When Travolta Auditioned to Play Fonzie.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 มิ.ย. 2021
- Can you imagine John Travolta as not only the Fonz, but a blonde Fonzie? Find out in this episode how it could have happened!
#johntravolta #happydays #welcomebackkotter #fonzie #thefonz #themonkees #mickydolenz
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John Travolta would have been good, too, but I can't imagine that now that Henry Winkler played him. John was great as Vinnie Barbarinno and Danny Zucko in Grease. ♥️♥️ Henry is an amazing actor! He made Fonzie! 👍👍
Yeah, it really worked out the way things went for everybody involved although it must have been disappointing for Travolta to have lost that part.
Absolutely Tracie. I also think he was avoiding typecasting. I think before Happy Days, he was in Lords of Flatbush with Sly Stallone, which was a Fonzie-look role.
Henry also helped Sly get Rocky made. It's too bad Sly doesn't own the rights to the Rocky franchise.
Travolta would have learned to ride the motorcycle. Not trailered like winkler.
I like Henry Winkler, but he would have been awful as Danny Zuko.
He was Fonzie
Micky Dolenz as the Fonz, I can’t picture it
Believe it or not he did try out for the part! I couldn’t picture it either. He was kind of wimpy on The Monkees!
Only for the monkees he could have been a has been Gerry Mathers Jay North to name a few
I never could either, until I saw him in that Adam-12 episode. Then I saw how it could have played out.
Same with Travolta as Forrest Gump.
I use to love Love American Style !!!!
Me too, back in the day!
I remember the episode they mentioned here.
Great show on Friday night!!!!!
Surprised Dolenz didn't get more roles. He was a talent that would only get much better with increased acting variety. If nothing else, he needed a better agent.
HENRY will never know how many nerds like me looked up to him,he was true super hero
Only during the first 2 seasons before they made him into some superhero.
I literally did not know that. Thanks for this information. Hard to believe happy days made its debut 50 years ago.
I know, time flies the older you get!
it's weird because Winkler was the best for the role as the Fonz, but he wouldn't have fit as Danny Zuko on Grease, Likewise, Travolta wouldn't have fit as the Fonz, but fit as Zuko in Grease.
Looking back, all these years later, I totally could not imagine anyone else playing the part except Henry Winkler👍
That’s cause you been conditioned to accept winkler.
Me either! He is Fonzy to me. Always will be :)
i could see John Travolta playing the Fonz. It'd be his own, and he'd probably be a hybrid between Danny Zuko and Tony Manero.
Henry Winkler was a cast member of The Lords Of Flatbush, a film about a 1950's greaser gang. That really showed how perfect Winkler could pull off the Fonzie character.
Winkler says he based his Fonzie portrayal on Stallone's Stan character in The Lords Of Flatbush. I saw The Lords Of Flatbush at a drive-in in 1974. It's a really good movie. Winkler's Butchie Weinstein character was more of a joker, but you can definitely see that he had the right look for Fonzie. He was a better fit for Fonzie than Mickey Dolenz, who was the first choice, would have been.
that was a good movie and Sylvester Stallone was also in that movie as one of the gang members!!!
@@kencoakley3959 So true! I'm a Mickey Dolenz fan but that would have been some casting shenanigans. Winkler had the whole Sicilian machismo thing down pat that created the Fonzie cool factor. I was a 4th or 5th grader at the time and I had a Fonzie leather jacket with a lining covered in Fonzie's thumbs-up gesture. My mom threw it out!
Oh yeah! I remember seeing ads for it on TV. It had a really catchy song "The Lords of Flatbush is a movie....(Doe-Doe-DEE-D0E), about how life was in the 50s(Doe-Dee-Doe-Doe. We don't mean to boast, but you will dig it the most (Do-wop style of course! It also starred a young Sylvester Stallone.
@@toddholmes4480 lol. I remember the ending chorus of that jingle "The Lord's of Flatbush..Flatbush..Flatbuuuuuush..."
What does Fonzie feed his horse? Haaaaaaay
🤣😂🤪
Hey Fonzie.....let's hear you sing your ABCs. "Aaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy."
No thanks I just had a bail of straw
In 1974, a movie came out called The Lords of Flatbush, about a group of biker friends in a neighborhood of NYC. Both Winkler and some guy named Stallone were in it. Shortly after that, Happy Days began.
That wouldve been interesting. I loved John Travolta as Vinnie Barbarino!
Me too!
Nah. He’d have left early and it wouldn’t be the classic it is.
@@Chalwa It still would have been interesting.
I love the rare comment streams that are as sweet as the ones here.
After seeing Henry Winkler I can't imagine anyone playing the Fonz!
I hear you there. I liked Winkler as Fonzie. But if there ever was someone else to play Fonzie, I think Sylvester Stallone could of pulled it off. Obviously Stallone would of been more believable being a bigger guy as well as italian. I always thought Fonzarelli sounded italian. But Winkler did pretty good as the Fonz.
Henry Winkler doesn't play the Fonz. The Fonz plays Henry Winkler.
😅😅 👍👍
@@Mortthemoose And they both play the fool. And maybe the piano as well, who knows.
The worlds just not the same if John Travolta plays Fonzie and Fonzie plays Danny in Grease. Great video!!
I agree!
That was the original way it went before the Mandela Effect. LOL!
Can you ride a motorbike? "Hell no. I'm scared shitless of bikes" Great, you got the part.
It's called "acting"
I could definitely see Travolta as the Fonz.
No way!...He is a doofus.
Nobody tops Henry Winkler in this role❤
The original episode of Love, American Style was titled Love and the Television Set. It was renamed Love and the Happy Days once it went into syndication. I just found this out yesterday!
Mickey Dolenz, was too tall for Happy Days? Using that logic, he’s way too tall be standing next to Davy Jones.
"Yo, I got chills, they're multiplyin'. And the Fonz hates multiplication, whoa."
He was so good in Grease!
The Fonzarino??? I loved seeing Henry Winkler on "Arrested Development"!
i remember Love American Style 💕 loved the theme music 👍
Mickey Dolenz too tall for Happy Days, there is another thing that I did not know.
If he was too tall for Happy Days? Using that logic, he’s way too tall be standing next to Davy Jones.
@@MikeCee7 I think it worked because davy was supposed to be a cute, lovable little munchkin.
@@LuckyFlesh ha ha
Coincidentally H. Winkler played an unrelated street thug in a movie with S. Stallone. The Lord's Of Flatbush.
I always found that interesting. Winkler has said he patterned Fonzi on Stallone's voice and character in the film.
Butchie
Indeed! And the Slyer looked PEC-tacular!!
Perry King was one of the Lords as well.
Winkler was hilarious in The Dinner Party on Broadway. He couldn't move or speak without making me laugh. At dinner, before the show, a couple sat at the table next to me. They were in a rush and I overheard them oohing when me steak arrived. I was ready with a little slice for them, and they were surprised and chatted with me. They were Gary Sinese's parents Bob and Millie from Idaho, just landed from a flight to see him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest across the street.
Great story, thanks for sharing it!
What year was this that this happenned. I studied ONe Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in HIght School in the 1970's. My English Teacher who really loved the book thought the Movie was OK, but he thought the Play was really great. He really liked William Devane (the Non-Nazi Villain in Marathon Movie and he did a lot of other Movies and TV Series as well) when he played RPM
What was the Dinner Party about? I am not familiar with that play
Any point to the name dropping given the context.
@@randolphkersey5155
Why do you care?! They’re telling their story about that night, if you don’t like it, downvote it and move along.
👍 👍 “Heyyyyyyy”!
One of my favorite shows my idols were the fonz and Elvis
Travolta's first on screen TV role, a trauma victim on EMERGENCY
Did he get depart?
Yep I saw that episode I don't know how many people know that
I can't imagine the Fonz played by Travolta Henry Winkler added a lot of traits off his character to play Fonzie.
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thank you for this great channel!
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks so much for letting me know!
I can imagine John Travolta as Fonzie and I can imagine Henry Winkler saying "Up your nose with a rubber hose" but i cannot imagine Winkler as Danny Zuko or as a Tony Manero type character. Winkler might have done a good job in Pulp Fiction though although now that I think about it, Uma Thurman is tall and would have towered over him during the dance scene. I think everything worked out for the best for Winkler and Travolta. They both have iconic careers.
Everything worked out for us and for John. Winkler didn't have a career other than Fonz.
Gary Marshal wanted actors to put their own personal ad libs to their roles. Winkler in front of the mirror and Robin sitting upside down for example.
It was initially called "Love and the Television Set," on Love, American Style, and its original title was: "New Family in Town."
Great video. Thank you
Johnny T was FIRE 🔥 in the Band-Aid commersh!
Oh my goodness I love Mickey! Had no idea he was up for the part, but nobody in this world could have played Fonzie as well as Henry.
I'm soooo confuuused!
I enjoyed that! I see that I am already Subscribed.
I like Michael Cohen. He always reminds me of The Fonze
Travolta became a TV star anyway. When Saturday Night Fever was being filmed the filming locations were inundated with thousands of screaming girls.
Even when SNF was a mega hit, Travolta stayed on Welcome Back, Kotter.
Didn’t know he stayed. Wow.
HENRY was and is still is the fonze,forever
Amazing!
Thanks!
Interesting. Both are great actors.
didn't know Mickey is so tall. the last Monkee,
Surprised me too!
@@TonyBoyOhBoy he is the last Monkee. a world without the monkees. don't like that thought
Henry was the perfect pick as Fonzie.
Well there ya go 👍😎
it's simply too hard to imagine anybody but henry winkler in the fonz role now but i can definitely see travolta doing it. Dolenz - NO WAY.
Henry wrinkler was the Best fonz ever he did a great job
What is for you, is for you
Ooh I loved Adam 12, and Mickey Dolenz. god I'm old😅. tiger beat magazine covers. When did they die? Thanks for the walk down memory lane. 😊
I just saw a clip of Jeff Conaway (Kenickie) on Happy Days. I did not remember him showing up on there.
Funny, I just saw one recently also. He was playing a thug in a gang who was hassling Richie.
Yeah he played the Johnny Frankie's mate who wanted to fight Richie and Fonzie showed Richie how to act tough to combat Frankie love Anthony Fed ex lol
Sometimes it pays to be short. 😂
Henry,Winkler was the Fonz
Great video
Thanks!
Travolta didn't have the force to back up the Fonzi's cool that Winkler did.
Travolta definitely had the looks to play Fonzie, and in the real world a tough guy greaser that has everyone scared like Fonzie would likely have been tall like Travolta. I also think Travolta could have grown into playing a controlled and smooth cool guy instead of the goofball cool guy he was known as later. Henry Winkler had some real acting chops though, I believe he studied at Yale, and despite being short, he exuded that small street punk cool guy confidence and charm. It was the way Winkler carried himself as Fonzie that sold it. I do think Travolta could have worked, but he would have been the same age as the younger cast, and you needed someone older than the others like Winkler to play "big brother".
Great post. I agree with everything you said. Winkler wasn't anything like "The Fonz" in real life, so his transformation is a testament to his acting skills. And I think Travolta could have done the role, but Winkler was perfect, especially like you mentioned it was better that he was a little older.
I enjoyed your video, I now just subscribed.
Nah...it would have completely offset the universal balance of things! haha!! 😂 eeeyyyyy! 👍👍
Having Mickey Dolenz as the Fonz, would’ve been like having Gary Busey play brother Chuck.
The Love American Style segment was actually the failed pilot. ABC didn't want to waste it so they snuck it in Love American Style. That led to Ron Howard being cast in American Grafitti. which ironically led to Happy Days being green lit.
makes sense, because it doesn't really fit the theme of LAS..
I always thought if a movie were made about Joe Namath in the mid-70s or '80s, John Travolta would have been PERFECT. Now, I would go with Aaron Rodgers for the role of Broadway Joe.
I've actually heard Travolta mention that he thought he looked like Namath. Travolta said he was the QB on his school team and he'd pretend he was Namath. www.azquotes.com/quote/296566
@@TonyBoyOhBoy Great pull ! Never knew Travolta felt that way.
I never knew that!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wow!
all I got to say about Travolta as the Fonz... is... "Naaaayyyy!"
🤣😂🤣
"Oh my God, Mr. Cunningham!"
Henry Winkler also was afraid of being type casted after his roles in Happy Days and Lords of Flatbush...
I remember that. I was surprised when he did "Heroes" after he hit it big with Happy Days.I had expected him to come out with some kind of tough guy action film.
True but since Winkler isn't actually a tall Italian guy the odds were much lower than Travolta being typecast that way.
But can’t throw his voice into tough guy like Henry did- Henry disappears in the role!
@@tonypastor705 He really did.
Butchie Weinstein 👍
Fonzie Barbarino
I use to get off the bus go out in the barn and clean up cow shit put new hay down and then on into the house to watch welcome back Cottet with Vinny Boberino and happy days with the fonz Ayyyy 😊 i miss them programs but i don't miss cleaning up cow shit 😂
There were episodes in which the brown really showed on Fonzie’s leather jacket. I watched Happy Day’s years ago and I always remember it as being black.
Regardless of who could of been ….Happy Days was a great show ….like 99 % of the TV shows …they wouldn’t of have worked so well with a different cast ….same as Gillian’s Island …..Hogans Heroes….Miami Vice….The Musters ….etc …..still great info ….so much I didn’t know ….❤
i think it would be cool if he got to play fonzie,,,,,,😄😺
So John Trovota wanted to be Fonzie? Hmm.
Woah!
Theres only 1 fonz and thats henry!! And noone could say AYYYYYY as gd cool as him
Travolta would have thrived in that role
Wow they could have been each other's role in Grease and Fonzi?! That is insane
And when I was a kid I thought I was the biggest Monkees fan in the world, I wonder how I would have felt with Mickey as the Fonze?
It would have felt strange! I watched them every Saturday morning. I think it would have been hard to see Mickey as anything but a Monkee, but other actors have overcome typecasting, but it's not easy!
@@TonyBoyOhBoy :)))))) Yes true. Nothing but love to Mickey and RIP to the other Monkees.
I always thought Henry Winkler did good as the Fonz back in the day, there were white T-shirts with a cartoon Fonzie with both thumbs up because they were so popular my sister had one
Travolta also. Tried out for Hans Solo in that legendary Star Wars Cattle Call, where De Palma sat in and took the best Lucas rejects for Carrie.
I like Travolta or Dolenz as Fonzie.
John Travolta auditioned to play the Fonz?I didn't know that!
Henry Winkler is a genuinely good person! Met him in person.
I've heard that.
As are you.
Erin Moran was so pretty!
2:34 Travolta was a goblin. I never understood the attraction girls had for him.
Love him or hate him,Henry Winkler was happy days,in till the end
Actually, Travolta went back to his Kotter role occasionally AFTER 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'Grease'.
Cool factoids.
Well liking girls would have been a prerequisite for being the Fonz. 😂 So no John wouldn't work.
Best thing that happened to John Travolta was not getting locked into Happy Days.
Very good story of great actors back then. We're are they nowadays???
Love American Style put out a lot of shows.
Yes, it was a uniquely popular show back in the day.
@TonyBoyOhBoy I was really young but definately remember them on Saturday nights , I think.
I loved Henry Winkler as Fonzie but I always thought he was to short . Especially playing such a tough guy,
I remember the pilot
If that was true, that would have totes been something!
Speaking of blonds, Mickey Dolenze was the cute little blond kid in the Circus Boy series w/Noah Beery, Jr. years before the Monkees.
John Travolta And Ron Howard Are The Same Age.
In his new autobiography, Henry Winkler explains that he mostly turned down the role of Danny in the movie “Grease” because he didn’t want to be further typecast as a 1950s greaser.
Interesting
You don't have to be told to be tough.I think henry winkle played a great part in the lords of flatbush which he played a tough guy and a gang So he was perfect as the fans love that show grew up watching it , he will He looks like such a nice man.He will always be the fonz to me. Cool😅
John Travolta would have been miserable if he was stuck in that role. He probably doesn't get Saturday Night Fever or Pulp Fiction. Those two roles made his career.
Sure he could've still gotten those roles. They just said in the video that Winkler was the first choice for Zuko in Grease, which came out just one year after Saturday Night Fever, so he wasn't stuck in that role.
Yeah, because Henry Winkler got so many big roles in mainstream Hollywood films.
Also, I didn't mention the role that you cited.
@@Daniel-sh3os Who cares if you didn't mention it, the film was huge, and had he taken the role you had better believe the offers for many more big roles would've come rolling in. And Henry had a wide range of acting talent, he was hilarious in, Arrested Development, he could've easily handled Travolta's role in, Pulp Fiction.
@@Cosmo-Kramer Duh. I didn't mention because it is a role similar to Fonzie. Also, he couldn't take the role because he can't sing.
@@Cosmo-Kramer You are comparing another tv show that was filmed almost a quarter of a century after Happy Days to a big Hollywood film? You don't get it. He would of never been offered the role, so we will never know how he would have done with it.