When Arnold left the show, Alfred Delvecchio became the new owner of Arnold's Drive-In. Al, played by character actor Al Molinaro, stayed with the show until 1982.
Actor Pat Morita played the first owner of Arnold's Drive-In. On the show, his real name was given as Matsuo Takahashi, but the kids always referred to him as Arnold. He left the show after the 1975-76 season, but returned to the cast in 1982.
Charles "Chachi" Arcola was introduced in the 1977 season and eventually became a regular member of the cast. Originally, Chachi was something of a hoodlum. He wore a tattered vest over an old t-shirt and was a member of a local gang, the Lords. As he grew up, however, his rough edges were smoothed over and he became another clean-cut teen on the show.
Unlike his cousin Fonzie, Chachi was a one-woman man. The love of his life was Joanie, whom he affectionately dubbed "blue eyes." At first she was repulsed by this uncouth ruffian, but his tough-guy charm--or perhaps his dogged persistence--finally won her over. In 1982, Joanie and Chachi moved to Chicago to pursue a singing career. Meeting with little success in the Windy City, the two young lovers returned to Milwaukee for the last season of "Happy Days." In the final episode of the long-running sitcom, Joanie and Chachi were married.
The Cunninghams originally had two sons but the older boy, Chuck, disappeared without any explanation during the second season. In 1974, the role of Chuck was played by Gavan O'Herlihy and later Randolph Roberts filled in. Chuck never had much screen time and was given little to do other than dribble a basketball.
SPIKE
Actor Danny Butch made several appearances on the show as the Fonz's delinquent nephew, Spike, before Chachi was introduced.
ROGER PHILLIPS
Ted McGinley joined the cast of "Happy Days" in 1980, playing the part of Mrs. Cunningham's nephew. He worked first as an English teacher and basketball coach at Jefferson High before becoming the principal at George S. Patton Vocational High School.
K.C. CUNNINGHAM
Actress Crystal Bernard played the part of K.C. Cunningham for the 1982-83 season of "Happy Days." She was Howard's teenaged niece who lived with the Cunninghams for one year.
FLIP PHILLIPS
In the 1982-83 season, actor Billy Warlock became a regular cast member, playing the part of Roger Phillips' rambunctious younger brother, Flip.
ASHLEY PFISTER
Played by actress Linda Purl, Ashley Pfister was a young widow with whom the Fonz fell madly in love. For a time, it looked like there might even be wedding bells in the air, but she left the series after a single season, 1982-83.
Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli is perhaps the most famous greaser of all time. A one-time juvenile delinquent and high school dropout, the Fonz once rode with a motorcycle gang called the Falcons. By the time "Happy Days" began, though, the Fonz had reformed from his life of crime and spent his evenings at Arnold's Drive-In, dispensing much needed wisdom to Richie and his pals. He was such a constant fixture at Arnold's that the men's room became his "office."
Abandoned by his parents as a child and raised by his grandmother, the Fonz grew up to be a loner. He projected the image of a cool and tough rebel, but beneath his leather jacket beat the heart of an old softy. Though he acted like he didn't need anyone, he secretly loved it when the Cunninghams invited him to live in the apartment above their garage.
The Fonz had an absolutely magical power when it came to the opposite sex. Whenever he snapped his fingers, girls instantly rushed to his side. Despite the tremendous flock of chicks around him, he only became serious about two women--Pinky Tuscadero, a demolition derby driver, and Ashley Pfister, a widow with a young daughter named Heather. Fonzie came very close to marrying each of them, but remained a bachelor in the end.
Throughout the series, the Fonz worked a variety of jobs. He started at Otto's Auto Orphanage, which later became Herb's Auto Repairs, and finally Bronco's Auto Repairs. When Richie and the rest of the gang graduated from high school, the Fonz revealed that he had been secretly attending night school and had earned his diploma. Following this academic achievement, he became a shop teacher at Jefferson High and finally Dean of Boys at George S. Patton Vocational High School.
In 1984, the show's final season, the Fonz left his early image as a rebel completely behind and adopted a young orphan boy, Danny. The one-time juvenile delinquent had grown up and become a middle-class family man.
Joanie's boy-crazy best friend, Jenny Piccolo, was constantly referred to in the first several years, but she did not make her first onscreen appearance until the 1980 season. Jenny, played by Cathy Silvers, was fond of reading Passionate Romance magazine and once ordered an Ajax Bust Developer to become "more of a sexpot than I already am."
Joanie Louise Cunningham was the youngest member of the family. Her first word as a child, "hardware," was a bit unusual, but then again, her father ran a hardware store. When the series began, she was still in grammar school and was a member of the Junior Chipmunks Scout Troop. She spent much of her time hanging out with Jenny Piccolo, whom the Cunninghams felt was a decidedly bad influence on their wholesome daughter.
When Joanie became a teenager, she attended Jefferson High School and was thereafter relentlessly pursued by Fonzie's cousin, Chachi Arcola, who referred to her as "blue eyes." After resisting his amorous advances for a few seasons, she finally gave in and became his girlfriend.
In 1982, Joanie and Chachi moved to Chicago to embark on a singing career. Unsuccessful in the Windy City, the pair returned to Milwaukee for the final season of "Happy Days." In the last episode of the long-running sitcom, the young lovers were finally married.
After the departure of Pinky Tuscadero, the bad-girl role was filled by Leather, Pinky's sister. Played by real-life rock-n-roller Suzy Quatro, Leather supplied some memorable musical performances to "Happy Days."
Actress Linda Goodfriend played Richie's long-time girlfriend, Lori Beth, beginning in 1977. When Richie was stationed in Greenland with the U.S. Army in 1980, he and Lori Beth got married, with the Fonz standing in for the absentee husband. Lori Beth later visited Richie overseas and came back pregnant. They had a son, Richie, Jr.
Howard and Marion Cunningham were a classic 1950s middle-class TV couple. Howard ran a local hardware store, Cunningham Hardware, and Marion ran the house. Their kitchen was always immaculate, the living room was never messy, and they were always dressed up whenever unexpected guests showed up.
As a young man, Howard found his calling in life when his toilet overflowed. He went to the hardware store for a plunger, saw the fully-stocked shelves, and fell in love. He started working as a stock boy at the store and a few years later, he owned the business. Howard spent his free time with his lodge brothers at the Leopard Lodge or bowling for a team called the Ten Pins.
Although Marion Cunningham had worked as a secretary before tying the knot, she devoted her married life to being a homemaker. Her mother, Mother Kelp, was not too fond of Marion's choice of a mate and often called Howard "Fatso." Marion usually served as the intermediary between the two. Her days were spent doting on her kids, Richie and Joanie, and acting as a surrogate mom to Fonzie, whom she called "Arthur." In her free time, she was a member of the Milwaukee Women's Club and loved to watch soap operas.
Pinky Tuscadero, a demolition derby driver named for her eye-catching pink outfits, was the first woman to steal the Fonz's heart. Fonzie actually proposed to her in one memorable episode, though they did not marry. Actress Roz Kelly played this role.
His real name was Warren Weber, but he was only ever called Potsie. The unusual moniker was bestowed on him by his mother, due to his fondness for making things out of clay as a child.
Potsie was Richie's childhood friend and the two of them attended the same schools their entire lives. Together with Ralph Malph, they were constant companions. Although Potsie was quite nerdy, he was gifted with one popular talent--a great singing voice. He provided the lead vocals for the "Happy Days" band and, in one episode, sang professionally at the Vogue Terrace Club.
Like Richie and Ralph, Potsie eventually graduated from Jefferson High School and attended the University of Wisconsin, where he studied psychology. After college, Potsie ended up working for Richie's father at Cunningham Hardware.
Ralph Malph was born too late for vaudeville, but he inflicted corny jokes and predictable puns on his unwilling audience anyway. He usually followed each of his groaners with an enthusiastic "I got it, I still got it!" Clearly, Ralph was an optimist. He was a constant companion of Potsie and Richie and no situation, no matter how dire, could diminish his gift of gab. Like the rest of the "Happy Days" crew, he was also musically talented and played keyboards in the "Happy Days" band.
After graduating from Jefferson High School, Ralph attended the University of Wisconsin. He then enrolled in the army with Richie, and they were shipped off to Greenland. Despite his dreams of success as a comedian, he eventually followed in his father's footsteps and became an eye doctor.
Richie Cunningham was the kind of son every parent wants. He was exceedingly wholesome and, with his red hair and freckles, he bore more than a passing resemblance to Howdy Doody. Occasionally he got into trouble, usually in some scheme designed to attract women, but the guy didn't have a malicious bone in his body.
Many of the episodes revolved around Richie's attempts to pick up chicks, and there was little that this clean-cut teen wouldn't do to land a date. If buying a new car or joining a local gang was what it took, Richie was ready to give it a shot. Whenever he was feeling particularly lucky he would sing, "I found my thrill on Blueberry Hill."
In addition to a healthy love of women, Richie harbored an enormous amount of ambition as a writer. He first wrote for the Jefferson High Bugle, and then later became a cub reporter for the Milwaukee Journal.
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin, he served a short stint in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Greenland. While overseas, he married his long-time girlfriend, Lori Beth, with the Fonz standing in for the absent Richie. Lori Beth visited Richie in Greenland long enough to get pregnant. Their son was very aptly named Richie, Jr.
In the final season of the series, Richie returned to his dream of becoming a writer and moved to Hollywood to find work in the movies.