Podcast Tuesday: "The Petralunga Imbroglio"

Henry Winkler and Melinda Naud on Happy Days.

One of the neat things about a sitcom being on the air for over a decade is that it builds up lots of lore: in-jokes, catchphrases, recurring characters, etc. In the later years of a series, the writers can draw upon the earlier seasons for inspiration. The writers of The Simpsons admit that they watch old episodes of that super-long-lived show when they need ideas. ("Hey, whatever happened to that character? We should bring him back!")

Happy Days did this, too. During Season 10 in 1982, for instance, the show aired a very lore-heavy episode called "Going Steady." The plot is nothing special. After years of dating every available chick in Milwaukee, habitual ladies' man Fonzie (Henry Winkler) decides to be exclusive with his current girlfriend, Ashley (Linda Purl). The Fonz may not be entirely ready for exclusivity, though, so he and Ashley squabble a little and almost break up. Ultimately, though, they get back together. Ho hum. Very predictable sitcom stuff.

What makes the episode interesting is that it brings back several characters from Happy Days' past, including Grandma Nussbaum (Frances Bey) and Rocky Baruffi (Ken Lerner). Most surprising of all, it marks the long-delayed return of temptress Paula Petralunga (Melinda Naud), a rather obscure character who hadn't been seen or mentioned since the third season! It's Paula, still foxy as ever, who puts Fonzie's fidelity to the test when she shows up at his doorstep.

What did we think of Paula's return? Find out by listening to the latest episode of These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast.