Ron Howard Almost Quit ‘Happy Days’ Over Fonzie-Inspired Name Change

Ron Howard Almost Quit ‘Happy Days’ Over Fonzie-Inspired Name Change

I'm consistently worried that my kids won't have cultural points of reference relevant to their age. That's how I grew up, and it was at least easier in the sense that I was referencing things my friends could watch if... Read more...

"My Ego Wouldn't Allow For That": Ron Howard Nearly Quit Iconic TV Show Over Title Change

Actor-turned-director Ron Howard opened up about his discomfort with continuing the star in this classic ABC sitcom if the name was altered.

Ron Howard threatened to leave Happy Days if they changed the title to Fonzie's Happy Days

Before Ron Howard became the acclaimed filmmaker behind Willow, Apollo 13, and A Beautiful Mind, he was best known as Richie Cunningham on Happy Days. While Howard was meant to be the star of the show, his clean-cut hero was soon eclipsed by Henry Winkler’s effortlessly cool Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli, who quickly stole the spotlight and the audience’s hearts. In fact, the character became so popular that the producers were considering changing …

Ron Howard threatened to quit Happy Days over title change

Ron Howard has revealed he threatened to quit his hit TV show Happy Days over plans to change the title to Fonzie’s Happy Days because of the popularity of Henry Winkler's character.