Henry Winkler Had A Fight With Happy Days Producers Over This Terrible Wardrobe Choice

For a show that was all about producing a warm nostalgic glow in baby boomers wistful for their 1950s youth, "Happy Days" at times seemed like a bit of a downer behind the scenes. For one thing, Henry Winkler found playing Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli to be somewhat of a curse in the years immediately following the show's 1984 cancellation, simply due to the fact he couldn't get a job after being typecast as the legendary greaser. But he also had his share of troubles during the series' production, one of which involved arguing over whether Fonzie would wear a life preserver over his leather jacket during the infamous "jumping the shark" scene.

The sitcom was full of memorable moments, but arguably (and perhaps sadly) one of its biggest contributions to the zeitgeist was the term "jumping the shark," which originated with "Happy Days" before becoming a shorthand for anything that had gone beyond its prime. For those somehow not in the know, it stems from a scene in a season 5 episode, titled "Hollywood: Part 3," in which, having been challenged by James Daughton's "The California Kid," Fonzie literally jumps over a tiger shark while water skiing, before triumphantly returning to shore. In the scene, Winkler can be seen riding the surf (the actor was actually an experienced water skier prior to being cast on the show) while wearing a bright yellow life preserver around his stomach. But to Winkler's eye, this was not a look befitting a high school dropout biker known for representing the epitome of cool.

During a 2019 appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," the actor revealed that he actually "had a fight about that," recalling how his resistance to the life preserver caused an argument on set — though there were probably other emotions at play, too.

Henry Winkler didn't provide much detail on his argument over Fonzie's yellow life preserver. We don't know who he clashed with or exactly what was said, but it was clearly a point of contention. During his "Jimmy Kimmel" appearance the actor explained that he "had a little argument," adding. "There were words. It was hard to look at that yellow tire around my stomach and still be cool." Ultimately, Winkler clearly lost the argument, with the actor going on to say, "You know what I had to do? I had to overcome that yellow piece of rubber."

As silly as it might seem, there's probably a lot more to this particular moment than we might realize. Fonzie had become a pop cultural icon by the time he was sent out on the lake, and that likely meant something to Winkler, who had broken through with his portrayal of the greaser. It's also hard not to imagine that some of the actor's other issues with "Happy Days" played into the argument. Winkler has spoken about "Happy Days" script readings feeling "humiliating and shameful" due to his dyslexia, and he previously shared a moment in which he almost killed the show's cinematographer during a racing scene.That said, he's also spoken fondly of the Fonzie character in the years since "Happy Days" went off the air, and there's no getting around the fact that yellow life preserver did look downright ridiculous. Given the "Happy Days" writers had written this scene just so Winkler could show off his water skiing skills, you have to imagine he turned up to the show's set pretty excited, only to be immediately deflated by the bright yellow "tire."