The other day, I had a very…interesting time trying to explain “The Fonz” and his popularity in the 1970s to my five-year old son, Joel.
You see -- I told my boy, Fonzie (Henry Winkler) -- was a kind of tough guy from the 1950s
who appeared on a show made in the 1970s, and he had this thing called “The Fonzie
Touch” where he could just tap any machine that was broken, and it would start
working…
In
one episode, Fonzie jumped his motorcycle over a row of garbage cans, and in
another, he water-skied over a shark...
It
was at about that final revelation that I realized I must have sounded
absolutely nuts.
So
how do you explain the “Fonz Mania” of the mid-1970s?
Garry
Marshall’s Happy Days ran on ABC television from 1974 to 1984, and expertly
tapped nostalgia for the “simple” days of 1950s. It was such a popular sitcom, in fact, that Happy
Days spawned a whole bunch of spin-offs, including Laverne and Shirley, Mork
and Mindy, and Joanie Loves Chachi.
The
series was ostensibly about Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) and his high-school friends
Potsie (Anson Williams) and Ralph Malph (Don Most), but the cool,
leather-jacket wearing, motorcycle-riding Fonzie became the break-out character
in almost no time. He was famous for
saying “Ay!,” among other things.
Again,
in the cold light of day in 2012, it all sounds a little…strange.
But
when I was a kid, Fonzie was absolutely everywhere in the pop culture. I remember
I owned two iron-on T-shirts in kindergarten.
One featured Kirk, Spock, and the Enterprise from Star Trek, and one
featured the Fonz.
And
then there were Fonzie action figures from Mego (with thumbs posed in the “up”
position), and Happy Days lunch boxes, trading cards, color form sets, model
kits…you name it. Sega even launched an
Arcade game called “Fonz” in 1976.
Today,
there are punk rock and heavy metal bands named after the Fonz, and a bronze
statue has been erected in his honor in Milwaukee, where Happy Days’ was set.
I
haven’t watched Happy Days in years (though it was a staple of my Tuesday nights
for close to a decade…), but I nonetheless remember the Fonz well, particularly
from those episodes in which he matched his “cool” powers against
larger-than-life villains like Mork from Ork (“My Favorite Orkan”) or the Devil
himself (“Chachi Sells His Soul.”)
As
the series went on, the Fonz’s exploits become weirder, wilder and much more
far-fetched (hence the term “jump the shark,” which originated with Happy
Days). By about the midpoint, it
was almost like Fonzie belonged in an adventure series as the star, but had to
settle for being on a family situation comedy.
The
secret of Fonzie’s appeal, I suspect is that everyone wanted to be like
him. He was loved by women, envied by
men, and well…infinitely cool. By the same token, the Fonz was human enough
to possess frailties and insecurities, and so he was easy to relate to.
And
yet, no matter how you cut it, it is truly bizarre that a rough 1950s “greaser”
became, arguably, the greatest TV star of the decade of disco. Given Fonzie’s widespread popularity in the 1970s -- and Generation X's fond memories of the character -- it is
truly shocking that Hollywood has not yet made a Happy Days movie, or re-booted
the series.
But really, who else but Henry Winkler could play the one and only Arthur Fonzarelli?
But really, who else but Henry Winkler could play the one and only Arthur Fonzarelli?
John, like you I was a boy in the '70s and tuesday night on ABC my family watched Happy Days followed by Laverne & Shirley. The Fonz first was an interesting character on the series, but by the Christmas 1974 episode "Guess Who's Coming To Christmas" he was humanized by that fact he was alone. Ultimately, Arthur Fonzarelli was the hero that could always save those in need.
ReplyDeleteSGB
The Fonz certainly was the icon of 70s TV. Only he could be tied to that now noted idiom of 'Jumping the Shark'.
ReplyDeleteThink you hit the nail on the head in terms of why the series was never revisited. The Fonz and Winkler are the perfect match. No one else could do it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started hearing the term "jumped the shark," I understood its meaning without knowing its origin. When I finally saw an explanation online, I thought, "Oh, so I wasn't the only person to stop watching Happy Days after that stupid episode." I think Fonzie in his early incarnation was likable because he seemed cool to teenagers he hung around with, but the audience kinda knew that he was this loner guy who worked in a garage and sought out the family bond he needed through the Cunninghams. As the show evolved, however, he became this superhero who could do anything and was adored by everyone. All the vulnerability disappeared. Of course, all the characters on the show became cartoons after awhile. And don't even get me started on the historical inaccuracies of the clothes, hairstyles, and music. My head will literally explode!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Fonzie truly had his day, I don't think anyone can fill his leather jacket like Winkler. I love watching his interviews because he's nothing like Fonzie and is the first to admit it. But he says that he projected exactly the type of guy he wished he could be when he played him. I think it was a totally honest performance, it wasn't done with tongue-in-cheek, or making fun of the Fonzie image. Fonzie is as real a character as anyone. Despite jumping sharks and all that. lol.
ReplyDeleteAnd I feel that goes the same for most of the other characters, Richie, Potsie, Ralph, Chachi, Marion and Howard and Joanie even. Nobody can replace that.
The handsome and Intellegent Actor, No one can forget him Happy Days Fonzie Jacket he is look more handsome in jacket in this season
ReplyDelete