| Bronze Fonz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Gerald P. Sawyer |
| Year | 2008 |
| Dimensions | (5.6 feet (1.7 m) [1] in) |
| Location | Milwaukee |
| 43°2′25.63″N87°54′40.10″W / 43.0404528°N 87.9111389°W | |
| Owner | Visit Milwaukee |
The Bronze Fonz is a public artwork by American artist Gerald P. Sawyer, located on the Milwaukee Riverwalk in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bronze Fonz depicts Henry Winkler as "The Fonz," a character in the 1970s television series Happy Days , which was set in Milwaukee. [2]
The sculpture, made of bronze, depicts actor Henry Winkler as he appeared in his role as Arthur Fonzarelli (also known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz"). Fonzarelli was an iconic character in the 1970s television show Happy Days , a sitcom about a family in 1950s–1960s Milwaukee. He stands in his usual attire, a leather jacket and jeans, and gives a two-handed thumbs up gesture, as he often did in Happy Days.
The statue is located on the Milwaukee Riverwalk, just south of Wells Street. It is accompanied by an inscription that lists donors who contributed to the Bronze Fonz project.[ citation needed ]
The organization "Visit Milwaukee" raised $75,000 to commission the sculpture and since 2008 it has been on the Milwaukee Riverwalk. [3]
The Bronze Fonz was commissioned by Visit Milwaukee, a non-profit group with the purpose of promoting tourism and bringing new businesses to Milwaukee. Visit Milwaukee raised $85,000 to commission the statue. [2] Over the decade prior to the statue's creation, other similar television character based bronze statues, commissioned by the cable television channel, TV Land, had been built in other cities and towns to portray such figures as Mary Tyler Moore (as Mary Richards from The Mary Tyler Moore Show ) in Minneapolis, Andy Griffith and Ron Howard (as Andy and Opie Taylor from "The Andy Griffith Show") in Raleigh, [4] and Jackie Gleason (as Ralph Kramden from The Honeymooners ) outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. However, TV Land scrapped its plans to build a Fonz statue after a change in their marketing strategy in 2007.[ citation needed ]
The sculpture was unveiled on August 18, 2008. Most of the Happy Days cast, including Winkler, Marion Ross, Tom Bosley, Erin Moran, Don Most, and Anson Williams, attended the dedication ceremony. Winkler referred to the statue as "unbelievable." [5]
Mike Brenner, then a local gallery owner and executive director of Milwaukee Artist Resource Network (MARN), objected to the statue, which was originally planned to be located at the intersection of Wisconsin and Water Streets, a prominent downtown site. He threatened to close his gallery and resign his position in MARN if "that stupid Fonzie sculpture" was erected there. [6] Brenner received death threats for speaking out against the Bronze Fonz, and reposted several on his web site. [7] The CEO of the Milwaukee Art Museum, David Gordon, along with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel arts critic Mary-Louise Schumacher and other Milwaukee arts dignitaries, also opposed the statue, which ultimately was erected instead at the Riverwalk site. [8] Brenner nevertheless closed his gallery in May 2008, and opened a Milwaukee microbrewery. [8] [9]
The sculpture was removed for maintenance in February 2022. [3] The sculpture has become shiny on the surfaces people have been touching. The weather has also damaged the finish on the sculpture. The bronze has begun to oxidize where salt has interacted with the metal. The sculpture encourages interaction and selfies: visitors have been climbing on it, leaving scratches. [10]
Ronald William Howard is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received multiple accolades, including two Academy Awards, four Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2003 and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2013. Howard has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions in film and television.
Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli, better known as "Fonzie" or "The Fonz", is a fictional character played by Henry Winkler in the American sitcom Happy Days (1974–1984). He was originally a secondary character, but was soon positioned as a lead character when he began surpassing the other characters in popularity. The Fonzie character was so popular that in the second season producers considered renaming the show to "Fonzie's Happy Days." Fonzie was seen by many as the epitome of coolness and a sex symbol.
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most successful series of the 1970s. The series presented an idealized vision of life in the 1950s and early 1960s Midwestern United States, and it starred Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham, Henry Winkler as his friend Fonzie, and Tom Bosley and Marion Ross as Richie's parents, Howard and Marion Cunningham. Although it opened to mixed reviews from critics, Happy Days became successful and popular over time.
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Henry Franklin Winkler is an American actor, author, comedian, director and producer. Widely known as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli on the American television series Happy Days, Winkler has distinguished himself as a character actor for roles on stage and screen. His many accolades include three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Critics Choice Awards.
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The Uecker Monument is a public art work by artist Brian Maughan. It is located in front of the American Family Field stadium west of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The sculpture depicts Bob Uecker, the popular play-by-play announcer for broadcasts of Milwaukee Brewers baseball games. It was dedicated on August 31, 2012.
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"My Favorite Orkan" is the 22nd episode of the fifth season of the American television sitcom Happy Days, and the 110th episode overall. Written by Joe Glauberg and series creator Garry Marshall and directed by Jerry Paris, the episode originally aired on ABC on February 28, 1978. It is notable for introducing Robin Williams to a larger audience; the actor's popular appearance in this episode led to the spin-off series Mork & Mindy, which was based on his character.
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