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| Ron Howard and Jenny Sullivan on Happy Days. |
After eight seasons of The Andy Griffith Show and two more of The Smith Family, Ron Howard was not exactly eager to do yet another sitcom when he begrudgingly agreed to star in Happy Days. By then, he already had his sights set on a directing career anyway. Nevertheless, he consented to play fresh-faced Milwaukee teen Richie Cunningham because he (correctly) assumed the role would keep him from being drafted by the military and serving in Vietnam.
Ron's contract with ABC called for him to do seven seasons of Happy Days, and he honored that commitment like the true professional and showbiz lifer he was. But he was never particularly enthused with the series, especially when it became a vehicle for Henry Winkler's cool, attention-grabbing Fonzie character. Plus, he was tired of being typecast in "kid" roles. At the end of Happy Days' seventh season in 1980, Ron left the show and devoted himself full-time to directing.
SIDE NOTE: He wasn't quite done playing Richie Cunningham, even then. In addition to voicing the character on The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang in 1980 and 1981, Ron appeared in a few Season 11 episodes of Happy Days, plus a couple of subsequent reunion specials and even a 2008 Funny or Die video with Henry Winkler.
Happy Days viewers were probably shocked at this development, but there had been some foreshadowing on the show. For example, the Season 7 episode "Richie Falls in Love" demonstrates that Richie Cunningham also experiences some wanderlust and longs to be taken seriously as an adult. The plot: Richie meets and becomes infatuated with a traveling photojournalist named Barbara (Jenny Sullivan). After spending just one night with this woman, Richie wants to drop out of school, quit his job, leave his family, and fly to Venice with Barbara.
Does that make for a good episode? This week on These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast, we talk about "Richie Falls in Love" and ponder the riddle that is Richie Cunningham. We do hope you'll join us.