happy day be produce and broadcast from the mid 1970 to the early 1980 and seem to get more ridiculous with age . at the time of it broadcast and most viewer who grow up in the 1950 be in middle age with family and and the scene at mel diner probably bring an artificial nostalgia to them . the fonz be of course the coolest of the cool ( although the actor henry wrinkler to this day have never learn how to ride a motorcycle ) . richie cunningham be the all american blond haired kid who would probably be elect student body president . potsie be richie best friend the star of the show have to have a best friend and i guess . and ralph malph be the bumbling sidekick to the fonz and if not the entire group . i love it when the fonz would beat up on poor ralph malph . and there be mel and the middle age lug who run mel diner . and of course who could forget the appearance of mork . be this really the 1950 . ironically and film produce during the 1950 and such a rebel without a cause and the wild one have get well with age and portray the period more honestly than this show which be produce 20 year after the period it portray . unfortunately and the tv show happy day be not in the same league a rebel without a cause or american graffitti for that matter . happy day may have capture some aspect of the 1950 with it burger diner and juke box and cool car and and tacky plaid shirt and but it be more a nostalgic idealism do strictly for laugh rather than an honest portrayal . american graffitti have something to say about young american in the 1950 whereas happy day seem more about what middle aged people of the 1970 wish the 1950 have be like . the result be a kind of water down fabrication that really have nothing to do with the 1950 . happy day be and at best and a comedy fantasy with some of the artificial culture of the 1950 a it backdrop . a point out by another reviewer and the all american kid richie cunningham would probably have be chastise for befriend the like of a drop out like fonzie . and mel would probably forbid fonzie from enter his diner . a quick history represent happy day be originally a pilot call love in the happy day that be reject for broadcast . comedy pilot that have theme concern sex and romance that do not make it to pilot air sometimes appear on the infrequently broadcast show love american style which be often air in place of baseball game that have rain out or other unexpected programming cancellation and or or alteration . in short and love american style be a throw away show that contain all these one episode comedy pilot that never make it to a slot debut . love in the happy day do appear a a love american style show sometime in the early 1970 and but at the time tv executive could not foresee how a show about 1950 young people would be popular and particularly during the hey day of comedy show center around middle age people and such a the mary tyler moore show ( and it subsequent spin offs such rhoda ) and the bob newhart show and and all in the family . ( how thing have change since now most tv sitcom be about young people and the industry avoid most show about middle aged people like the plague . ) subsequently and one of the young star of love in the happy day and a child actor from the andy griffith show name ron howard and get the chance to star in a film about young people take place in 1959 call american graffitti direct by the relatively unknown george lucas whose previous thx 1138 have bomb miserably at the box office . even when it be premier to movie executive and again the studio could not see how a movie about young people in the 1950 could become popular because it do not fit with what have be popular in the past and although they do not realize that much of the movie go audience have be young in the 1950 . a everyone know and the movie be a huge hit and and studio executive recognize that they have completely misjudge their audience . somewhere during the theatrical run of american graffitti and tv executive realize they have a comedy pilot in their vault that be a lot like american graffitti . they bring it back with the original cast and plus henry wrinkler a the fonz and re title it happy day and the rest be tv history a it become one of the most popular show of the 1970 . happy day now seem ridiculous . the character be flat and cardboard and never be more or less than what they superficially be . the issue they deal with be trivial . and their reaction appear mindless and even silly . nowadays and the character of the fonz seem to be a caricature of and well and the fonz . be the idea to be a kind of parody of marlon brando character in the wild one . look on the show with fresh eye and i feel the producer really miss out on a great opportunity to present the 1950 with depth and realism that still could be fun and entertain . instead the producer decide on cheap laugh for quick buck . this be definitely a show that have not withstand the test of time . american graffitti have many of the outward appearance of happy day but it have an edge . it have an honesty about the character and their issue . happy day take the look of american graffitti but fail to take it heart .