Scott Baio reveals Garry Marshall saved him from being fired on ‘Happy Days’

Scott Baio almost lost the role that made him a household name.

“During a recent interview with host Fox News contributor Raymond Arroyo”Arroyo Grande with Raymond ArroyoThe 65-year-old actor shared on the podcast that he was almost fired from the hit ’70s comedy “Happy Days.”

The actor explained that he started “getting a big head” because “I was doing two shows at the same time.” One of the programs was “Happy Days” on ABC, and he noted that the other program aired on NBC, although he did not name it.

“And I’ll tell you something that a lot of people don’t know, the producers of ‘Happy Days’ wanted to fire me because I wasn’t doing my job,” he said. “I wasn’t taking it seriously. You know, I thought I was the greatest thing since sliced ​​bread. I wasn’t performing well. I thought I could just be cute, you know, funny, and after a while that doesn’t work either.”

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Eventually, legendary director Garry Marshall convinced the producers to give Baio another chance.

Marshall then took things a step further when he told Baio’s father, whom the actor described as “an old-world Italian guy who didn’t take any cps,” about what had happened on set.

“My dad came home and approached me and said, ‘Listen, you have one shot at this and you’re blowing it,'” Baio said. “‘Shut up. You’re making a mess. Do you want to go back to Brooklyn?’ he says. And I said, ‘Oh, no.’ ‘Okay, okay, pull yourself together and get to work,’ he says. “Now when my dad told me that, I was so scared of my dad and I think it’s a good thing.”

Baio stated that both his parents and his brother and sister kept him afloat, stating that they “never treated me differently” because of his career.

Baio said he felt grounded because his parents and siblings continued to treat him the same way. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)

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“So I was still the same guy, but my head got a little bigger and then everyone slapped it,” he said.

“Happy Days” ran for a decade on ABC, from 1974 to 1984, and helped launch the careers of many young stars, including Baio, Henry Winkler, Erin Moran and even Robin Williams, who appeared in two episodes as Mork.

Williams’ guest appearance as Mork proved so popular that a spinoff show called “Mork & Mindy” was launched, starring him and Pam Dawber. The show ran on ABC for four seasons from 1978 to 1982.

Williams’ guest appearance on the show led to his own spinoff, “Mork & Mindy,” which is often cited as one of the most successful spinoffs of all time. (Disney General Entertainment Content via Jim Britt/Getty Images)

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Baio’s character Chachi had a romance with Moran’s character Joanie, which led to another spinoff series called “Joanie Loves Chachi,” which aired on ABC for two seasons.

“‘Joanie Loves Chachi’ was a mistake,” he told Arroyo. “It wasn’t, it just wasn’t the right premise. The people were great. The actors were good… but it wasn’t just the timing error and… it was bound to fail.”

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He later added: “As good as the writers of the show were, they didn’t know us. They didn’t know how we worked. It always comes back to the story. If the story isn’t good and the premise isn’t good, you’re in big trouble. The premise wasn’t good. You can’t put me, which was very popular at the time, with a girlfriend forever, which is my opinion.”

Baio called “Joanie Loves Chachi” a “mistake.” (Disney General Entertainment Content via ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images)

In his opinion, the spinoff would be more interesting if they “put a single guy like me in a new world” instead of a relationship.

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