I Met the Fonz
It's true and also a little known fact that I met Henry Winkler at the height of his popularity. It was the very late 1970s and Henry was known the world over as that great character actor who played Arthur Fonzerelli on Happy Days. I wish someone would explain to me why the concept of the Fonz seemed to work back then, but the idea of it now seems so unbelievably ridiculous.
He came to our school. One person asked if he could have his autograph and Arthur said no, because then he would have to give everyone his autograph. And then, a sexually precocious pre-teen...well, she may have be 13, said: "can I have a kiss?" And, Fonzie gave her what looked like a deep French kiss, the bastard.
I shook his hand on his way out the door.
Have you met anyone famous?
Happy Canada Day.
Technorati Tags: The Fonz, Henry Winkler, Happy Days
17 comments:
New Year's Eve, 1991, New York City: I'm 21 years old, and on my way to hook up with my cousin, for coffee at Vivaldi's in Greenwich Village. My friend and I are playing movie quotes, and trying to decide if, as tourists, we should go do the "stand in Times Square and freeze half to death" NYE ritual.
As we're about to enter the cafe, we run into a tall guy in a billowing coat, gesticulating as he talks, the way New Yorkers do.
He's blocking the door, we're all trying to get in. He realizes that he's blocking the door, and apologizes for standing in front of it. And at that moment, we realize he's Richard Lewis (http://www.richardlewisonline.com/) .
We end up getting treated to mochas.
And yes, later, we stood in Times Square, but that's another story.
What is Canada Day? What is the meaning behind it?
Have you met anyone famous?
I shook John Kerry's hand last fall and got his autograph. Last year I also shook Dennis Kucinich's hand. This January, I shook Jesse Jackson's hand.
Does any of that count as meeting somebody famous?
I really don't like celebrities, because most of them don't deserve so much of our time. Like the talentless: Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Jessica Simpson, Britney, etc.
However, there are people with copious amounts of talent who do deserve our respect--but, our awe and reverence? I don't know, the way people are about anyone who's even graced a television screen (would you consider the tool from the Subway commercials a famous person?) strikes me as profoundly ridiculous. In the end, they're only people and only matter as much as you care to let them.
But, there I go being cynical. Again.
I stood in line behind a chain-smoking Mary Tyler Moore at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC in the early 80s. Does that count?
Tuffy P asked Buddy Guy to sign my hat in Chicago a few years ago. He was a nice guy.
I've met a number of performers briefly (enough to get autographs) after seeing them in shows: The Smothers Brothers (they were in a Broadway Show), Amanda Plummer, Dick Cavett and Bruce Dern, David McCallum, and a few others.
I've also spotted some celebrities on the street over the years, including Gene Wilder and Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.
Liz, Canada Day, formerly known as Dominion Day, is Canada's birthday. It marks the confederation of the 4 original colonies On July 1, 1867.
Mister Anchovy, Yes, I think MTM counts. For the life of me, I can't seem to remember if she is still alive.
Mary Tyler Moore is very much alive.
Thanks for that really nice comment. Was wondering if I over played it!
Thanks, ZF.
I hope you had a happy Canada Day! Here, there will be fireworks (which are illegal, but it's never enforced) going off all weekend for the 4th of July.
the best MTM quote came after she announced that she liked to smoke dope....she said it was about the same as having a martini before dinner.
Having worked in television for five years, I have indeed, met a lot of famous and pseudo famous people, at least on my side of the world...but the bane of being around these celebs is that you realize that they're (most of them if not all) not worth people's adoration.
Phyllis Diller (though I don't remember, I was too little), all the guys from the rock group Triumph, Kevin DuBrow from Quiet Riot, all the guys from the rock group Blackfoot, two of the guys from the rock group Bachman Turner Overdrive, the chick that played Blair on The Facts of Life (back when she was a mouseketeer), racecar driver Bobby LaBonte (when only his brother was famous), a few other lesser knowns.
Happy Canada DAY!
Happy Canada Day! As for brushes with famous people...I spilled coffee on Steve McQueen once when I was young and ran into him as I was going into a "record" store in LA. He didn't think it was as funny as I did, but then, he probably wasn't as loaded. Oh, well.
zebby, i think that's called teasing. c'mon, tell me.
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