 List Price: $29.98
Lowest Price: $15.50 
Product Description: The daily lives of the Cunningham family in 1950s Milwaukee, their friends, and their greaser tenant Arthur ""Fonzie"" Fonzarelli.
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Media Type: DVD
Artist: HAPPY DAYS
Title: SEASON 1
Street Release Date: 08/17/2004
Domestic
Genre: TELEVISIONAmazon.com: Less than a year after Ron Howard played a college-bound adolescent enjoying a final, summer-of-1962 romp with old friends in American Graffiti, he turned up as high school innocent Richie Cunningham in the memorable, ABC television network debut of Happy Days, set a few years earlier in Milwaukee. The show would last a decade and go through many changes in tone, cast, and character development, but that first season got a boost from the natural perception that it had some things in common with Graffiti: Howard, of course, but also fumbling teenage sex, drag races, drive-in food, pesky little sisters, and laconic greasers. Happy Days: The Complete First Season is a sweet trip back to the Garry Marshall-produced sitcom's 1974 entry in primetime television, before political correctness would make stories about clean-cut boys fixated on seducing girls unthinkable, and long before older kids were defined by angst on the WB and Fox TV. At least in its first year, before Happy Days developed more of a comic-book feel and energy, the show was about Richie's all-too-human inclination to grow up too fast, to bite off more than he could chew and learn poignant lessons in the process. He was a sympathetic naif, not the charming braggart he later became, and major characters appear to have been created to provide both ballast and motivation. Among them is best friend Potsie (Anson Williams), a superficial hustler who typically incites Richie's enthusiasm for booze, reputed nymphomaniacs, and sophisticated, older girls, and fast-talking Ralph Malph (Donny Most), owner of a fantastic, yellow hot rod. More important are counterparts Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler), a vaguely dangerous drop-out, and Richie's exasperated father, Howard Cunningham (Tom Bosley), each of whom provides Richie the validation of an experienced male: Fonzie's raw worldliness versus Mr. C's seasoned view of a man's responsibilities. First-season highlights include the pilot episode (co-written by Rob Reiner), "All the Way," in which Richie's typical decency allows him to see past the sex-mad reputation of an amiable girl from school. Season closer "Be the First on Your Block" finds the Cunninghams' plans to build a bomb shelter turning into a popularity contest as Richie's friends vie for a guaranteed spot in the event of nuclear war. --Tom Keogh Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-07-03
Rock Around the Clock
It's a shame there are no extra's. One they could've added is the original pilot from Love, American Style. What they should've done (since the 1st season started in January 1974 instead of September 1973, thus having only 16 episodes) is release Seasons 1 and 2 together, like they did with Seinfeld. One thing that's great about this is that the color looks better than it did in reruns (I remember how black the original episodes looked).
Richie (Ron Howard) was the original star, a nice teenage kid who's trying to grow up too fast. Potsie (Anson Williams) is his conniving best friend, similar to the friends Beaver had, but he was a little more sympathetic since he didn't get along well with his father (he'd later be known as the singer on Happy Days and one episode here, entitled Give the Band a Hand, he croons "All Shook Up"; he'd also be more anal retentive about his teeth). Ralph Malph (Donny Most) is the lovable prankster who somehow gets the women thanks to his nice car (I don't recall him saying "I still got it" much in the 1st season). Fonzie (Henry Winker) was a minor character here, a cool hood who's popular with the ladies; he'd be seen a grey windbreaker rather than his trademarked leather jacket. His character was a little more defined in Fonzie Drops In. You won't hear him grunt "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyy" too much here, although he did use the thumbs up signal occasionally, most memorably at the end of Richie's Cup Runneth Over with dramatic flair! Also, Marion (Marion Ross) is Richie's doting mother, Howard (Tom Bosley) is his wise, conservative (and somewhat grumpy) father, and Joanie (Erin Moran) is his kid sister (she was a little more smart allecky here, and was often seen wearing her Junior Chipmunk uniform). There were 2 actors who played Richie's older brother Chuck, a 1-dimensional character who only lasted one season and had only one thing on his mind- basketball (perhaps he had a brain tumor while a basketball bonked him on the head!). If you'll notice in the 1st epsisode, All the Way, the local hangout place is called Arthur's (it would promptly be changed to Arnold's as of the next episode, with a sign inside reading "Notice Personell Change"). And of course, "Rock Around the Clock" is the original opening theme, while the better known "Happy Days" theme is the closing theme.
Highlights of Season One include Richie's Cup Runneth Over (Richie and Potsie attend a bachelor party and have too much to drink), The Lemon (Richie and Potsie buy a car which doesn't work too well; Fonzie helps repair the car and his repayment is the hood ornament-"He took the best part of the car!"), Guess Who's Coming to Visit (Potsie stays at Richie's house and they both sneak out to go winess a drag race with the Fonz- "You're grounded for life, son!"), The Deadly Dares (Richie and Potsie try to join the Demons, but 1st have to perform dares, including dressing up in drag), The Skin Game (Ralph Malph tells Richie and Potsie about an exotic striptease dancer, so they get fake ID's to get in, thanks to the Fonz), Fonzie Drops In (the Fonz re-enrolls in high school and relies on others, particularly Richie, to do his shcoolwork for him), Because She's There (Richie's blind date is an amazon- "Don't let height get in the way, son," Howard advises Richie, "After all, your mother is taller than me"), In the Name of Love (a new girl at school woos Richie, Potsie and Ralph but is only interested in Richie, as a friend), The Best Man (Howard is the best man at a friend's wedding; this episode deals with racism in a sensitive way); Be the 1st on Your Block (Howard Cunnigham makes a bomb shelter to protect the family, which turns out to be a hangout place for Richie's pals "What's d'matter? Haven't you seen a motorcycle in a bomb shelter before?!").
Although the packaging leaves a little to be desired, I'll give this 5 stars for the episodes themselves. Rating: 
Date: 2008-04-09
happy days the first season
loved the entire set, a must if you ever watched it as a child, my kids even love them today.. I wasn't very old when they aired so i don't remeber them all so its really time less to watch and enjoy. Rating:
Date: 2008-04-03
Season One The Best
I dont own this but I remember all of them. This first season will always be my favourite as it wasnt 'The Fonz Show' - it was about an american family and centred mainly around Ritchie, Ralph and Potsie as well as Fonz(whatever happened to Chuck anyway?). I generally prefer no canned laughter but this show is different. The female audience response to Henry Winkler's every entrance in later seasons turned me off. Also, characters like Bag, and in particular poor suffering waitress, Marsha, were used economically well in Season One ("Ritchie, Ive lived with pain and loneliness most of my life...you learn to get used to it")
Their was one scene right at the end of an episode in this first season where 'Arnold's' was bare but for two teenagers - an overweight bespectacled boy, and a plain frumpy girl. They slowly and shyly make eye contact and eventually end up lightly embracing while the jukebox is playing a slow love song. Oh so corny but oh so touchingly beautiful. Everyone can all relate to such frailty.
I will end buying this DVD set. Rating:
Date: 2008-03-30
Not as bad as you remembered
I couldn't resist buying this for $16.95 during Amazon's Great DVD sale of 2008 earlier this month. So I got this along with Season One of LaVerne & Shirley.
"Happy Days" doesn't seem to be as fondly remembered as other ABC series of its day like "The Brady Bunch." It went from being the Ron Howard Show to the Fonzie show fairly quickly, and one can forget that this show had some true family values which I appreciate in 2008.
The prints on this set are excellent and each disc in the set resembles a 45 RPM record as seen in my scan above. So overall I am very pleased with the quality of the set.
I was a teenager enjoying the 1970s when this show was a hit and as I look back it's hard to believe that the 1950s had only been over for less than 15 years at the time. A lot of effort went into making the show fit the time period and I appreciate that now.
Overall I am glad I bought Season One. I might even go on to buy Season Two someday.
Rating: 
Date: 2008-02-08
Parents beware
We purchased this for our 11 year old children and were surprised at several topics during the first 10 minutes of the first episode regarding dating. We turned it off and I would return it if I could. Perhaps the latter seasons were the ones we remembered as being more family friendly. Would not recommend. |
