Ron Howard protested when Happy Days was nearly renamed ''Fonzie's Happy Days'' in '75

Howard had the power to make a change.

CBS Television Distribution

They just don't make cultural phenomenons like they used to...

Nowadays, everything is too fragmented. The internet has provided viewers with niche programming that small audiences become incredibly passionate about. There are so many channels, and they're all kept afloat by tinier viewership than ever before. There will never be another M*A*S*H finale or even another Friends finale, as no single show has united the country as appointment TV.  There's just too many options. They might all be quality series, too. The problem is that there are so many of them.

There will certainly never be another Fonz again. The character's nostalgic '50s image, repackaged on '70s television, reached the widest audience possible. As more folks tuned in for Henry Winkler in his leather jacket, ABC's ratings soared. The Fonz was so widely popular that the title of his show, Happy Days, nearly changed to reflect his growing stardom.

Ron Howard played the show's true main character, Richie Cunningham. But, as viewership skyrocketed, Richie's problems were de-emphasized, as writers sought to highlight more of The Fonz for his rabid fans. So, while Howard was still top-billed, the stories all focused more and more on Winkler's Fonzie.

While Howard admitted there were some awkward feelings around how Fonz was spotlighted, it never caused problems on the set.

"Maybe if Henry Winkler and I hadn't liked each other there would have been problems," Howard is quoted saying in Barbara Kramer's Ron Howard: Child Star & Hollywood Director. He could see that Winkler's popularity made the show a success, and that was good for everyone in the cast. 

However, Howard's grace only extended so far. When producers intended to rename the show to Fonzie's Happy Days, Howard objected. He said he "didn't sign on to be on somebody else's show." Luckily, series producer Garry Marshall agreed with Howard, and the idea was dropped.

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8 Comments

Bapa1 3 months ago
I read Winkler's auto-biography, and he didn't think it was a good idea either. That is when I stopped watching HD, I thought it got really silly, still won't watch it.
Runeshaper 3 months ago
Very interesting. Regardless of the potential name change back then, I'm glad the guys got along.
ncadams27 3 months ago
It seems fairly obvious that any show featuring the lead characters as high school students is going to need a new story line in a few years. Without Fonzie, the show likely would have ended after three seasons. Although Ritchie, Ralph, and Potsie could have gone to college and turned the show into a TV version of Animal House (but it should be noted that the actual TV version, Delta House, lasted only one season).
Bapa1 ncadams27 3 months ago
They could have called it 'Fonzie House'. Delta House was a terrible show, with the exception of Michelle Pfeiffer as 'The Bombshell'.
WilliamJorns Bapa1 3 months ago
That's because the original film, "Animal House," was an R-rated comedy intended for grown-ups. When they adapted it to a TV series, they "watered down" the humor, with more emphasis on slapstick and silly dialogue than anything else. "Delta House" lacked the barbed satire and edgy humor that the original movie had.
bradyguy WilliamJorns 2 months ago
See also: Fast Times, the TV series... YIKES!!

Although "Animal House" has MORE than its share of "slapstick humor". You seriously think that was "sublte satire"??? LOL
McGillahooala 3 months ago
Sometimes it only takes the threat of a tantrum for a little man to get his way.
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