 |
| Henry Winkler and Al Molinaro on Happy Days. |
What do you do after torching Arnold's, the beloved hamburger joint that's been an integral part of Happy Days since Season 1? Well, you rebuild it, naturally. In Season 7's "The New Arnold's," we get to see what the restaurant will look like for the remainder of the series, which is to say a lot like the old Arnold's but uglier with a lot of wood paneling and a vaguely rustic aesthetic. It kind of reminds me of the tavern that Gaston frequents in Beauty and the Beast (1991), except there aren't antlers mounted on the wall.
(Come to think of it, Gaston says, "I use antlers in all of my decorating." So did he decorate that tavern? Is it his place? Is Gaston a small business owner or does he just invite the entire town over to his home to drink every night? Either way, it makes me look at him more favorably.)
Anyway, Al (Al Molinaro) and Fonzie (Henry Winkler) are partners in the new Arnold's, and the major conceit of the script is that they disagree about everything, including what the restaurant should be called. Al votes for Big Al's. Fonzie votes for Fonzie's. They get so mad over this and other issues that the grand reopening almost doesn't happen. In the end, as the title indicates, they decide to compromise and call it Arnold's. Big surprise. I think the idea was for this "new" place to become a college hangout, but two of the show's college-aged characters, Ralph (Don Most) and Richie (Ron Howard), left Happy Days just a few days later. Arnold's instead became a meeting spot for the next generation of high schoolers. This is just as well, since the new Arnold's lacks a liquor license and wouldn't be much fun for for college kids anyway.
But is the episode any fun? Find out when we review "The New Arnold's" on These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast.