The Untold Story Behind Henry Winkler's Iconic 'Jump the Shark' Legacy
Henry Winkler, famously known for his role as Arthur Fonzarelli on 'Happy Days,' proudly embraces his iconic legacy as the inspiration behind the popular expression 'jump the shark' Discover how Winkler's character revolutionized television history in this captivating article
Henry Winkler proudly admits to being the source of inspiration for the popular phrase "jump the shark."
According to Winkler, who is 77 years old, he is one of the few actors who have managed to accomplish this feat not just once, but twice. The first time was on the television show "Happy Days," and the second time happened on "Arrested Development." Winkler expressed his immense pride in this achievement during an interview with Yahoo Entertainment on September 26th.
Winkler, who portrayed Arthur Fonzarelli in the popular sitcom Happy Days, made a memorable stunt in season 5 in 1977. He successfully jumped over a shark on water skis during Fonzie's trip to Hollywood, capturing the attention of viewers.
Years after this iconic moment, Jon Hein, a University of Michigan alum, discussed with friends about scenes and storylines that caused viewers to lose interest in TV shows. The topic of Fonzie's shark jump came up, with Hein explaining that everyone in the room instantly understood the reference.
Hein took the conversation as his muse for his now-defunct website, JumpTheShark.com, which he introduced to the world in 1997, two decades after Fonzie's memorable Hollywood escapade graced the television screens. The website gained immense popularity, and the phrase "jump the shark" quickly became a widely recognized term for the moment when a TV show loses its essence.
Winkler has always embraced the humorous aspect of the insinuation that his character's leap over the shark had a negative impact on Happy Days, which remained on the air until its final episode aired in 1984.
Henry Winkler as Fonzie on ‘Happy Days.’ Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
"We held the top spot for an extended period after that," the Barry alum revealed to Yahoo Entertainment. "After meeting Jon Hein and making an appearance on his radio show, our standing in the industry is stronger than ever." Winkler also humorously referenced the notorious scene from a season 2 episode of Arrested Development, which originally aired in 2005.
Winkler's character, Barry Zuckerhorn, an inept lawyer, declares in a scene that he is heading to Burger King since he had skipped breakfast. He then proceeds to leap over a prop shark placed on the ground. In addition to discussing the significance of the daring act, Winkler shared with Yahoo Entertainment how he came to perform the stunt.
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I told Garry Marshall that my father insisted I inform him about my waterskiing skills, and to my surprise, I ended up waterskiing.
Winkler mentioned that he performed all the waterskiing for the scene, apart from the renowned jump. He revealed, "I was not allowed to do stunts. Moreover, I lacked the knowledge of how to execute a jump as seen in the show, even though I was skilled at waterskiing."
