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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.

     
  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
  Recently issued, this M1 tank was a big draw for the
actors.
--Clarke
 

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. "

     
  "Pat Morita who plays Arnold of the 'Happy Day ' hamburger shop serves up some hot autographs for 'Happy Days' fans at Bad Kissingen" --Clarke   In the BK park district, members of the TV show cast pose for a tourist photo. --Clarke  

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. "

   
  View from my window towards the softball field at Daley when the Happy Days cast came to visit. --Barrett  

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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