Fonzie's Jacket No Longer On Display At Smithsonian

[Matt Crunk]

I will let Henry talk for himself! It is a lot easier to coast then to ride, no throttle no clutch lever, just brakes and balance. Yes I have been riding since the 60s.

Well he might have well been coasting through those few scenes, but there was no board in them. It wouldn't be the first time a celebrity has recalled something that on-screen evidence shows to the contrary. Sometimes stars embellish and modify their stories for the sake of a good interview or sound bite. Who knows.

First time I saw Winkler interviewed out of the Fonzie character, I thought to myself, what a wimpy little guy by contrast. I've never understood why he doesn't inject just a little bit of the Fonz into his real personality. Obviously the character is there inside him somewhere. Why not use it?

 

[AtomicEraTom]

My sentiments, exactly. I just saw Henry Winkler on a commercial about 10 minutes ago and I just thought to myself, "He's no Fonzie" lol

First time I saw Winkler interviewed out of the Fonzie character, I thought to myself, what a wimpy little guy by contrast. I've never understood why he doesn't inject just a little bit of the Fonz into his real personality. Obviously the character is there inside him somewhere. Why not use it?

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

First time I saw Winkler interviewed out of the Fonzie character, I thought to myself, what a wimpy little guy by contrast. I've never understood why he doesn't inject just a little bit of the Fonz into his real personality. Obviously the character is there inside him somewhere. Why not use it?

Though on the other hand, Butchey Weinstein, Henry Winkler's character in The Lords of Flatbush, was a bit of a nerd if I recall correctly.

 

[Stearmen]

I thought a few of you might enjoy this articular on Fonzie's Happy Days motorcycles. I forgot, in the first season he sat on a highly modified Knucklehead. As much as I like Triumph's, the Knuck was a way cooler bike! He also had several Triumph's. The reason he did not ride was, he suffered from extreme Dyslexia, today he could get treatment. http://www.ridingvintage.com/2013/07/aaaaeeeyyy-what-happened-to-fonzies.html

 

[Doctor Damage]

 

[scottyrocks]

'With his classic black leather motorcycle jacket'

Fonzie never had a black leather jacket. He went from the windbreaker to a brown leather flight-style jacket. I had read somewhere that the producers thought that black would be too harsh for what was intended to be a likeable character.

 

[Technonut]

Fonzie's Jacket No Longer On Display At Smithsonian...

AWWWWW!!!

 

[Seb Lucas]

And according to an interview I saw, two screen worn jackets were made of a brown vinyl. A prop guy showed up on breakfast TV with one.

 

[rocketeer]

And according to an interview I saw, two screen worn jackets were made of a brown vinyl. A prop guy showed up on breakfast TV with one.

Apparently, vinyl photographs better than leather according to a friend in the trade, particularly with older style TV cameras.

 

[breezer]

The 70's were a dark decade for the USA - the loss in Vietnam, Watergate, oil crisis etc.....hence the popularity of nostalgia for a more innocent time....the 1950's.....hence Happy Days, a show populated by happy white folks living in a re-imagined America...... But Arthur's interest in teenage girls is a little weird to say the least.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

The 70's were a dark decade for the USA - the loss in Vietnam, Watergate, oil crisis etc.....hence the popularity of nostalgia for a more innocent time....the 1950's.....hence Happy Days, a show populated by happy white folks living in a re-imagined America...... But Arthur's interest in teenage girls is a little weird to say the least.

Don't know where you grew up..but I went through grade school and junior high during the '50s in mid America, entering high school in 1961 there were many 'happy days'. the small town of Fairmount, Ind. was much like the series and movie. Cruising drive inns and streets in hot rods and some custom cars. There were even classmates and characters in my hometown who nearly matched Fonzie and his buddies and the family life wasn't very far off. Of course the movie and TV roles were more dramatic and humorous for effect..but really not much. Some of my friends were quite funny and others very dramtic. Not much ' re-imagining' in my part of the country.
I will agree with you somewhat about the '70s. I served in the military during Nam and the memories of some scandels are still vivid in detail, too.
BTW there were also TV shows about 'Happy black folk' as well and from my experiences that wasn't always a stretch either..
HD

 

[Otter]

Thank you for your service HD. I was RA, but never saw combat duty, I was too late for the Falklands and was out through injury before the 1st Gulf War. If I had to imagine you anywhere it would be as Brown Water Navy.

 

[Doctor Damage]

Don't know where you grew up..but I went through grade school and junior high during the '50s in mid America, entering high school in 1961 there were many 'happy days'. the small town of Fairmount, Ind. was much like the series and movie. Cruising drive inns and streets in hot rods and some custom cars. There were even classmates and characters in my hometown who nearly matched Fonzie and his buddies and the family life wasn't very far off. Of course the movie and TV roles were more dramatic and humorous for effect..but really not much. Some of my friends were quite funny and others very dramtic. Not much ' re-imagining' in my part of the country.

For me the whole Griswold family thing was the family of a friend of mine, so yeah, sometimes what we see in the movie and pop culture isn't always pumped up for dramatic effect.

 

[ButteMT61]

For me the whole Griswold family thing was the family of a friend of mine, so yeah, sometimes what we see in the movie and pop culture isn't always pumped up for dramatic effect.

Did they have a Wagon Queen Family Truckster? They'd be my heroes