Winkler always gleefully embraced the phrase, even if he didn’t agree that the “happy days” were losing steam at the time.
“There was a period in year eight and nine when some of the stories got a little silly,” Winkler says. “But the Happy Days writers were exceptional.”
The Fonz was so indelible that Winkler struggled to find set roles after “Happy Days” ended in 1984, executive producing hit shows like “MacGyver” and teasing roles like Coach Klein in 1998’s “The Waterboy” alongside Adam Sandler.