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Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Further viewing: Potsie's finest moment?

One of the odd things about the Happy Days episode "American Musical"--and, oh, there are many--is that the one cast member the show tried to push as a music sensation for years had such a minor role. Before Joanie and Chachi were "a thing," Happy Days attempted to make Potsie Weber (Anson Williams) a singer.

And then it tried again. And again. And again.

In fact, one of Potsie's standout episodes featured Joanie crushing on him big time because he was such a dreamy crooner. What a slap in the face it must have been for Anson Williams to watch the likes of Ted McGinley get showcased in the all-musical episode while he was relegated to a supporting role in the "Immigration Blues" segment.

And just in case you missed it when we posted it the other day or you forgot how ridiculous it was, here's another look at that bit:


As awful as this episode was though, there was an even worse segment on the series, and it was a full-on showcase for Potsie. I give you season 6, episode 27, "Potsie Quits School."

Tormented by an imperious teacher, Potsie struggled in Biology until Richie helped him learn the intricacies of the circulatory system by writing a song about it. The result is one of the goofiest moments in Happy Days history, coming at a time when the sitcom still had a shred of dignity, no less:



Everything about this is terrible. The song is bad enough (though catchy as all get out, I must admit), but look how it kills all the main characters. Fonzie has to introduce the song.  Ralph, Richie and Lori Beth look like idiots playing their improvised instruments and bopping around.  Even the teacher, who might have been an effective heel foil, is reduced to looking through a giant textbook as if he needs verification that the rudimentary facts his student is reciting just because they're being SUNG.

No good comes of this. The song doesn't even always rhyme (though, to be fair, it must have been tough to try to come up with a rhyme for "ventricle").  For overall suckitude AND negative impact on the series as a whole, I submit to you that this individual song is the worst ever featured on Happy Days, even topping the stuff we see in "American Musical."

3 comments:

  1. As a young 'un, I thought Fonzie was the coolest. Now I realize he was rather small and even a mediocre athlete could have kicked his ass. Big Al, though, carried a shiv.

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    1. I just watched an episode of Joanie Loves Chachi (don't judge) and was impressed with how Big Al stood up to Chachi's faux tough guy Uncle Rico. I think you're on to something here.

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