Fearless Fonzarelli: Part 1 was the first in a two-episode story arc, also the third episode of the third season of Happy Days, as well as the 42nd overall episode of the series. Written by Michael Weinberger, the episode, directed by Jerry Paris, first aired on ABC-TV on September 23, 1975.
Synopsis[]
Worried that he is losing his edge, Fonzie decides to attempt to break a record and jump fourteen garbage cans on his motorcycle. The stunt is set to be televised on the TV show "You Wanted to See It".
Full Storyline[]
The episode begins at Arnold's Drive-In where Richie Cunningham, Warren "Potsie" Weber and Ralph Malph are complaining about their checks being too expensive. They discover that Arnold has instituted a 50-cent booth minimum. Richie demands to talk to Arnold. Ralph says Arnold worries about people stealing food, and, started by Richie, they begin chanting, "We want Arnold! Doo-wop! Doo-wop!", along with the girls. Arnold comes and says in an annoyed sort of way that they need to be quiet and asks what doowop means. Richie complains about their checks being too expensive and Ralph says the place is always packed.
Arnold says that they can take up space with just buying a small soda and he doesn't get money from them singing doo-wop. He then makes a joke about flu. Ralph claims fifty cents is a lot of money. Arnold then says he won't need a minimum if his fried chicken stand makes money. Richie doesn't know about the chicken stand. Arnold says that it has been there for eight months.
Richie asks where, and Arnold says that it is in the parking lot, adding that he advertises but nobody knows about it. Ralph and Potsie say they didn't know either. Richie says, "You wait 'til Fonzie hears about this," but Arnold doesn't really reply. A woman exits the "dolls" bathroom, walks over to the table with the two girls from before, and sits down. Potsie and Richie are attracted to her. The woman talks to her friends.
Then Fonzie enters, snaps his fingers and looks the woman in the eye, but she's too busy to go out/dance with him (she also seems to know who he is). He talks to his friends, sits down while they stand up, and wonders if everyone is taking a holiday from being cool. Ralph complains to the Fonz about the fifty cent minimum. Richie, then Potsie, ask Fonzie what he is going to do about it. Fonzie says just to ignore it, and Richie asks if he's all right.
Fonzie's not sure and asks Richie to sit down and Ralph and Potsie to move away. Fonzie says strange things are happening that have not happened before. Richie asks if the fifty cent minimum is one of them. Fonzie says the weird things are worse, and he is changing. Richie asks what is happening to the Fonz and Fonzie says that that morning, an 18-year-old punk had called him "kid" when asking to fix his car. Richie says the punk was probably from out of town, but Fonzie says he's losing it. Richie asks what and Fonzie says he's losing his "cool". Richie says that the Fonz is probably going through a slump as some certain sports players go through slumps.
Fonzie says he's more important than sports, and claims he needs to quickly snap out of the slump as an eighty-year-old man threatened to beat him up. Ralph, due to not having any money, asks Fonzie if he can start the jukebox, but Fonzie punching it doesn't work. At home, the Cunninghams are worried because Fonzie has no date, and the Fonz explains that his girlfriend's grandmother died. Then, a show called You Wanted to See It turns on and talks about a family that lives underwater and a man that jumped 12 garbage cans with a motorcycle.
Richie talks about Ralph wanting to see a human sacrifice and Fonzie wants to jump over 14 cans and set a record, skipping 13 as it is thought to be unlucky. The Cunninghams are worried that he may not survive. He then makes an almost-will which Richie refuses to help with. At Arnold's, a big crowd of people are jumping up and down outside and there are signs with things like "FONZIE'S TOUGH BUT OUR CHICKEN ISN'T.". The reporter jokes that the Fonz may be Ralph's human sacrifice. Fonzie dances with a girl, combs his hair, then does the jump.
Notes[]
- Pat Morita appears as Arnold for the first time in this episode.
- You Wanted to See It was a takeoff on the 50s hit television show "You Asked For It", and starred that show's original host Jack Smith. Also, Fonzie's attempted motorcycle stunt is a reflection of the Evel Knievel phenomenon from the 1970s.
- Arnold's flu joke was that if white people worried about getting "Asian flu", he might get "Caucasian flu".
- The known parts of Fonzie's "almost-will" (that is, a document that would have been his will if he'd died in the jump) read "I, Arthur Fonzarelli, resound my worldly possessions", and "my entire comb collection intact".
Guest starring/Recurring cast[]
- Pat Morita as Arnold Takahashi
- Jack Smith (special guest star) as Himself
- Joseph Bova as Burt
- Melinda Naud as Roberta (as Mindy Naud)
- Hillary Horan as Girl Playing Drum (uncredited)
- Heather Warren as Girl in Solid Green Scarf (uncredited)
External links[]
"Fearless Fonzarelli: Part 1" at the Internet Movie Database- Template:TV.com episode
