Insight to 78 season - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

David77 · 09-11-2002, 12:06 PM

Hello, I'm David Reo. I wrote the Potise Quits School episode. I also worked on about 20 Happy Days episodes as an apprentice writer in the 1978 season. I did not get credit for writing because I was a non union apprentice at the time however, I was there every week on the writing staff that year. My reward for writing under the Paramount Pictures apprentice program was to get a writing credit which in turn allowed me to get a union card. If you have any Happy Days questions for that 1978 season feel free to ask. I can't promise that I know everything. I just know I was there.

¤I Love Clay Aiken¤ · 09-11-2002, 01:27 PM

Oh wow!! Thats soo cool! Hmm...I cant really think of any questions though. Hey- did you ever hear the Laverne & Shirley cast screaming? I know they argued a lot! I already know the Happy Days cast was pretty close, so I dont really know what to ask! What did they do during breaks? I read in my TVGUIDE Ron said he played basketball, but what other things did they do? If I can think of anything else, Ill ask!!

Oh...and welcome to the boards!!

Stormtracker TF · 09-11-2002, 02:00 PM

Cool! Hi I Can't Think Of Any Questions Right Now, But I Will Soon I Sure, Well Welcome To The HD Board!

David77 · 09-11-2002, 02:21 PM

Hello, I never heard the Laverne and Shirley set brawling or anything. The writers and producers were in different buildings from the actors. The actors were on stage 19 about a block away. The Happy Days writers were next to the Laverne and Shirley writers and I know they were doing a lot of re-writing and putting in long hours. Yes, there was a basketball court behind the writers building and Ron Howard was usually there on his break. I can remember seeing Erin Moran riding around on her bicyle. Usually on breaks I was at the commisary eating lunch next to Vulcans and the Little House On The Praire cast. During breaks sometimes I would go onto the Happy Days set and there seemed to be a lot of card games going on with the film crew. Once in a while Penny Marshall would stop by the Happy Days office and hang. I remember watching the world series with her and a bunch of the office staff when Regie Jackson was hitting the homers. She didn't really know me or anything. Most of the time you would see people walking on the lot and just say hi.

wayne · 09-11-2002, 03:13 PM

Here's a question: In the Hollywood episode3 Fonzie wears his leather jacket while jumping the shark, determined not to come home a double loser. Why was the jacket used here? It just seemed out of place at a warm beach in Southern California. By the way which beach was used in the filming?

God bless America!

David77 · 09-11-2002, 04:00 PM

I Don't know. I didn't work on that episode. I only worked on the 1978 shows. The only location show that I worked on was where they went to a dude ranch. I think that was filmed up in Malibu Canyon. I didn't get to go. I was back at the office working. I think only Bob Brunner and Brian Levant went to the location. The rest of the writers were working on The kissing bandit episode. They are usually two scripts ahead. I would imagine that the writers thought it would be funny to have Fonzie wearing his leather jacket at the beach. To keep him in character. Whoa.
Most beach scenes that I know of in sit com location scenes are done at Will Rogers State Beach in Santa Monica, Malibu beach or Zuma Beach. Due to the area. Los Angeles.

britt britt · 09-11-2002, 04:26 PM

Thats so cool!

TVFactFan · 09-11-2002, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David77
Hello, I'm David Reo. I wrote the Potise Quits School episode. I also worked on about 20 Happy Days episodes as an apprentice writer in the 1978 season. I did not get credit for writing because I was a non union apprentice at the time however, I was there every week on the writing staff that year. My reward for writing under the Paramount Pictures apprentice program was to get a writing credit which in turn allowed me to get union card. If you have any Happy Days questions for that 1978 season feel free to ask. I can't promise that I know everything. I just know I was there.

I heard on the Mork episode, most of the Happy Days cast members were really trying hard tokeep a straight face because Robin Willams was so funny. Is that true?

David77 · 09-12-2002, 08:18 AM

I didn't work on the Mork episode. I only worked on Season 6.
Mork and Mindy was already in production by the time I was there. I heard stories that Robin Williams was incredible.
I saw Robin Williams prior to his Happy Days debut at the Comedy Store in Westwood, CA. in 1977. He was amazing.
I never worked with him.

animalcrackers · 09-12-2002, 08:41 AM

Hi David77, this is so cool that you are posting. Did you work on the Westward Ho episodes? I heard Henry was pretty good at riding horses. That episode looked liked everyone had a lot of fun. It must have been a great experience working on HD.

David77 · 09-12-2002, 09:33 AM

I worked on the Westward Ho scripts. That was the first assignment that I had at Happy Days. I didn't get to go to the actual location where it was filmed. By the time those episodes were being filmed the staff was working on other episodes.
The thing I remember most about Westward Ho was when the cast and writers and producers all got together to read it. The actors were all back from Hiatus. The writers had been working about a month before on Westward Ho. All the major players were there including Gary Marshall and Miller, Milkus, Boyett. I remember how excited the cast was to all see eachother again for the new sixth season. They were all hugging eachother. This was the first time I actually met the actors so for me it was like, "Wow am I really here?" I was only twenty years old and fresh from Rhode Island. Just being in Los Angeles was amazing let alone to be working with the likes of Ron Howard and Henry Winkler. It was really exciting. Lots of fresh fruit on the snack table too.

TVFactFan · 09-12-2002, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by David77
I didn't work on the Mork episode. I only worked on Season 6.
Mork and Mindy was already in production by the time I was there. I heard stories that Robin Williams was incredible.
I saw Robin Williams prior to his Happy Days debut at the Comedy Store in Westwood, CA. in 1977. He was amazing.
I never worked with him.

But Mork did make another appearance on Happy Days in March of 1979 and that was season 6?????

Stormtracker TF · 09-12-2002, 05:28 PM

Wow! I Bet It Was Cool To Work On REAL Happy Days Episodes!

David77 · 09-13-2002, 08:28 AM

It could have been the end of season six. I didn't work on all twenty six episodes that year. I never did work with Robin Willaims. I worked on about twenty episodes. From July through December. It goes like this..
Around Christmas time 1978, Bob Brunner the head producer at the time, adapted the movie, The Bad News Bears for television. He left Happy Days at that time and took Brian Levant and Ron Leavit to work with him. They were on a low budget and they couldn't hire any more writers. A new producer came in to Happy Days named Gary Menteer. They then brought in new writers Ketchem & DiMarco. They also did away with the apprentice writers for 1979. Which meant me. So by Christmas 1978 my time at Happy Days was over. I did get the Potise Quit School credit which got me in the union and I worked on other television shows later in my life. We're talking twenty four years ago so yeah, Life went on.

animalcrackers · 09-13-2002, 08:33 AM

David77, can you give us HD fans some idea what it was like working on HD and what the cast and Garry Marshall and Jerry Paris were like? Are you still writing? Thanks!

09-11-2002, 12:06 PM	#1
David77 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 11, 2002 Posts: 68	Insight to 78 season Hello, I'm David Reo. I wrote the Potise Quits School episode. I also worked on about 20 Happy Days episodes as an apprentice writer in the 1978 season. I did not get credit for writing because I was a non union apprentice at the time however, I was there every week on the writing staff that year. My reward for writing under the Paramount Pictures apprentice program was to get a writing credit which in turn allowed me to get a union card. If you have any Happy Days questions for that 1978 season feel free to ask. I can't promise that I know everything. I just know I was there.
	Last edited by David77; 09-19-2002 at 12:33 PM.

09-11-2002, 01:27 PM	#2
¤I Love Clay Aiken¤ MISS APRIL Forum Addict Join Date: Jul 19, 2001 Location: Parsonsfield ME Shaws - Screwing my way up the employment ladder! Posts: 68,763	Oh wow!! Thats soo cool! Hmm...I cant really think of any questions though. Hey- did you ever hear the Laverne & Shirley cast screaming? I know they argued a lot! I already know the Happy Days cast was pretty close, so I dont really know what to ask! What did they do during breaks? I read in my TVGUIDE Ron said he played basketball, but what other things did they do? If I can think of anything else, Ill ask!! Oh...and welcome to the boards!!
	__________________ DAVID COOK FOR AMERICAN IDOL

09-11-2002, 02:00 PM	#3
Stormtracker TF ║▌║█ ║▌║▌│║▌║▌█ Moderator Forum Idol Join Date: Jul 19, 2002 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 102,405	Cool! Hi I Can't Think Of Any Questions Right Now, But I Will Soon I Sure, Well Welcome To The HD Board!
	__________________ i s .. i t ... s t i l l .. t h e . n e w .. a g e . ? .. . . . o r .. a m .. i ... t o o .. l a t e .? Last edited by Stormtracker TF; 09-11-2002 at 10:52 PM.

09-11-2002, 03:13 PM	#5
wayne Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 03, 2000 Location: portland Oregon, Inspiration Point Posts: 1,046	Here's a question: In the Hollywood episode3 Fonzie wears his leather jacket while jumping the shark, determined not to come home a double loser. Why was the jacket used here? It just seemed out of place at a warm beach in Southern California. By the way which beach was used in the filming? God bless America!
	__________________ wayne's world

09-11-2002, 04:26 PM	#7
britt britt Catherine O'Hara Senior Member Join Date: Apr 28, 2002 Location: canada Posts: 2,688	Thats so cool!
	__________________ When I see you again As I always do It appears to me that Destiny rules That the spirits are ruthless With the paths they choose It's not being together It's just following the rules No one's a fool

09-11-2002, 02:21 PM	#4
David77 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 11, 2002 Posts: 68	Hello, I never heard the Laverne and Shirley set brawling or anything. The writers and producers were in different buildings from the actors. The actors were on stage 19 about a block away. The Happy Days writers were next to the Laverne and Shirley writers and I know they were doing a lot of re-writing and putting in long hours. Yes, there was a basketball court behind the writers building and Ron Howard was usually there on his break. I can remember seeing Erin Moran riding around on her bicyle. Usually on breaks I was at the commisary eating lunch next to Vulcans and the Little House On The Praire cast. During breaks sometimes I would go onto the Happy Days set and there seemed to be a lot of card games going on with the film crew. Once in a while Penny Marshall would stop by the Happy Days office and hang. I remember watching the world series with her and a bunch of the office staff when Regie Jackson was hitting the homers. She didn't really know me or anything. Most of the time you would see people walking on the lot and just say hi.

09-11-2002, 04:00 PM	#6
David77 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 11, 2002 Posts: 68	I Don't know. I didn't work on that episode. I only worked on the 1978 shows. The only location show that I worked on was where they went to a dude ranch. I think that was filmed up in Malibu Canyon. I didn't get to go. I was back at the office working. I think only Bob Brunner and Brian Levant went to the location. The rest of the writers were working on The kissing bandit episode. They are usually two scripts ahead. I would imagine that the writers thought it would be funny to have Fonzie wearing his leather jacket at the beach. To keep him in character. Whoa. Most beach scenes that I know of in sit com location scenes are done at Will Rogers State Beach in Santa Monica, Malibu beach or Zuma Beach. Due to the area. Los Angeles.

09-12-2002, 08:18 AM	#9
David77 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 11, 2002 Posts: 68	I didn't work on the Mork episode. I only worked on Season 6. Mork and Mindy was already in production by the time I was there. I heard stories that Robin Williams was incredible. I saw Robin Williams prior to his Happy Days debut at the Comedy Store in Westwood, CA. in 1977. He was amazing. I never worked with him.

09-12-2002, 08:41 AM	#10
animalcrackers Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 24, 2002 Location: The Backseat Of Fonzie's Bike Posts: 1,595	Hi David77, this is so cool that you are posting. Did you work on the Westward Ho episodes? I heard Henry was pretty good at riding horses. That episode looked liked everyone had a lot of fun. It must have been a great experience working on HD.

09-12-2002, 09:33 AM	#11
David77 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 11, 2002 Posts: 68	I worked on the Westward Ho scripts. That was the first assignment that I had at Happy Days. I didn't get to go to the actual location where it was filmed. By the time those episodes were being filmed the staff was working on other episodes. The thing I remember most about Westward Ho was when the cast and writers and producers all got together to read it. The actors were all back from Hiatus. The writers had been working about a month before on Westward Ho. All the major players were there including Gary Marshall and Miller, Milkus, Boyett. I remember how excited the cast was to all see eachother again for the new sixth season. They were all hugging eachother. This was the first time I actually met the actors so for me it was like, "Wow am I really here?" I was only twenty years old and fresh from Rhode Island. Just being in Los Angeles was amazing let alone to be working with the likes of Ron Howard and Henry Winkler. It was really exciting. Lots of fresh fruit on the snack table too.

09-12-2002, 05:28 PM	#13
Stormtracker TF ║▌║█ ║▌║▌│║▌║▌█ Moderator Forum Idol Join Date: Jul 19, 2002 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 102,405	Wow! I Bet It Was Cool To Work On REAL Happy Days Episodes!

09-13-2002, 08:28 AM	#14
David77 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Sep 11, 2002 Posts: 68	It could have been the end of season six. I didn't work on all twenty six episodes that year. I never did work with Robin Willaims. I worked on about twenty episodes. From July through December. It goes like this.. Around Christmas time 1978, Bob Brunner the head producer at the time, adapted the movie, The Bad News Bears for television. He left Happy Days at that time and took Brian Levant and Ron Leavit to work with him. They were on a low budget and they couldn't hire any more writers. A new producer came in to Happy Days named Gary Menteer. They then brought in new writers Ketchem & DiMarco. They also did away with the apprentice writers for 1979. Which meant me. So by Christmas 1978 my time at Happy Days was over. I did get the Potise Quit School credit which got me in the union and I worked on other television shows later in my life. We're talking twenty four years ago so yeah, Life went on.
	Last edited by David77; 09-19-2002 at 12:38 PM.

09-13-2002, 08:33 AM	#15
animalcrackers Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 24, 2002 Location: The Backseat Of Fonzie's Bike Posts: 1,595	David77, can you give us HD fans some idea what it was like working on HD and what the cast and Garry Marshall and Jerry Paris were like? Are you still writing? Thanks!

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