Richard J. Cunningham is a fictional character in the 1970s TV sitcom ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...

,'' played by

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...

. Richie is Howard and Marion Cunningham's son and Joanie Cunningham and Chuck Cunningham's brother. He is friends with

Fonzie Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz", is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1974–1984). He was originally a secondary character, but was soon positioned as a lea ...

Ralph Malph Ralph Hector Malph is a character on ''Happy Days'' played by Donny Most. Background of character He usually had two things on his mind, girls and jokes. His jokes usually got little or no reaction from any other character, yet he continued his ...

, and Potsie Weber. Richie was originally the show's lead character. However, he became less prominent as the character of

(played by Henry Winkler) became more popular. Ron Howard and Winkler continued to share top billing in the show's opening credits.

Character traits

Richie Cunningham's personality reflected the quintessential

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

1950s teenager. With his red hair and freckles, he bore a resemblance to

Howdy Doody ''Howdy Doody'' is an American Children's television series, children's television program (with circus and Western (genre), Western frontier themes) that was created and produced by Victor F. Campbell

(as noted in the episode "The Howdy Doody Show"). Occasionally, he got into trouble in schemes designed to attract girls. Richie was portrayed as wholesome and caring rather than malicious. Many of the episodes focused on Richie's attempts to meet women. Despite his demeanor as a clean-cut teenager, he was often depicted scheming to get a date. Examples in the show's plotlines included him buying a new car and joining a local gang. Whenever he was feeling lucky—especially when he spotted a prospective girlfriend—he would sing the

Fats Domino Antoine Caliste Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American singer-songwriter and pianist. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New Orl ...

line, "I found my thrill... on Blueberry Hill." When he became angry or annoyed, he would call his nemesis "bucko." Richie's goal was to become a writer. He wrote for the ''Jefferson High Bule'' and later became a cub reporter for the ''

Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper and also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely read. It was purchased by the G ...

.'' However, in the first-season episode "Because She's There", he told his date that he wanted to attend law school. Throughout the series' run, Richie remained best friends with

, and Potsie Weber. He was always ready to help them out of trouble. He also looked after his younger sister Joanie as she grew up. In the first season, it was revealed that he and Potsie were best friends since childhood. This was alluded to again in the seventh-season episode, "A Potsie Is Born." After high school, Richie went to the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a Public university, public Urban university, urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropo ...

. He joined the

Alpha Tau Omega Alpha Tau Omega (), commonly known as ATO, is an American social Fraternities and sororities, fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute in 1865 by Otis Allan Glazebrook. The fraternity has around 250 active and inactive chapters an ...

fraternity and met his girlfriend and future wife, Lori Beth Allen. Richie studied journalism at the university and pursued opportunities to further his writing career. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Richie served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

with Ralph. While overseas, Richie married Lori Beth by telephone, with Fonzie standing in as a proxy for Richie. Lori Beth visited Richie in Greenland long enough to get pregnant. Their son was named Richie, Jr. In the final season, Richie and Ralph returned home from the Army. Howard got Richie a job as a reporter for the ''Milwaukee Journal.'' Richie had always wanted to write for the paper but had a new dream of becoming a screenwriter. Richie moved to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

with his family to find work writing for the movies. He returned in the series finale for Joanie and Chachi's wedding.

Cultural references

In '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'', Austin, while undercover, goes by the alias "Richie Cunningham". In the TV series ''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...

'', Pacey likens Dawson to Richie Cunningham (in the first season ninth episode). In the TV series '' True Story with Ed & Randall'', Gastor describes the police officer who pulls him over as Richie Cunningham (in the first season sixth episode).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cunningham, Richie Happy Days characters Fictional characters from Milwaukee Fictional reporters and correspondents Fictional United States Army personnel Fictional writers Television characters introduced in 1972 Teenage characters in television American male characters in sitcoms sv:Richard Cunningham