The endearing (and enduring) 1970s coming-of-age sitcom “Happy Days” was a paean to bygone days and simpler times. And one of the underappreciated aspects of its success was the portrayal of Richie Cunningham’s mother — Mrs. C, as Fonzie would say — by the great character actress Marion Ross.
The two breakout stars from the long-running series — Ron Howard (Richie) and Henry Winkler (Arthur Fonzarelli, AKA The Fonz) — remained lifelong friends, each serving as best man at the other’s wedding.
But it was Winkler’s Fonzie who emerged as an icon, and his creation of the character — a tough guy yet vulnerable — was given added dimension simply by the way Ross addressed him in the show. While he was “The Fonz” to everyone under his spell, to the mature matron of the Cunningham household, he was simply “Arthur.”
Ross’s voice and the way she called Arthur by his given name humanized the Fonzie character in a way that was essential to Winkler’s success.
When Ross’s son posted a photo of his mother this year in an early appreciation for Mother’s Day, Howard jumped in saying “Just Glorious. Happy #mothersday2023 my TV mom. You light up every room you enter!”
Winkler retweeted Howard’s encomium — and it was almost the 1950s again on Twitter. Ross, 94, won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her work on “Happy Days.”
Just Glorious. Happy #mothersday2023 my TV mom. You light up every room you enter! https://t.co/0RDzT8wLg7
— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) April 27, 2023
