15 Surprising Facts About ‘Happy Days’

4. The Original Show Name Idea Was “Cool”

Originally the show creators wanted to call the show “Cool,” but the test audience said that reminded them of cigarettes. Producer Carl Kleinschmitt said, “How about calling it Happy Days? That’s what we’re going to show.”

5. Ron Howard Joined the Cast to Avoid Vietnam

Ron Howard had just enrolled at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts to become a director, but he had a low draft number that could have become a problem. He needed to land a job at a large enough company that would miss his loss, and Paramount was just the place to do it. Ron Howard himself talked about this in an interview, saying this was on his mind as they were filming the quasi-pilot of Happy Days, which was originally an episode on Love, American Style.

6. Many of the Character Names Came From Gary Marshall’s Real Life

A lot of the character names on the show came from real people that the show’s creator/producer Gary Marshall had grown up with. Fonzie’s name was originally supposed to be “Arthur Masciarelli”, after Marshall’s original surname, but “the Fonz” sounded better than “the Mash.”