Happy Days/Guess Who's Coming to Christmas

Guess Who's Coming to Christmas
Season 2, Episode 11
Airdate	December 17, 1974
Written by	Bill Idelson
Directed by	Frank Buxton
Produced by	William S. Bickley
← 2x10 A Star Is Bored	2x12 → Open House
Happy Days — Season Two

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Guess Who's Coming to Christmas is the eleventh episode of the second season of Happy Days, and the twenty-seventh episode overall.

The first of four Happy Days episodes set on Christmas, the first deals with Howard wanting to spend "an old-fashioned Christmas" with just the five of them ... himself, Marion, Chuck, Richie and Joanie. But the family soon realizes that Fonzie is all alone for Christmas, despite him bragging that he's "going to Waukeshaw" for a big holiday party, and have to decide whether to let him follow through with his alleged plans or to invite him over to spend December 24-25. Their decision will have a monumental impact on their family ... and the series, as a whole.

Starring: Ron Howard (Richie Cunningham)

Co-Starring: Marion Ross (Marion Cunningham), Anson Williams (Potsie Weber), Henry Winkler (Arthur Fonzarelli), Donny Most (Ralph Malph)

Also Starring: Tom Bosley (Howard Cunningham)

Co-Starring: Erin Moran (Joanie)

Also Co-Starring: Beatrice Colen (Marsha), Randolph Roberts (Chuck)

Featuring: Robert Casper (Orville), Marjorie Bennett (Mrs. Harrison), Misty Rowe (Wendy)

Plot Overview

In the end, Fonzie accepts Marion's invitation to stay for Christmas, and Howard is more than willing to accomodate.

At Christmas dinner then next day, Fonzie offers a simple prayer. He looks up at the ceiling and says, simply, "Hey God ... thanks!" A prayer more eloquent and meaningful than anyone else could have offered.

From then on, Fonzie had the greatest gift of all ... a real family!

Arc Advancement

Characters

• Chuck Cunningham – This episode marks the final appearance of Richie's older brother and the Cunninghams' eldest child. Thereafter, Chuck was retconned out of existence, and future episodes made it seem as though Chuck never existed ... thus giving rise to the TV Tropes term "Chuck Cunningham Syndrome" (where a character is either dropped without explanation, or he/she – particularly if they were essential to the plot or concept of the series – retconned out existence.
  • As for Randolph Roberts, who was the second "Chuck Cunningham," he went on to star in a couple of movies and made an appearance in the TV show Gunsmoke before retiring from acting in the mid-1980s.