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Joanie Loves Chachi

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Joanie Loves Chachi
GenreSitcom
Created byLowell Ganz
Mark Rothman
Garry Marshall
Developed byThomas L. Miller
Robert L. Boyett
Written byCheryl Alu
James Patrick Dunne
Lowell Ganz
Terry Hart
Neil Rosen
George Tricker
Directed byLowell Ganz
John Tracy
Tom Trbovich
Joel Zwick
StarringErin Moran
Scott Baio
Al Molinaro
Ellen Travolta
Art Metrano
Opening theme"You Look at Me", performed by Scott Baio and Erin Moran
ComposerHoward Pearl
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes17 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersLowell Ganz
Robert L. Boyett
Ronny Hallin
Garry Marshall
Edward K. Milkis
Tom Miller
ProducersJames Patrick Dunne
Fred Fox, Jr.
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companiesParamount Television
Miller-Milkis-Boyett Productions
Henderson Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseMarch 23, 1982 (1982-03-23) –
May 24, 1983 (1983-05-24)
Related
Laverne & Shirley
Blansky's Beauties
Mork & Mindy
Out of the Blue

Joanie Loves Chachi is an American sitcom and a spin-off of Happy Days that aired on ABC from March 23, 1982 to May 24, 1983. It stars Erin Moran and Scott Baio as the title characters Joanie Cunningham and Chachi Arcola, respectively.

Storyline

The series is set in the early to mid-1960s and follows the exploits of Joanie and Chachi as they moved to Chicago and tried to make it on their own with a rock band and a music career at a time the British Invasion was looming (one episode was titled "Beatlemania"). It mixed the traditional elements of a sitcom with musical performances on each show by Baio and Moran. In fact, the beginning credit sequence of the show had them singing to each other. Their backup band consists of a spaced-out drummer named Bingo and Chachi's blasé cousins Mario and Annette.

The series also starred Ellen Travolta as Louisa Delvecchio, Chachi's mother, and Al Molinaro as Al Delvecchio, Chachi's stepfather (and formerly the owner of Arnold's Drive-In in Happy Days), who opened a restaurant in which Chachi and Joanie performed most of their music. Art Metrano played Chachi's uncle Rico Mastorelli, who was the band's manager and helped Joanie and Chachi advance in their careers. Actress Winifred Freedman played Rico's daughter, Annette, Chachi's cousin, and bandmate.

Production

Joanie Loves Chachi was the first Miller-Boyett (and only Garry Marshall-produced) sitcom developed by Tom Miller and Robert L. Boyett, and was created by Lowell Ganz, Mark Rothman, and Garry Marshall. Unlike other Garry Marshall/Miller-Boyett sitcoms, this is the only series that does not have Charles Fox and/or Norman Gimbel as the show's theme song/music cue composer.

The program was shown on the Armed Forces Network terrestrial channel 2, which was seen by the general population, but did not cause a stir because of the name and because the program was not very popular.[1]

Scott Baio later recalled that:

All the Happy Days people had written the first four episodes, when the show got picked up for series, but then they left to go back to Happy Days, and we were stuck with new writers who didn’t know us. So that was a problem. And then some of the people on the show had chemical issues, and that was a problem. It was just on and on and on, and it just sort of all crumbled and fell apart. In retrospect, if given the choice again, I would not have done that show. That was just the wrong idea. If I had to do it all over again, I would’ve waited ’til Happy Days was over until I did anything else.[2]

Ratings

  • Season 1: #17
  • Season 2: #60

Cancellation

The show initially attracted high ratings for the first few episodes, but the ratings plummeted in Season 2 with a move to Thursday nights, and the series only lasted for two seasons (both abbreviated) before the characters were rolled back into Happy Days for that program's final season. ABC determined that the show was losing too much of its lead-in, suggesting low appeal if the show were moved.

In 2010, TV Guide Network listed the show at #17 on its list of 25 Biggest TV Blunders, arguing that Joanie and Chachi was not what viewers wanted to see and that it was the Fonz who drew viewers in to Happy Days.[3]

Main cast

Actor Role
Scott Baio Chachi Arcola
Erin Moran Joanie Cunningham
Al Molinaro Al Delvecchio
Ellen Travolta Louisa Delvecchio
Art Metrano Rico Mastorelli
Robert Pierce Bingo Pierce
Derrel Maury Mario Mastorelli
Winifred Freedman Annette Mastorelli

Episodes

Season 1 (1982)

No. Title Original air date
1"Chicago"March 23, 1982 (1982-03-23)
2"The Performance"March 30, 1982 (1982-03-30)
3"I Do, I Don't, I Do"April 6, 1982 (1982-04-06)
4"College Days"April 13, 1982 (1982-04-13)

Season 2 (1982–1983)

No. Title Original air date
1"Fonzie's Visit"September 30, 1982 (1982-09-30)
2"Joanie's Roommate"October 14, 1982 (1982-10-14)
3"One-on-One"October 21, 1982 (1982-10-21)
4"No Nudes Is Good Nudes"October 28, 1982 (1982-10-28)
5"Everybody Loves Aunt Vanessa"November 4, 1982 (1982-11-04)
6"Beatlemania"November 11, 1982 (1982-11-11)
7"Best Foot Forward"November 18, 1982 (1982-11-18)
8"Goodbye Delvecchio's, Hello World"November 25, 1982 (1982-11-25)
9"Term Paper"December 2, 1982 (1982-12-02)
10"My Dinner with Chachi"December 9, 1982 (1982-12-09)
11"Christmas Show"December 16, 1982 (1982-12-16)
12"First Love, Last Love"May 17, 1983 (1983-05-17)
13"The Elopement"May 24, 1983 (1983-05-24)

DVD release

On February 4, 2014, CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount) released Joanie Loves Chachi - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[4]

In the pilot episode of Friends, Rachel Green is watching the show after she breaks up with her fiance Barry. She says, "See! But Joanie loved Chachi! That's the difference!"[5]

In the 2004 film called Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story when White Goodman (played by Ben Stiller) hits Justin with a dodgeball, he says "Joanie loves Chachi!".

References

  1. ^ http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/joanie.asp
  2. ^ Will Harris, "Scott Baio talks Chachi, Bob Loblaw, and Howard Cosell", AV Club 3 April 2014 accessed 7 April 2014
  3. ^ "Breaking News - TV Guide Network's "25 Biggest TV Blunders" Special Delivers 3.3 Million Viewers". thefutoncritic.com. 2010-03-02. Retrieved 2010-03-10.
  4. ^ Finalized Packaging Pic for 'The Complete Series: Seasons 1 and 2'
  5. ^ "The Pilot". FRIENDS. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
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