When it comes to 1970s TV icons, "The Fonz" was way above the rest...until he jumped the shark of course. It brought back many fond memories when I saw the leather jacket and motorcycle used by Henry Winkler in his portrayal of Arthur Fonzarelli at the San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park. Every Tuesday I sat in front of the TV and watched "Happy Days," with its rose-colored glasses retelling of the 1950s.
The cycle on exhibit was one of three used in the filming of the show.
A closeup of his Triumph cycle. And no...you can't "sit on it."
If you're wanting to see this in person, you have until June 8th.
More vintage auto photos at my main website.
I had friends who just loved "Happy Days" and the Fonz and after an episode ran the night before, they'd talk all about it at school the next day, even mimicking "The Fonz". It was an extremely popular show back then. I guess I was more into Norman Lear's shows at the time like "All in the Family" and "Sanford and Son". I did watch and like the spin-off "Laverne and Shirley" though. Nice set today. Thanks, Dave.
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that the first time Winkler tried out the Triumph, he tipped it over and it almost crushed him! Fortunately it wasn't actually running at the time. Apparently there was a lot of pushing involved with that bike instead of motor power, lol!
ReplyDeleteKen - Norman Lear's shows have stood the test of time and I still enjoy the relevant writing. Whenever I happen to catch an episode of "Happy Days" or "Laverne and Shirley," they just don't seem quite as funny. Oh how tastes can change over the years!
ReplyDeleteBack when I worked in Encintas, Marion Ross was one of our customers. Nice lady, pretty much the same as you saw on TV. Thanks for this piece about the bike and jacket, I'll have to go see that before June.
ReplyDeleteDave - I agree. I can still watch one of Lear's shows today and find it just as good now as I remember from years past. There are also a lot of shows from my youth that I loved fondly, but upon viewing again today don't quite stack up to the memory. "Laverne and Shirley" is one of them.
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