously when I was a kid, but I can't say I remember watching "Haunted" before I "discovered" it a couple years ago.  I thought Ralph's "Alfred Hitchcock" costume was a nice touch.

Potsie bobs for apples; Ralph asks "Weren't you the main course at my last Hawaiian luau?"

There aren't a lot of big laughs in "Haunted", but it's still an entertaining Halloween episode. Erin Moran gets the funniest lines here as Joanie, relentlessly mocking Richie for being afraid of ghosts.  At one point, Joanie says that Richie looks like "Bela Lugosi sucked all the blood out of you!"

Fonzie and Cloris dressed up as "Lone Ranger & Tonto".

"Haunted" is also interesting because it was made before Happy Days became the show most of us remember.  Fonzie has a fairly small role here, this was before "The Fonz" broke out and became a national sensation.  But Henry Winkler still makes an impression in the two scenes where he's featured.

Marsha runs through a gauntlet of water balloons & Halloween pranks.

Characters Bag and Marsha were recurring characters in early seasons, but both disappeared by season 4.

This was the last season that the series was shot with a single camera, with a laugh track.  The first two seasons feel a lot like the film American Graffiti, one of the series' inspirations.  The famous Happy Days catch phrases "Sit on it!", "I still got it!" and "AAYYYY!" are notably absent from "Haunted".  These days, I find these earlier, quieter episodes more enjoyable.

Now we get to the not-so-good parts of "Haunted": The music.  In the original edit, this episode opens with Fats Domino's classic "I'm Walkin'".  Another scene prominently features "Bird Dog" by the Everly Brothers.  But currently, the only "official" release replaces these with generic music that sounds like it was recorded in the 80s or 90s.  It's very distracting, it took me out of "the moment" and sucks the fun out of several scenes. 

Fonzie shows the gang how he "bobs" for apples.

Here's some trivia about "Haunted" :
Two kids come to the Cunningham house to trick or treat, one dressed as a cowboy the other dressed as a princess.

They're played by Scott and Lori Marshall, the children of Happy Days creator, Garry Marshall.

And another of Marshall's kids, Kathleen Marshall, plays one of Joanie's friends, dressed as a witch:

Also, Linda Purl plays Richie's girlfriend Gloria here and in several other season 2 episodes.  Purl would later join the cast (in season 10) as another character, Fonzie's live-in girlfriend Ashley Pfister.

"Haunted" is a generally fun episode, but the music replacements cost it a jack o'lantern or two.  So for the 1st time in this blog's history, I'm giving a program two different ratings:
J.A. Morris' rating:
For the version that contains the original music:

3 jack o'lanterns.

For the version that contains the "new" music:

2 and a half jack o'lanterns

RigbyMel says:

This is a okay episode of Happy Days, but not one of the best.   The Halloween decorations and mild mayhem are enjoyable, but the episode feels a little bit flat to me.

A coffin buffet

As regards the music substitutions in this episode, I agree with J.A. Morris that this really detracts and distracts from the overall atmosphere -- the exact opposite of what good soundtrack music is supposed to do.

Happy Days is always worth watching, but "Haunted" is not on my list of required annual holiday viewing.

RigbyMel's rating:

 2 jack o'lanterns

Happy Days: "Guess Who's Coming To Christmas"

First aired December 17, 1974

We open with Howard Cunningham (Tom Bosley) telling Richie (Ron Howard) and Joanie (Erin Moran) that they will celebrate Christmas Eve together with only family members invited. They ask if it’s okay to have a friend or two over, Howard says no.

The Cunninghams are putting up Christmas decorations, including a (creepy looking) robotic Santa in their front yard. The Santabot isn’t working properly and keeps hitting Richie in the head, they’re upset that the Santabot won’t be working on Christmas Eve.

Richie's older brother Chuck (Randolph Roberts) has returned home for Christmas. Chuck is trying to put lights on the tree, but like the Santabot, the lights aren't working.

Richie meets up with Ralph & Potsie (Donny Most and Anson Williams, respectively) at Arnolds. Fonzie (Henry Winkler) shows up with gifts for everyone. Potsie has nothing to give the Fonze, but invites him to spend Christmas Eve with his family. Fonzie declines and says he's spending Christmas with his cousin in Waukesha. He tells of all the presents and elaborate dinner plans await him in Waukesha. Richie & the gang are a little skeptical about Fonzie's Holiday plans.

At Howard’s hardware store, the company Christmas party is ending, so he and Richie close up and plan to drive home. But their car breaks down, so Richie calls Fonzie to ask if he can fix it. Fonzie tows the car to his garage and repairs it, delaying his “bus” to Waukesha, so Howard offers him a ride as payment for the repair. He declines and says goodnight to the Cunninghams.  As they're about to leave, Richie realizes he forgot to give Fonzie his Christmas present. He opens the door sees and Fonzie opening a can of food; it’s obvious he’s not going anywhere and will be spending Christmas alone.  Fonzie doesn’t notice Richie, so he walks back to the car, not wanting to hurt Fonzie's pride.

Howard and Richie return home to trim their tree with their family. Marion (Marion Ross) has popped popcorn for stringing. Unfortunately the lights aren’t working. Chuck tries to fix the lights again, they still don't work, but everyone is satisfied with the tree. Richie is feeling bad for Fonzie, so he and Howard go visit him to give him the present. Richie also wants to ask Fonzie to join the Cunningham family Holiday celebration. Can they convince Fonzie to spend Christmas with them, or will his own pride and stubbornness force him to spend Christmas alone?

J.A. Morris says:

When I was kid growing up in the 70s, I was a big fan of Happy days, but I've found the series hasn't aged well since then.  But "Guess Who's Coming To Christmas" is a very good Christmas episode. It shows that spending Christmas alone is a painful prospect for anyone, including people as cool as Fonzie.  And I can relate to Richie and Howard here, sometimes it's difficult to offer help to a friend or family member without offending them.

One thing that makes this an interesting episode is Fonzie's voice. Henry Winkler hadn't perfected it yet, so his voice is a bit higher-pitched than the one we knew and loved.

Fans of TV trivia will be interested to know this was the last appearance of Chuck Cunningham on Happy Days. The character was never mentioned again and eventually written out of existence. Because of this, there's a TV Trope known as Chuck Cunningham Syndrome.

This episode can be found on the "Happy Days-The Complete Second Season" dvd set, and also streams on Hulu.

My rating:

3 Candy Canes