Football Frolics is the eighteenth episode of Season 3 of the ABC-TV series Happy Days, also the 57th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by James Ritz and directed by Jerry Paris. It was originally aired on January 20, 1976, on ABC-TV.
Synopsis[]
Needing money to get tickets to a big football game, Richie, Potsie, and Ralph decide to babysit 15 children on the night of Mardi Gras.
Storyline[]
Richie, Potsie, and Ralph need some money to buy tickets to a big football game from Arnold. When Howard refuses to loan them the money, Ralph comes up with the idea of volume babysitting a bunch of kids to raise the funds, including a streetwise boy named Booker Brown (provided by LaVerne & Shirley). Fonz has a stand-off with a bratty kid named Myron and then the kids lose control,leading Fonzie to call in a "professional"...Spike!
Did You Know?[]
Trivia/Notes[]
- Note: Laverne and Shirley arrive with a kid named "Booker Brown," who was portrayed by actor Kristoff St. John (in guest appearance).
- At the beginning of the episode, Mr. Cunningham, Richie, Ralph, Potsie and Fonzie are watching an NFL game between the (Chicago) Bears and the (Chicago) Cardinals. They debate about putting in the Bears quarterback, George Blanda, and Richie says he thinks George Blanda has "a couple good years" left in him to play football. The joke in this situation is that this particular game was played in the 1956 season, with Blanda having already played in 8 NFL seasons, yet George Blanda was still playing in the NFL in 1975, two decades after the setting for this episode. George Blanda played for the Oakland Raiders during the 1975 season and the Raiders season/Blanda's career ended with a loss in the NFL playoffs two weeks before this episode aired on television.
- $20 in 1956 dollars is the equivalent to $176.48 in 2016 dollars, and $190.00 in 2020 dollars.
- The main reason for the return of Laverne and Shirley for this episode is that their new show debuted directly following. Creator Garry Marshall wanted to reacquaint audiences to the girls before Laverne and Shirley began.
- The episode aired On KISS's Paul Stanley's 24th Birthday.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham
- Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham
- Anson Williams as Warren "Potsie" Weber
- Don Most as Ralph Malph
- Henry Winkler as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli
- Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham
- Erin Moran as Joanie Cunningham
Guest starring/Recurring cast[]
- Penny Marshall as Laverne DeFazio
- Pat Morita as Arnold Takahashi
- Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney
- Danny Butch as Spike Fonzarelli
- Kristoff St. John as Booker Brown
- John Moran as Myron (uncredited)
- Lora Marie Taylor as Girl in the booth at Arnold's Soda Shop (uncredited)
