Henry Winkler's Happy Days Role As Fonzie Actually Saved A Life

"Happy Days" belongs to a special pantheon of beloved sitcoms that became cultural touchstones. Henry Winkler's Arthur Fonzarelli is a good yardstick in that regard. If you ever needed proof that the legendary greaser transcended "Happy Days" — which was actually a spin-off of a forgotten sitcom — to become an almost mythical pop culture figure, how about the time Winkler talked a teenage boy down from a ledge after the youngster demanded to speak to Fonzie?

During a 2019 appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Winkler recalled how he was interrupted during "Happy Days" rehearsals to talk to the troubled teen. Asked what struck him as the most unbelievable moment from his career, the actor remembered the unlikely scenario. "I was on the set of 'Happy Days,' and there is a table, a standing table on wheels," he explained. "The script supervisor uses it to follow the lines [...] and there are two telephones. One is an outside line, and one is to the studio." As Winkler remembered, those phones could be used to call creator Garry Marshall if there was a problem with the script, but on this occasion, one of the phones actually rang. Winkler continued:

"They say, 'Henry, there's a phone call for you. And I walked over to the phone and the man said, 'Hi, my name is Sergeant Joe Brown' [...] and he was a state trooper from Illinois. And he said, 'I'm sorry to bother you.' I said, 'No, that's OK, sir. What is it?' He said, 'I have a 17-year-old kid on a ledge, and he is threatening to jump off. And he will only talk to you.'"

While many would be daunted by such a request, Winkler actually found the nerve to take the call and ended up connecting with the teenager.

Playing Fonzie might have been a curse for Henry Winkler, but it can't have been all bad if he managed to save a kid's life. During his "Jimmy Kimmel" appearance, Henry Winkler recalled his conversation with the teenager. "I don't know where I got the nerve to take the phone and start talking to this kid," he said, before explaining how the conversation went. After learning the kid was a 17-year-old named John, Winkler inquired about his life. "I want to be an actor," came the reply. Winkler continued:

"'So you're 17, you haven't made it yet. Okay, let me ask you a question. Do you collect records? Do you have a record collection?' Because at that time, they were vinyl. I said, 'Do you have a record collection?' He said, 'Yes.' I said, 'Okay, so before you jump, John, will you just will them to me?'"

The next part of the conversation might have saved John's life. As he explained on his Kimmel appearance, Winkler — who once turned down a Fonzie-focused "Happy Days" spin-off — went on to tell the youngster, "Do me a favor. If you get off the ledge, let's talk about acting. Okay? All right." The actor then recalled John returning inside, after which he gave him some career advice. "I was 27 when I got the Fonz, John," said Winkler. "I think you've got 10 good years to keep trying. How about that? Will you do that? Okay. Can I get back to rehearsing? Thank you."

Winkler claimed he never heard any more about the incident, so it's not clear what became of John — who evidently told Winkler that he had "great muscles." But that's pretty solid proof that Fonzie not only became a pop cultural icon but actually saved lives.