 |
| Richard Levin on Happy Days. |
There has to be one. If you have 255 episodes of a prime time American sitcom, one of those episodes will have to be the lowest-rated on the Internet Movie Database. In the case of Happy Days, it's the Season 7 episode "Chachi Sells His Soul," which first aired back on September 18, 1979 and which now rates a miserable 5.8 according to IMDb users. Does it deserve this dubious distinction?
Well, to be frank, this episode has a lot going against it. First of all, it's about Fonzie's smart-alecky cousin Chachi (Scott Baio), who has long been one of the more divisive characters on Happy Days. Secondly, it ventures into wild fantasy territory, with Chachi agreeing to sell his soul to a wisecracking demon named Melvin Scratch (Richard Levin) in exchange for being loved by the world. Third, it's basically a glorified commercial for another ABC sitcom, Out of the Blue, starring comedian Jimmy Brogan as an angel named Random trying to earn his wings on Earth.
But does that add up to "worst Happy Days episode of all time"? It's tough to say. It's a silly, gimmicky show, for sure, and many viewers will find Melvin annoying after a few minutes. He's a hyperactive, giggling nerd in the grand TV tradition of Horshack, Urkel, and Screech. Also, he wears very tiny shorts. In contrast, when the angel Random shows up near the end, he's so casual and low-energy that he barely makes an impact on the viewer. "Chachi Sells His Soul" is an obvious ripoff of the Season 5 classic "My Favorite Orkan," but neither Melvin nor Random is in the same league as Robin Williams' lovable alien Mork.
On the other hand, this episode certainly isn't boring. And it isn't overly sentimental and mawkish, the way Happy Days sometimes can be. There's a lot to unpack here. This week on These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast, we talk about all the good points and the bad points of "Chachi Sells His Soul." I really hope you'll join us.