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Happy Days
Sunday, Monday, Happy Days,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Happy Days,
In 1982, the traveling softball team built
from the cast of the long running TV series "Happy Days "visited Daley
Barracks to play a celebrity softball game. The visit lasted only a
few hours, the team played the game, shook some hands, signed
autographs and departed. A good time was had by all ... a memorable
experience for those involved ... the Eaglehorse was out in the field.
Thursday, Friday, Happy
Days,
Saturday, what a day,
Rockin’ all week with you.
Peter Marshall, creator of the Happy Days
program, had the idea of forming a softball team from the ever growing
cast of his hit program in the mid 1970s. He saw it as an opportunity
for the cast to play together, blow off some steam, publicize the
program and contribute to charitable causes. The idea was as immediate
hit, the actors, actresses and staff members participating enjoyed it
immensely and the team played together into the 1980s. In retrospect
now, considering the nature and themes of current TV programming, the
idea seems almost as innocent as the 1950s era the program depicted.
Many of the games were played on a "barnstorming basis "as the team
traveled by bus or plane from venue to venue.
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From the scrapbook of COL (Ret) Bruce Clarke, Eaglehorse SCO 1982
- 1985, a series of newspaper clippings that detailed the visit of
the Happy Days TV cast and crew to Daley Barracks and Bad Kissingen.
--Clarke |
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Recently issued, this M1
tank was a big draw for the
actors.
--Clarke |
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This day is ours
Won't you be mine. Oh Happy Days ...
One of the actresses introduced in the later
years of the program, Lorri Mahaffey, had married Anson Williams, who
played the long standing Potsie character. Ms. Mahaffey was the
daughter of rising star, Army General Fred Keith Mahaffey. At the time
of the cast visit to Bad Kissingen, he held the grade of Major General
and commanded the 3rd Infantry Division. Lorri’s influence probably
led to the cast tour of bases in Europe and the presence of the 3rd
ID’s 2-41 FA Bn probably much influenced the decision to place Bad
Kissingen on the itinerary. They were in garrison, the Eaglehorse had
departed the area for REFORGER.
This day is ours. Oh Happy
Days ...
Oh please be mine.
Doug Barrett
"I was assigned to Daley Barracks in the early
1980s as a commo guy with B-10-E and recall having a great time back
then. We went to the field now and then, but nothing like what the cav
did. We had a good company and pretty much were left alone. The Army
for me was 07 30 to 17 00 most days. In the Summer, I always looked
forward to the bargain chicken nights at the EM club, a full plate and
a beer for a couple of bucks, eat it outside and wait for my buddies
in the cavalry to finally get off duty and join me. "
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"Pat Morita who plays
Arnold of the 'Happy Day ' hamburger shop serves up some hot
autographs for 'Happy Days' fans at Bad Kissingen"
--Clarke |
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In the BK park district,
members of the TV show cast pose for a tourist photo. --Clarke |
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Hello sunshine, good-bye
rain,
She's wearing my high school ring on her chain.
She's my steady, I'm her
man,
I'm gonna’ love her all I can.
"As an 18-year old kid I maximized my days in
Europe, every team, every trip, every possible opportunity. I traveled
all over Europe thanks to the military and was a member of the United
States team at the NATO sponsored Swiss March. The sheer beauty of
some of the places that I visited aside, I would not trade anything
for the memories of BK. When I first arrived in country, I was
assigned to HHC, 10th Engineers in Kitzingen. Harvey and Larson
Barracks were so dirty, I couldn’t believe three years of this stuff.
Then B-10-E decided they needed another commo guy, I was meant to be
in BK!! What a fun time. "
(Chorus)
Gonna’ cruise her round the town,
Show everybody what I've found.
Rock ’n’ roll with all my
friends
Hopin’ the music never ends ...
"On off weekends my friend John Shea and I
would travel around BK, particularly the water tower and surrounding
area behind post to repel. All of I remember was John constantly
yelling ‘ Don't step on the rope! ‘. I used to get up early on the
weekends ... run off to the festivals, off to Poppenlauer for a
Volksfest. I would run all over BK and surrounding areas. I'd get
back to post around lunch and the ’hangover’ would just be starting to
kick in but I soldiered on!! I refused to spend anything beyond the
minimum amount of time sleeping while in Europe, there was too much to
do and see."
"In BK, at a Gasthaus, the White Horse, the
bowling alley or ... in the Summer ... that little pony keg/beer store
with picnic tables (in front of the gym/next to the E-club) I'd
be socializing with everybody from post. A gathering point for ADA,
2-41, 2/11, B-10-E ... you didn't know names but you knew the familiar
faces. We'd make our occasional trip to Frankfurt or Wurzburg, there
were company / battalion trips around Europe. Off to the BK swimming
pool for water survival training, German chicks in bikinis! They'd let
us stay after the training, it was essentially an off day. Swim and
fraternize all day long and then cross the street to the Bahhof! I was
there when the Happy Days cast came to BK. "
These Happy Days are yours
and mine, Oh Happy Days ...
These Happy Days are yours and mine Oh Happy Days ...
These Happy Days are yours and mine, Happy Days!
"So, ten years later, I’m out of the Army and
sitting at home watching television one night ... and on comes some
show ‘ Behind the Scenes with Happy Days ‘. Looking at B-10-E from
the Cav, my room was on the 1st floor of the barracks closest to the
Cav mess hall. Right outside my door was basically the baseball field
... so I'm watching this special and see my old room which had
basically become third base. Home plate was at the door to Cav mess
hall. It had rained that day so they played the game in that area
rather than the regular field. They show the Cav mess hall and Ron
Howard explained that Henry Winkler did the filming. They even show
Ron Howard on the tour bus on the way to BK, he’s holding up a copy of
the game program that says, ‘ Bad Kissingen ‘. And ... I just watched
the special a few weeks ago; amazingly, BK is the only barracks shown.
On E! they rerun it every few months. "
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View from my window
towards the softball field at Daley when the Happy Days cast came to
visit. --Barrett |
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These Happy Days are yours
and mine, Oh Happy Days ...
These Happy Days are yours and mine, Oh Happy Days ...
These Happy Days are yours and mine, Happy Days!!
words / music by Norman Gimbal and Charles Fox
Although we only have a single image related
to this event,
click here to learn more about the Happy Days cast and their
softball efforts to include several photos taken in the USA.
If you have images or text related to this
event, please let us know and if anyone either has the E! tape or
access to it and could help us out with VidCaps, it would be greatly
appreciated! |
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