Fonzie STILL Loves Pinky

Speaker 1 0:00

Hi, this is Christopher Atkins. I'm totally naked. Please watch and listen to the pop culture Preservation Society. It is a lot of fun. Wink, wink.

Unknown Speaker 0:13

Oh, awesome.

Michelle Newman 0:15

Hi, listeners, it's encore time. For those new to the class, that means that for the next month, while we are busy researching and writing and recording most of our next season, we're replaying some of our old episodes that for one reason or another are relevant right now, or that are just conversations we love. And we'll be adding brand new introductory conversations. So even if you caught the episode The first time out of the gate, you should listen again, because we'll be adding to the conversation, enhancing it, if you will, right. Yeah. I'm listening to the best audible right now. It's Henry Winkler's memoir being Henry, the Fonz and beyond. Have either of you read it or listen to it yet? No,

Kristin Nilsen 1:00

but it's on my list. And I'm definitely going to listen, I'm not an audio book person in general. But when it comes to a celebrity biography, I'm going to listen to the celebrity biography read by the celebrity Oh, very excited for this

Carolyn Cochrane 1:12

article. It exactly.

Michelle Newman 1:13

I love it. You guys. I highly, highly recommend listening to this one. And I know more of you than Kristen are not audiobook people. But hearing him tell his story. And notice I didn't say read it. Because it's honestly like you're sitting with him listening to him. Just just talk to you and tell you about these incredible things in moments in his life. It's next level. It is so captivating. He is so captivating. He's just He's beyond lovely and engaging.

Kristin Nilsen 1:42

I love this man. And people always talk about Henry Winkler as the nicest guy in Hollywood. That's kind of who he's become known as I don't think that we knew that when he was Fonzie. But now after Arrested Development, and Barry, and he's got a whole line of children's books that like 100 children does not write 25 children's books. I don't know. He's got a lot. He's got a lot of children's books. People are identifying him as one of the nicest people in Hollywood.

Carolyn Cochrane 2:07

Wow, what a great reputation to have, right? Oh, yeah,

Kristin Nilsen 2:11

I know. Well,

Michelle Newman 2:12

I'm only about halfway through listening to it. But you guys each time I listen. I'm not kidding. I find myself like leaning forward just a little bit. And whatever I'm doing like yesterday, I was emptying the dishwasher. I realized I have like this little grin on my face the whole time. I'm listening to him. And if you need proof, just go on Audible right now. And listen to just the sample the preview. It's like four minutes, which is the very beginning where he briefly tells you the story of his Fonzie audition. It's hilarious. It's amazing. The first, you know, 20 minutes of the book. He's very transparent about how he's he didn't realize he had dyslexia till he was 34. This is five years after happy they started. And you know, he couldn't read scripts for auditions. So he would just go in and wing it, he would make up his own stuff, because he couldn't have read. But his parents, you guys, they they called him dumb all the time. He flunked out of every grade. And he's so transparent about this. But I wanted to let you know that one of the most amazing things, I learned this, and I could be wrong, because this was a several years ago, but he publishes his children's books in that font. That's for dyslexic kids. There's a special font that makes it easier for them to read, which

Kristin Nilsen 3:24

is actually printed. The books are printed, you know, you can in an e book, you can choose your font, but none of them are printed in that font. So that's, that's kudos to him. And I think that's one reason he's been so successful, because who else is catering to the millions of people with dyslexia? He's the only one. He's it. Sorry, if there's a person out there who's doing it? I don't know you. Yeah. Well, Henry Winkler sort of cornered the market on that. I think this is an important discussion for us to have at this moment, too, because it's no, the Fonz and beyond is the subtitle. And the three of us just had a 20 minute conversation that we really should have recorded, which was sort of a confessional about the struggles that we're having with aging, particularly in the vanity department, what things bother you what things don't, what should we worry about? What can you do what is going too far, everybody's line is in a different place. And and we were all talking about the need for a role model. We don't want to look quote unquote, good for our age. That's not what we want. We want to look healthy, robust, happy. That's what we want to be and who has that role model that comes complete with the age appropriate signs, like wrinkles or graying hair, or you know, the jowls are a little saggy or whatever. Henry Winkler is that person. And there's not a single person who looks at Henry Winkler and says, Oh, God, but look, he doesn't look like Fonzie anymore.

Michelle Newman 4:50

Right here. Not

Kristin Nilsen 4:51

one person says that we adore Him and we think fondly about who he was previously. And we look at him now and think those same I'm fond fond thoughts, and he's more successful successful now than he ever was. Fonzie was a cultural touchstone. But I would argue that the roles that he's getting now to be an actor and get those roles and to be so successful, what does he 74?

Michelle Newman 5:15

Oh, yeah, I just looked it up and something like that. Yeah, I mean, let's say

Kristin Nilsen 5:19

that that's a testament to what is to come, and that he clearly is not worried about his double chin or his gray hair. He is not worried about that. And we shouldn't be either. Well, I

Carolyn Cochrane 5:29

remember a couple of years ago, or maybe just last year, I can't really remember when, but he was on a fishing trip. And he would post a picture every time he caught a fish. And I remember looking at those pictures and thinking, that is happiness. He just exuded it. And I will never forget those moments of thinking that that's, that's what I want. And so in reference to what you were saying, Kristin, yes. I mean, that's he is living that life, and he exudes it. he exudes happiness, and joy. And at the end of the day, I guess that's, that is what I want to do. So how do you want to look, you

Kristin Nilsen 6:04

want to look happy? Yeah.

Michelle Newman 6:05

And if you listen to him read this book. He's gleeful and partly so funny. I tell you, I love a good, you know, celebrity memoir read by the celebrity as well. But this one is already top of my list. Wow. I love it. I adore him. You adore him. And like, you know, Kristen said, I mean, there is a reason everyone in Hollywood does too, right? Yeah. I recently found a People Magazine, you know, one of those special editions they have that are like you grab at the checkout, and then you realize, Wait, 12 $15 Yeah. Make a book I think of it like, but it's deceptive.

Carolyn Cochrane 6:42

Let's face it. I'm

Kristin Nilsen 6:45

always impulse decisions when 100% of the time it's an impulse decision before

Carolyn Cochrane 6:49

99 Or even my old 1970s ad self expects it to be $1.99 and 599. But then when it's 1299

Michelle Newman 6:57

So anyway, but I found one devoted to happy days. Did you guys realize that on January 15 of this year that we just passed? It's celebrated his 50th Happy Days premiered January 15 1974. Anyway, as someone who was addicted to happy days as a kid and I know I'm speaking for you too, as well and many in many of our listeners, I highly recommend this special Happy Days issue well worth the for 15 bucks if you can still find it.

Kristin Nilsen 7:26

That 50th anniversary kind of came and went with a whisper you would think that would be there'd be a big special or something like that. I don't know. Do we have specials anymore? Maybe that's daunting. I

Michelle Newman 7:36

can hear I can't understand my voice but I can hear the

Carolyn Cochrane 7:44

to be 90 or something now to get any kind of special like Carol Burnett had her special. Yeah.

Kristin Nilsen 7:48

On your way out? Yes. And who just had their stick? VanDyke? Yes.

Carolyn Cochrane 7:52

stickman dice. Yeah,

Michelle Newman 7:54

well, today, listeners, we're bringing you an encore of one of our two episodes devoted to happy days. This one is just an iconic episode. Fonzie loves Pinkie correct you guys. It's one of our favorites.

Kristin Nilsen 8:09

My favorite episode of any TV show ever.

Michelle Newman 8:12

Listeners if you haven't listened to this that this enthusiasm is about to come through. Kristen loves this episode, because she loves Pinky but there's also a very

Carolyn Cochrane 8:20

high brow discussion in this episode. This

Kristin Nilsen 8:22

is book club for sure. Yeah, yeah,

Michelle Newman 8:24

this is another dissertation we break it all down. We we examine funsies growth episode. Yes. We had such a fun conversation and we think you're gonna love it. So enjoy this replay of episode 83.

Kristin Nilsen 8:47

Did you know that the pop culture Preservation Society is on Patreon. Patreon allows you to support our work by becoming dues paying members of our society. We are an independent women run endeavor with a commitment to delivering the highest quality listening experience to our community. And so we've taught ourselves how to record edit and produce a podcast in midlife. A time when most of us are asking our kids how to read Graham a tick tock so that we can deliver episodes that truly speak to you. Support from PCP as patrons means that we can devote more of our time and resources to the content sources, equipment, software hosting and research that you've come to depend on without worrying about how to pay the bills. So thank you. We appreciate you from the bottom of our bell bottom tarts. And this is when a nun rolls pinkie down the hall in a wheelchair and she has like a pink sweatband on her head Bjorn Borg style, which is supposed to be some kind of band aid.

Unknown Speaker 9:48

Had no fun world in the sound that we're saying. Come on get loud loud beep ranges will make you

Kristin Nilsen 10:03

welcome back to our continuing discussion of Happy Days from our last episode in which we discuss the characters the actors the episodes and the legacy of Happy Days. But no discussion of Happy Days would ever be complete without talking about Pinky Tuscadero Pinky Tuscadero was our Sandy before there was a sandy and I'm talking about carnival Cindy not ryedale Hi Sandy because do not lie. We all loved carnival, Sandy, and soft, credible somebody probably for the same reasons that we love Pinky Tuscadero Pinky was badass. And she was the only woman to ever fully capture finds his heart

Carolyn Cochrane 10:45

you could tell in this episode, he had probably the most genuine smiles. We'll talk about it as it goes on, but that he did any any episode. I was like, I wanted to freeze that the screen and just stare at his ear to ear authentic smile. I loved it.

Kristin Nilsen 11:05

I believed this relationship I

Carolyn Cochrane 11:07

did to 100%

Michelle Newman 11:09

as we'll find out that's good acting right? Yeah,

Kristin Nilsen 11:11

that was I totally agree. I No wonder we still remember it. And we'll talk about that in a minute. So anyway, we met Pinky Tuscadero on September 21 1976 In a blockbuster season opener called Fonzie loves Pinky, and the network started promoting her arrival in earnest long before the episodes aired. Like in the summertime, we watched it all summer so that we were absolutely beside ourselves. By the time tuesday night came. Fonzie has a girlfriend and it's not some Ninian saddle shoes who comes running every time he snaps his fingers.

Michelle Newman 11:50

Yeah, she's, she's independent. Right? And she's in my mind. She's the female Fonzie like she's definitely right. She's tough. And she's got an edge to her. Yeah,

Carolyn Cochrane 12:01

she was the epitome of cool. And like you just said a female Fonzie and she made Fonzie different in my opinion, because as I rewatched this episode, I could really see a transition in funsies character again, that smile that he had just the way his face lit up literally when she was in the room. It was so genuine and so authentic.

Michelle Newman 12:25

Well, when he's like met his match, you know how they always say, when you know you're in love and like you're arguing is different. You're he's almost as we'll talk about in a minute, as we go through the episode, in more detail, he definitely has his moments of anger and of forgiveness, and and all of this, all of these emotions are going through but you can tell that it's almost like she makes him I don't wanna say a better person, but she makes him more aware of himself than any of the other girls. He's we've seen him with so far.

Kristin Nilsen 12:57

He rises to the challenge. I think he does Cordero essentially, right. He challenges

Carolyn Cochrane 13:01

them. He's never had anybody challenge him before and that

Kristin Nilsen 13:05

it was just the ninnies that came running, snap our fingers and they come running. That was his stick. And that was why we thought we liked Fonzie. But then Pinky Tuscadero comes along. And we liked this new Fonzie it was very confusing. Yes.

Michelle Newman 13:18

I was all in for Pinky Tuscadero because of the snap. Oh, I mean, and and I couldn't stop doing I was like Joni, and this episode. I know Jonah and I don't even marry and 76 Yeah, and then can 76 I wasn't getting this whole nuances, the nuances of like, wow, she's making Fonzie a better person. Or Wow, she's really making Fonzie take a real you know, introspective look at himself. In me. It was like, Oh my God, look how cute her little top is tied up. I love her boots. And I'll ever snap foods Yeah, I don't even think I was going into the whole like, and she's so independent and tough and stands up for her. So it was all about the boots in the snap

Kristin Nilsen 13:55

for me but you do even if you don't realize that you are perceiving that even at seven years old you like or for a reason. Say it's the snaps. And you can only say that it's the outfit. I was gonna say the uniform the pinky Tuscadero uniform. Was

Carolyn Cochrane 14:08

you know funsies leather jacket. It was her boots and scarves and hats, a with the thumbs and her snapping

Kristin Nilsen 14:16

and her snapping and she had those tiny little shorts on Dallas Cowboys cheerleader shorts. And I can't believe I'm saying this but she was slanted. I mean, that outfit was to say it was body skimming is an understatement. And yet it didn't really reveal anything by now.

Michelle Newman 14:38

I just tied up real high like it's tight. Tom is tied up super high like she could not have been a big chested woman and we're in that top like that because it was tied up real high but she's to me it looks like exactly like her outfit uniform. Whatever you want to call it is like the Polly Pocket clothes that you just snap on. They're so tiny that you just you can barely even get your fingers to maneuver to snap it out. On her little torso.

Kristin Nilsen 15:01

But I do believe that was one reason we couldn't look away. And I hate to say that it's more than she was. It's not that she was being objectified, she was being objectified. However, she wasn't being overtly objectified because she brought to that outfit, the attitude of right he Tuscadero. And so the boots and the snaps and the scarf and the outfit, and the attitude made this package that made us unable to look away from the TV, right? We could not look away, and we know this all about Pinky. From the ads on TV, we don't even have to wait for the episode, the episode had not aired, and we knew everything that we needed to know about Pinkie, and we knew that this episode would be different. So Pinky Tuscadero was like a cultural moment, she is an icon for anyone who had a TV in 1976. If you say Pinky, to someone over 50, we all immediately go. Thank you Tuscadero, those two words go together. And yet, she only appeared in three episodes. Actually, it's just two episodes. It's one hour long episode. And then it's a To be continued. And we had to wait a whole week to see the conclusion in the third episode, it would be like I mean, it's just stunning to me that we have this attachment and these memories to something from three episodes of a sitcom. And I keep thinking it would be the equivalent would be like our kids saying, Remember when Jimmy Smits was on Brooklyn, nine, nine? I mean, can you think of anything that our kids could hold on to like that, in that short period of time?

Michelle Newman 16:38

I was really surprised when we started when we started talking about this episode, and that we were going to kind of do this deep dive on the pinky Tuscadero episode. When you kept talking about it. In my mind, I was sort of like, Well, which one? Well, which Pingree episode, because in my memory she's on for much longer. And to find out that it's just this one very memorable one. But I just I was really surprised to see that it was like, well, she was a flash in the pan. Well, and I think

Carolyn Cochrane 17:06

that classic 70s TO BE CONTINUED dot, dot, dot and continue. That left. We had a whole week to think about that show. And when I think about other TV shows, too, like there's a Starsky and Hutch that I've talked about that was to be continued. And I stayed home from Saturday Night mass, my parents let me stay home. So I could watch the conclusion. And a lot of the episodes of TV shows that left us hanging. I think those left a bigger memory because we had a whole week of just, it's simmering in our mind and thinking what could happen. And for me in this episode, when and we'll talk about a little bit was I thought she might be was gonna die. I mean that there was that aspect of it too. So. So yeah, I think that that whole anticipatory feel that we get from I think you're writing you'd leave a more permanent marker in our minds.

Kristin Nilsen 17:58

We had to wait. And we had and we talked about it for seven days, right? Just waiting to find out about the conclusion, because I keep asking myself, How did ABC create an icon in just three episodes?

Michelle Newman 18:13

Well, I think one huge reason is because Fonzie was such an icon. She became an icon just by association with Fonzie. But I also think that she was unlike any other female character on TV then especially when we, when we frame it. Like, she's so different from what we expect from a 1950s love interest, right? So it was so it was such like almost like a 180 of what we'd seen on that show. That that's one one reason she became unforgettable.

Kristin Nilsen 18:45

There were a lot of opposites that were going on here because our idea of Fonzie was all of the girls, all of the girls, three girls and every show the Pulaski twins, you know, a double date three dates in one night. And then here we have the opposite. One woman, one woman and an indelible founder. I

Carolyn Cochrane 19:06

mean, I almost I probably didn't then but there probably was part of me that felt sorry for him that he never had the relationship with anyone you know, except for Rich's friends. And Richie. It was like, he just didn't have any permanence. And there was it was always kind of sad that he didn't have somebody that he could. Female interest, really, he didn't have a romantic interest at all. And we had grown to love him so much. We wanted him to be happy and he's not going to be happy unless he meets someone that can, you know, call him call bullshit on him sometimes,

Kristin Nilsen 19:39

then that can make him smile in that way that yeah, it's scary. Yeah. Right. Because of the Pulaski twins did not make him smile like that. They just made them feel powerful. Right. And we knew it was all about necking. Right when he's got the three dates in one night, we know that it's not those girls don't make him smile. They're just nicking. I didn't think they were having sex. I thought Ever necking in

Carolyn Cochrane 20:01

this? I mean, I've at one point today I thought, did we ever see anyone like doing the walk of shame down the, you know, those garage apartment steps? Did we was that ever insinuated or was it always the necking? I always thought it was the necking too. But then I thought, did it just go over my head? Oh,

Kristin Nilsen 20:18

that's so I'm so emphatic. And

Michelle Newman 20:20

I'm thinking maybe this episode though there was a lot of kind of. Oh yeah,

Carolyn Cochrane 20:25

that's what made me think about asleep together. Yeah, yeah,

Kristin Nilsen 20:28

yes. Which maybe we hadn't really seen before. Well,

Michelle Newman 20:31

of course that went right over my head at the time, though.

Kristin Nilsen 20:33

Mmm hmm. But even think about it, that so we have the ads that are leading up to these three episodes. And they were on a cover of dynamite in a big heart. Right? So it's like cementing their cementing the whole relationship in our minds before it even happens. I mean, the marketing of this was so brilliant. And here we are today talking about it. 45 years later,

Carolyn Cochrane 20:58

that dynamite cover makes you think that they had a more permanent idea in mind for this character than maybe what actually came to be.

Kristin Nilsen 21:09

I know, because they certainly invested in it, didn't they? And we will talk about that later. TV Guide, so it's not just us TV Guide ranked this episode number 87 on its list of the 100 greatest episodes on TV. Wow. Yeah. I mean, I don't know if they're talking about quality. It's just, I can't

Michelle Newman 21:31

do it. Yeah.

Kristin Nilsen 21:35

That's okay. So why just three episodes, if Pinky was such a huge fan favorite? Why did they write her off the show? It was very clear, very early that Roz Kelly, the actress who played Pinky was not really fitting in with the cast all that well. And in most cases, people writing about it in the media would go even further and say things like discord erupted between Rob and the cast. And even the producers, it was bad news. And she has said Ross Kelly has said, I hear that some people call me abrasive. I'm just myself. Sure I talk loud once in a while. But that doesn't mean people can chew me up and spit me out. So I think she had quite a chip on her shoulder coming to this very intact cast. And she may have rubbed them the wrong way. You can already tell from that statement that she's abrasive. She says she's abrasive and she says it in a very abrasive way. But she teased people and they bristled around her, especially when she called Ron Howard Opie. Because he clearly did not like it. He asked her to stop. And she wouldn't. I mean, you can see people who do things like this, right? They think everything is funny, even though you're like it's not funny for me. Will you please stop? Right? Right. And so

Carolyn Cochrane 22:47

OB Come on. Howard is so nice. I mean, my whole thing when I was reading that was, oh my gosh, some of the nicest people in Hollywood are on the set. And so for you to have not been able to gel with them. You must have really been a piece of worse.

Kristin Nilsen 23:01

Yeah, that I mean, Henry Winkler nicest guy in hell, right. Ron Howard? nicest guy in Hollywood. It really sounds and they're saying that even today, 45 years later, it's really does sound like they were the wholesome and loving cast that they reported themselves to be. At one point, Roz Kelly gave an interview in which she said, and this is like during the filming or during the broadcast of it. I grew up on welfare, so I don't relate to rich kids. And she was referring specifically to Henry Winkler. She was not a fan of his, and it was mutual.

Carolyn Cochrane 23:39

Why did they cast her to begin with? Isn't it

Kristin Nilsen 23:41

crazy?

Michelle Newman 23:42

When I read that though, I felt like I felt like that was so interesting. Because that did not come across like they had a lot of chemistry and the sciences and these episodes

Kristin Nilsen 23:54

on fire. Hmm. It makes no sense whatsoever. And you know, you keep saying Carolyn that he was his smile was so genuine. He was so genuinely in love with Pinky Tuscadero. And really, maybe not.

Carolyn Cochrane 24:08

Maybe no. Real acting really

Kristin Nilsen 24:11

good. Actor. Yeah, they're chemistry. Fonzie and pinky was magic. Okay, so here are some things to think about, too. This was a very risky move for the writers and the producers. Because Fonzie was the most popular person on TV and of story, the number one most popular person on TV that was quite a burden to bear. So were they messing with the formula? Was it a good idea to completely change one part of this very popular persona to a lovable, romantic one woman man, and allow him to share the spotlight and I have to wonder if they like second guess themselves, and then that ah, nevermind. Well, I think

Michelle Newman 24:55

she made it easy for them to second guess themselves. Yeah, I think they had one plan going To this, which I think was is a terrible plan, only two seasons end to a show. As much as as much as you know, all of these shows the formula is the whole, sometimes there's a whole will they or won't they will they, you know, go like Ross and Rachel or something, and then they, they put them together, you want them you want nothing more than for them to get together. But then once they're together, all they do is break them up. Because they realize the cat knows this. This was bad, we needed to wait till the very end. So my thought is that they had this great idea for publicity. Not that they really needed it in 1976. But they that they were maybe we're going to put him with one person. And then it turned out to be just kind of hellfire on set. And then they quickly realized, oh, yeah, let's just go back to the way it was. It's fine. This that's

Kristin Nilsen 25:45

a really good point. Because usually they don't bring somebody in and have it be an immediate connection. They bring someone in, they tease it out. And it's the will they won't they cat and mouse. No, she arrives and boom, they're a couple and we're all in well,

Michelle Newman 25:59

and there's some little backstory, right that they've known each other before. But man, right away, there's no more like, Oh, this is awkward. Oh my gosh, I feel some tension. It's just boom, right away.

Kristin Nilsen 26:10

It is boom, within the first five minutes, I'm

Carolyn Cochrane 26:12

gonna play a little devil's advocate and say, I don't think it was that off script or crazy for them to do this. I do think that they did have an intention, kind of like what you're saying of this cat and mouse story that was going to happen. She was going to go off and do her thing. But she was going to come back every once in a while. And they were maybe you know, that relationship. Right. And also, this was the first kind of time that we got to see this side of Fonzie, you know, we almost had to have a romantic kind of interest to show this softer side. And I think that perhaps that was how the writers and the producers thought that they could get us to see that Fonzie wasn't all that there was a deeper part to him. That's my theory, their

Kristin Nilsen 27:00

vehicle for expanding his character. It was

Carolyn Cochrane 27:04

because, you know, I mean, he had a hard time making commitment because that's, you know, father left him and he's got a lot he's got to work through. And so the narrative

Kristin Nilsen 27:13

that Carolyn makes up, oh, yeah, it

Michelle Newman 27:16

keeps go here on writes for wiki friends.

Carolyn Cochrane 27:19

It's very deep. So I think it was very planned. And had she not been as evidently bitchy as she was sorry, Roz. I, whatever, but you hadn't caused the ruckus you see it that you would have had, as you would have had an ongoing character in that show. Maybe not every single episode, but you would have come back at the holidays and ratings week. And we would have seen that deeper side of a Fonzie

Kristin Nilsen 27:45

and they would have promoted it just like they did that summer. Yeah, we would be and there would be 30 million viewers again, every time. Okay, so let's get a little bit into who Roz Kelly was. It's not a super long story, because she was most notably Pinky Tuscadero. That's the majority of the story right there. But she was born Roslyn shorts in July of 1943, or 42. Depending on what you read, which this is just kind of weird, you guys because that means the pinky Tuscadero was the same age as my dad.

Michelle Newman 28:16

Oh, yeah.

Kristin Nilsen 28:17

Isn't that kind of weird? Yeah, like when I was? When was she born? 19 for 1943 or 1942?

Michelle Newman 28:24

Oh, my mom was 1943 My mom's

Kristin Nilsen 28:26

would you like equate your mom and pink? It was zero. I mean, they're just not even from the planet. Oh, I guess I should speak for my own mother. My mother would be happy to hear that she's not at all like Pinky Tuscadero she was right. Well, thank God aspire to that, that she did not. So one of Roz Kelly's very first appearances is as Barbra Streisand friend in the 1970 movie The Owl and the Pussycat she does some more small parts and films and then she guest stars on Starsky and Hutch a few times, she teamed up with David soul when Paul Michael Glaser aka Starsky threatened to quit during a contract dispute, and the plan was that they were going to replace Starsky with Pinky Tuscadero, which I can't, it just makes my mind explode. But then, Paul, Michael Glaser resolved his contract dispute and pinkie was out. So the three episodes of Happy Days solidified her as a name so much so that she appeared on other shows in character as Pinky Tuscadero even after she was booted from Happy Days, it's mostly like variety shows and things like that, but it's sort of like I can't even think of a good example who just comes as their character Flip Wilson, I don't know. She wasn't Ross Kelly. She was Pinky. So part of that is because we were so attached to the character of Pinky but ABC perpetuated it because when they booted her they created a spin off that featured Pinky Tuscadero 20 years later, so that would have been current date 1976 It's Pinky Tuscadero in 1976, called bland skis. beauties. It starred Nancy Walker was Ida Morgenstern as a kind of house mother to a bunch of Las Vegas show girls one of whom is Pinky Tuscadero so I guess like the motorcycle thing didn't work out.

Michelle Newman 30:10

But it's not in character from no Tuscadero no showgirl and

Kristin Nilsen 30:14

is really so that would be like her retirement job like she retired from motorcycle demonstrations and demolition derby drive. Maybe

Carolyn Cochrane 30:21

she has a motorcycle show and she like rides it on like a high wire but in show girl attire, and then there's a little show

Kristin Nilsen 30:29

storytelling again, she's just making it up. I haven't seen the show, but I'm sure this is how it goes.

Michelle Newman 30:37

I don't think anyone saw like the one in the circle that rode motorcycles. That's right motorcycle, page chain

Kristin Nilsen 30:44

page and right Sequent leotard? Yeah, right. So bland skis beauties also started any Mecca, the guy who played Carmine Ragusa, on Laverne and Shirley, and I love this so much. Because karma is cousin. That person just make Yeah, give the same guy just say it's his cousin because they look exactly alike, right? If you look exactly like your cousin. I mean, twins don't even look exactly like oh my god. It also starred Linda good friend, who would go on after this would go on to play Ritchie's girlfriend Lori Beth. What? She's still Lori Beth. No, she was a different person. It's just the leather is still leather. Leather. No leather is not on this is not in this show. Pinky. Pinky is Pinky. Lamar minus his cousin.

Carolyn Cochrane 31:36

And Laurie.

Kristin Nilsen 31:40

No, okay, but it gets better. There's one more character that was on bland skis beauties. A young smart aleck, a kid who likes to all the girls played by Scott Bayeux.

Michelle Newman 31:51

I was just about to say Scott. Yes. You're not

Kristin Nilsen 31:54

Chachi. But when was this 1976

Michelle Newman 31:58

Oh, so it was a your Oh, sorry. It

Kristin Nilsen 32:00

was right before. So this must have been like his audition for being Chachi. Yeah, cuz he could go search for as little catchphrase and everything. And of course, I can't remember what it's like, whoa, whoa, whoa. But it may not. I don't know. Maybe it is wah, wah, wah. But he becomes kind of the star of the show. And then they're like, well, this didn't work. Let's just put them on Happy days. Oh, that's interesting. lasted only 13 episodes. Maybe because Pinky was supposed to be 20 years older, but she looked exactly the same as me. She was in the three episodes on Happy Days, including the same outfit. She's wearing the same outfit. Oh, well, yeah. So she

Carolyn Cochrane 32:37

never talked about Fonzie. That was in any of the episodes. I don't

Kristin Nilsen 32:41

think so. That's a good question. But I No, I don't think so. I think it's just sort of like erase the past but my name is Pinky Tuscadero.

Carolyn Cochrane 32:47

It's that Chuck Cunningham since

Michelle Newman 32:52

the snaps

Kristin Nilsen 32:54

I don't recall the snaps but you know, I did not rewatch it. I'm remembering this from watching it in 1976. Might not be up to

Michelle Newman 33:02

par. I know where I lived in 1976. So after

Kristin Nilsen 33:08

after, after she gets booted and after bland skis beauties, tanks. She guest stars on all of the shows love both Fantasy Island. Charlie's Angels. All of this shows she does a few slasher films in the early 80s. And then she's gone. She's just gone. And current day Ross Kelly. Honestly, I don't even really want to go there because it's like jail. Guns. Helping someone with her cane. I'm not even kidding. And

Michelle Newman 33:37

I can see that and all of it with like a cigarette hanging out of the corner of her mouth. She's like that old woman on the Hallmark Cards. Yes.

Kristin Nilsen 33:45

With a coat. That's right. Do you know who

Carolyn Cochrane 33:48

I am? I'm

Michelle Newman 33:51

still wearing hair tied around.

Speaker 2 33:55

And the tiny shorts with their cane and our boots are sorry. We can't we mean

Kristin Nilsen 34:02

we're not mean people. Come on. We don't know

Carolyn Cochrane 34:05

her. We don't or you don't attack someone with a cane? I don't care.

Kristin Nilsen 34:09

Okay, so let's revisit this episode and see what actually happened to capture our hearts and minds. So fully

Speaker 3 34:17

123 o'clock, four o'clock rock. Seven o'clock. Hey, the cloud the rock 910 11 o'clock. 12 o'clock the rock we're going to rock around the clock in

Kristin Nilsen 34:27

the very first scene of Fonzie loves Pinky. We are in the Cunninghams living room. And Richie is practicing to be named the student announcer on w z a z TVs coverage of the upcoming demolition derby sponsored by the leopard Lodge. And Howard comes in from his leopard lodge meeting with a very special announcement. The derby would include an appearance by the world's greatest female cyclist, Pinky Tuscadero World's Greatest the world's greatest

Michelle Newman 34:59

not Milwaukee. is not Wisconsin's own. No World's Greatest everyone.

Kristin Nilsen 35:03

And this is where it's established that they all know exactly who Pinky Tuscadero right? They're like, Pinky Tuscadero. Even Marian. It's so exciting. She keeps talking. She keeps like doing this and going through. Yeah. And this is where here's a big argument that Mike and I have because I say that Marian keeps pretending to do Papa wheelies. And Mike's like you don't do a pop a wheelie. You pop a wheelie. And like no, she's doing a pop a wheelie. Well, she

Carolyn Cochrane 35:32

really? She says she doesn't. She does. Yeah, she calls it pop a wheelie like a nap. I just can't wait to see you do those Papa wheelers and those wild jumps.

Kristin Nilsen 35:43

Really? Exactly. Maybe this is where I got. He

Michelle Newman 35:46

says it like that. But I still don't think that's correct. And that's just I don't

Carolyn Cochrane 35:49

think it's correct on either. I think that's supposedly thinking the correct term is that she

Michelle Newman 35:53

pops a wheelie. But it's Marian being kind of done. Right. Yeah.

Kristin Nilsen 35:56

This is a life moment for me because I think what we're discovering is the genesis of me saying Papa wheelie. Oh, maybe. Yeah. And I am so excited. I have to go right now and call Mike.

Michelle Newman 36:10

Hold on, everyone. Hold on. I gotta snap. Hold on. So

Kristin Nilsen 36:13

yeah, Marion is the one who's probably the most excited, which is really funny. And remember, this is also the era of Evil Knievel. Right. There was lots of like motorcycle jumping. Oh, yeah, like that in the mid 70s. We really liked the 50s and jumping stuff with motorcycles. So next, we have found these garage, enter the pink hats. And we don't know, like, are the pink hats. We don't know if they're like backup singers or are they mechanics? Are they just? Well,

Michelle Newman 36:43

their handlers are wearing jumpsuits. They like carrying jumpsuits.

Kristin Nilsen 36:47

Okay, yeah. Are they just her handlers? Are they just in charge of her motorcycle or not? Exactly.

Michelle Newman 36:52

They're just like her flag girls. They're her. Yes. They're like what Carolyn and I are gonna be when you go on your book tour. You're gonna be pinky and we're gonna be your pink. Guys are my pink hats. Yeah.

Kristin Nilsen 37:01

Oh my god. I'm

Michelle Newman 37:02

gonna get just there to like, they're just there to like booster up. Yeah. From in

Kristin Nilsen 37:07

my mind. They were always backup singers. And I just never put together the fact that they didn't sing anything. Nobody was singing, but they were backup singers. Okay, so the pink hats come in with pinkies pink motorcycle. And they are getting us ready for our first glimpse of Pinky Tuscadero. The boots, the snapping, and we see her only from the back. And she says to Fonzie kind of open you check out my sickle.

Michelle Newman 37:36

Put a piece of notebook paper in between there first Bondi

Kristin Nilsen 37:42

keeping it clean, keeping it clean? The sickle. And now I remember calling things sickle. Really? Yes, we did. And you don't even but you don't say moto sickle. You say motorcycle.

Carolyn Cochrane 37:55

Oh, isn't that a thing that kills? Like cuts wheat? Yeah, maybe we can cut someone's head off

Michelle Newman 38:06

the Grim Reaper carry on or something.

Kristin Nilsen 38:09

And she is stunning. And that is when we see that smile. Fonzie looks up. Oh my god. Yes, it is the most. I mean, even if you didn't have a crush on you guys. I'm going to admit I think I got a little crush on Fonzie. In my rewatch. My 54 year old self was like, oh my god, Fonzie. I think I love you.

Michelle Newman 38:30

Yes. My looks like that album cover you showed us

Carolyn Cochrane 38:32

last night? That's what I was. Yeah, say it's full on. Yes.

Kristin Nilsen 38:37

I want that Fonzie to love me.

Carolyn Cochrane 38:39

Me too.

Kristin Nilsen 38:40

Okay, so what follows after the the beautiful smile from Arthur Fonzarelli is a musical montage. Just like a made for TV movie. The musical montage is all we need to establish that pinkie and Fonzie have rekindled their romance and they are madly in love madly in love. And it is so long. This music goes on for ever

Michelle Newman 39:07

so long and it's the superimposed giant faces of them with like their goofy smiles over their very obvious stunt doubles doing the Papa wheelies Kristen jumps and they keep using that same footage they just doodles

Kristin Nilsen 39:23

is disabled on top Stop stop doing doodles the

Michelle Newman 39:28

wheelies and the jumps over and over and it's so super cheesy and the music is the happiness theme song but it's played real you know how in the Brady Bunch theme song when it's like something sad or serious. It's like done this time it's the happy days and it's like done. Nana it's so slow and it's so cheesy and it's absolutely fantastic.

Kristin Nilsen 39:58

It is and it really does establish their relationship. It's just how they did that. I have no idea because by the end of the musical montage, you're like, Well, I hope they get married.

Carolyn Cochrane 40:10

Right? That's a great device. It's almost would be nice as writers to be able to have something like that. Like, can I give them the whole backstory of all these people? Yes, like this two minute thing,

Michelle Newman 40:20

but the whole backstory is like, we jumped together, we have wheelies together, and that's it. And we're supposed to believe and then we smile at each other huge. And it's like, it's the face so big that you can't even see their hair. It's like, face, almost like the Olin Mills like the JC Penney, like where it's one person up looking off in the distance. And it's, but all they do, it's not like it then we see them holding hands or having a picnic lunch and like, you know, walking on the beach or no, it's just one at a time jumping. And popping wheelies. Not even together

Kristin Nilsen 40:55

together. Fonzie jumping, then Pinkie jumping. Yeah. And that's love somehow that is fantastic. I loved it. And one thing I forgot to mention is that we somehow are made to believe I don't even know how they did this, that we know they've had a relationship before. Right? And that's why when she comes in and he smiles, maybe that told us everything that we needed to know that these people have been doing it before in the before times. And now she's coming

Carolyn Cochrane 41:25

back. Now we can talk this out if it doesn't make sense, but I'm just thinking here. Do we know where did Fonzie his mom raised him? Or was he ever in an orphanage or anything?

Kristin Nilsen 41:38

During orphanage? Wasn't he?

Michelle Newman 41:40

He isn't what if he was read it and we keep I don't know

Carolyn Cochrane 41:44

what if he was because you know Pinky was raised in the current van because her mom dropped her off road. And what if it was the same convent where Fonzie was and they were like, you know, maybe we're boyfriend whatever it yeah teen lovers are just kind of gather and then remember she she left when she was 18 because she was ready to go off. Carolyn

Kristin Nilsen 42:04

you have such a gift. I'm serious. It's on fire today. Your your storytelling gift is

Carolyn Cochrane 42:10

all would have come out if she had not been such a bitch and stain on this. Parts of the they would have gone to the convent together for like a fundraiser jumping for the

Michelle Newman 42:22

former orphans. So what I'm adopted orphan

Kristin Nilsen 42:25

would have adopted an orphan from their previous convent orphanage. Yes. Okay, so our next scene is that Arnold's thank God and pink he is sitting in the booth with the Cunninghams while a fawn over her because of course she's the world's best female motorcyclist. And they cannot wait to have her over for dinner and watch her famous motorcycle routine at the derby. And then Fonzie emerges from the bathroom where he has learned some bad news. His Derby partner because of course Fonzie is going to be in the in the leopard lodge demolition derby. His Derby partner, Nikki Newman has broken his leg.

Michelle Newman 43:00

It's my second cousin.

Kristin Nilsen 43:04

Michelle's cousin Nikki.

Michelle Newman 43:07

I almost named my daughter that. Nikki Newman. Just kidding.

Kristin Nilsen 43:11

So he's broken his leg he has to drop out there. Oh, no, but pinkies like, hey, no big whoop. I'll take his place. I'm a demolition derby driver. And Fonzie rejects that idea as ridiculous because women don't belong in demolition derbies. And instead, Fonzie chooses Ralph mouth, who is a scaredy cat and doesn't even want to do it? And Pinkie storms out of Arnold's she says pink gets muddy. Oh, I

Michelle Newman 43:38

love it. They scrambled there at the table. And they're like, Oh, see, that'll be us on your book tour. One day you're gonna have like something and Carolyn and I are gonna be like busy fussing with something like putting all the books back in the bags and you're gonna be like, pink ads and we're gonna like everything in the air and be like, Go Go, go on let's get pink. Let's get ties to around our neck. Like little pink scarves. Yeah,

Carolyn Cochrane 44:02

my pink definitely.

Kristin Nilsen 44:06

So this is we're we're being shown here as young women, pre women, as we were that fancies kind of sexist. And he's just overtly sexist. This is no place for girls. Girls don't get to be in the demolition derby despite the fact that pinky is an accomplished demolition derby driver. But no, okay.

Carolyn Cochrane 44:28

I'm gonna interrupt. Yeah, because Does he ever say that women can't be in the demolition derby? Yes. He actually says

Kristin Nilsen 44:35

he actually said the men don't belong in demolition derby. Yes.

Carolyn Cochrane 44:38

Okay. Okay, because I really got the vibe that he didn't think she would be safe and that he was just trying to keep her safe, which I think is this is different your

Kristin Nilsen 44:46

storytelling that is that is different. And that comes at the end,

Michelle Newman 44:50

because earlier? Yes, Carolyn's got this whole back. Okay. Because earlier they had had a conversation over breakfast. They had blueberry scones. And

Carolyn Cochrane 45:01

I'm like my sixth grade students who want to raise their hands like what Julius Caesar really didn't want to ever that's like what almost the next

Kristin Nilsen 45:14

scene Carolyn, this is where so the next thing she's actually having dinner with the Cunninghams. And Fonzie comes over there in a snit now because he said, No, you can't be my demolition derby partner. And when Fonzie comes over, everybody makes themselves scarce because they want the two of them to talk. And so she tries to kind of sweet talk him again in or you know, slash seduce him into changing his mind.

Michelle Newman 45:38

I have a real problem with the scene. And my problem is that he gets so irate he slaps a table, he goes, I don't think you should be in the derby. And that's that and he slaps the table. And that's that and it gets up and he walks away. And she does something so out of character from what we've seen so far, like the character that they built her to be so far, instead of challenging that and standing up for herself, especially after like, his hugely sexist comment, and then his anger. She turns all baby doll seductress. Like she's all like, oh, oz. And she's like, like, basically like sex on up on him. Like, yeah, you wouldn't want to be without me sitting on his lap. That is not what we've seen. I know, we've only now seen her for a total of 10 minutes. But in that 10 minutes, she's a strong, independent woman. And she would not put up with that, like, she would not put up with him, especially the banging on the table and his whole and that's that. Now, and I know and Listen, everyone, I get that we're going we're back in the 50s that was the that was the gender roles back then. But then don't then don't make it lead us to believe up to that point that she's this strong, tough, independent woman.

Carolyn Cochrane 46:48

She is a strong, tough, independent woman, I'm gonna argue and she knew she will she know exactly what she was doing. That's why she did it was to manipulate him. I mean, to me, she had the upper hand, and I think he's getting angry and stuff because he's realizing, oh my gosh, this woman is messing with my head. Like all of a sudden, I'm having these feelings that I've never had really before for someone because, you know, their relationship still is in my mind progressing and he's like, whoa, like he's almost stopping himself as much as anything else when he bangs on the table. I think this is you know, we see her like, Okay, if I've got to play that card, I'm going to play it because by golly I'm going to be in that in that demolition derby and you're not going to stop me so let's see if this works.

Michelle Newman 47:35

But I see her as playing that card is so beneath her like I see that being the whole like seductress like the Oh like the baby doll like the baby talk and everything from what I saw her so far. I feel like that is just like, that's almost like she's selling out like herself to

Kristin Nilsen 47:51

real that scene was likely written by men. So they're in their minds what they think should have happened right? And I did see it as pure manipulation like I did see her as having the upper hand this manipulation is her upper hand and yet this is how men would think that women have the upper hand. Yeah. Okay, next thing we're moving on to Arnold's they're still in a snit Ralph mouth, who I thought was last name was mouth. Ralph mouth runs into share the news that the Malachi brothers have arrived. The Malachi brothers are their opponents in the demolition derby. And they're destroying cars in the parking lot. Oh, no. So by the time Fonzie arrives, pinkie is sitting in count Malachy's lap while he is kissing her up and down her arm, which is also a very 70s thing wasn't this is like, this is not something you see anybody do on TV anymore? Kids No. Kissing. It's weird. It's gross.

Michelle Newman 48:51

But when we played like Yeah, boy and girl we always kiss up and down their arm because that's what they all did. Yeah, remind people listening how we know that that he's count. Malachi.

Kristin Nilsen 49:02

I don't have any idea.

Michelle Newman 49:04

Cos his outfit he looks like musketeers he has like your big hat with like the cowboy hat with like the one brim folded up with the giant feather and the big cape on we get stressed and ridiculous it's hilarious and he talks in three

Kristin Nilsen 49:21

musketeers Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, like Sir funds. He keeps them sir fawns, right. So this of course he boots his brother the other Malachy as his partner and he says that pinky is going to be his driving partner instead. Oh, Fonzie does not like this funsies jealousy helps him chase change his mind and he's

Speaker 4 49:42

generally of drivers has been changed. Thinking you drive with me.

Carolyn Cochrane 49:51

She got what she wanted. She knew what she

Kristin Nilsen 49:55

wanted. So after Francaise, Pinky, you drive with me. You get to see Bonzi and pinkie makeup, and he absolutely melts with her in contrast to his regular persona, which is that he overpowers women. And this is the first time we've seen Fonzie melt. And it's just they dance and he's doing that smile. There's a real passionate conflict between these two people.

Michelle Newman 50:20

Yeah. Classic Fonzie dance the classic Fonzie slow dance where they just taught they just use their cheeks together side to side.

Kristin Nilsen 50:27

That's right. They have their cheeks together. Yeah. And it is also noted that pinky will now officially be the first woman driver in the demolition derby. Mama bomb. Okay, back to finds his garage. The pink ads have been left to guard pinkies derby car, and the Malachy's calm them into leaving. Oh, no. And then they sabotage the engine with a sledgehammer. Yeah,

Carolyn Cochrane 50:53

and the engine is like, in part, like, it's not like, oh, I have to tighten a few screws or whatever. I mean, they take in a sledgehammer and all these parts are everywhere. I just thought that ain't happening. But it's TV.

Kristin Nilsen 51:07

The writers weren't mechanics. Okay, so now it's the day of the derby. And we're assuming that Fonzie and pinkie are busy at work fixing their Derby cars, and the Cunningham's are getting ready in their house to go to the derby. They're like rushing around trying to get out the door. And Joanie comes down with a blow dryer that you would never find in the 1950s. It's like a full on Dorothy Hamill. Blow Dryer is a hairdryer. It looks like a gun that you'd put in a Con Air. Yeah, it's like a Con Air. It's like a Vidal Sassoon thing. And she says that Fonzie has asked her to bring the blow dryer from the 1970s to the derby in the 1950s.

Michelle Newman 51:48

And then I love that real quick before we get to the derby. Richard Ritchie, of course is still you know, just being Richie, and calm. And Dan Howard's like, Richard, go to the field and sit on it. Richard, go to the field and

Kristin Nilsen 52:04

sit on it. So I'm at the derby. Howard and Marian are both at the mic and they're fumbling because they're trying to stall until Fonzie arrives so there's all this tension that is build up like where is the willie show up? What's going to happen? And like you said, Michelle Ricci is giving ongoing commentary in front of this giant camera that is about the size of like a powder room, essentially. And in these like the cameras following around on the big wheels, where's fondly time is running out and then bumped by a bomb. Both Fonzie and pinky come careening around the corner in their fixed Derby cars. Nice try Malachy's. I mean, it's just like, here they come. So the derby is about to begin. And there are lots of shots from inside the cars as the contestants talk to one another. They've got like these little walkie talkies, and they're all like, like checking in with each other and stuff like that and getting ready and find says, Pinky, Where's your helmet? And she says, I

Unknown Speaker 53:08

don't like a helmet. It's not me. You know that. Foreshadowing?

Michelle Newman 53:10

Oh, yeah.

Carolyn Cochrane 53:13

Oh, yeah. talking back and forth on the walkie talkies was the scene where I was just supremely mana load. All of a sudden, I was like, Oh my gosh, like, I remember that. It just came flooding back to me when that was happening on there. It was just it was amazing. The feeling of each other inside the Congress. It was like I was the kid. Yeah. And watching that part. That was the first time and rewatching it this episode. That I felt that like, oh my gosh, I heard of that again. Part of

Kristin Nilsen 53:44

that could because could be because it's very sweet. I know. It sounds strange. It's a demolition derby. But the talk between pinky and Fonzie gets very, very sweet. There's lots of really cute encouraging walkie talkie talk between fawns and pink. And he's like, way to go pinky and watch out sweetheart. And then say

Unknown Speaker 54:05

what do I do anything for? You

Unknown Speaker 54:08

know that? Girl Pinky. That's why

Kristin Nilsen 54:10

I love you. I mean, there's lovey dovey going on during the demaree the demolition

Michelle Newman 54:15

derby, which is basically just a giant game of bumper cars.

Kristin Nilsen 54:19

Bumper, it's

Michelle Newman 54:19

a stupid thing. Excuse

Carolyn Cochrane 54:21

me. Have you ever been to a demolition derby?

Kristin Nilsen 54:24

I have. Oh my god last day in my life. It was David

Carolyn Cochrane 54:27

was one of the best days of my life do ya? It's so much fun. My dad honestly

Michelle Newman 54:31

one of the best days of your life in 1975. Wow.

Carolyn Cochrane 54:36

With my dad, it was such a great memory and like, there were some famous like Houston celebrities like the quarterback for the Houston Oilers was driving one car. And then like some DJ and the weatherman, and you know you picked a car in the beginning. The yellow Volkswagen Bug is gonna win this one. And you're like Oh, hi. Loved it. I loved loved loved It was

Kristin Nilsen 55:00

definitely in this was it this was a thing for sure. It's It's hilarious, but it is you

Michelle Newman 55:06

can tell it's a thing. I mean, they've got cheerleaders there. They've got a snack bar on the demo derby team. They've got the giant like Battle of the network stars cheerleaders with the giant pom pom huge

Kristin Nilsen 55:17

pom poms. Yeah, I thought you're gonna say gent you're like with the giant one by one. So the Milan cheese are really they're no good. They're their narrative wells. Also, one by one. They're using dirty tricks to eliminate all the other drivers. And then Fonzie uses the anachronistic blow dryer to foil the flower trick and the flower trick is that the Malachy's will this is so made up this is so Hanna Barbera so bad. They will drive by their opponents and they'll grab a handful of flower not flowers, but our like your baking cookies, and they will throw it through the window.

Michelle Newman 55:56

They're just like a pound on your face and

Kristin Nilsen 55:58

you're like, Oh, I can't see I can't see and I'm gonna derby. It's so dumb and meriton then that makes you out because you have flour in your gums your

Michelle Newman 56:07

Malachy's or like the Don Knotts and Tim Conway have a demolition derby.

Carolyn Cochrane 56:13

Exactly. Okay, so

Kristin Nilsen 56:14

they use the flower trick on Fonzie. But whoa, here's the blow dryer that Joni brought. And he just goes and he blows the flower back at cow Malachi. But Hello. Is he plugging it in?

Michelle Newman 56:30

But also, let's just all take a second to go through the physics of this. A handful of flour at you and you blue with a hairdryer. Even if it wasn't magic hairdryer and it didn't have to be plugged in the flour wouldn't all of a sudden the Malachi brother that threw it? His face is just solid white. Yes, it was reversed course if you if you blew the hairdryer, it would just blow that flower. Like puff in the air. It's just so funny. I just thought I could imagine the entire team of writers. Oh my God, and they just started to get like drunk or something. And they're like, What is the most ridiculous thing we can do? Let's do that. Oh

Kristin Nilsen 57:07

dryer. I mean, did at the time we

Michelle Newman 57:10

all thought that was fantastic. Right horse.

Kristin Nilsen 57:13

But why didn't like when he's when he's blowing the blow dryer. How confines he didn't go you guys. Where would I have plugged this in? That didn't occur to him? I don't understand. I

Michelle Newman 57:24

want to let's get back to Bonzi and pinky. Yeah, this Derby was fine. It was fun. It was fun for us the first 82 minutes and now it's just like going on and on. We're not even during the we're not even done. There's a lot. There's a lot more coming. Oh, so much more Fonzie

Kristin Nilsen 57:40

in Fonzie and pinkie in the derby. This is a this is a derby love affair. And he is so caring. I love this version of Fonzie so much. They're like blowing kisses to each other. Although she does this weird, like bunny nose thing, which I think she should not have done. That was weird. And he says things like you be careful. I want you in one piece. And then he does lots of maneuvers to protect Pinkie. And he kind of I'm watching this you guys and I'm like, Oh my god. Ponzi is just like my husband. Oh, that's exactly what my husband would do. He would put his car in between mine and count Malachi. Oh,

Carolyn Cochrane 58:15

I know. I would put my car in between you and count melotti

Kristin Nilsen 58:20

Thank you, Carolyn. You're

Michelle Newman 58:21

welcome. I wouldn't because I would not be in a car to begin with. You would not be I'd be one of the cheerleaders over on the side shaking my pom poms.

Kristin Nilsen 58:28

And really it's Fonzie, who is the caring one because Pinky is mostly going

Carolyn Cochrane 58:34

she's very reckless. She's reckless, and

Michelle Newman 58:37

she's really wearing a seatbelt. No,

Kristin Nilsen 58:39

no, God, no. Oh my god. No.

Michelle Newman 58:41

The rest of them more.

Kristin Nilsen 58:43

So Fonzie sees the Malachy's setting up to do the Malachi crunch on Pinkie. The melodic crunch is a form of double teaming. Essentially, they're gonna smash her in between their cars. And then, oh, no. Pinkies car is stalled. And then you're watching you're like, Wait, is she getting out of the car? No Pinkie, no. And then of course, they do the Malachy crunch, Pinkie rolls off the hood of the car onto the ground. And everything stocks and bonds. He gets out of the car and he runs over to pinkie, and he's cradling her on the ground,

Michelle Newman 59:21

which you should never do. By the way, you should never pick up some broken neck.

Kristin Nilsen 59:25

Yeah, don't pick up the broken person. She takes off her pink scarf, and she gives it to him for luck. And then they kiss Romeo and Juliet style. And pinkie is whisked away to Pfister hospital for X rays, just in case

Michelle Newman 59:37

right but I think it's funny. He's like been cradling her. And then as they take her he's like, be careful. Be careful with her. Careful. I'm like what?

Kristin Nilsen 59:46

They're acting just she's dying. When she just she rolled off the hood. I think. I thought she was dying.

Carolyn Cochrane 59:53

Worried about Pinkie. Yes. Yeah.

Kristin Nilsen 59:55

No one hit her. She just rolled off and she's limp in his arm. seems like all her bones are broken. Every single one she can't even hold up her arm. Oh, so she can take off her scarf and give it to her. And riches. And riches commentary even confirms that she's going to be fine.

Speaker 5 1:00:13

Thank you appears to be okay but as a precautionary measure they're rushing her to the hospital for X rays

Michelle Newman 1:00:19

is very noble though.

Kristin Nilsen 1:00:21

It is very noble.

Michelle Newman 1:00:23

The ambulance was my favorite. Yeah, it's like BAM derby. I know, but it was there immediately but oh, it's just I know I realize it's a 1950s Ambulance, but it's just so funny. It's just like, so old and long and giant, like from Laurel and looks sort of like a hearse. Yeah. Purple Laurel and Hardy. Exactly.

Kristin Nilsen 1:00:44

Then Richie is still commentating,

Unknown Speaker 1:00:46

did you see that look on Fontys face.

Kristin Nilsen 1:00:48

Fonzie is really angry. It's so funny. And Fonzie really is on a mission. And he he gets in his car. And it's really kind of sad, actually. Because he's got this sort of this, this combo of sadness and sorrow and vengeance. And he says to the camera, this is for you, Pinky. And then it says on the screen To be continued.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:01:11

Oh, gosh.

Kristin Nilsen 1:01:14

And we have to wait a whole week.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:01:17

We have to wait a week week.

Michelle Newman 1:01:18

Our listeners are all like, Oh, thank God now we can wait till next week. No, no, no, go it. Okay, so

Kristin Nilsen 1:01:25

let's pretend it's the next Tuesday night. We waited a whole week. We talked about it all week with our friends. And now we have just Fonzie against the Malachy's. Yeah, it's two against one

Michelle Newman 1:01:37

we're about to get another 86 minutes of Derby.

Kristin Nilsen 1:01:40

This one's gonna be a lot over a lot quicker though. Because Fonzie he's got something up his sleeve. Because almost immediately finds his car stalls. You're like, Oh, no. And he sits in the middle of the ring, while the count circles and taunting, taunting taunting. He's so mean in his little, you know, his I wouldn't say Three's Company talk. That's not right. What does that show? Like the Three Musketeers.

Michelle Newman 1:02:05

It's like, Yeah, same thing.

Kristin Nilsen 1:02:06

It's the same. Okay, but just kidding. JK Fonzie starts his car. It was all a ruse. And he rams count Malachi. He was faking. Malachi gets out and he runs away. And he's begging Fonzie to let up to let up on he's going fog fog. What

Unknown Speaker 1:02:23

are you doing interviews over? It's not fair.

Kristin Nilsen 1:02:28

And Fonzie runs them down as he runs away and pins him in the Porta Potty.

Michelle Newman 1:02:31

That's a great thing.

Kristin Nilsen 1:02:32

Yeah.

Michelle Newman 1:02:33

So again, again, the it's a total Don Knotts. Tim Conway moved to have been pinned in the Porta Potty. Well,

Kristin Nilsen 1:02:39

and to be chased to have to have Fonzie chase down a man on foot when Fonzie is in his car. I mean, he's kind of scary. Yeah, that's humor. That's humor. Howard tries Howard. So he's one finds. He's the big winner of the demolition derby and Howard tries to get Fonzie his trophy. But finds he's like, where's my

Speaker 4 1:02:58

lady was pink. She's at Pfister hospital. Freestyle is bizarre, right.

Kristin Nilsen 1:03:03

And he hops on his motorcycle. He gets out of his car, his motorcycles right there, and he zooms away to Pfister hospital.

Michelle Newman 1:03:12

Okay, it's always you always have to make sure we all know that it's Mr. Hoskins. Mr. Hospital. By the way. This podcast is brought to you today by the good people at fist battle.

Kristin Nilsen 1:03:22

In the same episode, though, they also go to Pfister's Emporium. Okay.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:03:28

The demolition derbies at Vista Park.

Michelle Newman 1:03:30

Oh, you guys we've got Carolyn that does a good job for you. You got to figure out what is the meaning of that right. And

Kristin Nilsen 1:03:36

at the end of the show, like in the last season's when Fonzie is dating Linda Pearl, and he's gonna get married to Linda pearl. That's Ashley Pfister.

Michelle Newman 1:03:45

Oh, wow. Oh my gosh. There's no There's a backstory, which

Kristin Nilsen 1:03:52

is why I keep saying Pfister hospital, because it just there's so overt about it. She's going to Pfister hospital, Sister hospital. I think most of them in most shows. They'd be like she's going to the hospital.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:04:03

Well, I know when I stayed in the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. I did.

Unknown Speaker 1:04:07

Oh my god. Yeah.

Kristin Nilsen 1:04:09

This is a nod to Milwaukee. Okay. People from Milwaukee start DMing us right now. Because we did not do this research.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:04:16

I'm looking. She's researching on the fly on the fly. Okay. It's important to me, but I am still president. Kristen is

Kristin Nilsen 1:04:24

gonna continue. We're at the hospital. We're at the hospital. Now. We're at the hospital and Fonzie tells Richie he's about to do something very uncool. He wants to ask Pinkie to marry him. And he says it's super cute. He's like, a got these feelings. And Richie says you love her. And he says, I love her. Yeah, I love her. And he allows himself to start fantasizing.

Unknown Speaker 1:04:49

I'm gonna buy her a little house. You know?

Unknown Speaker 1:04:51

I love a little picket fence, you

Speaker 6 1:04:53

know, and a fire dog because I love dogs. I

Unknown Speaker 1:05:02

didn't know you like doggies

Unknown Speaker 1:05:07

I said dog

Speaker 5 1:05:14

fawns with a dog. What would you name a dog finds? Spooky

Michelle Newman 1:05:24

a dog not a doggy right now. You can have a dog but not

Kristin Nilsen 1:05:28

a dog. doggies are not cool but dogs are cool. And this is when a nun rolls pinky down the hall in a wheelchair. And she has like a pink sweatband on her head, Bjorn Borg style, which is supposed to be some kind of band aid

Michelle Newman 1:05:42

is she supposed to have I had a head injury under all that hair and they just put she knows she looks like she looks exactly like Stephanie. Oh my god and heart to heart. Yes. 70 Power 70 Power, mom, but she it's like barely even just sitting on top of her hair

Kristin Nilsen 1:05:58

because they don't want to smash her hair down is not even touching. It's one of the leading of any.

Michelle Newman 1:06:03

Also we saw her fall from that car. She has no head injury. No, I just thought it was so funny that they just put like the pink headband down on her hair.

Kristin Nilsen 1:06:11

Ribbon, then a bandage. And of course, as we've said, it's pink. She's like, No, give me a pink one. Everything I have is pink. Yeah, it's just barely touching. It's not touching any skin. It's just sitting on top of her. Yeah, like your homework. And again, what are she bandaging because nothing happened to her. And right there in the hospital. Fonzie proposes to Pinky. Pinky, you know.

Speaker 4 1:06:40

I mean, we've been together now. We're getting along pretty good. Better than pretty good. Yeah, yeah. That's what I think. So that brings me to my next point, you know?

Unknown Speaker 1:06:52

Over my dead body.

Kristin Nilsen 1:06:56

And I'm sure as a kid,

Michelle Newman 1:06:57

I had no idea what she was. No, no, but it was I thought it was pretty funny. And they both laugh actually. It almost looks like if you watch it again. It almost looks like they break character a little bit. Yeah. When she says it because they laugh and it's almost like a genuine laugh. I thought that was really funny. Yes.

Kristin Nilsen 1:07:12

And she says, how my girl weren't as good. They're

Carolyn Cochrane 1:07:20

all good when we were together in the convent. Remember?

Kristin Nilsen 1:07:28

In the orphanage together, this is our destiny. Okay, so everything's good. Her head injury I'm sure is all healed by now. It's gone. Time has passed. And we're at the Cunninghams house and Fonzie arrives with a very official looking briefcase because he is now president of Pinkie Incorporated. Not only will she not stop driving like he was fantasizing about in the hospital, but she has been invited to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show with her sickle. And Fonzie is gonna go with her and support her career. And he says to Richie, I'm gonna have to wear a tie. And Richie kind of sees he sees that this is a little bit of a worry. He's got a little anxiety about this. And he says, Are you sure you want to go on the road with Pinky? Because I'm gonna miss you.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:08:16

Same.

Kristin Nilsen 1:08:17

I know. Okay, you guys, did we really think funds he was gonna leave the show? Yes,

Michelle Newman 1:08:22

for sure. I think he's leaving the show. However, now watching it back. I was sort of like, of course, because now I'm like seeing all the holes and the inconsistencies in this. I'm like, Wait, this is kind of a 180 from what we've just seen in the first part of the episode, right? Like now he's like, gonna just carry the briefcase and go supporter. Like, there's no reason he couldn't do that and still be Fonzie. But now he's like, Well, no, I'm gonna wear a tie and be a businessman now. But yeah, I think that I think that as a little girl, of course you do.

Kristin Nilsen 1:08:52

Of course you think he's gonna leave? I can't imagine. I mean, the show would have been over for me if there was no Fonzie. I can't I don't remember what I thought. But in that moment, it sounds as if Fonzie is leaving the walking. So then the pink hats arrive at the Cunningham's house. And they give Fonzie his first paycheck from Pinkie Incorporated. And they say, Don't you worry, she'll take care of you. And, ah, funding

Michelle Newman 1:09:19

doesn't like this. That's a little too emasculating.

Kristin Nilsen 1:09:22

It was very emasculating and His ego was showing and he says she paid me like an employee.

Michelle Newman 1:09:31

That was the straw. That's the proverbial straw that check. Yeah, I mean, that's when he's like yeah, no, that's not gonna work for me. Right

Kristin Nilsen 1:09:39

and so then we go to Arnold's for their engagement party, having just come from that conversation where he says she paid me like an employee in funds asks to speak to Pinky alone. So they clear out Arnold's everybody leaves everybody leaving given in the engagement party, I have to talk to Frankie. And he says to her, I can't be Mr. Tuscadero. She says, but I can't do it without you. I'll stay here with you. And he says, No, you can't give it up. Maybe we'll get back together again some day. There's

Michelle Newman 1:10:12

Carolyn story, leaving it open. There's Carolyn story of what that they intended was she only going to be on for three episodes? And Carolyn said, I thought maybe you know, they were gonna leave it open. But yeah, that's a good that's you guys. I thought that was so sweet. Like, it was such a classy class a classy breakup. But at the same time, it was all very abrupt. Like they both were suddenly very okay with it. But at the same time, you love to see that right. Like, it's so unrealistic. But I was really like, happy with how like big they were. Both were. Again, when I was seven years old. I had no clue. You probably just were like, Oh, right. They're broke. They're breaking up. But like now as an adult. We're like, can we study these shows now?

Kristin Nilsen 1:10:57

30 minutes ago, they were madly in love. Now they're breaking up at their engagement party.

Michelle Newman 1:11:01

Yeah, they're just like, okay, all right. I'll miss you. I'll miss you, too. Right. But

Kristin Nilsen 1:11:04

at the same time, so it all happened very sweetly. But why did it happen? Again, because he's a chauvinist. And he doesn't want to be Mr. Telesco. He doesn't want to support her career, even though at least he's moved the needle enough to be able to say, No, this is important for you, you need to go and race your motorcycle. But he can't get his ego out of the way to be with her. Okay, so they let the others in. They've broken up, right. And they, they don't tell everybody that they've just broken up. They just love the engagement party in Sioux. And a photographer asks for a picture of Mr. Tuscadero. And Pinky says,

Speaker 7 1:11:41

that is not Mr. Tuscadero. That's the Fonz.

Kristin Nilsen 1:11:47

And you guys, I swear to God when I typed that, I got goosebumps. That's the Fonz. Well,

Carolyn Cochrane 1:11:53

fun fact. If you guys remember in our episode last week, I talked about Jerry Paris being a director of a lot of episodes, and he was Jerry helper. Big Man. dikes next door neighbor on the demand bike show, and he was the photographer. In this episode of haptics.

Michelle Newman 1:12:13

I didn't even notice to go back and watch go

Kristin Nilsen 1:12:15

asking for a picture of miscript Mr. Tuscadero. After the party is over, we have the ending musical montage. It is the exact same footage from the beginning of the show with pinkie and Fonzie doing Papa wheelies and smiling really big on the screen. But this time, it's not a falling in love montage. It's a goodbye to love montage.

Michelle Newman 1:12:38

Goodbye to love. I feel like I'm this time at the end though. At least they showed them riding their motorcycles together holding hands in this way. At the very end of it. Yeah. But it was all the same. It was all the same Papa wheelies and jumps with the stunt doubles that are so clearly not them. Yeah. And it's the same Sunday,

Kristin Nilsen 1:12:57

Monday. And then she puts on her pink helmet. He gives her a thumbs up, and she zooms away with the pink hats on her heels. And Fonzie rides away into the sunset with Richie. And he says, Don't worry about me. I have a day with the Pulaski twins tonight. And boom. The old Fonzie is yeah,

Michelle Newman 1:13:20

that was a little abrupt. I feel like they kind of let him respect their his relationship with Pinkie a little bit more. That was a little gross to me. Like yes, just give it another week. For a bit

Carolyn Cochrane 1:13:32

he didn't like when he would feel vulnerable and emotional. He quickly wanted to get out of those moments like so I think that's why he said it. He didn't want to be sad about pinkies like I'm okay, I'm gonna use call Fonzie, like you had said before Michelle. And I'm already back like, Look at me. It didn't really faze me. It really did faze him, but he doesn't want to show us that. So we he's moved on to the Pulaski twins, but he'll never we'll never be over pink.

Kristin Nilsen 1:14:00

So he's really equipping is what he's doing. Oh, definitely. He's deflecting a lot of fear. That's not a tear right going away. Pulaski twins tonight fancy therapist. So yeah, he does need a therapist. So at the end of this, I don't know. I just felt like it was breaking all the rules of storytelling because he breaks up with her. It feels like in order for us to have sympathy for him. She should have broken up with him and then be like, Oh, no Fonzie, but no, he broke up with Pinkie. And then it's because he doesn't want to be second banana. And she's fine with it. It's just sort of a continuation of the chauvinism that he showed in the beginning when he didn't want her to drive with him. And Isn't he supposed to show some kind of growth at the end? Like some sort of movement? Isn't that what storytelling is all about? But instead he's just doing the same exact thing as he did in the beginning. I don't know. I struggled with that.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:14:52

I don't I don't agree. Kristen. Sorry. You know, I go a little bit deeper. Because you remember when he this ain't like that he doesn't want to go on the road and all that. I mean, she says, Okay, I won't go, like she offers to stay with him. And he doesn't want her to give that up. So I think he, he has to say, it has to be on his terms, because she might give it all up. And he knows that really, she can't. So I honestly think he's doing it preemptively so that she doesn't, you know, say, Oh, it's okay. Beg him to stay, because that's what brings her joy, and he wants her to be happy. And he's gonna let her have that experience. So I don't think he did it to be a jerk.

Kristin Nilsen 1:15:39

I did it to be a jerk. I think he that was that was that could be an example of his growth is that he's prioritizing her aspirations. He can't get over his own ego in order to support her aspirations.

Michelle Newman 1:15:55

Well, I yeah, I just I don't feel like he had the same chauvinism that he had at the beginning. Like I do think there was growth, because I think by the end, he was willing to see her as her own person, and as a success, and not just as his stereotypical wife. But being her employee and being kept by her and catering to her wasn't who he truly was. So he was able to honor who she was, respect who she was, but he had to honor who he was to, truthfully. So in that sense, I feel like he did grow, but you know, maybe like 75 80%. And I also think that the riders, they probably had to do a really fast pivot when they realized pink workout. Yeah, yeah, they probably did throw this together. But I do think that he, I do think that he didn't I don't think he reverted back to how he was at the beginning. I think he was able to see her.

Kristin Nilsen 1:16:47

You guys I'm like, trying so hard not to laugh right now. I'm like holding it in because we are sitting here having bookclub about Fonzie and pinkie, like it's Pride and Prejudice.

Michelle Newman 1:16:57

We truly are. It's very important to us that we are very important part points. Christian. That's right.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:17:04

I don't want anyone to think he's a male chauvinist. Think he really is you don't want

Michelle Newman 1:17:11

and I hope our listeners I know most of our listeners do get it. And I think they are probably hopefully you guys listening are feeling as passionate about this very important matter and discussion of if Fonzie showed growth or not.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:17:32

And provide examples yesterday,

Michelle Newman 1:17:34

you can respect the woman

Kristin Nilsen 1:17:36

supporting sentence. Oh, my goodness. You guys, this concludes our marathon coverage of the 1970s most iconic sitcom Happy Days. Thanks for hanging out with us for two straight weeks as we picked apart every ounce of this long lived piece of our childhood, from Laurie back to leather and Potsie to Pinky. It caught us when we really needed to be distracted from the news much late today. And it swept us up in an era that looked like a really fun time to be a teenager, which is why we all showed up every Tuesday night. So I will leave you with these wise words we heard every week all those years ago. Goodbye gray sky. Hello blue. Nothing can hold me when I hold you feel so right. Can't be wrong. A rockin and rollin all week long. Thank you for listening, everybody and have a great week.

Carolyn Cochrane 1:18:32

Yes, and join us next week when we'll be rockin and rollin about more nostalgic topics.

Michelle Newman 1:18:37

You guys know, it makes me so happy. Every single week, our listener numbers grow. Like our little line graph is just climbing up, up, up, up like that little yodeler mountain climber on the right, just keeps going up. And that is thanks to all of you who listen and who share our podcast with others and who take a minute or less to click the stars where you listen and write a nice review. And this week, we are giving a very special birthday shout out to patron and all around wonderful PCPs supporter Gayle, who was having a birthday on Wednesday. Thanks to the little birdie who told us about that. Gail, we hope your birthday is the grooviest and that your coming year is as wonderful as a Dr. Pepper lips Macker and as exciting as a day at the roller rink where they do not do couples skate. Happy birthday, Gail. And shout outs are also going out to our newest supporters on Patreon, Amy, Meghan, Melanie, Kristen, Julie and Linda. Thank you all so so much. And if you're interested in checking out our Patreon page, just go to patreon.com pa t ar e o n.com and put our name up in the search bar or you'll find clickable links all over the place on her Instagram link tree in the show notes and at our website. In

Kristin Nilsen 1:19:56

the meantime, let's raise our glasses for a toast Curtis See of the cast of Three's Company, to good times, to

Carolyn Cochrane 1:20:03

Happy Days to Little House on the Prairie. Cheers. Cheers. The information

Kristin Nilsen 1:20:09

opinions and comments expressed on the pop culture Preservation Society podcast belongs solely to Carolyn the crush ologists and hello Newman, and are in no way representative of our employers are affiliates. And though we truly believe we are always right, there's always a first time the PCPs is written, produced and recorded in Minneapolis, Minnesota Home of the fictional w j m studios and our beloved Mary Richards Nananana. Keep on truckin and may the Force be with you

Transcribed by https://otter.ai