AL MOLINARO, THE loveable character actor with the hangdog face who was known to millions of TV viewers for playing Murray the cop on “The Odd Couple” and malt shop owner Al Delvecchio on “Happy Days,” died yesterday at Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale, his son Michael Molinaro said.
Molinaro, retired from acting since the 1990s, died of complications of gallstone problems, his son said. He was 96.
The Kenosha, Wisconsin, native was a journeyman performer well into middle age when a comedy improv class led to his breakthrough. Producer Garry Marshall heard about Molinaro and hired him for the part of police Officer Murray Greshler on The Odd Couple, the TV version of Neil Simon’s play about feuding roommates.
The Odd Couple ran from 1970-75 and not only demonstrated Molinaro’s knack for goofiness, but exploited his most distinctive feature — his plus-sized nose.
His son Michael said that Molinaro “was good friends till the end with all of the group of people involved in The Odd Couple”.
His next long-running role was that of Al Delvecchio in Happy Days the 1974-1984 nostalgic sitcom about 1950s life that starred Ron Howard and Henry Winkler. Molinaro joined the cast in 1976, replacing Pat Morita as the owner of Arnold’s Drive-In, and remained until 1982.
In ABC’s 1992 Happy Days’ Reunion Special, Molinaro defended the show from criticism that it sentimentalised the 1950s.
“In the industry, they used to consider us like a bubble-gum show,” he said. “But I think they overlooked one thing. To the public in America, Happy Days was an important show, and I think it was and I think it still is.”
Molinaro built on his Happy Days success for years after he left the show. He brought the character of Al to Joanie Loves Chachi, a short-lived Happy Days spin-off that aired from 1982-83. In 1987, he and Anson Williams, who played Potsie on Happy Days, started Big Al’s, a Midwestern diner chain.
He brought Al back for a brief appearance in Buddy Holly, a 1995 music video for the group Weezer that was directed by Spike Jonze.
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