LOS ANGELES, April 19 (UPI) -- Several cast members of the U.S. sitcom "Happy Days" are suing CBS, claiming they are owed millions of dollars in merchandising revenues.
The show originally aired from 1974 to 1984 on ABC and is still popular in reruns. Elements and characters from the series have also appeared in comic books and on T-shirts, scrapbooks, trading cards, games, lunch boxes, dolls, toys, magnets and greeting cards. Casino slot machines were introduced in 2008.
Former "Happy Days" cast members Anson Williams, Don Most, Marion Ross, Erin Moran and the estate of the late Tom Bosley say they haven't gotten their fair share of the profits from such ventures and are now trying to get paid by suing CBS, which owns the show, CNN reported.
"The issue is the five cast members of 'Happy Days' were not paid for the royalties for their name and likeness," attorney Jon Pfeiffer told CNN. "That being the use of their picture, use of their name in slot machines, in games, in greeting cards, in T-shirts, anything where you saw a 'Happy Days' face of a character, they were not paid for that."
Pfeiffer accused the studio of breach of contract and fraud.
"Here we have iconic actors. I mean, I grew up watching these people. And yet they got stiffed," Pfeiffer said.
"We agree that funds are owed to the actors and have been working with them for quite some time to resolve the issue," CBS said in a statement e-mailed to CNN.
Set in the 1950s and '60s, "Happy Days" starred Oscar-winning director Ron Howard and actor Henry Winkler as Richie Cunningham and his best friend, the Fonz.
Williams and Most played their friends Potsie and Ralph, while Ross and Bosley played Richie's parents, Marion and Howard, and Moran played his sister, Joanie.
