Happy Days, which we did for 11 years, we did with three cameras in front of a live audience. Very special. We had a party every Friday night. The boys, Ron, Henry, they grew up on that show.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
My growing up years, we watched 'Happy Days,' every night. I don't know what was reruns and what was new.
'Happy Days' is the type of show that represents the best we can be. It's something warm, something tactile when life was good and life was simple.
Once or twice in the height of 'Happy Days' excitement, which had more to do with Henry Winkler as The Fonz than ever had to do with me, we were kind of like a boy band for a year or so, and we would go out on personal appearances and feel the limousine rocking, and the grabbing at your clothes and people trying to steal your cap.
I grew up with 'Friends' from day one and, like, 'Seinfeld' and 'Frazier,' those sorts of shows, but for sure, 'Friends' was it for our family. Like, we would watch every Thursday night at eight o'clock; I couldn't wait.
I remember in high school trying to get home from water-polo practice in time so I could see Happy Days on television when it first came on, because I was so blown away by it. It was just such a cool thing.
'Freaky Friday' was really fun. They had a ping-pong table on set because Jamie Lee Curtis is really good at ping-pong. She's awesome at it. And they had a tournament, and we would play during filming. Whoever won the tournament would get to keep the table. I think it was Jamie who kept it.
We did 112 shows and had 112 parties.
I always wanted to be known as the Norman Rockwell of television, and 'Happy Days' represented the part of me that wanted to make mainstream America laugh.
I always wanted to do a family show.
'Days of Our Lives' was an insane schedule. You're doing a whole one-hour show in a day. You do a very cursory run-through with the director telling you where you're going to be standing, then you do a quick rehearsal on camera and you shoot it.