on jukeboxes was about a person whose coolness factor required a very uncool slavishness to maintaining the image. If he slipped, just once, then the illusion was gone and he'd be... nothing. Jumping the shark merely revealed what was true all along. In several episodes of the show, the Fonz illustrated his every uncool overdefensiveness towards anyone who dared to challenge him. A wonderful allegory for smug liberalism, don't you think? It's ironic and appropriate that the truly cool character in the program was the one liberals admire least of all: The conservative, straight laced father played by Tom Bosley. Howard ran a small family store and didn't make any effort to know the "cool" stuff of the day. But he always gave solid advice and helped out the characters when they got into trouble including being a champion poker player. The Fonz or the highly uncool "Fonzie" as he came later to be known as, routinely came to Howard to bail him out of trouble. Just like most liberals who live above their fathers' garage... Michael L. Hauchild | 9.29.09 @ 4:38PM PolishKnight, Thanks for all the enlightening 1970's era psychological and political insights; here I thought that "Happy Days" was just another brainless sitcom. Have you given some thought as to a dissertation on Sha Na Na and the classical musical contributions of Johan Sebastian Bowser? tj | 9.29.09 @ 2:30PM You're kidding? | 9.29.09 @ 2:43PM I'd certainly agree that Obama is fluff. But criticizing a man