Happier Days: Paramount Television's Classic Sitcoms 1974-1984

Excellent choice to go behind the scenes of Paramount's 1970's and 1980's powerhouse of sitcoms that was produced by Garry Marshall, along with his team of Miller-Milkis-Boyette on ABC--many of whom worked behind the scenes with Marshall on The odd Couple--the most interesting to me is the series Angie because it shows how a network can screw up their own destiny. I remember Angie started as a hit, but ABC made the mistake of giving Laverne & Shirley its own night and shuffled their whole schedule around to do this, which in return put many of the other Marshall produced shows in jepordy, which many got canned because of it in the long run. Angie was a great show because Doris Roberts really got her fame from this show and I am surprised that Paramount has not released it on DVD since her popularity on Everybody Loves Raymond reached iconic status. Paramount is like Universal--they are rather slow on releasing TV on DVD. They are missing the boat and the money. This book does go into detail about these shows for the first time and it's a great reference to depend on.

During the period from 1974 to 1984 Paramount Television fielded a series of classic sitcoms ranging from "Happy Days" to "Cheers." Author Marley Brant, who worked in Paramount Televsion's Publicity Department during that period, takes us for a behind-the-scenes guided tour to some of television's funniest programs and the people that created them. Paramount owed its success during the period in question to talented producers and directors like Garry Marshall, James Brooks, Stan Daniels, David Davis, Ed Weinberger, Jim Burrows, Glen & Les Charles, Gary David Goldberg and others. Alone and together they created the classic shows listed above plus "Laverne & Shirley," "Mork & Mindy," "Taxi" and "Family Ties" along with other promising shows that failed to score with the public. Brant covers each show in turn, relating its genesis, high-points, low-points, critical acclaim and bios of the cast and crew. The collective cast includes Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Robin Williams, Penny Marshall, Judd Hirsch, Danny DeVito, Ted Danson, Michael J. Fox - a veritable who's who of '70s comedy. Brant's insider views of the various shows and who the stars related - or didn't - in the case of "Laverne & Shirley" makes for fascinating reading. HAPPIER DAYS packs a great deal of information within its 282 pages. It's an absolutely first-class and FUN guide to classic Paramount sitcoms. Highly recommended.

I was amazed at how intuitive the selection of shows and talent was. Seeing how relatively junior people at the time, like Michael Eisner, developed these shows and got their bosses to OK them, was very interesting. Reading about how the actors developed as a result of their casting was also a great insight into what a casting break can do in the acting field. And Tom Hanks was pretty enough to pass as a woman. A great book about the television business.

I was one of those people who had specific plans for certain nights -- I was meeting up with Mork & Mindy or settling into Laverne & Shirley with a big bowl of popcorn. Reading all about what was going on behind the scenes was very enjoyable in this entertaining book. The author was actually there and the way she relates the tales is great. Oh, the things I've learned!!! I would highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed these shows or likes to read about actors "before they were superstars."

I remember the shows so well but had hardly any knowledge of the production background and the casting. I especially like the short bios on all the personalities and where they are now feature. Brant did an excellent job as always. I've read all of her books on various subjects. This is another subject that the author actually "lived." Good work.