Joanie Loves Chachi
| Joanie Loves Chachi | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Created by | Lowell Ganz Mark Rothman Garry Marshall |
| Developed by | Thomas L. Miller Robert L. Boyett |
| Written by | Cheryl Alu James Patrick Dunne Lowell Ganz Terry Hart Neil Rosen George Tricker |
| Directed by | Lowell Ganz John Tracy Tom Trbovich Joel Zwick |
| Starring | Erin Moran Scott Baio Al Molinaro Ellen Travolta Art Metrano |
| Opening theme | "You Look at Me", performed by Scott Baio and Erin Moran |
| Composer(s) | Howard Pearl |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 17 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Lowell Ganz Robert L. Boyett Ronny Hallin Garry Marshall Edward K. Milkis Tom Miller |
| Producer(s) | James Patrick Dunne Fred Fox, Jr. |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Paramount Television Henderson Productions |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | March 23, 1982 – May 24, 1983 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Love, American Style Happy Days |
| Related shows | Laverne & Shirley Blansky's Beauties Mork & Mindy Out of the Blue |
Joanie Loves Chachi is an American television spin-off of the American sitcom Happy Days that was originally broadcast on ABC from March 23, 1982 to May 24, 1983. It stars Erin Moran and Scott Baio as the titular Joanie Cunningham and Chachi Arcola, respectively.
Storyline
The series 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. 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 blase 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.
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. This type of cancellation seemed strange in the early 1980s,[citation needed] but soon became a commonplace part of TV audience research.
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 that drew viewers in to Happy Days.[1]
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 |
Episode list
Season 1 (1982)
| No | Title | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Chicago" | March 23, 1982 |
| 2 | "The Performance" | March 30, 1982 |
| 3 | "I Do, I Don't, I Do" | April 6, 1982 |
| 4 | "College Days" | April 13, 1982 |
Season 2 (1982–1983)
| No. | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Fonzie's Visit" | September 30, 1982 |
| 2 | "Joanie's Roommate" | October 14, 1982 |
| 3 | "One-on-One" | October 21, 1982 |
| 4 | "No Nudes Is Good Nudes" | October 28, 1982 |
| 5 | "Everybody Loves Aunt Vanessa" | November 4, 1982 |
| 6 | "Beatlemania" | November 11, 1982 |
| 7 | "Best Foot Forward" | November 18, 1982 |
| 8 | "Goodbye Delvecchio's, Hello World" | November 25, 1982 |
| 9 | "Term Paper" | December 2, 1982 |
| 10 | "My Dinner with Chachi" | December 9, 1982 |
| 11 | "Christmas Show" | December 16, 1982 |
| 12 | "First Love, Last Love" | May 17, 1983 |
| 13 | "The Elopement" | May 24, 1983 |
References
- ^ "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.
External links
- Joanie Loves Chachi at the Internet Movie Database
- Joanie Loves Chachi at TV.com
- Joanie Loves Chachi at epguides.com
- Joanie Loves Chachi at Sitcomsonline.com
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