The famous sitcom “Happy Days” means a lot to a lot of people. There are the fans who love the show for the laughter and joy it brought them over the years. It also made the lives of its actors better.
For one actress on the popular show, “Happy Days” brought her joy for a very special reason – it gave her her only chance to work alongside her famous father.
That actress was Cathy Silvers. According to IMDb.com, she appeared in 55 episodes of the series as the character Jenny Piccalo from 1980 until 1984. As fans of the show are aware, she played Joanie Cunningham’s best friend on the show.
In one episode of “Happy Days,” fans had the chance to meet Jenny Piccalo’s father for the first time. Playing Jenny’s father was Phil Silvers – the real-life father of Cathy Silvers. Getting to work with her famous father was “exciting” and “really special” for Cathy.
“My dad (Phil Silvers) made a guest appearance on one episode of Happy Days (1974), playing Jenny’s father. It was magic,” Cathy said. “I’d always heard people talk about how exciting it was to work with my dad and I got to see why. He was really special. It was the only time we got to work together.”
Phil and Cathy Silvers appeared together on the 1981 episode of “Happy Days” titled, “Just a Piccalo.” Phil played Roscoe Piccalo alongside Cathy as Jenny.
In addition to having a family member join her on the show, Cathy Silvers said being part of the “Happy Days” cast was also like being part of a family.
“They were like one big happy family when I arrived, and they took me into their family,” Cathy said of the “Happy Days” cast. “Everyone on the show was supportive and kind. I’ve done a lot of TV series work since and I’ve never had the situation duplicated.”
Father of ‘Happy Days’ Actress Appeared in Many Other Popular Television Shows
In addition to her work on “Happy Days,” Cathy Silvers also appeared in other popular shows. These included “The Love Boat,” “Punky Brewster,” and “Cleghorne!”
While Cathy had success in Hollywood, her father Phil Silvers, had even more. During his decades-long career, he appeared in many popular television shows, including two that were named after him.
From 1955 until 1959, he starred in “The Phil Silvers Show” as MSgt. Ernest G. Bilko. The second show that had Phil Silvers at its center was “The New Phil Silvers Show.” This series aired from 1963 until 1964.
He also had a recurring role on “The Beverly Hillbillies” as the character Shifty Shafer aka Honest John from 1969 until 1970. Phil also acted in “The Love Boat,” “Charlie’s Angels,” and “Fantasy Island.” He also had roles in the films “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” in 1963 and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” in 1966.
Phil Silvers passed away in 1985 at the age of 74.
