When Travolta Auditioned to Play Fonzie.
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- Can you imagine John Travolta as not only the Fonz, but a blonde Fonzie? Find out in this episode how it could have happened!
#johntravolta #happydays #welcomebackkotter #fonzie #thefonz #themonkees #mickydolenz
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Henry Winkler was a cast member of The Lords Of Flatbush, a film about a 1950's greaser gang. That really showed how perfect Winkler could pull off the Fonzie character.
Winkler says he based his Fonzie portrayal on Stallone's Stan character in The Lords Of Flatbush. I saw The Lords Of Flatbush at a drive-in in 1974. It's a really good movie. Winkler's Butchie Weinstein character was more of a joker, but you can definitely see that he had the right look for Fonzie. He was a better fit for Fonzie than Mickey Dolenz, who was the first choice, would have been.
that was a good movie and Sylvester Stallone was also in that movie as one of the gang members!!!
@@kencoakley3959 So true! I'm a Mickey Dolenz fan but that would have been some casting shenanigans. Winkler had the whole Sicilian machismo thing down pat that created the Fonzie cool factor. I was a 4th or 5th grader at the time and I had a Fonzie leather jacket with a lining covered in Fonzie's thumbs-up gesture. My mom threw it out!
Oh yeah! I remember seeing ads for it on TV. It had a really catchy song "The Lords of Flatbush is a movie....(Doe-Doe-DEE-D0E), about how life was in the 50s(Doe-Dee-Doe-Doe. We don't mean to boast, but you will dig it the most (Do-wop style of course! It also starred a young Sylvester Stallone.
@@toddholmes4480 lol. I remember the ending chorus of that jingle "The Lord's of Flatbush..Flatbush..Flatbuuuuuush..."
Micky Dolenz as the Fonz, I can’t picture it
Believe it or not he did try out for the part! I couldn’t picture it either. He was kind of wimpy on The Monkees!
Only for the monkees he could have been a has been Gerry Mathers Jay North to name a few
I never could either, until I saw him in that Adam-12 episode. Then I saw how it could have played out.
Same with Travolta as Forrest Gump.
I can he was actually a decent actor. He played as a child circus boy, was on Peyton Place & several other tv shows. But IMHO Henry Winkler, Dolenz or Travolta could never pull off a real tough guy biker. Wrinkler was maybe 5'5" tall with a wimpy body type. At least Travolta 6'2" & Dolenz 6' were taller. Hard to say who would have been a good fit that could look tough & have a comedic quality also back then. Thinking Keanu Reeves would have been perfect but he was way to young when the series was made. Maybe a Sam Elliot would have been interesting if he could pull off the comedic part. But could diffanatly pulled off the tough guy & biker part.
Looking back, all these years later, I totally could not imagine anyone else playing the part except Henry Winkler👍
That’s cause you been conditioned to accept winkler.
Me either! He is Fonzy to me. Always will be :)
i could see John Travolta playing the Fonz. It'd be his own, and he'd probably be a hybrid between Danny Zuko and Tony Manero.
You would have said that about Travolta if he got the part.
That's because you are used to him. I could see Travolta playing that role well too.
HENRY will never know how many nerds like me looked up to him,he was true super hero
Only during the first 2 seasons before they made him into some superhero.
@@wacobob56dad In the beginning of season 1 he didn't even wear the leather jacket. He was this mellow low-key biker dude passing along pearls of wisdom to Richie. He was kind of the Yoda of the show in the early days.
That scene where the Fonz instantly manages to unhook that gigantic old-fashioned bra contraption that Ritchie and Potsie had put on the radiator and couldn't undo got seared into my brain's recall centre back in my early-teenage years.
Winkler was actually a nerd himself in real life.
John Travolta would have been good, too, but I can't imagine that now that Henry Winkler played him. John was great as Vinnie Barbarinno and Danny Zucko in Grease. ♥️♥️ Henry is an amazing actor! He made Fonzie! 👍👍
Yeah, it really worked out the way things went for everybody involved although it must have been disappointing for Travolta to have lost that part.
Absolutely Tracie. I also think he was avoiding typecasting. I think before Happy Days, he was in Lords of Flatbush with Sly Stallone, which was a Fonzie-look role.
Henry also helped Sly get Rocky made. It's too bad Sly doesn't own the rights to the Rocky franchise.
Travolta would have learned to ride the motorcycle. Not trailered like winkler.
I like Henry Winkler, but he would have been awful as Danny Zuko.
He was Fonzie
I literally did not know that. Thanks for this information. Hard to believe happy days made its debut 50 years ago.
I know, time flies the older you get!
it's weird because Winkler was the best for the role as the Fonz, but he wouldn't have fit as Danny Zuko on Grease, Likewise, Travolta wouldn't have fit as the Fonz, but fit as Zuko in Grease.
I use to love Love American Style !!!!
Me too, back in the day!
I remember the episode they mentioned here.
Great show on Friday night!!!!!
Sorry, I used to hate Love American Style, because I was much to young to understand it, so it was a boring talking show to me... I remember quickly changing the channel whenever it came on.
I love the theme song.
Can you ride a motorbike? "Hell no. I'm scared shitless of bikes" Great, you got the part.
It's called "acting"
What does Fonzie feed his horse? Haaaaaaay
🤣😂🤪
Hey Fonzie.....let's hear you sing your ABCs. "Aaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy."
No thanks I just had a bail of straw
What does Fonzie do with his horse? Sit on it!
😄
Micky Dolenz would have been wayyyyyyyy too silly as "Fonz".
Surprised Dolenz didn't get more roles. He was a talent that would only get much better with increased acting variety. If nothing else, he needed a better agent.
Metal Micky :)
The worlds just not the same if John Travolta plays Fonzie and Fonzie plays Danny in Grease. Great video!!
I agree!
That was the original way it went before the Mandela Effect. LOL!
👍 👍 “Heyyyyyyy”!
That wouldve been interesting. I loved John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino!
Me too!
Nah. He’d have left early and it wouldn’t be the classic it is.
@@Chalwa It still would have been interesting.
Sure, those of us who are kids of the '70s loved WBK. But try watching it now. It is literally unwatchable, but so are most shows from the '70s and '80s.
After seeing Henry Winkler I can't imagine anyone playing the Fonz!
I hear you there. I liked Winkler as Fonzie. But if there ever was someone else to play Fonzie, I think Sylvester Stallone could of pulled it off. Obviously Stallone would of been more believable being a bigger guy as well as italian. I always thought Fonzarelli sounded italian. But Winkler did pretty good as the Fonz.
Agreed. The show was MASSIVE worldwide and I can't imagine it could have been bigger or as big with any other actor.
Having Mickey Dolenz as the Fonz, would’ve been like having Gary Busey play brother Chuck.
I can't imagine anyone else playing the Fonz 👍
i remember Love American Style 💕 loved the theme music 👍
The original episode of Love, American Style was titled Love and the Television Set. It was renamed Love and the Happy Days once it went into syndication. I just found this out yesterday!
Winkler was hilarious in The Dinner Party on Broadway. He couldn't move or speak without making me laugh. At dinner, before the show, a couple sat at the table next to me. They were in a rush and I overheard them oohing when me steak arrived. I was ready with a little slice for them, and they were surprised and chatted with me. They were Gary Sinese's parents Bob and Millie from Idaho, just landed from a flight to see him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest across the street.
Great story, thanks for sharing it!
What year was this that this happenned. I studied ONe Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in HIght School in the 1970's. My English Teacher who really loved the book thought the Movie was OK, but he thought the Play was really great. He really liked William Devane (the Non-Nazi Villain in Marathon Movie and he did a lot of other Movies and TV Series as well) when he played RPM
What was the Dinner Party about? I am not familiar with that play
Any point to the name dropping given the context.
@@randolphkersey5155
Why do you care?! They’re telling their story about that night, if you don’t like it, downvote it and move along.
Henry Winkler doesn't play the Fonz. The Fonz plays Henry Winkler.
😅😅 👍👍
@@Mortthemoose And they both play the fool. And maybe the piano as well, who knows.
It took me a minute
One of my favorite shows my idols were the fonz and Elvis
Things happen for a reason & this casting stood out very well! Both Winkler & Travolta won parts that we're great for them!😊
In 1974, a movie came out called The Lords of Flatbush, about a group of biker friends in a neighborhood of NYC. Both Winkler and some guy named Stallone were in it. Shortly after that, Happy Days began.
Further, once Winkler became a star, he had the connections to put a little screenplay that Stallone had written before some producers. Something called, what was it? Oh yes - ROCKY. IIRC, one of the networks became interested but insisted on casting the character of Rocky with an established star. Stallone insisted that he pay the role himself, said no and found a different way to finance it. Big pet peeve - when people refer to Rocky as Rocky One.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you for this great channel!
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks so much for letting me know!
Coincidentally H. Winkler played an unrelated street thug in a movie with S. Stallone. The Lord's Of Flatbush.
I always found that interesting. Winkler has said he patterned Fonzi on Stallone's voice and character in the film.
Butchie
Indeed! And the Slyer looked PEC-tacular!!
Perry King was one of the Lords as well.
Travolta's first on screen TV role, a trauma victim on EMERGENCY
Did he get depart?
Yep I saw that episode I don't know how many people know that
Travolta became a TV star anyway. When Saturday Night Fever was being filmed the filming locations were inundated with thousands of screaming girls.
Even when SNF was a mega hit, Travolta stayed on Welcome Back, Kotter.
Very interesting video. And here's a little remembered fact.
The Love American Style episode was originally titled "Love and the New TV." Only in reruns, with the success of Happy Days, was it renamed "Love and the Happy Days."
I use to watch Happy Days mid 80s, before school. It was on about 7:30am 🥶. All my mates wanted to be like Fonzy! 😂😅 -
Actually, Travolta went back to his Kotter role occasionally AFTER 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'Grease'.
I can't imagine the Fonz played by Travolta Henry Winkler added a lot of traits off his character to play Fonzie.
Blonde hair? With the character’s name being Arthur Fonzerelli (who I presume was supposed to be an Italian-American greaser? Why would they want that character to have blonde hair?
I know. The people in Hollywood are insane sometimes.
Have you never heard of northern Italy?
Mickey Dolenz too tall for Happy Days, there is another thing that I did not know.
If he was too tall for Happy Days? Using that logic, he’s way too tall be standing next to Davy Jones.
@@MikeCee7 I think it worked because davy was supposed to be a cute, lovable little munchkin.
@@LuckyFlesh ha ha
Best thing that happened to John Travolta was not getting locked into Happy Days.
Loved seeing the old footage of John Travolta in that Johnson & Johnson ad etc.
Sometimes it pays to be short. 😂
Gary Marshal wanted actors to put their own personal ad libs to their roles. Winkler in front of the mirror and Robin sitting upside down for example.
John Travolta would have made a great fonzie !!!
Henry Winkler is a genuinely good person! Met him in person.
I've heard that.
As are you.
Henry Winkler and other tv stars were on a USO tour when I was stationed on Okinawa in 1983. They played softball against teams made up of service members. As they were heading to the helicopter to leave they shook hands with those of us watching the game. I got a kiss from Anson ‘Potsy’ Williams and Henry Winkler kissed my hand! (I think he had a cold….probably from kissing gals while on the tour). Tony ‘Wally Cleaver’ Dow was also on the celebrity team!
Weird how things work out! But they did, perfectly!
Oh my goodness I love Mickey! Had no idea he was up for the part, but nobody in this world could have played Fonzie as well as Henry.
I can imagine John Travolta as Fonzie and I can imagine Henry Winkler saying "Up your nose with a rubber hose" but i cannot imagine Winkler as Danny Zuko or as a Tony Manero type character. Winkler might have done a good job in Pulp Fiction though although now that I think about it, Uma Thurman is tall and would have towered over him during the dance scene. I think everything worked out for the best for Winkler and Travolta. They both have iconic careers.
Everything worked out for us and for John. Winkler didn't have a career other than Fonz.
@@TheLarryBrown He got into production and had other roles. Got an Emmy for one (or was at least nominated. I don’t watch much tv now as in the 1970s).
Great video . Travolta grew up in wehawkin NJ.
I remember both of those shows. I was 23 in 1972 when 'Love American Style' aired that episode, and 25 when 'Happy Days' first aired in '74. In an interview, Gary Marshall said that he wanted a tall, blonde, Italian to play the part of Fonzie.
Mickey Dolenz, was too tall for Happy Days? Using that logic, he’s way too tall be standing next to Davy Jones.
to be fair anyone was way too tall to be standing next to Davy Jones.
@@elreyabeja4539 Back then, society wasn't obsessed with the idea that a tall man=better as it is nowadays. Davey Jones and Henry Winkler and Michael J Fox were all short and seen as sex symbols. Nowadays they'd be laughed at.
The producers of ‘Happy Days’ did not want Fonzie to be taller than Richie who was a central character at the beginning. Fonzie was to be a supporting character but became a breakout star. Mickey and Davy were ensemble cast members.
I grew up watching Happy Days and thinking how Cool The Fonz was. Watching it now he’s so small and short! I can’t imagine him winning any Rumbles lol.
Short guys are often the toughest ones.
HENRY was and is still is the fonze,forever
Nobody tops Henry Winkler in this role❤
it's simply too hard to imagine anybody but henry winkler in the fonz role now but i can definitely see travolta doing it. Dolenz - NO WAY.
Henry was the perfect pick as Fonzie.
Michael Lambreck from One Day at a Time auditioned for the part of The Fonz and, he didn't get the role, but he was about 5'8 or 5'9".
Interesting! I had to look him up - I think he actually resembles Winkler!
I remember when Fonzie was going to jump the shark,my sister's and my Aunt and mom were going crazy and they were afraid that he was going to get eaten by the sharks It was so funny, went to school the next 2 day with a black eye, LOL
He was so good in Grease!
Nah...it would have completely offset the universal balance of things! haha!! 😂 eeeyyyyy! 👍👍
Wow, if Mickey was the Fonz, it would have changed my perception of him completely! I did not understand or notice Fonzie much... his attitude and concerns were alien to me, but Mickey was fun, and funny, and I loved the Monkees TV show. We didn't have cable as a kid, but my friend did, so I got to watch some of the episodes at her house.
People are saying, "I can't see Micky Dolenz as Fonzie because of his character on The Monkees." For all that Mick, Michael Nesmith, and David Jones more or less played themselves on that show (not so much Peter Tork), it WAS an acting role. Garry Marshall obviously saw something in Micky that would have been perfect for the part. If not for the aforementioned height issue, folks would instead be saying, "I can't imagine anyone BUT Micky Dolenz playing The Fonz!"
Johnny T was FIRE 🔥 in the Band-Aid commersh!
Great video. Thank you
John Travolta would have been miserable if he was stuck in that role. He probably doesn't get Saturday Night Fever or Pulp Fiction. Those two roles made his career.
Sure he could've still gotten those roles. They just said in the video that Winkler was the first choice for Zuko in Grease, which came out just one year after Saturday Night Fever, so he wasn't stuck in that role.
Yeah, because Henry Winkler got so many big roles in mainstream Hollywood films.
Also, I didn't mention the role that you cited.
@@Daniel-sh3os Who cares if you didn't mention it, the film was huge, and had he taken the role you had better believe the offers for many more big roles would've come rolling in. And Henry had a wide range of acting talent, he was hilarious in, Arrested Development, he could've easily handled Travolta's role in, Pulp Fiction.
@@Cosmo-Kramer Duh. I didn't mention because it is a role similar to Fonzie. Also, he couldn't take the role because he can't sing.
@@Cosmo-Kramer You are comparing another tv show that was filmed almost a quarter of a century after Happy Days to a big Hollywood film? You don't get it. He would of never been offered the role, so we will never know how he would have done with it.
Theres only 1 fonz and thats henry!! And noone could say AYYYYYY as gd cool as him
I totally could not imagine anyone else playing the part except Henry Winkler
In his new autobiography, Henry Winkler explains that he mostly turned down the role of Danny in the movie “Grease” because he didn’t want to be further typecast as a 1950s greaser.
Crazy! Luckily Travolta made it at a music star. His hit "Let Her In" was Gold and the highlight of his career. LOL
all I got to say about Travolta as the Fonz... is... "Naaaayyyy!"
🤣😂🤣
He could be his little brother Call Him Lil Fonz!!
Henry wrinkler was the Best fonz ever he did a great job
Ooh I loved Adam 12, and Mickey Dolenz. god I'm old😅. tiger beat magazine covers. When did they die? Thanks for the walk down memory lane. 😊
"Yo, I got chills, they're multiplyin'. And the Fonz hates multiplication, whoa."
It was initially called "Love and the Television Set," on Love, American Style, and its original title was: "New Family in Town."
Travolta definitely had the looks to play Fonzie, and in the real world a tough guy greaser that has everyone scared like Fonzie would likely have been tall like Travolta. I also think Travolta could have grown into playing a controlled and smooth cool guy instead of the goofball cool guy he was known as later. Henry Winkler had some real acting chops though, I believe he studied at Yale, and despite being short, he exuded that small street punk cool guy confidence and charm. It was the way Winkler carried himself as Fonzie that sold it. I do think Travolta could have worked, but he would have been the same age as the younger cast, and you needed someone older than the others like Winkler to play "big brother".
Great post. I agree with everything you said. Winkler wasn't anything like "The Fonz" in real life, so his transformation is a testament to his acting skills. And I think Travolta could have done the role, but Winkler was perfect, especially like you mentioned it was better that he was a little older.
Two great Fonzies, no doubt. Henry did a terrific job, and John would've done the same. A really good show none the less.
They need to bring back Love American Style. I used to walk past Paramount Studios on my way to Jr. High in the 70's and we could see the A from the Arnolds set location from over the wall of the studio. I have a feeling Travolta's Fonzie would be the same as his Vinnie.
Travolta didn't have the force to back up the Fonzi's cool that Winkler did.
The Love American Style segment was actually the failed pilot. ABC didn't want to waste it so they snuck it in Love American Style. That led to Ron Howard being cast in American Grafitti. which ironically led to Happy Days being green lit.
makes sense, because it doesn't really fit the theme of LAS..
Regardless of who could of been ….Happy Days was a great show ….like 99 % of the TV shows …they wouldn’t of have worked so well with a different cast ….same as Gillian’s Island …..Hogans Heroes….Miami Vice….The Musters ….etc …..still great info ….so much I didn’t know ….❤
John Travolta would have made a great Fonzie, can't see anyone other than Henry Winkler now though
Love American Style put out a lot of shows.
Yes, it was a uniquely popular show back in the day.
@TonyBoyOhBoy I was really young but definately remember them on Saturday nights , I think.
Happy Days was created from the movie "American Graffiti"
Fonzie Barbarino
I just saw a clip of Jeff Conaway (Kenickie) on Happy Days. I did not remember him showing up on there.
Funny, I just saw one recently also. He was playing a thug in a gang who was hassling Richie.
Yeah he played the Johnny Frankie's mate who wanted to fight Richie and Fonzie showed Richie how to act tough to combat Frankie love Anthony Fed ex lol
Good video thanks.
Thanks!
Henry Winkler also was afraid of being type casted after his roles in Happy Days and Lords of Flatbush...
I remember that. I was surprised when he did "Heroes" after he hit it big with Happy Days.I had expected him to come out with some kind of tough guy action film.
True but since Winkler isn't actually a tall Italian guy the odds were much lower than Travolta being typecast that way.
But can’t throw his voice into tough guy like Henry did- Henry disappears in the role!
@@tonypastor705 He really did.
Butchie Weinstein 👍
I use to get off the bus go out in the barn and clean up cow shit put new hay down and then on into the house to watch welcome back Cottet with Vinny Boberino and happy days with the fonz Ayyyy 😊 i miss them programs but i don't miss cleaning up cow shit 😂
i think it would be cool if he got to play fonzie,,,,,,😄😺
That's like when they wanted Tom Cruise to play Batman
Winkler, a Jew playing an Italian. Travolta, an Italian playing with jews
That is hilarious!!
when winkler was asked to play in Grease he said he didnt want to be known for only that type of acting he wanted to do other things but knew he stuffed up when Grease made it big with travoltas career too
I'm soooo confuuused!
What is for you, is for you
And all these years later, Henry's hair is white. LOL
And Travolta's is gone.😂
@@rascalme9754 He looks really good bald though.
Heey I'm Vinnie FONzarinoooo.....
🤣
Interesting. Both are great actors.
Henry Winkler didn’t turn down the role in Grease because he couldn’t carry a tune. He rejected it because the actor was concerned with being typecast as a “hood” after starring in the Lords of Flatbush movie and Happy Days series. Unfortunately for him Winkler was already typecast as that character so it wouldn’t have made a difference. Oh and Travolta couldn’t carry a tune EITHER as his voice in the movie is completely synthesized to make up for his shortcoming. He is only a “double” vs triple threat in entertainment!
Missing the part was the best career move ever💪🏻
henry winkler stand up guy by all accounts.
Mr Travolta would of made a good Fonzie.
Yes but he wouldn’t play in Grease
The Fonzarino??? I loved seeing Henry Winkler on "Arrested Development"!
NGL, Dolenz looked cool as a biker, I could totally see him in the part. But of course Winkler was the correct choice.
I enjoyed that! I see that I am already Subscribed.
I like Michael Cohen. He always reminds me of The Fonze
John Travolta auditioned to play the Fonz?I didn't know that!