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The 1998 TV special "Behind the Laughs:
The Untold Stories of Television's Favorite
Comedies" recorded these thoughts on the Fonz
and his motorcycle.
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Ron Howard: |
They put the
character in really as a side character. I
think in the initial pilot, ah, Fonzie and
I had 5 or six lines of dialog, almost
nothing. nothing. |
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Narrator: |
At first,
Fonzie didn't say much and wore a wimpy
looking wind breaker instead of his
trademark leather jacket. |
|
Henry
Winkler: |
"So it was
really hard to be cool with this limp
collar falling down. The network didn't
want me to wear leather. They thought I
would be associated with crime." |
|
Narrator: |
"But finally
the network relented and the wind breaker
was never to be worn again." |
|
Henry
Winkler: |
"I made a
promise to myself that I would not comb my
hair. Now, of course on the very first day
of the pilot, the director asked me to go
and comb my hair. So I went to the mirror.
I took out the comb and I realized. I
don't have to. (Aaaayh!" Your perfect")
"I never knew how to ride a motorcycle. I
don't to this day know how to ride a
motorcycle. As a matter of fact in the
credits I ride up the driveway of the
Cunningham home. That was the only time I
ever rode the motorcycle uh, and I didn't
quite know how to stop it so that I kept
going and nearly killed the director of
photography and completely smashed into
the sound truck." |
"Aaaay!
Fonzie, here"
In a popular culture homage to the classic
sitcom HAPPY DAYS, the Comedy Channel's animated
cartoon SOUTH PARK referenced the Fonz and his
motorcycle on Episode 207: "City on the Edge of
Forever" (also known as the "Flashbacks" episode
- original airdate: 17-Jun-1998). The episode
has the kids trapped on Ms. Crabtree's bus on a
snowy cliff. She leaves them to go for help and
the kids begin to have dream flashbacks to old
episodes (as they remember them). Here is the
Fonzie segment:
|
Cartman: |
Remember that
time that Fonzie jumped over the busses
with his motorcycle? |
|
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[Flashback to
Happy Days...The people from Happy Days
are all there, and Fonzie on his
motorcycle] |
|
Girl in
crowd: |
Go Fonzie!
|
|
Fonzie: |
Eeeeyy!
|
|
Cartman: |
You can do it
Fonzie! |
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Stan:
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We believe in
you Fonz! |
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Fonzie: |
Eeeyy!
|
|
|
[Fonzie gets
his motorcycle ready, he drives up the
ramp and flies over some busses, and then
when he's about to get next to the wall,
everyone moves away except Kenny, and
Kenny's head gets smashed into the brick
wall] |
|
Fonzie: |
Ey. [He starts
eating some ice cream] |
|
Stan:
|
Oh my god they
killed Kenny! |
|
Kyle: |
You bastard!
[Flashback over] |
TRIVIA NOTE: Per the Internet Movie Data
Base, the motorcycle driven by 'Steve McQueen'
is the same motorcycle ridden by Henry Winkler
as Fonzie on "Happy
Days"
Click here for Photo Gallery of Fonzie &
His Motorcycles
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