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 Miller-Milkis-Boyett Productions Henderson Productions |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | 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 |
| External links | |
| [{{#property:P856}} Website] | |
Joanie Loves Chachi is an American sitcom and a spin-off of 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 title characters Joanie Cunningham and Chachi Arcola, respectively.
Contents
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 actually 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 |
| 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 | Original 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 |
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 popular media
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]
References
- ↑ http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/joanie.asp
- ↑ Will Harris, "Scott Baio talks Chachi, Bob Loblaw, and Howard Cosell", AV Club 3 April 2014 accessed 7 April 2014
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Finalized Packaging Pic for 'The Complete Series: Seasons 1 and 2'
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Joanie Loves Chachi at IMDb
- Joanie Loves Chachi at TV.comLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Joanie Loves Chachi at epguides.com
- Joanie Loves Chachi at Sitcomsonline.com
| Characters | |
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| Seasons | |
| Spin-offs | |
| Related |
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- Episode list using the default LineColor
- 1982 American television series debuts
- 1983 American television series endings
- 1980s American television series
- 1980s American comedy television series
- American Broadcasting Company network shows
- American television sitcoms
- English-language television programming
- Television series by CBS Television Studios
- Television series set in the 1960s
- Television shows set in Chicago, Illinois
- Television spin-offs
