'Happy Days' Stars Expose The On-Set Drama Producers Kept Under Wraps
For almost 10 years, Fonzie and company created television magic. But for all the success that Happy Days enjoyed on the air, there were some other things going on behind the scenes that you weren't supposed to know about. It seems the Cunningham Family wasn't so cheery once the cameras stopped rolling.
Naming disagreements
From the onset, the sitcom was filled with disagreements. Happy Days almost had a different name: Cool. While that describes Fonzie pretty well, it doesn't exactly capture the vibe of the show. Producers also considered another alternative title, too...
All about Fonzie
Once producers knew that Fonzie was going to be an iconic character, they wanted to ride his popularity. At one point, they even considered calling the show Fonzie's Happy Days; the rest of the cast was probably glad they decided against it, though.
A different setting
Happy Days is firmly set in the 1950s, complete with jukeboxes, motorcycles, and leather jackets, but the characters almost lived in a different decade. The original plan was to set the show in the 1920s or '30s, but creator Garry Marshall chose the era he grew up in.
Milwaukee, California
And speaking of the setting, the real Cunningham house is actually in California, not Wisconsin. Producer Tom Miller actually pitched the idea of setting the show in his hometown of Milwaukee. He thought a Midwestern city would help a larger portion of America relate to the show. Safe to say his idea worked.
