As far as episodes of “E! The True Hollywood Story” go, the Henry Winkler installment is pretty dull. Not because Winkler is uninteresting, but because the actor has avoided all the tabloid-relished pitfalls that have felled many a superstar. Given the great heights of celebrity he has scaled, his 30-year career begs the question: what made Winkler last?
Recall just how big he was. For 10 seasons, he portrayed Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli on ABC’s “Happy Days,” the leather-clad ladies’ man who was cool incarnate. Originally scripted as a fringe character with six lines, the character was expanded on, due to popular demand, and from 1974 -1984, it brought Winkler much recognition, including three Emmy nominations and two consecutive Golden Globe victories (1976-1977). The show didn’t merely put Winkler on the map — it put him on the globe, in a way that few TV actors — John Travolta, Farrah Fawcett — could really fathom. The Fonz’s trademark leather jacket was even placed in the Smithsonian Institution.
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