Ayyyyyyy, look who got back together at this year’s Emmys!
Henry Winkler and Ron Howard, the stars of Happy Days, shared the stage on Sunday, giving fans a delightful reunion of Fonzie and Richie Cunningham.
To celebrate Happy Days’ 50th anniversary, they met on a set that looked just like Arnold’s Drive-In, the famous hangout from the show. (Before the ceremony, producer Jesse Collins told Variety: “I’m curious to see if you think we matched the jukebox.” What do you think?)
Before announcing the nominees for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series, Howard joked that something was missing: music. He hinted at Winkler to give the jukebox a classic Fonzie hit. Winkler hesitated.
“First of all, I’m out of practice,” he said. But Howard persisted. “You went to the Yale School of Drama, Henry! C’mon, you know you can do it.” So Winkler gave it a nudge and the Happy Days theme song started playing as everyone cheered.
The series first aired in 1974 and ran for 11 seasons, showing life in the Midwest during the ’50s and ’60s. The cast included Winkler as cool biker Fonzie and Howard as innocent teen Richie, along with Tom Bosley, Marion Ross, Anson Williams, Donny Most, Erin Moran, Scott Baio, Pat Morita and Al Molinaro.
The show won one Emmy in 1978 for Outstanding Film Editing in a Comedy Series. Winkler, Ross and director Jerry Paris were also nominated multiple times. Fun fact: The term “jumping the shark” comes from a Happy Days episode where Fonzie jumps over a shark while waterskiing.
Winkler recently starred as Gene on HBO’s Barry and won an Emmy for it in 2018. He’s also known for voice roles and shows like Arrested Development, Royal Pains and Childrens Hospital.
Howard has become an award-winning director and producer with films like A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13. His TV projects include Arrested Development, Parenthood, Genius and Curious George. His recent documentary Jim Henson Idea Man won an Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.
We fans love seeing these reunions; they bring back so many memories.
Video of their reunion will be posted soon. Until then, share your thoughts in the comments!
