Micky Dolenz, on the strength of his performance as a biker on a 1972 episode of Adam-12 called "Dirt Duel," was Garry Marshall's original choice to play Fonzie. This is the last season to have the original version of "Happy Days" as the closing theme. Fonzie's devotion to her foreshadows his ongoing devotion to mother figures throughout the show, particularly to Marion Cunningham, whom Fonzie affectionately calls "Mrs. C." For example, when Marion feels her family no longer needs her, she learned the ways of the world from Fonzie, and Fonzie learned about the closeness of a tight-knit all-American family from the Cunninghams. While confident with women, he blushed whenever Marion ("Mrs. C." to Fonzie), who became like a surrogate mother to him, kissed him on the cheek. Early on, Fonzie almost invariably addressed Richie and his peers by their surnames. He says in an episode that his father left when he was 4 years old. They often had plots in the episodes together, especially after Richie left the show. [citation needed] Winkler claimed that he borrowed this from the sign (incorrectly believed in the popular imagination) made at Roman gladiator fights. Grandma Nussbaum (and she alone) calls Fonzie "Skippy". Played by Robin Williams, Mork proved so popular that he received his spin-off series, Mork & Mindy. Fonzie has a very high moral code. Former Monkees singer Micky Dolenz auditioned for the part of Fonzie…and almost nailed it! He was everybody I wanted to be. In Italy, Fonzies is the brand name of a popular cheese-flavoured maize snack, currently produced and marketed by Mondelez. Like Fonzie, the black biker rode a Triumph motorcycle. In 1999 TV Guide ranked him number 4 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list. It comes with a beautiful young woman, to whom there's more than meets the eye. [14] Another episode that dealt with racial issues was where Fonzie was a juror in a trial of a black biker accused of robbery. Fonzie was more than just great hair, leather jackets, and famous catchphrases. The success of the show was pretty surprising considering the first season was not a huge hit.It is incredible that it ended up being one of the highest rated shows in the 1970s with a total of 255 episodes. They share another hug at the end of Mr. C's toast. THis is a NEW reconstruction of the opening song of third and following seasons of "happy days", full of FOUR verses, . In the final season, Fonzie meets his half-brother 'Arte' Fonzarelli, who informs him that their father is by-then deceased. Fonzie resented Richie at first, threatening to beat him up; but when Richie refused to back down, Fonzie told him "you got guts". With Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, Anson Williams. Mr. Cunningham, who was on the same jury, went to bat for Fonzie saying all jurors are permitted to present arguments and he took it very seriously about taking a man's freedom away, which he refused to do without rocksteady proof of guilt. To many, Fonzie is seen as the epitome of cool. When it wasn't possible to have the bike in the scene, Fonzie would wear a tan windbreaker. In a later episode, Fonzie unexpectedly meets a woman he believes is his mother in a diner. Winkler receives requests to "be the Fonz" in real life. These are just a couple examples of Fonzie and Chachi's relationship. In the episode "Welcome Home: Part 2" from Season 11, Fonzie finds Richie (who has just returned home from the Army) drowning his sorrows in a local bar after resigning himself to a job at the Milwaukee Journal rather than follow his dream to become a Hollywood screenwriter, largely to please his family. Although gestures like it have always been around, Fonzie popularized the thumbs up sign with a positive, "Eyy!" He also mentioned that when his father left, he was given a strong box but no key. Fonzie seems to respect people brave enough to stand up to him, as evidenced in the episode where Richie recalls meeting Fonzie for the first time while he was a member of a gang called the Falcons. Though at first looked down on and mistrusted (a result of his past and being a high school dropout), he eventually became accepted by the Cunninghams (his friend Richie's family), even more so after he rented an attic room over their garage. He later became an auto mechanic instructor at Jefferson High School and finally a full-fledged teacher. He and his mother were abandoned by his father. He wore a jacket; he got all the chicks; he even made the thumbs-up sign look good."[26]. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1976 Vinyl release of "Happy Days Soundtrack - Fonzie's Favorites - Do You Remember The 50'S" on Discogs. I can't do it. came from an improvised moment due to Winkler's refusal to constantly comb his hair or have a pack of cigarettes rolled up in his sleeve. [10] Such advocacy builds on the previous season's episode where Fonzie hired wheelchair-using Don King to work in his garage, promising to provide workplace accommodation for his employee.[11][12]. On opening night of the newly rebuilt Arnold's (after Chachi accidentally burned the old one down), Al had a desk set up in the new men's room exclusively for Fonzie. One of Fonzie's few soft spots were for his beloved iconic motorcycle, and it is learned without it he no longer feels cool, as evidenced by his explanation in the season 3 episode, "The Motorcycle", when it turned out Ralph Malph accidentally destroyed it with his car when he didn't see it parked. The last couple of seasons show how close Fonzie and Chachi really grew to be. Take a look ahead at some of our most anticipated superhero series arriving in 2021 and beyond. At the beginning of the series, Fonzie is a high school dropout, prompting establishment characters to view him as a rebel and bad influence. Fonzie is resentful, but at the end of the episode he opens his father's letter explaining why he left and reads it. [16] ABC's censors refused Fonzie a leather jacket, thinking it made him look like a hoodlum. Jul 10, 2020 - Explore Amanda Barry's board "Fonzie" on Pinterest. Highlighting actor Henry Winkler's off-camera work, several episodes dealt with civil rights of people with disabilities. Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. The six-foot-tall Dolenz was several inches taller than the other cast members, however, and Marshall thought it might be better for Fonzie to be on the same eye level as the other characters. My bike likes Ike! Fonzie was consistently portrayed as being very successful with women. • In Downtown Milwaukee, the setting of the show, a statue of Fonzie has been erected near the Riverwalk. With Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, Anson Williams, Erin Moran. He is in his trademark thumbs-up pose. Fonzie, Richie Cunningham and Ralph Malph starred in a Saturday morning cartoon spin-off, The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, where the characters, with a female character named Cupcake and a "Fonz dog" (an anthropomorphic dog named Mr. Meanwhile, more sympathetic characters idolize Fonzie due to his success with women and his imperturbable "cool." Grandma Nussbaum appears to have been a primary caregiver to Fonzie since the age of six. Fonzie has mixed emotions upon hearing this, as this left so many questions about his past unanswered, but Fonzie bonded with Arte, who helped him cope. Even Richie's father, Howard ("Mr. C." to Fonzie and the most resistant to him living with them), a pillar of the community, came to regard Fonzie with affection and said "Ayyyy" when Fonzie moved into the garage. Marion Cunningham is forced to reveal Fonzie's secret plan to graduate with Richie's senior class just before Principal Conners' startling announcement at the high school prom that puts the graduation ceremony itself in jeopardy. This FAQ is empty. Normally flirtatious with women, Fonzie is instead disgusted that the waitress does not serve black customers. Fonzie self-appointed the men's restroom at Arnold's as his "office", where he, Richie, and his friends would gather to work out developing problems. Directed by Jerry Paris. Add the first question. Directed by Jerry Paris. With Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, Anson Williams. Fonzie's rough past earns him a great deal of respect and fear from more antagonistic characters. Cool that imitated the Fonz's thumbs-up "Eeey" catchphrase), traveled through time. In one episode, when it is revealed that Fonzie had never been christened as a baby, the Cunninghams stood by him at church so that he could finally be christened. Note: Final appearance of Lorrie Mahaffey as Jennifer Jerome (Potsie's girlfriend). The expression denotes the moment when a television series loses its credibility due to contrived extensions of its theme, usually as a result of the writers being unable to maintain its quality indefinitely. With Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, Anson Williams. Fonzie serves as Chachi's best man when he marries Joanie. [8] On November 8, 1980, Hanna-Barbera Productions and Paramount Television produced the ABC Saturday morning The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang animated series during the Saturday morning schedule on ABC. In Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction, the character Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) tells Yolanda (Amanda Plummer) to "be like the Fonz". [13] In a later episode, Fonzie volunteers to go south with Al and a group of Freedom Riders to help integrate a segregated diner. Richie worries about how to write an unbiased review of his mother's co-starring role in a local play while the Fonz defends her honor after the director makes a pass at her. When Fonzie plays a loud bongo solo during a slow dance, Richie is chosen to give him the news that he's out of the band. Use the HTML below. A search for a shorter actor as an alternative resulted in 5-foot-6 Henry Winkler landing the role. One of the leather jackets is in the Smithsonian Institution.[17]. The robber had snatched the purse of the woman with his left hand. Richie's sister Joanie also became attached to Fonzie; his pet name for her was "Shortcake." Fonzie is involved with community projects. The character was so popular by 1976, and being in the #1 show on television, that there was an unofficial Fonzie For President campaign during the US election that year, with buttons and stickers, and even a few such songs on 45-rpm records made by the groups The Heyettes and Bob Daveys. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1976 Vinyl release of "Happy Days - Fonzie Favorites" on Discogs. He always treats others with respect and sticks up for those who can't defend themselves. Contrary to Ralph and Potsie, Richie doesn't readily compromise his own principles and sticks to what he believes is right, and on occasion even stands up to Fonzie himself. In the episode "The One Hundredth" of Friends, Phoebe's doctor is obsessed with 'Fonzie'. Check out our gallery of the 2021 Oscar nominees in the leading and supporting acting categories, as the characters they so brilliantly played and in real life. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Title: "People expect me to be this guy who can walk into a dark room, snap my fingers, and turn on the lights. Fonzie thinks he is never wrong and, consequently, has trouble admitting so. When the senior Fonzarelli disappeared, he left a locked box for his son, but not a key; the young Arthur did everything to open the box before finally repeatedly running over it with his tricycle, only to reveal that it just contained the key to the box. and "I like Ike! Surgery fixes the Fonz's injured knee but the Cunningham's coddling and his fear that pain will make him appear "uncool" keeps him lying on the couch, until Richie resorts to extreme measures to get Fearless Fonzarelli walking again. On the other hand, he often expects others to follow his example. He also has trouble apologizing, saying the word, "sorry", as evidenced in the episode titled "My Fair Fonzie," which originally aired on November 22, 1977. Happy Days with Fonzie. Susi Quatro Happy Days Season 6 Episode 19 Stolen Melodies - Do The Fonzie With Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, Scott Baio, Erin Moran. "Fonz" redirects here. It was named after Fonzie's coolness by its original producer, Ferrero, who launched it as "The coolest snack [ever]". Actors wear … Eventually, Fonzie was allowed to wear the leather jacket even when not near his bike and Marshall used this opportunity to have the tan jacket destroyed. In the Season 6 episode "Christmas Time", a sailor delivers a Christmas present ostensibly from his father (played by Eddie Fontaine), who wishes to make amends. Arthur Fonzarelli was born to an Italian-American family. Happy Days ran for 11 seasons which means it was one of ABC’s longest running series! He and Chachi embrace for several seconds. He endorses Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1956 presidential campaign. Fonzie is shown once attempting to go back to school with Richie, but he later decides it just isn't for him and drops out again. These days are ours Happy and free. Happy Days was the catalyst for several spin-offs, including Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, and Joanie Loves Chachi. [24] "[18] On Happy Days, Fonzie met Mork, an alien. [citation needed] It received huge laughs from the audience and the scene was made part of the opening sequence. Howard secures a gig for Richie, Potsie, Ralph, and Bag to play at the Leopard Lodge dance. Directed by Jerry Paris. Directed by Jerry Paris. A too-close shave while driving in a stock car race causes a shaken Fonzie to question his mortality, and soon leads him to Al Delvecchio's twin brother, Father Anthony, for some answers. He also learns that the sailor was his father, who admits in the letter that he doubted he would have the courage to reveal the truth to his son. is what Fonzie says prior to pinning Richie to a pool table. "Happy Days" is a song written by Norman Gimbel and Charles Fox. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. During the episode when Fonzie jumped the shark tank on the visit to California, it is revealed that sharks are just one of his fears the other was liver as seen in episode 135 "The Muckrakers" in 1975. In that election, Eisenhower got 457 electoral votes to 73 for Stevenson. Fonzie is one of only two characters (along with Howard Cunningham) to appear in all 255 episodes. Footage of Fonzie dancing to Hava Nagila is used in the music video for Weezer's 1994 song Buddy Holly. With Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, Anson Williams. Fonzie is naturally delighted when his cousin who is also his best friend decides to marry a young woman he has grown to love as a little sister. Fonzie and Joanie grow to be very close, especially in the later seasons. [citation needed] The term "Eyy!" At a rally Fonzie declares, "Ayyy, he won the war, didn't he!?" Various episodes indicate that Fonzie has extensive martial arts training. Marshall put him near his motorcycle as often as possible, even to ride it into Arnold's. Fonzie begins restoring a wrecked 1955 Chevrolet convertible, unaware it comes with more than just broken seats, a broken engine and a rusted shell. With Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, Anson Williams. Those who do fight him never come out on top. – The Fonz (Happy Days)", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fonzie&oldid=1014246708, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles that are excessively detailed from April 2014, All articles that are excessively detailed, Wikipedia articles with style issues from April 2014, Articles needing additional references from March 2015, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Mechanic, co-owner of Arnold's Drive-In, high school teacher, This page was last edited on 26 March 2021, at 00:22. It can be heard during the TV show's opening and closing credits as it runs in perpetual rerun syndication. When Joanie is cut from the cheerleading squad, she persuades Fonzie to help her retailiate by being her partner in a dance marathon to win a bet with Jill (Charlene Tilton), the head cheerleader and Joanie's rival who bumped her from the squad. Through it all, Fonzie worked as an auto mechanic. Despite the respect he has earned, several people still antagonized him – including Officer Kirk (Ed Peck), an overzealous police officer who sometimes (though never successfully) tried to frame Fonzie or run him out of town. ", "Bob Brunner, 'Happy Days' writer and producer, dies aged 78", https://www.sitcomsonline.com/season11.html, "Smithsonian National Museum of American History | Downtown DC BID | Washington DC", "The Martian: 5 Cool Little References The Movie Works In", "Dominic Cummings: Boris Johnson's adviser 'quoted Pulp Fiction' by telling aides they need to be 'cool like Fonzies, "How To "Fonzie" Your Online Marketing Jukebox", "Whatever happened to the stars of 80s TV? And he pushes Chachi to continue working with his disability when Chachi himself just wants to quit because things will be hard. The phrase "jumping the shark", a term originating from a melodramatic Happy Days scene in which Fonzie jumps on water skis over a shark enclosure, has become part of popular culture. The only advice Fonzie remembered his father giving was "Don't go out in the rain in your socks." Written on the walls were phone numbers of his many girlfriends (there was a payphone in there, too). Because of this, Fonzie begins to admire Richie and over time grows fond of him, eventually referring to him as his best friend. Fonzie is able to be the big brother figure Joanie needs after Richie leaves for California. I think the silliest request I ever got was when somebody asked me to quiet the animals in a zoo." In subsequent episodes, he out-dueled an expert fencer and mangled a gangster's prosthetic iron hand with one fist. [21], In 2019 it was reported that Dominic Cummings, special political adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, paraphrased Jules by telling Conservative MPs to "be cool like Fonzies" as political pressure built to request an extension to the date of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.[22]. Concerned about other equal opportunity issues, Fonz wants Milwaukee racially integrated. Among the many pieces of Happy Days-related merchandise to feature Fonzie was Fonzie Favorites a record album produced by Jukebox International featuring a photo of the character on the sleeve and a selection of 1950s-era original recordings within. Fonzie gives Joanie advice about everything from boys to schoolwork. Fonzie comes up with an unorthodox way of helping him, to try to persuade him to take the exam. Happy Days producer and writer Bob Brunner created both Arthur Fonzarelli's "Fonzie" nickname, and the invented put-down, "Sit on it. The gesture was routinely used by pilots starting in World War II as a signal to their ground-crew. He attempts to say he was wrong in the episode titled "Tell it to the Marines," which originally aired on December 16, 1975, but can only get as far as an r with an unidentifiable vowel. While displaying somewhat of a womanizing behavior, Fonzie always treated whomever he happened to be dating with utmost respect. The life and times of Fonzie the dog, and all his favorite friends. [20], In the 2015 sci-fi film The Martian, the character Mark Watney poses as the Fonz for his first official "proof of life" picture. Fonzie would at times demonstrate an almost magical ability to manipulate technology with just a nudge, bump or a snap of his fingers for things such as starting a car, turning on lights, coaxing free sodas from a vending machine, making girls respond, or changing the song selection on a jukebox - occasionally pounding one with his fist and eliciting the response of a classic 1950s tune, such as the Elvis Presley song Hound Dog. It included a desk telephone and organized pull-down sheet of all the phone numbers Al recovered from the fire. Somewhat hyperbolic examples of his abilities can be seen in his dreamlike encounter with the extraterrestrial Mork such as a form psychokinesis triggered from the snapping of his fingers to an energy resistant thumb capable of resisting Mork's finger. One original track on the album consists of an uncredited performer reciting Fonzie's various catch phrases to musical accompaniment. When Richie arrives he finds Fonzie finishing up repairs on a hearse - in whose casket is contained thousands of dollars in counterfeit money. [25], Virgin Media included Fonzie in their "80s finest" segment and stated: "He was the coolest dude in suburban America on the classic sitcom Happy Days. [15] Winkler, did, however, appear as Fonzie on several episodes of Sesame Street, usually in one- to two-minute segments explaining a letter of the alphabet.