Howard Cunningham (Happy Days)

Last updated
Howard Cunningham
Howard Cunningham.jpg
Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham in 1976
First appearance"Love and the Happy Days"
Last appearance"Passages Part 2"
Created by Garry Marshall
Portrayed by Harold Gould (pilot on Love, American Style)
Tom Bosley
In-universe information
NicknameMr. C
Gender Male
Occupationowner of Cunningham hardware
Affiliation Republican
FamilySean Cunningham (father)
Dick Cunningham (brother)
Spouse Marion Kelp
Children
RelativesJoe Cunningham (uncle)
K.C. Cunningham (niece)
NationalityAmerican

Howard C. Cunningham is a fictional character played by Tom Bosley on the 1970s sitcom Happy Days . Actor Harold Gould played the character in the pilot, which aired as an episode of the anthology series Love, American Style . [1] He is the husband of Marion Cunningham, and the father of Chuck, Richie, and Joanie Cunningham. Originally, Gould was supposed to reprise his role on Happy Days as Howard Cunningham but wanted to commit to something else so Bosley was offered the part. Howard is one of only two characters, the other being Fonzie, to appear in all 255 episodes of Happy Days and to remain with the rest of the cast for all 11 seasons; of the two, Howard is the only one to have also appeared in the pilot.

Contents

Biography

Howard Cunningham was born on September 28, 1910 (it is revealed in season 3's "Howard's 45th Fiasco" that his birthday is on Confucius's birthday; the year is 1955). In Howard's youth, Cunningham was a cook in the Army. In his later years, he became owner of a hardware store (Cunningham Hardware) while residing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his family. His character was written to portray Cunningham to be the stereotypical all-American 1950s father: a sage, white, Republican business owner in Middle America with traditional values. He was a member of Leopard Lodge No. 462 in Milwaukee, eventually becoming its "Grand Poobah".

Originally Howard had a special disdain for Fonzie, who seemed a troublesome hood. However, during a brief period of financial insecurity about the fate of his store, Howard agreed to rent out the apartment over the family's garage. The most promising tenant was Fonzie's grandmother, but she declined and Richie convinced Fonzie to use it instead. Howard was aghast at the idea, even when Fonzie insisted on paying three months in advance before moving in. Howard originally would only tolerate a week's time as a trial, but despite some unintended disturbances, he eventually agreed to make Fonzie's tenancy permanent. Eventually, Howard would eventually warm to Fonzie as a family friend.

Trivia

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fonzie</span> Sitcom character

Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz", is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom Happy Days (1974–1984). He was originally a secondary character, but was soon positioned as a lead character when he began surpassing the other characters in popularity. The Fonzie character was so popular that in the second season producers considered renaming the show to "Fonzie's Happy Days." To many, Fonzie is seen as the epitome of coolness and a sex symbol.

<i>Mork & Mindy</i> American television sitcom (1978–1982)

Mork & Mindy is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 14, 1978, to May 27, 1982. A spin-off after a highly successful episode of Happy Days, "My Favorite Orkan", it starred Robin Williams as Mork, an extraterrestrial who comes to Earth from the planet Ork, and Pam Dawber as Mindy McConnell, his human friend, roommate, and eventual love interest.

<i>Happy Days</i> American television sitcom (1974–1984)

Happy Days is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most successful series of the 1970s. The series presented an idealized vision of life in the 1950s and early 1960s Midwestern United States, and it starred Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham, Henry Winkler as his friend Fonzie, and Tom Bosley and Marion Ross as Richie's parents, Howard and Marion Cunningham. Although it opened to mixed reviews from critics, Happy Days became successful and popular over time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Bosley</span> American actor (1927–2010)

Thomas Edward Bosley was an American actor, television personality and entertainer. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the ABC sitcom Happy Days (1974–1984) for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nomination. Bosley also did a variety of voiceover work such as playing the lead character in the animated series Wait Till Your Father Gets Home, and the narrator of the syndicated film history documentary series That's Hollywood. He's also known for his role as Sheriff Amos Tupper in the Angela Lansbury lead CBS mystery series Murder, She Wrote (1984–1988), and as the title character in the NBC/ABC series Father Dowling Mysteries (1989–1991).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anson Williams</span> American actor

Anson Williams is an American actor, singer, and director, best known for his role as gullible, well-intentioned singer Warren "Potsie" Weber on the television series Happy Days (1974–1984), a role for which he was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harold Gould</span> American actor (1923–2010)

Harold Vernon Goldstein, better known as Harold Gould, was an American character actor. He appeared as Martin Morgenstern on the sitcom Rhoda (1974–78) and Miles Webber on the sitcom The Golden Girls (1985–92). A five-time Emmy Award nominee, Gould acted in film and television for nearly 50 years, appearing in more than 300 television shows, 20 major motion pictures, and over 100 stage plays. He was known for playing elegant, well-dressed men, and he regularly played Jewish characters and grandfather-type figures on television and in film.

<i>The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang</i> 1980 American animated television series

The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang is an American animated science fiction comedy series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Paramount Television and originally broadcast during the Saturday morning schedule on ABC from November 8, 1980, until November 28, 1981. It is a spin-off of the live-action sitcom Happy Days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanie Cunningham</span> Fictional character

Joanie Louise Cunningham is a fictional character, played by Erin Moran on the sitcoms Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi. Her first appearance was on one episode of Love, American Style, where she was played by Susan Neher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Potsie Weber</span> Fictional character from Happy Days

Warren "Potsie" Weber is a fictional character from the sitcom Happy Days. He was played by Anson Williams. Anson also played the character in several other shows; he appeared in guest appearances on Love, American Style and Laverne & Shirley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richie Cunningham</span> Fictional character from Happy Days

Richard J. Cunningham is a fictional character in the 1970s TV sitcom Happy Days, played by Ron Howard. Richie is Howard and Marion Cunningham's son and Joanie Cunningham and Chuck Cunningham's brother. He is friends with Fonzie, Ralph Malph, and Potsie Weber.

<i>Happy Days</i> (musical)

Happy Days is a musical with a book by Garry Marshall and music and lyrics by Paul Williams, based on the ABC television series of the same name. The story is set in approximately during Season 4 of the original sitcom. The story concerns the kids' plans to save Arnold's from demolition by hosting a dance contest and wrestling match.

This is a list of episodes from the first season of Happy Days.

This is a list of episodes from the second season of Happy Days.

This is a list of episodes from the third season of Happy Days. It was the first season of the show to be filmed in front of a live audience.

This is a list of episodes from the fourth season of Happy Days.

This is a list of episodes from the fifth season of Happy Days.

This is a list of episodes from the seventh season of Happy Days.

This is a list of episodes from the eleventh and final season of Happy Days.

Marion Cunningham is a fictional character in the 1970s American television sitcom Happy Days. She was played by Marion Ross, after whom the character was named, and first appears in the Love American Style episode "Love and the Happy Days". She is one of three characters to remain on the show for all 11 seasons. She is also one of three characters to be played by the same actors on Love American Style as well as Happy Days.

"My Favorite Orkan" is the 22nd episode of the fifth season of the 1970s television sitcom Happy Days, making it the 110th episode overall. It is notable for introducing Robin Williams to a larger audience. The actor's popular appearance in this episode led to the spin-off series Mork & Mindy, which was based on his character.

References

  1. ↑ After the pilot, "New Family in Town", was rejected by the networks, Garry Marshall liquidated it as an episode of Love, American Style to recover production costs; many failed pilots of the era were similarly salvaged. In keeping with the series's titling protocols which required each story to be called "Love and the _________", the former "New Family in Town" aired as "Love and the Happy Days".
  2. ↑ "Tom Bosley, Mr. C on 'Happy Days,' dies at 83".
  3. ↑ "Tony Winner Tom Bosley, 'Mr. C' of TV's 'Happy Days,' Dies at 83". 19 October 2010.
  4. ↑ "Happy Days (TV Series 1974–1984) - IMDb". IMDb .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.