In having Chachi come to live and work with him, Fonzie grows too, becoming an overall better, more responsible and caring person. Fonzie was able to be the older brother figure that Chachi needed in his life. They often had plots in the episodes together, especially after Richie left the show. C." to Fonzie and the most resistant to him living with them), a pillar of the community, came to regard Fonzie with affection and said "Ayyyy" when Fonzie moved into the garage.įonzie shares a very close relationship with his younger cousin Chachi. Though at first looked down on and mistrusted (a result of his past and being a high school dropout), he eventually became accepted by the Cunninghams (his friend Richie's family), even more so after he rented an attic room over their garage. C." For example, when Marion feels her family no longer needs her, she learned the ways of the world from Fonzie, and Fonzie learned about the closeness of a tight-knit all-American family from the Cunninghams. Fonzie's devotion to her foreshadows his ongoing devotion to mother figures throughout the show, particularly to Marion Cunningham, whom Fonzie affectionately calls "Mrs.
She is also the grandmother of Fonzie's cousin Chachi Arcola (played by Scott Baio). Grandma Nussbaum (and she alone) calls Fonzie "Skippy". She is rarely referred to after that but she is featured in at least one later episode. When he (instead of Grandma Nussbaum) moves into the Cunninghams' garage apartment-a plot development that helped precipitate his increased presence in the series-he turns his old apartment over to his grandmother.
Grandma Nussbaum appears to have been a primary caregiver to Fonzie since the age of six. Fonzie has mixed emotions upon hearing this, as this left so many questions about his past unanswered, but Fonzie bonded with Arte, who helped him cope. In the final season, Fonzie meets his half-brother 'Arte' Fonzarelli, who informs him that their father has by then died. She convinces him she is not, but in the end, she looks at a picture of Fonzie she had in her possession. In a later episode, Fonzie unexpectedly meets a woman he believes is his mother in a diner. He also learns that the sailor was his father, who admits in the letter that he doubted he would have the courage to reveal the truth to his son. Fonzie is resentful, but at the end of the episode he opens his father's letter explaining why he left and reads it. The only advice Fonzie remembered his father giving was "Don't go out in the rain in your socks." In the Season 6 episode "Christmas Time", a sailor delivers a Christmas present ostensibly from his father (played by Eddie Fontaine), who wishes to make amends. When the senior Fonzarelli disappeared, he left a locked box for his son, but not a key the young Arthur did everything to open the box before finally repeatedly running over it with his tricycle, only to reveal that it just contained the key to the box. He and his mother were abandoned by his father when Arthur was 3. Īrthur Fonzarelli was born to an Italian-American family. Fonzie was originally envisioned as a tall blonde male character. Micky Dolenz auditioned and was in the running to portray the Fonz, but the part ultimately was given to Henry Winkler. Arnold, the original owner of Arnold's drive-in, ( Pat Morita) asks Fonzie to be his best man at his traditional Japanese wedding ceremony. Photo of Arnold's wedding from Happy Days.
On November 8, 1980, Hanna-Barbera Productions and Paramount Television produced the ABC Saturday morning The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang animated series during the Saturday morning schedule on ABC.įonzie is one of only two characters (along with Howard Cunningham) to appear in all 255 episodes. The character was a stereotypical greaser who was frequently seen on his motorcycle, wore a leather jacket, and typified the essence of cool, in contrast to his circle of friends. Happy Days producer and writer Bob Brunner created both Arthur Fonzarelli's "Fonzie" nickname, and the invented put-down, "Sit on it". To many, Fonzie is seen as the epitome of cool and a sex symbol. He was originally a secondary character, but was soon positioned as a lead character when he began surpassing the other characters in popularity. Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as " Fonzie" or " The Fonz", is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom Happy Days (1974–1984).