Ron Howard Says Happy Days Execs Disrespected Him — And It Was All Due To One Co-Star

Before he became a big-time Hollywood movie director, Ron Howard played the series’ star, Richie Cunningham. Happy Days pivoted around the lives of teen Richie, his friends, and the rest of the Cunningham family in 1950s America. Now, you’d think that leading the cast of a popular primetime show would make Howard a very happy chappy. Not so, according to the Frost/Nixon director.

Howard revealed on a November 2021 episode of The Graham Norton Show in England, that he was far from happy about the way he was treated on the show. And the respected director’s grievance was down to one particular co-star. Because of whom, Howard claimed, network executives had stopped showing him the kind of respect that he had deserved.

But who? And why? After all, the star of a show is usually the one that everybody is running around to please, right? Well, you see, right from the get-go there was trouble behind the scenes of Happy Days. Believe it or not – given how popular the sitcom would ultimately become – it struggled to get off the ground.

Paramount Studios executive Michael Eisner recounted the tale in a 2006 video interview for the Television Academy Foundation. According to Eisner, in the winter of 1971, his flight from Newark Airport was grounded due to snow. During the wait, he just happened to bump into the studio’s head of development, Tom Miller. And Eisner had an idea for him.

“Tom, this is ridiculous,” Eisner apparently said. “We’re wasting our time here. Let’s write a show.” And that’s what the pair did; with the resulting script eventually becoming Happy Days. But at first, nobody was interested. A redrafted version was commissioned as a pilot, under the title New Family in Town. The cast back then included some of the stars that we now know and love – but also some unfamiliar faces.

Harold Gould took the role of Howard Cunningham, while Susan Neher played Joanie. But Howard still appeared as Richie, with Marion Ross playing Marion Cunningham and Anson Williams as Potsie. Paramount, though, still wouldn’t bite. So the script got rehashed and given a new title, Love and the Television Set. The intention was to repackage it as part of a series called Love, American Style. Still following? Good.

As hard as it is to believe now, studio executives at first dismissed the show’s 1950s setting. They felt that it was outdated and wouldn’t appeal to a broad audience. How wrong they were! Luckily, the success of Grease the musical on Broadway helped to change their minds. And there was another stroke of good fortune, too.

George Lucas – you might have heard of him! – asked to see the pilot, as he was interested in Howard for a part in his 1973 teen comedy American Graffiti. Howard was promptly snapped up for the role of Steve Bolander in the flick. And the box-office success of Lucas’ film saw TV executives pay new attention to the unsold pilot. Maybe a stint with Lucas showed Howard how actors should be treated on set.

Creator Garry Marshall came forward at that point, and, in collaboration with ABC, the pilot was recast and turned into a series. Thus Happy Days was born. At first, Gould was lined up to reprise his role as Howard Cunningham – but a commitment to another project meant that he turned down the part. So Tom Bosley joined the cast.

Oh, here’s an interesting bit of trivia for you: the character of Bosley in the 1970s series Charlie’s Angels was apparently inspired by Tom Bosley. That’s right! When ABC – which owned both the latter show and Happy Days – cast the part in Angels, they originally wanted someone like Howard Cunningham. But Bosley wasn’t available due to his Happy Days commitment. So they named the Angels character after him instead!

Given that it ran for 11 seasons and became one of the most popular TV shows of the 1970s, it’s hard to believe that Happy Days almost never was. What’s more, its star, Howard, almost turned down the role of Richie. We know! Crazy right? But it’s true. Howard had reservations about accepting the part at first, as he was worried about getting typecast as a teen. And the treatment he was subject to behind the scenes may have caused him to regret his decision to stay on.

According to IMDb, Howard chose to stay because the show’s creator Marshall reassured him that Richie and his friends wouldn’t stay adolescents forever. But even after Happy Days was finally commissioned as a series, it got off to a sputtering start. After an initial burst of success, ratings began to slide during the second season. Marshall panicked.

To revive the ailing show, its creator decided to make it less of an earnest take on the journey of adolescence and more of a comedy. He also decided to give Arthur Fonzarelli — a.k.a. “Fonzie” or “the Fonz” — a more central role in the series. The move would pay off, as audiences loved the “coolamundo” biker. And Fonzie actor Henry Winkler became a superstar.

Curiously, though, Winkler almost didn’t get the part. For a start — and this blows our minds — one of the stars initially in the running for the part was Mickey Dolenz. Yes, the guy from the super-successful 1960s rock group The Monkees. But at six feet tall, Dolenz was considered too lofty compared to his co-actors.

Marshall also had someone who was physically more ripped in mind for the role. Somebody more along the lines of Sylvester Stallone or Perry King, according to IMDb. But Winkler got the personality and attitude of the Fonz just right. So the part was his. The character became a merchandiser’s dream; and his catchphrases, such as “Heyyyyy,” went down in pop culture history.

Interestingly, Winkler has revealed that he had Rambo star Stallone in mind when he auditioned for the role. And the Happy Days actor had plenty of opportunities to observe Stallone in action, as the two had previously starred together in 1974 flick The Lords of Flatbush. Coincidentally, that film was set in the 1950s, and in it, both actors played leather jacket-wearing greasers.

If you listen carefully, there’s definitely a touch of Stallone to the way Winkler talks as Fonzie. And the actor and his performance were undeniably a magic formula, as Happy Days ratings soared after the Fonz entered the spotlight. It’s even said that Winkler improvised the character’s famous shrug and “Heyyy,” as he checks out his reflection in the mirror.

So the story goes, that moment got such a laugh from the studio audience that it became a repeat gag. Oh and here’s another piece of trivia that we love: during Winkler’s appearance as the high-school principal in horror classic Scream, he checks his hair in the mirror, à la Fonzie. The hair joke even made it into the opening credits of Happy Days.

Speaking of opening credits, much to Howard’s chagrin, the runaway success of Fonzie’s character saw Winkler gain equal billing in the show’s intro. It was the first in a series of slaps in the face for the program’s original star. Little by little, he began to feel usurped by the new hero of Happy Days. Howard was also one of the only cast members absent at the unveiling of a “bronze Fonz” statue in Milwaukee. Hmm.

He wasn’t the only one whose nose was put out of joint by Winkler, mind you. Remember the character Chuck Cunningham? No? That’s not really surprising, given that he only lasted for a couple of seasons. Chuck was Richie and Joanie’s older brother. But after a few appearances on the show, he mysteriously vanished, never to be seen or mentioned again.

Pretty weird huh? Well, even stranger is the fact that three different actors played the character before he disappeared from Happy Days. Ric Carrott was the original Chuck, before he became one of the casualties of the pilot recasting. After that, Irish actor Gavan O’Herlihy stepped into the role. Rumor has it though — so says IMDb — O’Herlihy was unhappy during his time on the show, so he quit.

Bizarrely, another actor by the name of Randolph Roberts was cast as Chuck, only to be fired a short time after. You see, while the Fonz’s popularity was on the rise, Chuck’s had waned. And as Fonzie was like a big brother to Richie, Happy Days creator Marshall basically decided that Chuck was surplus to requirements. So the character was retconned.

Apparently, the unexplained disappearance of characters from TV shows has since become known as “Chuck Cunningham syndrome.” But O’Herlihy and Roberts have since shown there were no hard feelings by both appearing in the show’s 30th-anniversary special. The actors reportedly hugged their co-stars, with Roberts remarking, “This feels like I’m finally coming home.” Aww.

Now brace yourselves, because this might hurt… Apparently Bosley and Ross, a.k.a. Howard and Marion Cunningham, at one time did not get along. We know; it’s sad but true. Despite being one of the most beloved married couples on TV, the actors struggled to bond in reality. Ross made the shock revelation while being interviewed on Today with Megyn Kelly in 2018.

Ross explained, “Either Tom Bosley had somebody else in mind right at the beginning [of the show]… but I had a very small part at the beginning.” It seemed that as her part on the show grew though, so too did Ross on her co-star. “Because I learned to love him,” said the famous TV mom. She added, “I loved him, and we became very close friends.” Thank goodness for that!

There was other bad blood behind the scenes of Happy Days, though. Roz Kelly, who played Fonzie’s girlfriend Pinky Tuscadero, admitted to a clash with her on-screen beau. Discussing her relationship with Winkler, Kelly has been reported as saying, “I was from the wrong side of the tracks, and he was a rich kid. That rubbed me the wrong way.”

It’s also been reported that the warring co-stars prompted producers to move Pinky’s character to Happy Days spin-off Blansky’s Beauties — other successful spin-offs included Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy. But apparently, Kelly was canned once more, at the behest of the show’s star Nancy Walker, for continuing conflicts with the cast. Oh, dear.

But one of the most significant clashes between co-stars was, ironically, that of Howard and his on-screen buddy Fonzie. And it’s all because the Fonz essentially replaced Richie as the hero of Happy Days. Yes, Winkler’s popularity with TV audiences was so huge that he became the undisputed star of the show, despite Richie being the lead.

In fact, the impact of the Fonz was so phenomenal that network executives contemplated renaming the show “Fonzie’s Happy Days”. Or even just “Fonzie.” Yikes; you can see why that wouldn’t go down so well with Howard. And indeed it didn’t, as Howard threatened to quit if the network followed through with the proposal. Happy Days creator Marshall also threatened to walk.

Talking to British chat-show host Graham Norton in November 2021, Howard opened up about the experience of working on Happy Days. The Splash director revealed that he had been treated “with a lot of disrespect” by network executives after Fonzie became more popular than Richie. Howard explained that despite being “the undeniable lead” of the show, Winkler was just too “remarkable” as the Fonz.

It had been “exciting,” admitted the Cocoon director, to see audiences go crazy for Fonzie. But the studio and network bosses, according to Howard, had been guilty of “really treating [Howard] with a lot of disrespect from a business standpoint, just in terms of interaction.” Despite that, though, the Happy Days star and Winkler actually got along very well.

“We immediately bonded and became great friends,” said Howard, adding, “We were a fantastic ensemble — we all got along great.” It seems that the media were determined to paint a picture of the two actors as mortal enemies though. “The press kept saying: ‘What’s it like? Do you feel that you’ve become a second-class citizen on your own show?’ and these kinds of things,” Howard told Norton.

“Which I didn’t feel within the workspace,” continued the actor and director. “And I certainly didn’t feel it within our friendship, which endures to this day.” The evidence points towards the two men being very good friends in fact, as Winkler is a godparent to Howard’s four children. They include the actresses Bryce Dallas and Paige Howard.

And further proving that the former co-stars are real-life buddies — Howard brought in Winkler and fellow Happy Days alum Scott Baio — a.k.a. Chachi — to star in Arrested Development. You see, Howard was an executive producer, as well as narrator, on the cult sitcom. He also appeared in the show as himself. Winkler is hilarious as bumbling lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn; while Baio is on equally great form as his replacement, Bob Loblaw.

Howard needn’t feel bad about the Fonz usurping his Happy Days character either. As many fans — and cast members too — are in agreement that the quality of the show declined after Richie left. It seemed that he and the Fonz were a dynamic duo, and things just weren’t the same when Fonzie was left without his buddy.

Marion Ross has even remarked in interviews — as quoted on IMDb — that Happy Days was “never the same” after Howard’s departure. And there seems to be general agreement that the decline in quality happened around the fifth season. In one episode during this season, Fonzie is seen jumping over a shark while water-skiing. A stunt that many deemed ridiculous.

The phrase “jumping the shark” has since become used to indicate a desperate attempt to revive something that has effectively “died” or is no longer popular. Kind of sad. But Winkler is fine about it, actually. In fact, he was happy to be the butt of the joke during a nod to the Happy Days scene, in Arrested Development. His character, Zuckerkorn, is seen jumping over a dead shark in the show.

During a 2018 video interview featured on website The Wrap, Winkler discussed the “jumping the shark” thing. “There was a book, there was a board game, and it is an expression that is still used today,” said the star. He added, “I’m very proud that I am the only actor, maybe in the world, that has jumped the shark twice — once on Happy Days and once on Arrested Development.”

The one problem with playing an iconic role like Fonzie, though? Being forever associated with the part, Winkler told Business Insider magazine in October 2021. “People would say, ‘Wow, he’s funny. He’s such a good actor. But he was The Fonz,’” explained the star. “And so they would pass me by. You have to learn to find the strength in yourself to deal with that, reinvent yourself, move on.” But did Winkler ever move on from his supposed feud with Tom Hanks? That is the question. Awkwardly, Howard is friends with both actors — and he’s opened up about what it’s like being caught in the middle.

Rumors that the two nice guys Winkler and Hanks had become unlikely nemeses first began to surface in 1989. Before that, Winkler had signed up to direct comedy Turner and Hooch, which sees Hanks star as a detective who forges a heartwarming bond with a slobbering French mastiff. It seems fair to say, though, that Hanks didn’t develop much of a connection with Winkler.

You see, after a mere 13 days of shooting, Winkler was dropped from the project, with Roger Spottiswoode quickly taking his place. And the unsubstantiated gossip surrounding the matter has suggested that Hanks was to blame for Winkler’s dismissal. In fact, the former Happy Days star has even gone on to add fuel to that particular fire.

Chatting to People magazine in 1993, Winkler implied that relations between him and Hanks hadn’t been particularly smooth. He said, “I got along better with Hooch than I did with Turner.” Then in 2019 the actor again got tongues wagging during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.

Winkler’s brief stint on Turner and Hooch was brought up on the show by a fan, who asked, “What was the real reason why you and Tom Hanks didn’t get along on the set of Turner and Hooch? And did you ever wind up seeing that movie?” It was a question that appeared to catch the host off guard.

“Is that a thing?” a surprised Cohen asked his 73-year-old star guest. Winkler initially dodged the question, too, by cupping his ear and joking, “What did you say?” When the actor finally gave a proper response, however, he soon suggested that there had been definite tensions on set with the man dubbed Hollywood’s nicest guy.

Winkler also recalled the moment when he had discovered his services were no longer required. He told Cohen, “I was directing that movie for 13 days. And then I was called into [former Walt Disney Studios chairman] Jeff Katzenberg’s office, and he said ‘Do you have everything with you? Go home.’”

Furthermore, although Winkler didn’t explicitly mention Hanks’ name, his following remarks implied that they’d had some sort of beef during filming. Referring to Beasley – a.k.a. the movie’s lovable canine star Hooch – the actor said, “I got along great, great… with that dog.” He then jokingly added, “That dog… love that dog.”

And Winkler also refused to answer the fan’s far more innocuous question directly. Yes, we’re still none the wiser as to whether the actor has ever had the pleasure of watching Turner and Hooch in its entirety. Instead, Winkler simply replied, “I don’t remember the title of that movie.”

Perhaps Winkler and Hanks were always destined to become long-time foes, though. You see, one of Hanks’ early 1980s roles actually saw him guest star on Winkler’s hit show Happy Days. And, rather ironically, his character Dr. Dwayne Twitchell ends up getting in a physical fight with the beloved Fonz during the episode.

Nevertheless, this apparent feud is rather out of character for Winkler, as he also has a reputation for being a good guy. In fact, in 2013 veteran showbiz reporter Pat Gallagher named the Happy Days star as one of the nicest men he’d ever interviewed. “It’s just hard to not to want to jump through the phone and give him a reasonable but gentle bear hug,” Gallagher wrote of the actor. But one man has watched closely since the start, and that’s Ron Howard.

Speaking to The Guardian in 2020 to promote his documentary Rebuilding Paradise, Ron Howard was asked about Hanks and Winkler’s supposed rivalry. You might have expected him to deny all knowledge or quickly bat the question away. But the man who’d directed Hanks five times and acted alongside Winkler for the best part of a decade decided to get real.

Howard claimed that both Hanks and Winkler had confided in him about their dislike of each other. The award-winning director said, “It was disappointing. I’m friends with them both and both men felt compelled to come to talk to me about it.”

Howard continued, “It was just one of those unfortunate things where they really had a working style that did not fit. I know it was painful for both of them and I was able to lend an ear, if not offer any solutions.” These comments appear to confirm once and for all that Hanks and Winkler have had their issues.

Despite this, Howard revealed that he hasn’t been afraid to ask Hanks and Winkler to show up at the same event over the past three decades. The director added, “They’ve both been invited to my birthday parties. It’s been a lot of years – two men with a lot of water under the bridge.”

And journalist Hadley Freeman appeared to recognize the importance of these revelations. In a Twitter post linking to the article, she wrote in September 2020, “I buried the lede. My interview with Ron Howard includes exclusive and explosive details about the Henry Winkler versus Tom Hanks fall-out on Turner and Hooch, aka Hoochgate! At last, my encyclopedic knowledge of so-so ’80s comedies comes into its own! *Kinda.”

Freeman’s interview left its readers with all kinds of emotions, too. In fact, some were astounded to learn that Hanks and Winkler had ever been enemies in the first place. One distressed fan commented on Twitter that October, “I refuse to believe this on the grounds that Tom Hanks is made from pure joy and I won’t listen to anything that says otherwise.”

Another wondered whether Howard’s “water under the bridge” remark was significant. They tweeted, “Sounds like the beef has been squashed. This was very upsetting to me until I got to that part. I too would prefer they address this together and fawn over each other and explain how it was this ridiculous misunderstanding. But for now, I will take comfort in knowing they can put aside their differences for the sake of celebrating their mutual friend’s birthday.”

But our favorite comment goes to the woman who pitched an idea for how to put all the drama to bed. She wrote, “Who is going to make their televised reconciliation a reality? This is the feel good moment America needs. Dolly Parton should host and Ron Howard narrate of course.”