Headscratchers / Happy Days

• What happened to Chuck?
  • A previous, unseen encounter with Mork?
    • What would Mork do to Chuck exactly and why?
  • Word of God confirmed that since Chuck's replacement actor in the second season didn't capture the character well, he was written out of the show in a deliberate attempt to gain fan backlash. The script wrote him out by having him leave home to head off to college.
• In "They Shoot Fonzie's, Don't They?", the Fonz clearly has enough energy to do that dance, so why was he acting tired up until it?
  • He wasn't "acting" tired, he was tired. Hearing that he had to get a crew cut if he forfeited was enough of a Berserk Button to give him a new burst of energy.
    • So anger is the same as sleep for him?
    • Haven't you ever been so angry it literally gives you a new shot of adrenaline/energy?
• In "The Muckrakers", Richie acts as though Fonzie's scared of the liver, when really he was most likely disgusted by it, so what's with that?
  • Perhaps it was both? That was a reaction of genuine fear, not just disgust.
    • He doesn't make that noise when he's normally scared, though. And why would he be afraid of it?
    • Of course he doesn't make that noise when he's normally scared. This is the thing that scares him the most. This way you know it's serious. As for why he's afraid of it, most likely Rule of Funny comes into play.
• Why is Fonzie so interested in his lineage if he hardly knew his family?
  • You don't think he'd be at least a little curious about where he comes from? Most people would be.
    • But Fonzie's interested in his lineage seems more like family pride than curiosity about where he comes from.
  • There's two episodes that deal with Fonzie's long-lost father, Vito Fonzarelli.
    In Season 6's, Christmas Time, a military friend of Vito's stops by Fonzie's place with a Christmas present. He asks if Fonzie has anything he wants to pass on to his father, but Fonzie has nothing to say, and doesn't even want to accept the present. Fonzie later learns that the "friend" was actually Vito himself, and wonders why he wouldn't admit the truth. The letter explains that Vito had always been a traveling seaman and simply couldn't settle down. Fonzie finally perks up, as he had always felt that he was to blame for his father leaving, but realized he wasn't.
    In Season 11's, Arthur, Arthur, Fonzie is united with his brother Arthur "Artie" Fonzarelli whom he previously didn't know exist. Artie wants to talk about their father, but Fonzie won't hear anything about it. It turns out Vito has died, leaving Fonzie with conflicting emotions, as there was so much he wanted to know about Vito, and now can't. Although the two brothers were quite dissimilar in personalities, they were able to bond over the loss, and keep in touch.
• In the episode where Richie comes home drunk while on his motorcycle, after it's revealed that Richie had spilt beer on his underwear (he wasn't wearing pants at the time of his arrival), Marion explains to Joanie that "this is why [Joanie] should always wear clean underwear"... What was that joke supposed to mean? It would appear to be a menstruation joke, or a throwaway line about Joanie being a bed wetter, but the implications aren't strong. Explanation please?
  • This is standard Mom wisdom: you (in general, not just Joanie) should always wear clean underwear just in case you’re in an accident and the doctor/paramedics see them.
• Why did Jenny Piccalo take so long to finally appear on-screen when she was mentioned numerous times beforehand?
  • She was originally supposed to be just The Ghost; the writers had a Running Gag that Joanie had this friend who told her naughty things. When Ron Howard left the show, Joanie's role was expanded, so she needed an actual onscreen friend to hang out with, and they'd already established that her closest friend was Jenny Piccalo, so it made sense to introduce her.
• In "White Christmas", how did Fonzie and the gang escape Arnold's, and Howard and Joanie escape the hardware store, even with the snow outside blocking the exit?