“Can I have three pounds and fifty pence please, Daddy?” Harry asked me this morning.
“Why?”
“To buy a book from Henery Winkerler.”
“Henry who?”
“Henery Winkerler. He’s coming to our school today. It’s for World Book Day, which was yesterday, but he’s coming to our school today and we can buy a book off him. ” I was still confused. “Sunday, Monday, Happy Days…” Harry sang. “Our teacher showed us a video of him yesterday.”
“Oh, you mean Henry Winkler! Yes, he was in Happy Days. I shouldn’t think he would be coming to your school, though”, I said, rather condescendingly.
“No, he is coming”, Amelia chipped in, “and he is signing his books for us.”
“For three pounds fifty?”
They nodded their heads vigorously.
I quickly found the latest school newsletter, laying unread in the kitchen drawer, and scanned it’s contents. It confirmed that The Fonz was indeed coming to visit them in school today. Rapidly, I sorted out some change and put it in an envelope for each of them. “Be polite when you meet him and tell him daddy is a big fan and has the same motorbike as him.”
They strolled into school, completely non-plussed at the prospect of meeting one of my boyhood idols.
“So,” I said, when I picked them up after school, “did you get to meet Henry Winkler? Was he cool?”
“He was really nice” said Amelia, “but he doesn’t look like he did on the telly,” and then they proudly showed me their autographed books.
I Googled Mr Winkler when I got home and was astonished to see that there is no longer a black hair on his head.
I’d never have believed it, but The Fonz is now 67 years old and completely grey.
He’s still pretty cool though.
Just one year older than I am then…
Just saying.
I was quite surprised to hear him being interviewed on 3 Counties Radio yesterday morning! He sounded like a very nice man. ( same age as me !)
It can make one think when characters from our youth age, eh? (he said, watching an episode of the Time Tunnel on DVD).
ps: The Fonz is 11 years older than me.
The fonz your Idol Hmmmm I used to watch the show in the earnest hope of seeing the naughty Jenny Piccolo but never did, curse those American morality shows.
Any road up, In my mind any attempt to get the youth of today reading books has got to be a good thing so fair play Fonzie, whatever you’re doing in our fair land.
And as for getting old, today I read that Alvin Lee died & Kenny Ball..bugger this ageing lark.
He certainly seems busy at the moment. Also seen him on The One Show and Let’s Dance for Comic Relief.
From what I can gather, he is highlighting the difficulties of learning with Dyslexia… something he himself has suffered.
Anyway, as everyone here seems to want to declare their age in relation to Fonzie – he is 34 years older than me.
67? SIXTY SEVEN? I don’t believe you Masher.
Yep, he’s sixty seven. It says so on Wikipedia, so it MUST be true!