Podcast Tuesday: "Aftermalph"

Anson Williams and Henry Winkler on Happy Days.

One of the big problems Happy Days faced during its final four seasons was what to do with Anson Williams' character, Warren "Potsie" Weber, the amiable but clueless friend of Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) and Ralph Malph (Don Most). Potsie was an important part of Happy Days from the very earliest pilot in 1972, and he had a following of his own (especially among female fans), so the producers opted to keep him on the show even after Richie and Ralph departed.

By Season 8, Fonzie (Henry Winkler) was the show's central character, while many of the stories revolved around Fonzie's brash young cousin, Chachi (Scott Baio). With Fonzie and Chachi dominating the series, there was even less room for Potsie. Besides, without Richie and Ralph, Potsie had no one to interact with. It's not like Fonzie and Potsie were ever great pals; they were more like friends-in-law or friends once removed.

Still in all, the producers of Happy Days felt an admirable sense of loyalty to their dependable foot soldier Anson Williams, so Potsie got an occasional episode tossed his way. One prominent example is Season 8's "Potsie on His Own," in which the dimwitted Weber boy takes a rather humiliating job to pay his rent. In fact, he's so ashamed of his profession that he tries to keep it a secret from everyone else in his life. You can probably guess how well that goes.

Is "Potsie on His Own" a good use of Anson Williams' talents? Find out when we review it on These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast. You'll be mighty glad you did.

Podcast Tuesday: "One Billboard Outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin"

Anson Williams on Happy Days.

Just as movies are often filmed out of sequence, television episodes are often broadcast in a different order than they were originally produced. Ultimately, a TV network decides when (or if) a particular episode will air; the producers of a series have little to no say over this. "A Potsie is Born," a showcase for actor-singer Anson Williams, was the final episode of Happy Days produced during the 1979-80 television season, but it ended up being only the third-to-last (or antepenultimate) episode to air. Isn't it crazy how TV works sometimes?

At the end of that fateful season, the seventh for the nostalgic sitcom, both Ron Howard and Don Most left the show to pursue other career opportunities. Their characters, Richie and Ralph, disappeared instantly from Happy Days with very little explanation or fanfare. They were there, and then they weren't. This was quite a dilemma for Anson Williams. His character, the sweet but dense Warren "Potsie" Webber, was largely defined by his relationships to Richie and Ralph. He and Fonzie (Henry Winkler) are not really friends; they're friends-in-law. Without his buddies, who was Potsie? The show never really found a satisfying answer to this question in its remaining four seasons.

In a way, then, "A Potsie is Born" marks the end of an era for Anson Williams as much as it does for Ron Howard and Don Most. This is the last big Potsie story during the Richie/Ralph era of Happy Days. Does it make for a good episode? Find out when you listen to the latest installment of These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast.

Podcast Tuesday: "A Small Eternity with Anson and Lorrie!"

Real-life lovers Lorrie Mahaffey (left) and Anson Williams commiserate on Happy Days.

How did we ever get to a hundred episodes of These Days Are Ours: A Happy Days Podcast? It all seems like a blur. My cohost first approached me about doing a Happy Days podcast in September 2018. My father had just died the previous month, and I was looking for something -- anything -- that would serve as a distraction from the grief, so I answered with three fateful words: "Sure. Why not?" In retrospect, this is very similar to how I got involved in the Stephen C. Apostolof book. People come to me with ridiculous projects, and I say yes to them because I can't think of a good reason to say no.

As it turns out, our 100th episode is a review of Season 5's "Potsie Gets Pinned," a lovey-dovey showcase for Anson Williams and his real-life girlfriend Lorrie Mahaffey. Anson and Lorrie had been going together for months by the time of this episode, and they got married shortly after it aired. (They divorced in 1986 after eight years of marriage and one child.) ABC was clearly trying to turn Anson and Lorrie into "a thing." The duo even got their own prime-time variety special in the grand tradition of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, The Captain & Tennille, and Mel and Susan Together. Unfortunately, there is so little on-camera chemistry between them that they might as well be brother and sister, a la Donny & Marie.

The plot of "Potsie Gets Pinned" has dim bulb Potsie (Wllliams) wanting to marry his new girlfriend Jenny (Mahaffey) after just one date. Fortunately, wise Howard Cunningham (Tom Bosley) convinces the overeager lad that, instead of rushing into marriage, Potsie should give Jenny his fraternity pin instead. Meanwhile, Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) and his girlfriend Lori Beth (Lynda Goodfriend) find themselves squabbling, showing the difficulty of keeping a relationship together over the long haul. More than anything, this episode reminds me of that one MST3K short, Are You Ready for Marriage? (1950). That film also has two contrasting couples -- one racing recklessly toward marriage, the other taking their time to get to know each other, including occasional arguments.

You can hear our review of "Potsie Gets Pinned" below and you can find our 99 other episodes right here.