It is a happy day when Ron Howard and Henry Winkler reunite.
Over the years, the Happy Days alum have regaled in the opportunity to reflect on how much the ‘70s sitcom meant to them, even reuniting with costars Don Most and Anson Williams for the quartet’s first official cast gathering in 50 years at Steel City Comic Con. And half a century after Happy Days brought them together, Henry and Ron are closer than ever.
“What I can tell you is that having experienced him as an acting partner, he’s great,” Henry, 79, told E! News at the Pittsburgh event during a joint interview with Ron. “We acted together 50 years ago, and we are still like brothers.” (For more from the actors, tune into E! News tonight, April 7 at 11 p.m.)
The two costarred on the ABC sitcom, which ran for 11 seasons from 1974 to 1984, where Ron played Richie Cunningham, and Henry played the local bad boy Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli. (Don and Anson were friends Ralph and Potsie, respectively.)
And in the decades since The Fonz uttered his last “ayyyy,” the show’s legacy has only grown. For that, the duo credits its relatability and nostalgia to creator Garry Marshall.
“What he did was in the ‘70s, he made it in the ‘50s, so when you show it, it is the story of today,” Henry, who had a mini Happy Days reunion with Ron at the 2024 Emmys, explained. “It is the human story that everyone is living. It is timeless, you know, you can’t say, ‘Oh, it’s dated,’ because it was already dated when we did it.”
Ron, 71, wholeheartedly agreed.
“Shows that endure have a kind of chemistry. From the first pilot on we had that,” the A Beautiful Mind director added. “And what we did together, there’s something that really clicked.”
They that chemistry blossomed offscreen too as they found time for fun on set, especially in the form of softball. “I learned to play,” Henry added. “Ron bought me my first mitt, and I still have it.”
Looking back at their third season as the first climb to success for the series, Ron remembers feeling like a part of a cool new band as Happy Days became a no. 1 show.
“It felt like rock and roll in a way. We weren’t living that life, but the level of attention—you kind of can’t even compare it to anything today,” Ron said, adding that “you become so central in the zeitgeist, and it was very unique.”
And for the duo, to revisit those memories with Don and Anson, was extra special, as Henry noted at the start of the panel.
“I’m just emotional here,” the Barry star told the crowd in a video captured during the event. “This is the first time that we have appeared this way in 50 years.”
—Reporting by Emily Curl
