Happy Days wrote an entire episode around the weirdest Guinness World Record holder

Fonzie's cousin was a non-actor who also appeared on the Tonight Show for his unique abilities.

You didn't have to be a comedian or celebrity to get on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The legendary late-night host welcomed all kinds of goofy talents. On February 20, 1976, a teenager from the Bronx hopped onto his very first airplane voyage and crossed the country to Los Angeles. The Tonight Show had booked Charles Galioto for a very specific skill. This 16-year-old was the best in the world at catching coins off his elbow.

Allow us to explain. Rest the back of your hand atop your shoulder. Lift your elbow to the level of your face, turning your forearm into a level platform. Stack some quarters by your elbow. Now, in one quick motion, fling your hand forward and try to catch the quarters before they drop to the ground. This is coin snatching. And Charlie Galioto held the Guinness World Record for catching the most coins off his elevated elbow. 

The Math honor student got a week off school, flew to Hollywood, put on his favorite bellbottom jeans and patchwork flannel shirt, and went on The Tonight Show to demonstrate his unique abilities to Johnny Carson.

Johnny asked the kid if he had any aspirations to be in showbiz. "I've been in a couple plays," the Bronx boy said.

It turns out, this bizarre trick landed Galioto a rather rarified role — he became an official Fonzarelli.

A year later, at the start of 1977, Galioto appeared in an episode of Happy Days as Fonzie's cousin, Angie. The Fonz seemingly always had cousins popping in and looking for advice. The diminutive Spike was the first we saw early in the series, dating Joanie Cunningham. Of course, Chachi is the best known, also for partnering up with Joanie. 

Cousin Angie was a one-off, however. He appeared in just this single episode, "The Book of Records," which was obviously written around Galioto's coin-snatching skills. Yes, they wrote an entire episode around coin-catching. The Seventies were a quirky time.

In this tale, the Magilla Book of Records comes to Al's Drive-In for a publicity event and talent contest. Fonzie's cousin, Angie, sadly has confidence issues. But the coolest cat in town give his younger cuz a crash course in Fonzarelli confidence and… well, you can probably guess what happens with Angie and his coins.

Galioto never acted on television again. There just is not a lot of use for a guy who can snatch change from his elbow.


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46 Comments

Gran1983 37 months ago
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F5Twitster 37 months ago
It reminds me of the voice-over narration by Jack Washington, Robert Wagner's character in a 1967 TV movie called "How I Spent My Summer Vacation," in which he says that his only talent is he "can hold my breath longer than anybody else."

Of course, that talent ends up, rather predictably, saving Jack's life in the third act. Too bad that "Happy Days" couldn't follow in those memorable (in a shallow pop culture way, at least) foosteps and make Cousin Angie's -- and Galioto's -- one and only (and otherwise unmarketable) skill pay off to the extent that somebody like me would be writing about it fifty-four years later...
Ursula 37 months ago
I went to high school with Charles, nice guy! It was fun watching this episode today, brought back great memories
Anonymous 37 months ago
Ha!

I totally remember that episode and my friends and I practicing and doing it. I am fifty-something and I just did, like it was yesterday. Now I am going to teach my Son.
CouchPotato19 Anonymous 37 months ago
Haha! I can still do this, too! Dazzles all my friends. I remember my brother teaching me this because of this episode.
Anonymous CouchPotato19 37 months ago
So funny the things you forget...then in one instant, 40 years later, the whole thing comes back to you. Like scrambling to find the quarters you dropped when practicing. You know, when quarters actually were worth something!
CouchPotato19 Anonymous 36 months ago
Gotta have 'em for the Aldi cart contraption!
KellyTenace 37 months ago
I was 12 when I saw that episode. So I tried doing it. I got up to being able to do sixty(!) pennies (you try and get 60 quarters when you're 12, lol), all in one stack - and I don't even have big hands or anything (hence why I needed to do it in one stack, and frankly balancing them on my elbow before doing it was half the trick)! I thought I had broken a world-record! Then I found out the world record on the show was only for the 1950s and that by when I did 60 coins, the actual world record was well over a hundred. Oh well.

BTW, apparently the world-record is now well over THREE hundred!
RkBke 37 months ago
wow is that nice...some kid with no acting experience just gets on the number one show for one episode..and thats it...thats incredible...wish that would happen more frequently...maybe if i move to hawaii someone will spot me and put me in the new magnum pi for one episode...
stephaniestavropoulos 37 months ago
People keep saying that everyone tried to do the coin trick. No, not everyone did. Some had no desire to do it. As for others, they couldn't attempt to do so, because unfortunately they didn't/don't have any arms.
I do know one other celebrity who did the very same trick on their series a couple of years earlier. Last week, on an episode of "The Odd Couple", which I believe was called "The Insomniacs", I saw Tony Randall do it perfectly without any trouble. Next time it comes on MeTv, watch carefully and you'll see it. That may be what inspired Garry Marshall to have it recreated on "Happy Days".
TheDavBow3 37 months ago
I remember that episode. I think there was even a slo-mo of him catching the coins! Very dramatic! A real nail baiter! I kept up and cheered then cried with happiness!! 😂🤣 Not really 😉 But like everyone, I tried doing that myself.
texasluva 37 months ago
We did a lot of these type tricks long ago. Did couple quarters a few times. Hulu hoops around your neck or arms and even legs. Standing up on your bicycle with no hands on handle bars (there is always that one time you loose it and head first or you land your you know what on the base, ouch!) . Best one was "Wanna see 52 card pick up ". You just throw the whole stack all over and say pick em up . We all tried balancing things only to most of the time fail but then you get it right and doing a Toyota kick as you pretend to hear the crowd roar
daDoctah texasluva 37 months ago
Pretty much everyone I know started doing this after the episode aired. And pretty much everyone could manage a stack of a dozen or so with no difficulty after a few tries.
Wiseguy texasluva 37 months ago
Loose and lose are two different words.
Traceyvasquez337 37 months ago
I soooo remember this!! I remember trying to do this trick. I couldn’t do “stacks” of quarters, but I could do a couple. I showed this trick to anyone who was within distance!
Andybandit 37 months ago
Cool talent. I don't remember that episode.
Mark091 37 months ago
The Book of Records Episode is the
Last Appearance of BAG Zombroski Neil J Schwartz.
Bag is the guy who played practical jokes on Richie Potsie and Ralph
Bag also played the drums in Richie's band and he was a member of the
Demons.
Load previous comments
EricFuller Mark091 37 months ago
I saw Sticks Downey Jr. (John Anthony Bailey) in a few adult movies.
Mark091 Mark091 37 months ago
Ralph Malph Donny Most also
Had a great girlfriend named
Kitty played by Audrey Landers
And another girlfriend named
Olivia (Amy Irving ) who dumped
Ralph so Ralph told RICHIE Cunningham Ron Howard
That he was going to join the
Marines . Both Kitty and Olivia
Appeared In separate one
Episode only appearances.
It looks like Kitty and Olivia
Dissapeared to the SITCOM ZONE .The Sitcom ZONE is where TV characters vanish to
When they dissapear from their
SITCOMS with no explanation.
Characters like Angela Brown
From My Favorite Martian
CPL BOYLE AND CPL Cuccinelli
And Sgt Whipple from Gomer
Pyle USMC CHESTER Anderson
Tooey Brown Larry Mondello
And Judy Hensler from Leave
It to Beaver Ed Sawyer and
Lucy Mathews from The Andy
Griffith Show Newt Kiley and
Roy Trendell from GREEN ACRES
Eugene Barkley from The Big Valley Junior Hocker from Petticoat Junction and Ginger
From The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet were already in the
Sitcom ZONE when Olivia and
Kitty arrived there .
MrsPhilHarris Mark091 37 months ago
I’m going to look into that. I have some questions. 🤔
Mark091 Mark091 37 months ago
Penny Woods (Karen Sue Trent)
Replaced Judy Hensler (Jeri Weil) on Leave It to Beaver in
1960 after Judy Hensler vanished with no explanation .
Penny Woods dissapeared from
Leave it to Beaver in 1962 and
No one replaced Penny.
I hope that METV will decide to
Write ARTICLES on actresses
Jeri Weil (Judy) and Karen Sue
Trent .
MrsPhilHarris 37 months ago
I do not remember that episode. 🤔
Mark091 MrsPhilHarris 37 months ago
BAG ZOMBROSKI Neil J Schwartz was also one of my
Favorite characters on Happy Days .Bag and Ralph were both
Great practical Jokers on Happy Days Also a program note about
Happy Days and Green Acres:
The Book of Records episode of
Happy Days will be on METV
On Wednesday March 24th
Mark091 Mark091 37 months ago
The Book of Records episode of
Happy Days will be on METV on
Wednesday March 24th at 6:30 pm with the Last Appearance
Of BAG . In The Book
Mark091 Mark091 37 months ago
In the BOOK of Records Episode
BAG ZOMBROSKI did the diffecult record of hand standing ....... ......... ... Book of Records Episode
Mark091 Mark091 37 months ago
My phone is acting up and I can't finish my comments.
THE LAST APPEARANCES OF
NEWT KILEY. On Green Acres
Will be on METV on Thursday
March 25th at 9:30pm
The last appearance of BAG will
Be on the Book of Records episode of Happy Days on
Wednesday March 24th at 6:30pm
Mark091 Mark091 37 months ago
The first Appearance of
Lou Ann Poovie Elizabeth MacRae will be on METV on
Tuesday March 23rd at 9pm
The title of this episode is
Love's Old Sweet Song and
This the episode where Lou
Ann Poovie is singing the song
That Old Black Magic at the
Congo Club and Lou Ann Poovie
Meets Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors)
Private Duke Slater Ronnie Schell CPL Boyle Roy Stuart and
Sgt Carter Frank Sutton for the
First time.
The name of the episode of
Green Acres which has the
Last Appearance of Newt Kiley
(Kay Kuter) on Thursday March 25th At 9:30pm on METV is
Called The Case of the Hooterville Refund Fraud.
This is the episode where Newt
Kiley and the other farmers in
Hooterville write letters to the
Government asking for an
Income tax refund.
Mark091 Mark091 37 months ago
JOANNA MOORE played
PEGGY MacMillan on 4 episodes
Only on The Andy Griffith Show.
3 of Peggy's episodes will be on
MeTV this week from 8pm-9pm
And episode 4 of Peggy McMillan
Joanna Moore will be on METV
Next week
Some of my favorite characters
The Andy Griffith Show are
Goober Pyle
Gomer Pyle
Ernest T Bass
Andy Taylor
Barney Fife
Ed Sawyer
Lucy Mathews
Mark091 Mark091 37 months ago
And Howard Sprague
Lantern 37 months ago
Wonder what he's doing today. He'd be in his early 60's now.
justjeff Lantern 37 months ago
He's probably making change at a coin laundry, and showing off for every customer who needs quarters for the washers and driers... LOL!
You're right, he probably is at a laundry making change and being a show-off. Just not showing off for folks on Earth. I googled, and unless it is someone else with the same name, Charles Galioto passed away in Lakawana, NY, 10 years ago. {2011.}
Perhaps... but there is *this* facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/charlie.galioto

On it, he says "Grew up in The Bronx and I'm currently living in Hartsdale"
justjeff justjeff 37 months ago
If that's him... here's what he look like now...
KathyMcKinny 37 months ago
I remember that episode, the next day at school, EVERYONE was trying that trick.
Mark091 KathyMcKinny 37 months ago
I wish that I could do that COIN
TRICK that ANGIE FONZARELLI
Charles Galioto did.
I wonder how many persons out
There can walk on their hands
Like BAG ZOMBROSKI Neil J Schwartz did on Happy Days.
Mark091 Mark091 37 months ago
There is a column called TV Banter with Joanne Madden
Where TV viewers can ask TV
Questions about their favorite
TV Characters and old TV shows.
There are excellent columns
About BAG ZOMBROSKI Neil J Schwartz on Happy Days and
Wally Plumstead Skip Young
On The Adventures of OZZIE and HARRIET in recent columns
Of TV Banter.
Just ask GOOGLE to pull up
TV BANTER with Joanne Madden .
That's All Folks!!?!!?!!!!
Mark091 Mark091 36 months ago
Happy Days Episodes
EUGENE BELVIN Episodes
1 Live and Learn
2 Hello Roger
3 And the Winner is
4 Welcome to my Nightmare
6 Mother and Child Reunion
7 Home Movies
8 Baby It's Cold Outside
9 Hello Tough Guy
10 Tell Tell Tart
Melvin Belvin Episodes
1Fonzie the Substitute
2Baby It's Cold Outside
3 A Touch of Classical
4 Such A Nice Girl
5 Letting Go
Mark091 Mark091 36 months ago
Melvin Belvin Episodes
6 Empty Nest
7 I Drink Therefore I Am
Moose Episodes
1 Guess Who's Coming to Visit
2 Hardware Jungle.
3 Because She's There
BAG ZOMBROSKI Episodes
1 The Deadly Dares
2 Give The Band A Hand
3 Open House
4 Not With My Sister You Don't
5 HAUNTED
6 Fonzie Joins the Band
7Cruising
Fonzie's New Friend and
9 The Book if Records
Gavan O Herlihy played Chuck Cunningham in 6 Episodes and
Randolph Roberts played Chuck Cunningham in 2 Episodes
Danny Butch played SPIKE in
Four Episodes
Hillary Horan played Daphne
The 3rd person to play the
Drums in Richie's band
Ted McGinley played Roger
Phillips on Happy Days
Harris Kal played Bobby for 19
Beatrice Colen played Marsha
Simms in 22 episodes
BRUISER (Paul Linke) and
Rebel (Reb Brown) are the two
Guys that Ralph was scared of


Episodes and Beatrice Colen

Danny Butch Played SPIKE
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