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Happy Days: The Complete Third Season (TV)
R1 - America - Paramount Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Rob Fields (9th December 2007). |
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The Show
 I was just a little kid back in the day when "Happy Days" was part of the Tuesday night line-up on ABC. Even then, I only watched a few select episodes. Needless to say, I was never really a fan of the series. However, I knew that this series had a long run of 11 seasons. I also knew that it led to other series such as "Lavern and Shirley" (1976-1983), "Mork and Mindy" (1978-1982), "Joanie Loves Chachi" (1982-1983) and even a couple of Saturday morning cartoon shows. I also knew that Henry Winkler was the backbone of the series. I mean, it just wasn't "Happy Days" without The Fonz. I'd even hear other kids my own age talking about "Happy Days" on Wednesday at school. Some of them even liked imitating The Fonz. Of course, I had no idea that Ron Howard was actually a part of this series until I knew that Howard was a household name as a director. But, every famous star and director has to start somewhere. "Happy Days" the third season (1975-1976) starts out with Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler) having to move to the Cunninghams as their new border after his mother takes over his old place. With The Fonz now living above the garage and having to interact with each member of the Cunningham family, it's never a dull moment. Richie (Ron Howard) is his best friend. Howard Cunningham (Tom Bosley), the head of the house, has his world turned upside-down in one episode after another. His wife, Marion (Marion Ross), is the mother of the house and the new motherly figure for The Fonz, not to mention the only one who calls The Fonz by his real first name. Joannie (Erin Moran) is Richie's younger sister. Even though The Fonz drives the Cunninghams crazy, they still consider him as part of the family. And of course, The Fonz's and Richie's other two friends, Ralph Malph (Don Most) and Warren 'Potsie' Webber (Anson Williams) aren't too far behind. Other than the Cunningham house, the other point of interest is Arnold's Drive In, the local fried chicken stand (they sell chicken there?). Arnold himself (Pat Morita) even makes guest appearances through this season, including his own wedding in the season finale. The gang goes through episode after episode dealing with all the problems that present themselves in 1957 Milwaukee. Also, look for the first appearance of the characters Lavern and Shirley (Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams). After watching all 23 episodes, I don't think it's a series that I could get into. To me, The Fonz is the show's ONLY redeeming quality. It just seems that every time there's a problem the guys encounter, it's always up to The Fonz to come in and save the day. I was reading an interesting bit of trivia on the Internet Movie Data Base that said the network wanted to change the name to "Fonzie's Happy Days" or just plain "Fonzie". After watching this season, I can see why. Then again, The Fonz is probably the one reason why Happy Days had an 11-year run.
Video
All episodes are presented in their 1.33:1 Fullscreen televised format. Although there are no chapter menus or options, there are chapter stops for each episode. After watching all of the episodes, I can tell that Paramount went the extra mile on the video. The picture looks crisp. In fact, you can even see the make-up on the actors (couldn't help noticing that everybody's got ruby red lips). If there are any flaws to be found, the minor bits of grain would be the closest thing. You have to remember, though, that this series started in the 1970s. That in itself is another problem I had with this series, which still carries over into the DVD release. Although this sit-com is set in the 1950s, it doesn't have that feel. It feels like a 50s show in the 70s. At least when Back to the Future was shot and the scenes were back in 1955, you actually got the feel that you were there, despite being shot in 1985. "American Graffiti" (also starring Howard) was filmed in 1973, but it gave you the feel that you were back in 1962. "Porky's" (1982) made you feel like you were back in 1954. Okay, I know I'm using films here, but it's all I've got to go on where personal experience is concerned when it comes to a time-based series. But then again, I've seen a few episodes of "That 70s Show" (1998-2006), and it didn't give me the feel of the 1970s. I guess there's only so much you can do for television. Still, any series can be good if the viewer is willing to put the negatives aside and suspend all disbelief.
Audio
Each episode is accompanied by a restored English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono soundtrack. There are no subtitles available. For those of you who enjoyed the series, either back in the day or now, you also get to hear the laughter in the background. At the beginning of each episode, you get the announcement that "Happy Days" was filmed before a live audience. I didn't hear any signs of distortion in any of the episodes. There are no commentary tracks present in this package. Also, if you happen to like the opening theme, you can hear it in its entirety on the Main Menu of each disc. However, if you're a "Happy Days" purist and know which music was used in the original televised versions, you may or may not find it here. Looking over the back cover, I found the little piece of fine print that states 'Music has been changed for this home entertainment version.' This is probably because Paramount couldn't get the music rights for the episodes. But, that's how things work in the entertainment industry here in the United States.
Extras
Paramount have included only a bonus episode and a bonus trailer as supplements on this set, below is a closer look at them. Disc One: This disc contains only a single bonus trailer for "CBS comedy series", which runs for 1 minute 26 seconds and is only selectable at the very beginning of the disc. It cannot be accessed from the Main Menu. Disc Two and Three: There are no extras on these discs. Disc Four: This disc features "The Happy Days Second Anniversary Special" episode. This isn't really any kind of a documentary or a featurette. It's a 22 minute 16 second episode in which Fonzie and the Cunninghams gather at Arnold's on Fonzie's birthday to talk about how Fonzie has changed their lives since he became a member of the household. Unlike the other episodes presented in this season, this one is NOT remastered. In fact, you can tell right away how original the quality is compared the rest of the season. If I have to describe the quality to the best of my ability, I would say a little less than VHS quality. The episode shows clips from the first three seasons of memorable moments with The Fonz. The only original clips here are the intercut scenes for the birthday party. Even the 2.0 mono audio for this episode sounds dated compared to the remastered audio tracks presented in the regular season episodes. About the only redeeming feature I would find in this feature is that it is a piece of "Happy Days" history for the die-hard collector.
Packaging
"Happy Days" The third season is a 4-DVD set with all 4 discs placed into a single clear plastic case. The episode names, original air dates and episode summaries are printed on the opposite side of the cover art, hence the clear case.
Overall
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