Monday, November 02, 2015

2015 ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas Schedule; Remembering Happy Days Star Al Molinaro

ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas

ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas," cable's biggest programming event of the year, returns with 25 continuous days of holiday-themed entertainment for the whole family. From December 1 - 25, viewers can ring in the holidays with holiday specials, classic holiday movies, and returning favorites. As you all know, ABC Family is becoming Freeform in January 2016. This year, "25 Days of Christmas" will feature classic Jim Henson Christmas specials The Bells of Fraggle Rock and Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, which have been remastered and are returning to television after several years. Additionally, December 13 features a marathon of Disney·Pixar's Toy Story films. Also, the network will air Beyond the Shadows: The Making of Shadowhunters, which gives an inside look at the upcoming saga series.

Other faves airing this year include The Polar Express, The Santa Clause, Mickey's Christmas Carol, A Very Brady Christmas, Home Alone: The Holiday Heist, Holiday in Handcuffs, Christmas Cupid and Snowglobe. View the full 25 Days of Christmas schedule, so you don't miss any of your favorites!


Al Molinaro

Actor Al Molinaro, who was best known for his roles as Al Delvecchio in Happy Days and Murray Greshler in The Odd Couple, has died. He died on October 30 in a Glendale, California, hospital. His son, Michael, said his death was the result of complications from an infected gallbladder. Mr. Molinaro was 96.

Al Molinaro - The Odd Couple - Murray the Cop

Molinaro played the supporting role of Murray the cop in The Odd Couple from 1970-1975. Murray Greshler was one of Oscar's (Jack Klugman) poker partners. He appeared in 73 episodes of the series. His early sitcom guest appearances included Get Smart, Green Acres, That Girl and Bewitched.

Al Molinaro

Garry Marshall hired him to replace Pat Morita in Happy Days in 1976. Molinaro played Al Delvecchio, the owner of Arnold's drive-in, beginning in the fourth season. He appeared in 146 episodes of the series. His character was known for the catchphrase "yep-yep-yep-yep." He married Chachi's mother, Louisa (Ellen Travolta).

Molinaro left Happy Days in 1982 to star in the spin-off series Joanie Loves Chachi, which aired for 17 episodes. He returned to Happy Days to make three guest appearances in 1983 and 1984. In 1987, Anson Williams and Molinaro opened a chain of diners in the Midwest called appropriately enough, Big Al's. He appeared in the Happy Days Reunion Special on ABC in 1992.

He starred in The Family Man in 1990-1991 on CBS. He played the grandfather, Joe Alberghetti, in the sitcom which aired for one season. Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included Love, American Style, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, Punky Brewster and Step by Step. His film credits included Freaky Friday and Gridlock. He also starred in TV commercials for On-Cor frozen dinners for 16 years from 1987-2003.

In the 1995 Weezer video, "Buddy Holly" directed by Spike Jonze, vintage Happy Days footage was intercut with shots of Weezer performing on the original Arnold's drive-in set. The introduction of the video was delivered by Molinaro as Al Delvecchio and seizing the opportunity to ad lib, Al plugged his hometown--and his words "...from Kenosha, Wisconsin: Weezer!" ended up in heavy rotation on MTV for weeks during 1995.

Survivors include his wife, Betty; son, Michael; a brother, Oliver; and three grandchildren.

Mr. Molinaro was a talented character actor. His roles as Murray the cop and Al Delvecchio were very funny and memorable. He was great at playing the second banana. We thank him for the many laughs and memories he brought us. He lived a long and good life. Big Al will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Happy Days message board. View photos in our photo galleries.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Thursday, April 30

Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - "A New Scoreboard and a Horse’s You Know What" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Georgie and Fagenbacher (Matt Letscher) go head to head when Fagenbacher tries to sabotage Georgie’s attempt to honor his dad. Additional guest stars include Zoe Perry as Mary, Lance Barber as George Sr. and Raegan Revord as Missy.

Ghosts - "Under New Management" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT)
When new pressures threaten Sam and Jay’s control over Woodstone, they’re forced to navigate unexpected challenges to protect its future. Meanwhile, a long-absent ghost returns, reopening emotional connections that complicate new relationships.

Animal Control - "Lost Dogs and Bar Flies" / "French Bulldogs and White Broncos" (Fox, 9:02PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Roman Park takes Frank's beloved dog away from him; in an effort to get his dog back, Frank and Shred find themselves on a late-night rescue mission; Frank scrambles to find a date for a romantic sunset horse ride; Patel hosts a "sip 'n snip."

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of April 27)

Thursday, April 30

  • Desi Lydic (Awkward) - Catch Desi on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Olivia Rodrigo (Bizaardvark) - Olivia appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Adam Scott (Ghosted/Veep/Parks and Recreation/Party Down) - Adam is a guest on Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He also talks about Hokum on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am and in the 10am hour and on the Morning Mash Up on SiriusXM.
  • Juliette Lewis (Camping/I Married Dora) - Juliette drops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • B.J. Novak (The Office) - B.J. talks about The Devil Wears Prada 2 on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on ABC's GMA 3: What You Need to Know at 1pm.
  • Stanley Tucci (Central Park) - Co-host Gayle King talks with the cast of The Devil Wears Prada 2 on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Wilmer Valderrama (That '70s Show) - Wilmer tells Sherri about his role on NCIS on CBS on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Kate Hudson (Running Point) and Justin Theroux (Running Point) - Kate joins Drew to chat about season two of Running Point with co-star Justin Theroux on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Valerie Bertinelli (Hot in Cleveland/Cafe Americain/Sydney/One Day at a Time) - Valerie and Drew chat with Wolfgang Van Halen and his wife Andraia about his new music, plus a performance from his band on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • John Goodman (The Conners/The Righteous Gemstones/Roseanne/Center of the Universe/Normal, Ohio) - NBC's Today catches up with John in the 9am hour.
  • Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) - Jack talks about HGTV's Zillow Gone Wild on Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
  • Jess Hilarious (Rel) - Jess is a guest on New York Living on WPIX in New York at 10:05am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray) Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD) St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)

07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
08/26 - The Huckleberry Hound Show - The Complete Original Series (Blu-ray)
09/30 - Touché Turtle and Dum Dum - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
10/07 - Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage - The Complete First Season (DVD)
10/14 - Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Series (Blu-ray) (DVD)
10/28 - St. Denis Medical - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/04 - Happy's Place - Season One (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - Rick and Morty - Season 8 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
11/11 - SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete Fifteenth Season (DVD)
11/11 - Two and a Half Men - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/02 - Tom and Jerry - The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
12/16 - Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
12/16 - Wally Gator - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
01/20 - The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Golden Age Collection (Blu-ray)
01/27 - The New Fred and Barney Show - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/11 - Tom and Jerry - The Complete CinemaScope Collection (Blu-ray)
03/24 - Looney Tunes Collector's Vault - Volume 2 (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

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04/08 - Mindy Kaling's Not Suitable for Work Drops June 2; Lisa Ann Walter: It Was An Accident Premieres May 15 on Hulu
04/07 - CBS Announces Late-Night Lineup After Colbert Ends; Hulu Special Nikki Glaser: Good Girl Drops April 24
04/06 - Bonus Episodes of Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat Coming to Prime Video; Ramy Youssef's Third HBO Special
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04/04 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Colin Jost Lands Role in New Peacock Series; Cincinnati Radio Station Gets WKRP Letters
04/03 - Wizards Beyond Waverly Place Final 4-Part Event; Hulu's Deli Boys Returns May 28
04/02 - Prime Video Releases More Details on Kevin; Additional Cast Members Joining Tires Season 3 on Netflix
04/01 - Hulu Releases First Look at Alice and Steve; Tubi to Stream 250 Sesame Street Episodes
03/31 - CBS 2026 Season Finale Dates; Wanda Sykes Returns with Third Netflix Special
03/30 - Saturday Night Live April 2026 Schedule; NBC Renews Chicago Series for 2026-27
03/29 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of March 30, 2026)