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Four cast members from the 1970s comedy Happy Days — Anson Williams, Don Most, Marion Ross and Erin Moran — as well as the estate of the late Tom Bosley, today filed a $10 million breach-of-contract lawsuit against CBS, which owns the classic sitcom, over unpaid merchandising revenue. The actors claim that they should’ve been paid more under their contracts for the use of their likenesses on comic books, T-shirts, scrapbooks, trading cards, games, lunch boxes, dolls, toy cars, magnets, greeting cards, DVD covers and especially casino slot machines. “We agree that funds are owed to the actors and have been working with them for quite some time to resolve the issue,” CBS said in a statement to CNN.
Conspicuously missing from the complaint are the best-known Happy Days cast members: Henry Winkler, aka the Fonz; Ron Howard (Richie Cunningham); and Scott Baio (Chachi Arcola). Jon Pfeiffer, the attorney representing the Happy Days actors in the case, told The Washington Post that Winkler appears to have been properly compensated, and Baio’s likeness has not been used in merchandising to the same degree as the others. “I have not spoken to Ron Howard, but we will learn through discovery whether he has been paid,” Pfeiffer said.
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This sort of thing is actually fairly routine. It always gets sorted out and everyone gets their share.
Ya, forty years later, everything gets sorted out.
That’s right, House, it’s like Bat Masterson said about ice: “Poor people get all they want in the winter and rich people get all they want in the summer. It all averages out.” Sure.
And I don’t think it “always” gets sorted out. I bet you Tom B would have loved to have had what he was owed while he was still alive. He might not have had to make so many info-mercials.
Amy Bosley works for CBS. would be funny if she was whistleblower.
Yeah, Mouse House. Things get sorted out once the people that are owed file legal action. Does it really have to come to that?
yes, zach, my man, it does.
Is licensing still going on for “Happy Days” now? I assume that maybe slots are new but I haven’t seen a lot of “Happy Days” character stuff on store shelves for about 30 years. Isn’t there a statute of limitations for that stuff?
Didn’t the show actually run on ABC?
It originally aired on ABC, but that doesn’t mean that they owned it. Paramount TV & others produced, and who knows what deal they worked out with ABC. Guessing CBS bought the rights later on, and it is under their ownership, that money is due. I’m guessing that whoever owns the rights, owes the amount, regardless of when the usage occurred? (Can’t remember my broadcast law from college…)
> Didn’t the show actually run on ABC?
Yes but the show was produced/owned by Paramount. When Viacom split-off CBS a few years ago all Paramount TV shows (like Star Trek, Cheers, etc.) were transferred to CBS. The Paramount studio and film library remains with Viacom.
when reached for comment, Ron Howard had this to say – “who the f cares, i’m super rich.”
I second that! Revenues from the show are probably like chump change to him!
Corporations, like insurance companies, have a standard MO in these arrangements: “come and get it”. Nobody hands out money … even if it is due. They force people to fight for what is rightly theirs. It is criminal. In this case, if they have been due money, why wasn’t it paid? “Oops” is not a valid excuse. Think about how many people out there are owed money and claims but are too old, tired, or weak to fight for it. This is a big issue in our society.
Mat, “Happy Days” was produced by Paramount Television which is now owned by CBS.
“if you have nothing to do…why not sue’”. Beats signing autographs at conventions!!
It’s Not the first time where supporting players on a hit TV show were fighting for owed licencing monies years after production ended but items still being produced.
The four supporting STAR TREK cast members (Doohan,Takei,Koning and Nichols) took Paramount to court over Licensing and ended up will a settlement in the low millions split 4 ways.
Whoops! We forgot to pay them. We remembered to pay Les Moonves $50M when profits were up and $40M when profits were way down, but we forgot to pay the people who actually created content. Whoops.