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| Ron Howard behind bars on Happy Days. |
Since our podcast is about a nostalgic family sitcom that premiered 47 years ago, it's not often that we get the chance to be current, relevant, or topical on These Days Are Ours. But this week, by sheer coincidence, we're covering the 1978 Happy Days episode "The Kissing Bandit" at the exact same time that nonconsensual kissing by fictional characters is suddenly a hot topic on social media. Does Happy Days have anything vital to add to this conversation? We'll leave that to you to decide.
The plot of "The Kissing Bandit" has nice guy Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) being falsely arrested by the Milwaukee police on suspicion of breaking into women's homes and kissing them without permission. Richie swears he's innocent, and his friends and family believe him. After all, his sister Joanie (Erin Moran) points out that he doesn't even kiss on the first date! Eventually, Richie's pal Fonzie (Henry Winkler) devises a trap to catch the real Kissing Bandit (Charlie Dougherty). It involves Richie dressing up in women's clothes and acting as bait to lure the Bandit into the Cunninghams' living room.
Does it work? Is Richie exonerated? Find out when my cohost and I review "The Kissing Bandit" in the latest installment of These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast.