Henry Winkler - 80

Henry Winkler Sends a Special 'Thank You' Message to Milwaukee as the City Celebrates His 80th Birthday at the 'Bronze Fonz' (Exclusive) https://t.co/uZSXly8hsA

— People (@people) October 30, 2025

WATCH LIVE: An 80th birthday party for "Happy Days" actor Henry Winkler is being held at the Bronze Fonz statue in Milwaukee.https://t.co/bPMJ5gPLrq

— WLUK-TV FOX 11 (@fox11news) October 30, 2025

Biden Will Accept Dem Nomination in Milwaukee

Joe Biden will emerge from his basement and come to Milwaukee to accept the Democrats' nomination.

While Joe Biden will accept the presidential nomination in Milwaukee, the DNC said convention organizers will encourage state delegations to plan to conduct their official business remotely https://t.co/VUo98xmXE6

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) June 25, 2020

I hope state delegations stay away. I don't want Milwaukee to be inundated with anarchists. I don't want them to burn down the city.

I fear for the safety of the Bronze Fonz.

Garry Marshall R.I.P.

Garry Marshall -- Dead at 81 https://t.co/ZWTzNFu9kO

— TMZ (@TMZ) July 20, 2016

RIP to "Happy Days" creator Garry Marshall. Thank you for all you've done for MKE. #garrymarshall @happydaysfc pic.twitter.com/G6hL5Pzh9v

— David Fantle (@fantle) July 20, 2016

Rest in peace.

____________________

Garry Marshall, https://t.co/gWz6Yl9YDg there's a growing memorial at the bronze Fonz statue near the Pabst theater #mke

— Kalli Beth (@KalliKalliKalli) July 20, 2016

The Bronze Fonz Unveiled, August 19, 2008.

Subway 'Subs Across America' (Video) - Bronze Fonz

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon partnered with Subway for "Subs Across America."

It's a compilation of videos submitted by viewers from every state in the country. In the video clips, people recorded themselves in front of landmarks, catching a footlong Subway sub from the right side and passing it to the left. With the videos spliced together, it looks like a sub is being passed across America.

National landmarks like Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, the Washington Monument, and Milwaukee's "Bronze Fonz" all make appearances in the video.

Be proud Milwaukee.




Here's the video:

Tom Bosley R.I.P.

Tom Bosley, Mr. Cunningham, has passed away.

Here's video of Tom Bosley in Milwaukee, where Happy Days was set, for the dedication of the Bronze Fonz statue in downtown Milwaukee, August 2008.



Rest in Peace.

Bud Selig Statue, Miller Park

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The Brewers announced today that they will honor Major League Baseball Commissioner and former team owner Bud Selig with a statue at Miller Park’s Home Plate Plaza.

Selig’s statue will join those of Hank Aaron and Robin Yount, which were unveiled on April 5, 2001, the first year of Miller Park’s existence. The first two statues were donated by the Allan H. (Bud) Selig Foundation.

The ceremony to unveil the new statue will be staged on Aug. 24 at 1 p.m. at Miller Park.

“We are proud to honor Commissioner Selig for all of his efforts on behalf of the Milwaukee Brewers and Major League Baseball,” said Brewers owner Mark Attanasio.

“The Brewers and Miller Park are in this city because of the commissioner’s vision and dedicated efforts. Just as importantly, he has remained a prominent and highly philanthropic member of our community while effectively leading Major League Baseball during his tenure as baseball’s top executive.”

The statue will be cast in bronze, measure over seven feet in height not including the base, and is being designed and produced by Brian Maughan, who (along with Douglas Kwart) also created the Yount and Aaron statues.

I think this is entirely appropriate.

Although I have serious issues with how Selig, in effect, condoned the players' use of performance enhancing drugs by failing to seriously address the matter, I think his legacy involving the Brewers and baseball in Milwaukee should be celebrated.

Yes, Selig was at the helm of Major League Baseball during a very dark era, when lying, drug abusing players were permitted to break records held by the real heroes of baseball.

It took way too long to implement tough drug-testing, but it is in place now. In Selig's defense, he did have a hostile players' union to deal with, making his job more difficult. It was a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. That doesn't excuse his inaction, just the reality of the situation.

Additional details regarding the Aug. 24 unveiling ceremony will be released at a later date.

If Milwaukee can have a Bronze Fonz downtown, certainly a Bronze Bud at Miller Park is fitting.

Ron Howard, Andy Griffith, Henry Winkler, and Barack Obama

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

What the hell?

When I think of The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, I don't think of politics.

Those old reruns are a throwback to a simpler time. They're an escape. They provide refuge from the nightmarish 24-hour news cycle.

So Ron Howard, Andy Griffith, and Henry Winkler decided to trash that legacy and exploit their characters to campaign for Barack Obama.

What bugs me is not that the three men came out in support of Obama, although I do have a problem with the fact that their message was negative. They went on the attack. It was anti-Bush and anti-McCain and anti-Palin.

What's really bad is that the actors took on their roles of the beloved Opie, Andy, Richie, and Fonzie to do the campaigning.

They soiled those apolitical characters with political BS. It's the whoring of the characters that bothers me.

God rest the soul of Don Knotts, but I'm glad the dear Barney Fife wasn't around to take part in that Obama commercial.

Again, I have absolutely no problem with Howard, Griffith, and Winkler campaigning for Obama.

I do have a problem with Opie Taylor, Andy Taylor, Richie Cunningham, and the Fonz campaigning for Obama.

Is nothing sacred?
_______________

Someone should hang an Obama-Biden sign around the neck of the Bronze Fonz.

The Bronze Fonz Unveiled

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Paris has its Eiffel Tower. Rome's got the Coliseum. And Milwaukee?

Well, we're now the proud home of the Fonzie Statue, a 5'6" teal and white and bronze monument to Henry Winkler's character in the 1970s TV Sitcom "Happy Days." The sculpture, located on the Riverwalk just southeast of the Wells Street Bridge, was unveiled this morning in a ceremony that featured most of the cast of the show from creator Garry Marshall to his sister, Penny Marshall (alias LaVerne of "LaVerne & Shirley" fame), Cindy Williams (Shirley), Don Most (Ralph Malph), Anson Williams (Potsie), Erin Moran (Joannie Cunningham), Tom Bosley and Marion Ross (Mr. and Mrs. C to you) and, of course, Winkler.

More than 500 people turned out to line the streets as the cast appeared, snapping pictures and shouting, "We love you, Fonzie!" and, "Schlamizel, Schlamazel!" the words made famous in the opening song of "LaVerne & Shirley."

There were proclamations from the governor, presented by Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton (who opined that the statue was a "great ballast to the Calatrava," Milwaukee's world famous Art Museum addition), County Executive Scott Walker (dressed in a black leather jacket and motorcycle boots), Mayor Tom Barrett (marveling at the size of the crowd) and even Giuseppe Ganelli, who came all the way from Italy to represent the International Happy Days Fan Club.

...Comedian John McGivern, who served as master of ceremonies, said the statue is meant to represent a time when life was simpler.

"It's a perfect symbol of optimism," he said. "The most famous thumbs up in the world."

From WISN:

Surrounded by fans and Wisconsin dignitaries, Winkler and the sculptor revealed what Milwaukeeans had been waiting to see -- The Fonz in bronze.

"It's taller than I am. I've never actually been this tall, but I share every inch of this statue with my family with my television family and with my adopted family," Winkler said.

...The day began for the "The Fonz" at at Miss Katie's diner in Milwaukee, a place where several presidents have had breakfast.

The unveiling ceremony began at about 10 a.m. near Wells Street and the Milwaukee River with speeches from Visit Milwaukee's Dave Fantle and Doug Neilson. They were followed Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton.

"We are anchoring our roots in the Bronze Fonz," Lawton said. She declared Aug. 19 Henry Winkler Day in Wisconsin.

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker also declared it Henry "The Fonz" Winkler Day in all of Milwaukee County.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett thanked Winkler with his third plaque of the morning.

The president of the International Happy Days Fan Club from Italy was also in town for the event.

..."We're here to celebrate a show and a time in our history when gas was 12 cents a gallon," Garry Marshall said.

Reporting for FOX 6 News, Gus Gnorski said:

I have to tell you, at one point in the celebration when people were giving speeches, Henry Winkler mentioned a couple of times that the bronze statue itself was taller than him. He gave an impassioned speech for children's literacy. At that moment, he was taller than anyone in the house.

I find this all very touching. I'm genuinely moved by the festivities. It's a homecoming.

That so many cast members and people associated with Happy Days came to Milwaukee for the unveiling ceremony speaks to the love and respect they have for Henry Winkler.

Fans reacted with an outpouring of admiration for Winkler and appreciation for the Happy Days family, embracing them warmly.

And Winkler has been so gracious. He's a good man, worthy of the recognition of having the beloved character he created immortalized in bronze.

Milwaukee can be proud to be associated with Winkler and the show, to be the home of Happy Days.

To the city's art snobs and other critics and detractors of the statue-- SIT ON IT.
_________________

View slideshow of the unveiling.

The Bronze Fonz, Happy Days, and Wet Blanket Eugene Kane

Leave it to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Eugene Kane to snuff out enthusiasm and joy.

Kane puts his unique spin on the idyllic Happy Days.

"Fonz bronze reminds some of happier times"

Given the current state of Milwaukee’s neighborhoods, it would be welcome relief to have Richie, Potsie and the gang representing the only youth problem in town. The TV world of “Happy Days” featured lots of positive aspects for residents of the time: plenty of good jobs; good public schools; honest government; and a homogenous community.

...I think the Fonzie statue will inspire some to harken back to the days Milwaukee had a lot more people and a lot fewer problems.

Back when factories like Allis-Chalmers could pay a high school graduate a solid middle-class wage. Back when nobody questioned whether Richie Cunningham received a solid education at his public high school because his teachers kept in regular touch with his parents. Back when "Mr. and Mrs. C" never worried when he took the car out at night because there was no danger of carjackings or drive-by shootings.

Nobody worried Joanie would come home pregnant because girls her age didn't get pregnant. The Cunninghams lived in the city, not the suburbs, and they were proud of it.

There was little racial diversity unless you counted my man Sticks, the sole black cast member during one brief season and later Arnold, the Asian-American who took over the hamburger joint. But it never seemed like Richie and the gang avoided mixing with other races; there simply weren't any around.

Between 1956 and 1960, the African-American community in Milwaukee nearly tripled to 62,000. Combined with challenging economic conditions and a lack of industrial jobs, the influx of low-income minority residents created dynamics still in play today.

That's why it was hard for some of us to accept "Happy Days" in the 1970s depicting a Milwaukee of the 1950s. Things were changing.

In the past 25 years, I have seen the city change in significant ways. It's much richer in diversity than ever, and our schedule of summertime festivals can rival those of any other place in the nation. It's also a much tougher place to live, particularly for young people; frankly, I get the sense someone as innocent as Richie Cunningham would have a hard time in some parts of town today.

Oh good grief.

What has caused the change in the city, Eugene?

Is it all economics? Is it all about jobs?

Is it all beyond our control? Have we no personal responsibility for the condition of our communities and the quality of our lives?

Maybe Richie succeeded in school because he worked hard. Maybe he understood his parents' expectations and those expectations were that he apply himself and do his best. Maybe he wanted his parents to be proud of him and he took pride in himself.

Maybe car-jackings and drive-by-shootings didn't factor in to the Cunninghams' world because they weren't threatened by kids aspiring to be thugs. Rather than kids being eager to embrace the thug culture, most stayed in school and worked to better themselves, benefiting from the educational opportunities that were, and still are, there for the taking.

Maybe Joanie didn't get pregnant because she lived by a different moral code, instilled by her parents. Mr. and Mrs. C. were always there for guidance.

Unlike Kane, I get the feeling that Richie Cunningham would be as grounded and successful in today's world as he was when he came of age. His conscience and integrity were fostered by his loving parents. Character and honor and morals are taught. He learned his lessons well.

I don't think a present day Mr. and Mrs. C. would raise Richie and Joanie any differently than they did back in that simpler time.

Remember, someday, NOW will be that "simpler, happier time."

Perhaps "the fault, dear Eugene, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."

Just a thought.

"Bronze the Fonz" Celebration

Don't expect anything on the scale of the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing, but expect a very special celebration in Milwaukee on Tuesday.

The day marks the dedication of a life-size statue of Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli, a character played by Henry Winkler on Happy Days, the long-running sitcom set in Milwaukee.

From GM Today:

The dedication ceremony and daylong celebration focuses around the bronze Fonz statue to be put on Milwaukee’s Riverwalk near Rock Bottom Brewery, 740 N. Plankinton Ave. Most of Winkler’s co-stars from the show are expected to be on hand at the dedication ceremony, as well as the ensuing celebration, parade and event at Miller Park prior to the Milwaukee Brewers-Houston Astros game.

Dave Fantle, director of public relations for VISIT Milwaukee, said the media buzz over the event and statue has been loud and covered worldwide. The event itself will also bring in visitors from across the nation and even the world, including the president of the "Happy Days" fan club from Italy, he said.

...Lake Mills artist Gerald Sawyer was commissioned to design the Fonzie piece, which cost $85,000 in private donations to erect.

...Fantle pointed out the Fonz and "Happy Days" do have a strong connection to Milwaukee, that it’s not simply a fictional premise or characters from a TV show. Thomas L. Miller, co-creator and producer of "Happy Days," grew up in Milwaukee. He’s from the north shore area and patterned many of the people and locations on the show from people and locations in Milwaukee.

...Fantle said Winkler himself shares a love and connection with Milwaukee on a personal level.

"In recognizing Henry Winkler, you are also recognizing a great guy, one of the Hollywood good guys who’s been around and is very well-respected," Fantle said. "He’s written a series of best-selling children’s books, he is public with his lifelong struggle with dyslexia, he is a tireless advocate for children and is a humanitarian.

"He has said Milwaukee is like his adopted hometown for him. To recognize Henry and the iconic character of Fonzie is doubly rewarding."

The day will be filled with events to recognize the addition of the bronze Fonz statue to Milwaukee's Riverwalk.

Many of the Happy Days stars will be in the city for the occasion. Laverne and Shirley stars will also attend.

Henry Winkler will be on hand for the dedication ceremonies of a life-size bronze statue of Fonzie, the "Happy Days" character Winkler made famous. Co-stars from the show are also expected to be on hand, including Tom Bosley (Mr. Cunningham), Marion Ross (Mrs. Cunningham), Erin Moran (Joanie), Don Most (Ralph Malph) and Anson Williams (Potsie). "Happy Days" director/producer Garry Marshall and Bob Bovett will also be there, as well as Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, stars of the "Happy Days" spin-off show "Laverne and Shirley."

In addition, Joey Sorge, who plays Fonzie in the new "Happy Days" stage musical coming to Milwaukee’s Marcus Center for the Performing Arts from Jan. 6 to Jan. 11, will attend.

More about Bronze the Fonz:

Event Specifics

Public Celebration: Autographs to Benefit Boys & Girls Club Literacy Program
From 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Culver’s Frozen Custard will be hosting a free public frozen custard social at the Peck Pavilion at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts downtown. There, Winkler and the other guests are scheduled to make an appearance. Starting at 9 a.m.,100 limited edition bronze the Fonz commemorative posters will go on sale at $50 each at the Peck Pavilion with proceeds going to SPARK (Spheres of Proud Achievement in Reading for Kids). SPARK is a program coordinated by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee in partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

– more –

BRONZE FONZ / ADD ONE
Joey Sorge, the new “Fonzie” and the star of the new “Happy Days” stage musical will also perform a few numbers from the show. All fans attending the party will also receive a free bronze the Fonz baseball card compliments of the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.

Note: Because of time limitations, the cast will only be signing the first 100 posters. Additional posters at $20 each and bronze the Fonz t–shirts for $22 will also be available with proceeds going to SPARK.

Homecoming Parade
At 5:45 p.m. the entire cast, in vintage convertibles, will drive down Wisconsin Avenue (starting at Water Street) to Blue Mound Road and into Miller Park. The public is invited to line Wisconsin Avenue for the homecoming parade.

Play Ball!
The day–long celebration will conclude when Henry and his cast colleagues are honored at a pre–game ceremony at Miller Park prior to the Brewers–Astros game. The cast will throw out the first ball and Anson Williams, who portrayed “Potsie” on the show will sing the National Anthem. A commemorative bronze the Fonz baseball card will be given to every fan that attends the game. Media credentials for the game are required. Contact John Steinmiller, john.steinmiller@brewers.com, (414) 902–4470.

...More information on the bronze the Fonz project can be found at bronzethefonz.com.

###

To help raise funds for a Boys and Girls Club of Milwaukee literacy program, a special Bronze the Fonz t–shirt is available for $22.
Order one today!

That's great that the proceeds from sales of the posters and the t-shirts will benefit such a good cause.

And the weather should be perfect.

Here's an interview with the artist and just a peek at the Bronze Fonz.

RADIO’S FONZ-FEST:

WOKY-AM (920) morning hosts Gregory Jon and Meg McKenzie broadcast live from faux 1950s Miss Katie’s Diner from 6 to 10 a.m. Tuesday to mark the day’s dedication of the bronze statue of TV’s Fonzie.

In the current definition of oldies, however, ’50s tunes like “Rock Around the Clock” and other songs from the 1970s sitcom are too old to be on ’OKY’s normal playlist.

As already reported, CBS’ “Early Show” weather guy Dave Price will broadcast from Miss Katie’s.

It should be a fun day, a happy day.

Fonzie's Home

The site for the Fonzie statue has been chosen.

It won't be adorning the Chase Plaza on Wisconsin Ave. as originally planned. It will be tucked away on the riverwalk.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The Fonzie statute will become a reality this summer, but its downtown Milwaukee location will carry a somewhat lower profile than originally planned.

The bronze Fonz, a life-size statue of "Happy Days" TV show character Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, will be enshrined on the riverwalk, just outside the patio of Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, 740 N. Plankinton Ave.

That section of the riverwalk draws a fair number of people, especially during the summer. But it has less visibility than the riverwalk plaza south of E. Wisconsin Ave. and one-half block west of N. Water St., the original proposed site for the statue.

The change occurred in part because arts supporters, including former Milwaukee Art Museum Director David Gordon, opposed the Wisconsin Ave. location. They said the Fonzie statue could detract from future public art planned for that same area.

"Collectively, there was a realization of people having strong feelings about having (the statue) at such a prominent location," said Gordon, a member of a committee that selected the statue site.

Fonzie's new home is "a great location," said Gordon, who recently left the museum and launched a consulting firm, Gordon Advisory LLC.

The Rock Bottom site presents a better spot for visitors to take photos of the statue, said David Fantle, vice president of public relations at Visit Milwaukee, a nonprofit group that promotes the city as a tourism and convention destination. Visit Milwaukee led the campaign to create the statue.

...The Rock Bottom location, while not on Wisconsin Ave., is "in the heart of downtown," said Stacie Callies, executive director of Westown Association, and a member of the site selection committee. Westown is an organization of downtown business and property owners located west of the Milwaukee River.

This sounds like a good compromise to me.

I wasn't in favor of the Wisconsin Ave. location, but I also didn't think that the statue threatened to destroy Milwaukee's image.

...The statue will be dedicated on Aug. 19, at a ceremony to be attended by Henry Winkler, who played Fonzie, and other "Happy Days" cast members, Fantle said. Visit Milwaukee wants the statue up before Harley-Davidson Inc.'s 105th anniversary celebration, which begins on Aug. 28.

It's interesting that Visit Milwaukee, a group devoted to promoting the city as a tourist destination and convention site, wants the statue to be dedicated and ready for Harley's 105th anniversary celebration.

They obviously believe that it will be a crowd pleaser.

...Plans for the statue prompted some local art gallery owners to criticize the project as kitsch. Backers say the statue isn't meant to be art, but rather a fun addition to downtown's attractions.

I hope the gallery owners are satisfied.

Former Milwaukee Art Museum Director David Gordon certainly seems pleased with the site for the bronze Fonz.

If it turns out that it's not the right location, it can always be moved with relative ease. It's not like it's a Big Blue Shirt attached to a parking structure at the airport.

Fonzie the Immortal

What was once a dream will become a reality.

A bronze Fonz is coming to downtown Milwaukee.

Expect to see Fonzie statue by Labor Day

It's now official: the bronze statue of the Fonz will be added to downtown Milwaukee's landscape later this year. The $85,000 needed to create the life-size statue of "Happy Days" TV show character Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli has been raised, according to an announcement today by Visit Milwaukee, the group leading that effort.

The sculpture, which is planned for the plaza south of E. Wisconsin Ave. and west of N. Water St., near the Chase Plaza office tower, will likely be unveiled around Labor Day.

Plans for the statue were first reported in September, prompting some local art gallery owners to criticize the project as kitsch. Backers said the statue isn't meant to be art, but rather a fun addition to downtown's attractions.

The likelihood of the proposal making the leap from drawing board to reality increased in November, when Visit Milwaukee announced it had raised two-thirds of the funds, and had hired Lake Mills artist Gerald Sawyer to create the statue.

Is this a step back for Milwaukee?

No. A statue of Fonzie is of no consequence compared to the scourge of violent crime in the city and the dismal performance of so many of the students in its public school system.

Will this statue cement Milwaukee's image as a home of "mediocre public art," as gallery owners and critics fear?

No. I agree with the backers of the statue that it's not meant to be "art" in that snooty sense. Lighten up. Relax. It's fun. Kitsch is cool.

Will Fonzie bring in tourists?

I doubt that people will choose to visit Milwaukee because of the statue. Tourists may want to take photos with the bronze Fonz, but I don't think that the statue, in and of itself, will be a significant draw. Fonzie fans aren't like Trekkies.

In sum, I don't think the statue is some sort of disaster when it comes to efforts to elevate Milwaukee in terms of public art.

Milwaukee is a big place. It's not as if Fonzie will tower over the city. It's not going to be some dominant force sucking the lifeblood from all of Milwaukee. I don't think City Hall will start using an image of it on its letterhead.

It is what it is. One statue. Like it or not.

Henry Winkler, who played Fonzie in the show, was in town to mark the occasion. He spoke with reporters in front of the Culver's restaurant in the Shops of Grand Avenue.

"I can only say that I'm proud of Milwaukee," Winkler said. "I'm proud of how it's grown. I'm proud to be an honorary citizen, and I'm overwhelmed that I'm going to bring my family here, and there will be a statue of a character that I love and that gave me the world."

Henry Winkler is so gracious, a class act.

Even the statue's critics have to admit that.

Anti-Fonzites

When I first heard of the plans to erect a statue of Fonzie from Happy Days in a prominent downtown Milwaukee location, I was against it.

I have no problem with immortalizing the Fonz in bronze. Milwaukee shouldn't be ashamed of commemorating the Happy Days icon. I just thought a different location for the statue might be more appropriate than a downtown site. (I don't think Fonzie hung out much downtown.)

I question a Fonzie sculpture located near the Chase Plaza office tower. However, I don't object to the statue itself. I don't think it would reflect poorly on the city at all.

A statue of Jeffrey Dahmer would be a different story. That would feed into a negative image of Milwaukee, though it probably would draw loads of tourists.

I don't understand why some people are getting so bent out of shape over the Fonzie monument.

Actually, I do understand. They're snobs, elitists.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Arts agitator and Hotcakes Gallery owner Mike Brenner threw a self-described "temper tantrum" this week and vowed he'd shutter his gallery and leave Milwaukee if a proposed bronze sculpture of Fonzie, the character from the "Happy Days" TV series, is installed here.

Brenner's hyperbolic rant, made via e-mail and first reported by OnMilwaukee.com on Wednesday, was seconded Thursday by gallery owner Brooks Barrow, who vowed to follow suit.

"If Hotcakes closes, then I too will walk," wrote Barrow, owner of the Brooks Barrow Gallery in the Third Ward, in a post to JSOnline.com's Art City blog.

The Fonz sculpture, an $85,000 project of Visit Milwaukee, according to Brenner and Barrow, is a "monument to small town Milwaukee" and an icon of mediocre public art, something Milwaukee has been plagued with for years.

David Gordon, director of the Milwaukee Art Museum, inspired by the ruckus raised by Brenner and Barrow, weighed in with his own e-mail Thursday, sent to area media. The Fonz sculpture is a harmless novelty, he said, though it may clash with a significant public art project planned for Wisconsin Ave.

Everything in the world clashes with "The Calling."

Gordon doesn't seem to have a problem with that.

There's no question that the whiners are snobs.

What's wrong with a "monument to small town Milwaukee" anyway?

What would be a more fitting monument to Milwaukee? Would a "big city" depiction of gun violence and murder be better? Instead of Fonzie and his trademark thumbs up pose, would a statue of a thug with a gun be a more appropriate representation of the real Milwaukee?

The city would be much better served by embracing small town values than big city blight.

Are Brenner and Barrow so sensitive and so stubborn that they couldn't bear to remain in a city home to a statue of Fonzie?

Really? Is their allegiance to their community that weak?

Consider how many truly offensive things are seen on the streets of Milwaukee. Brenner and Barrow should be troubled by all that stuff, not a bronze Fonz.

If the critics don't like a Fonzified Milwaukee, they should leave and spare us the hissy fits.

The pompous and pretentious Brenner and Barrow can threaten to close their galleries. They can hold their breath until they turn blue and pass out before they pack up and move away.

And Gordon can pontificate about art in the city but I doubt he'll win over many hearts and minds.

Personally, I think Brenner and Barrow and Gordon should take it down a notch. They should go bowling. Bumper bowling would probably be best given their obvious self-esteem issues. Yes, they should rent some shoes and bowl a few games, chow down on brats and beer, snack on beef jerky. They need to loosen up.

I don't really buy the notion that the bronze Fonz will be a major tourist attraction, but it's sure to draw dramatically more visitors to the city than Hotcakes and the Brooks Barrow Gallery.

If Milwaukee residents can live with that ghastly orange monstrosity "The Calling" for all these years, I'm sure the vast majority will manage to survive with a statue of Fonzie and get by without Hotcakes.

As this debate heats up and the rhetoric becomes more extreme, I wonder where Mayor Tom Barrett stands on the issue.

Does he welcome the Fonz with open arms or does he side with the pouty snobs?

I suppose, as is so often the case, Barrett stands on the fence.

Heroes of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board has weighed on in the proposed statue of Fonzie, planned to stand proudly in downtown Milwaukee at Wisconsin and Water.

"Aaay, it's a good idea"

OK, time for a reality check.

Some of you think putting up a statue of "The Fonz" downtown is insulting and doesn't fit the hip new image Milwaukee wants to present to the rest of the world - like, say, North Korea.

What?

North Korea?

That's really lame.

Guess what? Back in the '50s and '60s, when Arthur Fonzarelli was holding court in "Happy Days," Milwaukee was about as hip as a six-pack of knockwurst. Many folks here equated being cool with frostbite. If you wanted to find a building then with 40 floors, you had to go to a linoleum store. Guys like the Fonz were as close to cool as we got.

Yeah, you ask, but won't putting the Fonz in bronze just further the "Happy Days" stereotype? Too late. It's already there. Be proud.

And if Fonzie is no longer cool, why did Samuel L. Jackson, portraying the ultimate cool hit man in the film "Pulp Fiction," tell another character, Yolanda, to be cool, like "Fonzie"?

People already think Milwaukee's too cold. Let 'em know we're cool, too.

This is very telling.

The Board looks to the wisdom of a fictional character, a hit man no less, to make its case for a statue of a fictional character.

More proof that the Board is disconnected with reality.

Milwaukee's David: Fonzie

Let's be honest. Milwaukee has some really crappy outdoor sculpture.

The worst has to be "The Calling."

A short distance from the Art Museum, you’ll find a vibrant and bold piece, “The Calling” by Mark di Suvero. The sculpture sits on the bluff at the eastern end of East Wisconsin Avenue like a rising sun. The large iron sculpture resembles an orange sunburst....

The kindest thing I can say about the sculpture is that it's an eyesore.

Thankfully, the Blue Shirt meant to adorn a parking structure at the airport was killed.

That was one less embarrassment for the city.



Now, there's another art project in the works -- a statue of "the Fonz" of Happy Days fame.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

"The Fonz" soon might be part of our downtown landscape, immortalized in a life-size bronze sculpture that city tourism leaders hope would be a stopping point for visitors.

The Fonz, of course, is Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli, the character from the long-running TV show "Happy Days," set in a nostalgic version of Milwaukee, circa the late 1950s and early 1960s. Visit Milwaukee, a non-profit group that promotes the city as a tourism and convention destination, is leading an effort to raise $85,000 to commission the statue, which likely would be in the plaza south of E. Wisconsin Ave. and west of N. Water St., near the Chase Plaza office tower.

So far, Visit Milwaukee has raised $45,000, and the group is confident it will meet its timetable of unveiling a bronze Fonz in 2008, said Dave Fantle, the agency's vice president of public relations. The agency already has contacted four artists and hopes to choose a sculptor by the end of October, he said.

Oh my God!

I don't think this is a good idea.

Having Fonzie immortalized in bronze isn't the problem. It would be nice in a little green space at a custard stand.

But at Wisconsin and Water?

No. No. Not good.

The project carries the blessings of "Happy Days" co-creator Garry Marshall and Henry Winkler, the actor who played Fonzie during the show's 10-year run, which started in 1974.

Winkler confessed he was a bit taken aback when Fantle contacted him about the project.

"It's an honor," Winkler said. "But it is so bizarre to think there should be a statue. I wasn't sure it was something that could happen to me."

Or, more accurately, happen to a character brought to life by Winkler, a 61-year-old actor, producer, director and author. Still, Winkler likes the idea and says he would come to Milwaukee for the statue's dedication.

"If it helps the city, a city that has been so supportive and warm to me over the years," he said, "then I am so OK with it."

Winkler is so gracious.

He seems like a genuinely nice man, so willing to help the city.

I don't object to the statue itself. It's the prominent proposed downtown location that I question.

I probably wouldn't find "The Calling" so repulsive if it didn't have such a place of honor.

Location, location, location.

...The dedication ceremony for the statue, with appearances by Winkler and possibly other "Happy Days" cast members, would draw media attention to Milwaukee, Fantle said. He said the sculpture would provide another tourism draw for a city that anticipates an upswing in visitors when Harley-Davidson Inc. opens its museum.

But what about those umpteen attempts to depict Milwaukee to the outside world as some place other than the home of "Happy Days" and "Laverne and Shirley," a "Happy Days" spinoff that some complain has typecast Milwaukee as a stodgy, blue-collar town?

"This isn't a statue of 'Laverne and Shirley,' " Fantle said. "This is a statue of a TV icon who remains the epitome of cool."

The Fonz represents the old image of Milwaukee, which some visitors still would appreciate, Fantle said. He said the statue could serve as a bridge between that world and Milwaukee's new image, exemplified by the Milwaukee Art Museum and other developments.

Huh?

Tourists in Milwaukee for other events may check it out, but I really don't think that a statue of "the Fonz" would draw in tourists. Sure, there may be some Fonzie fanatics who would consider making a pilgrimage to Milwaukee to bask in the glory of the statue, but I think those numbers would be few.

Fonzie isn't Elvis.

Is a downtown Milwaukee statue of a fictional TV character "the epitome of cool"?

I don't think so. I don't think it would have been "cool" when Happy Days was at the height of its popularity 30 YEARS AGO.

How would a Fonzie statue be a bridge between old Milwaukee and the newer developments, like the Calatrava?

Relatively speaking, the 1970s aren't "old" Milwaukee. To me "old Milwaukee" is the Pabst Mansion, Old World Third Street, the beer barons.

Anyway, does there need to be a bridge?

I don't think so.

However, if the Fonzie statue would replace "The Calling," I might support the idea.