‘Happy Days’ cast on sitcom fame 50 years later: ‘It was like The Beatles’

The ABC series, set in Eisenhower-Era Milwaukee, materialized on the heels of the 1950s nostalgia craze generated by the movie “American Graffiti.“The show revolved around the all-American, middle-class Cunningham family: loving parents Marion (Marion Ross) and Howard (Tom Bosley), their good-natured teenage son, Richie (Ron Howard, who co-starred in “American Graffiti”) and his kid sister, Joanie (Erin Moran).Howard, the future Oscar-winning director (“A Beautiful Mind”), was already familiar to television viewers as Opie Taylor on “The Andy Griffith Show” in the 1960s; both Ross and Bosley were seasoned showbiz veterans whose resumes dated back to the 1950s.

The supporting cast members, though, were largely unfamiliar to viewers: Henry Winkler as loyal, tough-guy greaser with a heart of gold Arthur Fonzarelli — aka “Fonzie,” aka “The Fonz” (“Aaayyy!”) — and Richie’s pals, wide-eyed Potsie Weber (Anson Williams) and wiseguy Ralph Malph (Don Most).In its third season, the series went from a single-format sitcom (shot like a movie) to a three-camera setup with episodes filmed before a live audience — adding electric energy to a surging show already ingrained in American pop culture.By its fourth season, “Happy Days” shot to No.

1. Winkler’s The Fonz became a breakout figure and one of the most iconic characters in sitcom history — anchored, at the show’s core, by his friendship with Ritchie, Potsie and Ralph.“I think the show has always resonated with people because we portrayed the ideal American family with healthy moral values,” Ross, 95, told The Post via email.