Emmys Sunday, Monday, “Happy Days”!
Ron Howard and Henry Winkler staged a “Happy Days” reunion at the Emmys on Sunday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the classic sitcom. The two stars came together to present the award for outstanding directing in a comedy series, appearing on a set resembling Arnold’s Drive-In from the show.
After they jokingly questioned why the “Happy Days” theme did not play to introduce them, Winkler busted out a classic Fonzie move to punch a jukebox, which played the song.
Winkler also praised his “very good friend for 50 years,” Howard, and congratulated him after his documentary “Jim Henson Idea Man” won several awards at the Creative Arts Emmys.
While introducing the segment, host Eugene Levy described “Happy Days” as a show that was part of the “strange phenomenon” of a “wave of nostalgia” for the 1950s.
Winkler famously played Fonzie on “Happy Days,” which aired from 1974 to 1984 on ABC, while Howard starred as Richie Cunningham. Howard left the show after its seventh season and went on to have a hugely successful directing career, winning an Oscar for “A Beautiful Mind” in 2002.