Though Henry Winkler has taken on plenty of roles over the years, he'll surely always be Fonzie from Happy Days for multiple generations of TV viewers. The character was the king of cool and known for riding his motorcycle over to Arnold’s. But while the Fonz was a natural on his motorbike, the same couldn’t be said for Winkler himself, it seems. In fact, the pop culture icon recalled nearly hitting a crew member during a motorcycle mishap on the set of the beloved sitcom.
While promoting the final season of Barry on The Jennifer Hudson Show, the star, who waited 42 years for his Emmy, shared a not-so-cool moment from his time as the Fonz. During the chat, he disclosed that he landed the iconic role just two weeks after moving to Los Angeles. Hudson then brought up the fact that Winkler only rode the bike once during his stint on the classic ABC show, which he confirmed before divulging some details from the show's early days:
I rode it really for 17 seconds, in the beginning, going up the hill. That was it. And there was a moment when they had me on soundstage 5 at Paramount. I was on the bike and all I had to do was rev it and move it five feet. I revved it and I be, so dyslexic I had no idea where the brake was, where the gear was and I shot forward.
After hearing this, I'm just happy that the Arthur Fonzarelli actor is still around to tell the tale. For years, he effortlessly embodied the role of a rebellious leather jacket-wearing youth of the 1950s. The performance seemed incredibly effortless but, of course, acting and actually riding a motorcycle are two very different things. I can't even imagine how to do such a thing -- whether it be for a TV show or otherwise.
Based on Henry Winkler's recollection of events, his emotions quickly shifted from surprise to fear when he and the bike unexpectedly launched forward. The Happy Days alum further revealed exactly which crew member he nearly collided with:
The director of photography, he leapt out of the way. I put the bike down. We slid under the truck on the soundstage, and they came running. Everybody was, like, in a panic that the bike was fine because it was rented. And then they [said], 'How about you? Are you okay?’
Had any serious damage happened to the bike, it probably would've been incredibly pricey for the production. So I'm sure the producers were happy that it as fine. But more importantly, it's good that Henry Winkler himself made it out of that ordeal relatively unscathed. Honest (and cool) stories like these are one of the reasons why fans love Winkler so much and will likely appreciate his commitment to the role of Fonzie for years to come.
You can currently watch the TV icon on Barry’s fourth and final season, which drops new episodes drop every Sunday at 10 pm EST as part of the 2023 TV schedule. They're also streamable with an HBO Max subscription. Meanwhile, those who are nostalgic for Happy Days can stream the show using a Paramount+ subscription.
