Spin off or a crossover? At this point in time its hard to remember. With a show that only lasted three months, does it matter?

    Nancy Walker starred as Nancy Blansky (there's a name that just rolls off the tongue eh?). The show was set in Vegas and Blansky was in charge of a bunch of showgirls, keeping them out of trouble both on stage and off.

    How is this tied to Happy Days you ask? Well that's simple. You see Nancy Blansky was Howard Cunnigham's cousin. In point of fact, the only evidence you can see today of this shows existence is a guest spot Blansky made on Happy Days. Now if this appearance predates Blansky's Beauties, I guess that makes it a spin off. If it happened during the run of the show that would just make it a sort of promotional crossover.

    That was not the only tie to Happy Days though. Pat Morita's character of Arnold, who owned Arnold's Restaurant, had left Happy Days the year before for his own show Mr. T and Tina (having nothing to do with THE Mr. T - Pat Morita was Mr. T in this case). The show flopped and next thing you know he shows up on Blansky's Beauties playing a restaurant owner named Arnold. Hmmm... I say it's the same character. Arnold would eventually return to Milwaukee and Happy Days.

    Also on the show was a character named Anthony DeLuca, a leering girl crazy young kid played by Scott Baio. Scott Baio was simultaneously starring on Happy Days as a leering girl crazy young kid named Chaci Arcola. This would be the first of two failed Happy Day's spin offs Baio would appear in (See Joanie Loves Chachi... actually don't. Ever!).

    Here is a final weird point that you have to be a freak like me to think of. Nancy Walker played Mr. Cunnigham's cousin. She also appeared on Rhoda as Rhoda's Morgenstern's meddling Jewish mother. Mr. Cunningham was originally played in the pilot episode of Happy Days by Harold J. Gould who also appeared on Rhoda as Rhoda Morgenstern's father (also Jewish by the way)! So Rhoda's parent were cousins on Happy Days... sort of. On top of that, whoda thought that the lilly white Cunnighams would have such Jewish roots!

Other Happy Days Crossover Links
Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi
Happy Days and Laverne And Shirley
Happy Days and Love American Style
Happy Days and Mork And Mindy
Happy Days and Out Of The Blue

Click here to return to main Crossover List

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