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| Scott Baio and Danny Wells on Happy Days. |
Something was definitely brewing on the set of Happy Days in 1982. Ron Howard was long gone and Henry Winkler had aged out of being a teen idol, but Scott Baio could elicit screams from the studio audience just by walking onto the set. When Scott joined the ABC sitcom in 1977, he was just a scrawny adolescent best known for playing the title character in Bugsy Malone (1976). Five years later, though, he was prime Tiger Beat material—an object of desire for the Clearasil set.
The producers attempted to capitalize on Baio's popularity by turning his character, Chachi, into a bona fide rock and roll singer, the kind who could make teenage audiences squeal with joy. The problem was, Scott couldn't really sing all that well. His voice was thin and scratchy, like he was just getting over a bad cold. Luckily, during his (frequent) musical numbers, he was paired with Erin Moran, who was a much more able vocalist. Still in all, though, it was difficult to take Baio seriously as a rock musician. And, true to form, his pop music career never really materialized beyond Happy Days. He put out one vanity LP in 1982, complete with an album cover that blatantly ripped off Michael Jackson's Thriller, but Baio never made a dent in the Top 40.
This week on These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast, we're reviewing an episode called "Chachi's Future" in which Baio's character decides he wants to pursue music as a career. Naturally, his prospective father-in-law, Howard (Tom Bosley), is less than thrilled. Chachi even begins to doubt himself and considers becoming a janitorial supplies salesman instead. But this is Happy Days, so I think you know where the story is going.
What did we think of "Chachi's Future"? You can easily find out by listening to our latest episode, conveniently located below.