Happy Days: The Complete Second Season DVD: Review By Mushy

Happy Days: The Complete Second Season finally gets released on DVD. To the fans of this show (and I know there are many) you have a reason to be excited. Still employing a laugh track and not a live audience (except for certain episodes), Richie, Potsie, Ralph, Fonzie, Howard, Marion, Joanie and the rest of the original gang show us what made this show so great. Who cares if it was the 1950s and these guys all had haircuts that seemed like the 1970s? This was a great show that tried to recapture a time and give people an idea, who hadn't lived through it, just how much fun it was.

We open with Richie moving out of the Cunningham home and into an utter pigsty (his brother's apartment) in the maiden episode, "Richie Moves Out." Richie finds himself and friends starstruck when he gets to escort Hollywood ingenue Cindy Shea to a school dance in "Wish Upon A Star." "Guess Who's Coming to Christmas" gives us a very special episode in which we see Fonzie's cool persona come down for the first time as he spends the holidays with the Cunningham family. "Kiss Me Sickly" sees eventual best friends Richie and Fonzie at odds over how Richie took care of the Fonz's girlfriend when he was away.

There was always an easygoing atmosphere about this show. No matter what problems any of the characters found themselves in they were always solved in 30 minutes or less. I think it is this simplicity that keep people watching and that ultimately kept Happy Days on the air for 11 years.

No Extras came with this DVD set. None came with the First Season. One would think that with Eleven Seasons under it's belt and the cast still around, Paramount could at least put some kind of Bonus Features on these DVDs?

Full Screen. Sadly, these episodes don't seem like they were given the treatment. In fact, it seems as if Paramount did very little work when they brought them to DVD. Aside from there being dirt on the images, the episodes looked fuzzy and even shaky at times. The shaky part wasn't as prevalent as the fuzzy aspect of these episodes, but it came up enough to certainly make me aware that it was happening. I understand that Paramount has probably done their best in bringing out this four disc set, I just wish that they had been better stored for this eventual release.

Dolby Digital. The audio on these discs was fine but I was really turned off by the music being changed. The opening song should have been "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets. That song opened every episode until the Happy Days jingle started to be employed. Make no mistake, I have no problem with the original tune but why did Paramount use "Rock Around the Clock" on the First Season and not the Second one? It's just disappointing because when this show was shot with a laugh track (as opposed to in front of a studio audience) it was a really different show. "Rock Around the Clock" was a part of all that and here it just feels out of place.

The entire main cast is showcased on this front cover with a red record around them playing on a phonograph. This is a great picture and it should make anyone who likes this show excited about it's release on DVD. The back cover features a background shot of Fonzie on his bike, as well as some shots from a few of the episodes. There is a simplistic description of what this show is about and some technical specs. On the inside cover are all the episode listings, airdates and descriptions. Nothing too special here, but this set is special all on it's own.

I am so happy to own Happy Days: The Complete Second Season on DVD you have no idea. I wish they hadn't switched out the opening song but I guess we have to take what we can from these companies who hold the rights to our favorite TV shows. In all honesty, for me, it is a very close race for the top spot in my rankings with Happy Days, All in the Family and Leave It to Beaver: all vying for the number one position.

I just love the dialogue between the characters. Everyone really personified their role. I believe that Richie (Ron Howard) was the All American Kid with shenanigans on his mind. The Fonz (Henry Winkler), especially at this point in the show, was the embodiment of cool, and Howard Cunningham (Tom Bosley) was the understanding father we all wish we had. All of the actors on this show (and even the ones that came later) were all quite solid in their performances. In fact, to think that this show ran for so long when so many of it's main players were replaced with new ones really says something about people's attachment to Happy Days.

Certain TV shows come in go. In today's marketplace it is doubtful that Happy Days would have been on for as long as it was. However, I think that this show truly gives other TV shows of it's ilk something to shoot for.