Scott Baio’s time on Happy Days was nearly cut short. The actor joined the cast of the ABCsitcom at the height of its popularity in 1977, playing Fonzie’s (Henry Winkler) cousin Chachi Arcola. Baio appeared in 131 episodes of the classic TV hit, but early on, producers considered letting him go.
During an appearance on the Arroyo Grande podcast, Baio, 65, told host Ramond Arroyo that at one point in the late 1970s, he got too big for his britches and almost got fired.
“There was a moment in time where I got a big head, and I was doing two shows at the same,” the actor shared. “One was on ABC, Happy Days, one was on NBC. And I started getting a big head because I had two shows on prime time at the same time.”
“And I’ll tell you something that a lot of people don’t know is that the producers on Happy Days wanted to fire me because I was not doing my job,” Baio revealed. “I wasn’t taking it seriously. I thought I was, you know, the greatest thing since sliced bread. I wasn’t performing well. I just thought I could get by on being cute and, you know, and funny, and it doesn’t cut it after a while.”
Photo by ABC Photo Archives on Getty Images
Baio credited late Happy Days showrunner Garry Marshall for convincing the other producers to “let him get through it.” Marshall also went to Baio’s dad, Mario, to let him know what was going on.
“And my father came home to me, and he said, ‘Listen, you got one shot at this, and you’re blowing it,'” Baio continued. “He says, ‘Shut up. You’re blowing it. You want to go back to Brooklyn?’ And I went, ‘Uh, no.’ He says, ‘Okay, well, get your act together and get to work.’ Now, when my father told me that, I had a lot of fear from my dad, which I think is a good thing.”
“So I was still the same guy, but my head got a little big and then everybody slapped it back,” Baio added.
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‘Who’s Watching the Kids?
Baio didn’t name the other show he was on, but in 1978, he was cast on the NBC sitcom Who’s Watching the Kids? The short-lived series about two Vegas showgirls living with their younger siblings aired from September 22, 1978, to December 15, 1978. Baio played Frankie “the Fox” Vitola in 11 episodes of the comedy series before it was quickly canceled.
Baio kept his spot on Happy Days and became so popular that he scored a spinoff with co-star Erin Moran, titled Joanie Loves Chachi. The series lasted two seasons, from 1982 to 1984, and Baio returned to Happy Days as Chachi for its final season.
Baio once admitted he should have skipped Joanie Loves Chachi. “I regret doing Joanie Loves Chachi because, you know it’s very exciting to have your own show but if I wouldn’t have done it I could have had, I could have done anything I wanted,” he once said in an interview. “So I probably would have had a full season or two-season order for anything I wanted to do after that. I was 22, 23. You want your own show but…”
Baio blamed “the setup” of the musical sitcom for its failure. “This is not taking away from Erin Moran,” the Happy Days alum added.
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