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'Happy Days' Here Again If You Know This Sitcom Trivia

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By WALT BELCHER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 13, 2007

The winner of last week's trivia challenge says he has the world's greatest TV trivia question:

M.D. Jones of Brandon, a real trivia buff, knew that Dan Whitney is Larry the Cable Guy and he got his start on the Ron & Ron Show (Ron Diaz and Ron Bennington) on WYNF.

Jones wins the very special "Christmastime in Larryland," Larry's new holiday album, which features the flatulent version of "Jingle Bells."

And here is what couch spud Jones considers to be the world's greatest TV trivia question:

"Laverne & Shirley," "Mork & Mindy" and "Joanie Loves Chachi" were all spinoffs of "Happy Days." But what program provided the basis and inspiration for "Happy Days"?

Roy Harkness of Tampa also knew Whitney is Larry the Cable Guy and that he got his start on Tampa radio. But he thought Larry was a regular with Mason Dixon and the "Q Morning Zoo." "It seems like a long time ago now," he notes.

Rob Johnson of Tampa, winner of last week's trivia challenge, also knew of Larry's humble beginnings and that his trademark "Git 'er Done" was born here.

We also take telephone calls here at Couch Potato Central (813-259-7654), and reader B.L. Smith of Tampa says she enjoyed the recent story about anchor Bob Hite's retirement. She recalls that WFLA had another anchor named Bob who started about the same time as Hite. She asks, "Whatever happened to him?"

She's referring to the late Bob Koop, who worked in Tampa just one year: 1977 to 1978. Hite says that he and Koop were being courted at the same time for the 6 and 11 p.m. anchor post. Ironically, both Hite and Koop were about the same age, both were from Long Island, N.Y., and both had great hair.

Hite says that when he accepted the job, WFLA news director Joe Mannion apologized, saying Koop was getting the main anchor job because Koop's bosses had fired him when they found out he had been talking to Channel 8.

Hite says he worked out a deal with Mannion to be the weekend anchor for a $25-per-week pay cut. Koop wasn't happy here and left for WBEN-TV in Buffalo, where he worked until he died from leukemia in 1995.

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