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| No, that's not Richard Deacon. It's actually Ken Olfson getting a sales pitch from the Happy Days gang. |
How, in this tumultuous year of 2020, can you possibly do a podcast about a lighthearted, silly show like Happy Days? What could be less relevant right now than an extremely Caucasian, nostalgia-driven sitcom that went off the air 36 years ago? The problems of Richie, Fonzie, and the gang at Arnold's seem awfully trivial compared to what's happening across America currently.
To be honest, it was difficult to stay interested in Happy Days as racial unrest and a global pandemic dominated the headlines. As a result, our weekly podcast, These Days Are Ours, went on a brief hiatus. We came back quietly last week, and we released another new episode earlier today. Both of these episodes were recorded shortly before the protests started. They now seem like relics of a more naive time.
For what it's worth, the episode we're reviewing, "Fonz-How, Inc." is an agreeable romp that teams up grouchy Howard Cunningham (Tom Bosley) and the ever-cool Fonzie (Henry Winkler) in a scheme to invent an in-home garbage compactor. Imagine every Family Matters episode that teams up Carl Winslow and Steve Urkel. It's basically that. You Mel Brooks fans might recognize one of the guest stars: Ken Olfson, who plays a small role in Spaceballs (1987). Also, Paul Thomas Anderson's mom Edwina is in there somewhere, too.