ABC BRINGS BACK A SLICE OF AMERICAN POP CULTURE WHEN THE
ORIGINAL CAST OF "HAPPY DAYS" GATHERS TO CELEBRATE 30 YEARS,
IN THE "HAPPY DAYS 30th ANNIVERSARY REUNION," AIRING
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3 ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK
Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross and many other "Happy Days" original cast members will reunite to celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of the most beloved and successful series on American television, in the "Happy Days 30th Anniversary Reunion" special, airing THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3 (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET), on The ABC Television Network.
In the two-hour reunion, series stars Scott Baio, Tom Bosley, Ron Howard, Erin Moran, Don Most, Marion Ross, Anson Williams and Henry Winkler will be joined by special guest stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, plus a few surprise visitors, to reminisce about their fondest moments from the show's enormously successful eleven-year run.
The special will include:
* Footage from the cast and crew softball game played this fall -- Cunningham Hardware vs. Arnold's Diner -- a tradition initiated 30 years ago by creator/executive producer Garry Marshall as a way to encourage teamwork and a sense of family among the group. Tom Bosley calls the play- by-play.
* Behind-the-scenes antics with the cast, original "Happy Days" bloopers, flubbed lines, dropped props and even The Fonz making out Mrs. C.
* Hilarious and heartwarming clips, including classic scenes when Richie, Ralph, Potsie and The Fonz go on a panty raid, Joanie and ChaChi sharing their first kiss and the cast discussing the famous scene that started the "jump the shark" phenomenon.
* Little-known facts about the cast, like how Henry Winkler helped Ron Howard get the green light on his first film, and why The Fonz wore a leather jacket.
* For the first time, the long-lost brother - both actors who played Chuck -- together in one show.
Appearing in the special are "Happy Days" creator/executive producer Garry Marshall and original series cast members Scott Baio as ChaChi, Tom Bosley as Howard "Mr. C" Cunningham, Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham, Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham, Don Most as Ralph Malph, Marion Ross as Marion "Mrs. C" Cunningham, Anson Williams as Warren "Potsie" Weber and Henry Winkler as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli. Also appearing are such special guest stars as Danny Butch as Spike, Lynda Goodfriend as Lori Beth, Clint Howard as Junior, Ted McGinley as Roger Phillips, Pat Morita as Arnold, both Gavin O'Herlihy and Randolph Roberts as Chuck, the long-lost brother, Linda Purl as Ashley Pfister and Cathy Silvers as Jenny Piccalo. In addition guest stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams -- who later starred in their own spin-off comedy series (1976-83), after the title characters Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney debuted as Fonzie's quirky friends on "Happy Days" - will appear.
Set in Milwaukee in the carefree 1950s, "Happy Days" began production in 1974 and centered around high school junior Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard), his family, Howard "Mr. C" Cunningham (Tom Bosley) and Marion "Mrs. C" Cunningham (Marion Ross), his friends Potsie Weber (Anson Williams) and Ralph Malph (Don Most). Originally fifth-billed, Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler), the thumbs-up biker, increased in popularity as the series grew to be the number one show with TV audiences for ten years as it followed the "Happy Days" gang through their life changes, including college, the army, marriage and even kids. The final episode aired on July 12, 1984. Throughout its successful eleven-year run, the series received three Emmy nominations in the directing and editing categories, while series stars Henry Winkler, Tom Bosley and Marion Ross earned a total of six Emmy nominations for their performances.
Henry Winkler and Michael Levitt are executive producers, Greg Sills is supervising producer, Linda Mendoza is director and Gary Tellalian, Fred Fox and Stephen Pouliot are co-producers.
A TV parental guideline will be assigned closer to airdate.
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