When Henry Winkler strapped on a pair of waterskis as Arthur Fonzarelli in 1977, he probably didn’t expect the scene to coin one of pop culture’s most enduring phrases. Yet “jump the shark” – first uttered by TV critic Jon Hein years later – became shorthand for the moment a show goes too far in search of ratings.
What was behind Fonz jumping the shark?
But Winkler, now 79, told sportscaster Rich Eisen the reality behind the ‘Hollywood stunt’ is that he was simply showing off a skill he’d picked up long before stardom.
“My father wants you to know I’m a waterskier,” Winkler recalled telling Happy Days’ Garry Marshall. “I was a counsellor at camp, teaching skiing.”
That bit of family pride sealed the deal. Writers built an entire plot around the Fonz strapping on skis, leather jacket and all.
‘Half Fonz, half Henry’
Winkler explained that he performed every bit of the waterskiing himself – right up until the actual shark jump. The production refused to let him take on the riskiest element.
“I pull up on the beach, step out of the skis, and I’m smiling,” Winkler told Eisen. “If you watch the scene, half of that smile is the Fonz going, ‘Hey, I did it’, and the other half is Henry going, ‘I can’t believe you did it.’”
While eye-catching, critics called it the beginning of the end for Happy Days, although it did add something to the Fonz’s legend.
Fans, nostalgia and the Fonz’s shark jump
Nearly 50 years later, viewers continue to celebrate the moment. On Instagram, one fan wrote: “Gen X icons are undefeated. Happy Days! The Fonz!!!” Another admitted they’d always assumed Winkler really nailed the dismount: “Sure enough! Impressive. What a great story.”
Others marvelled at the actor’s warmth off-screen. “We thought it was just the character who was cool,” a commenter said. “It was actually the actor who made the character cool.”
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‘Jumping the shark’: a phrase bigger than the scene
What started as a quirky episode has since grown into cultural shorthand, deployed everywhere from sports commentary to politics. For Winkler, though, the memory doesn’t appear to be about decline but about surprising himself. Maybe proof that sometimes what is seen be some as a low point can actually become a legacy moment.
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