Tom Hanks guest starred happy time.
So much so that he credits his appearance on the beloved sitcom to getting his first leading role in Ron Howard’s 1984 hit… splash.
Hanks guest-starred in the 1982 episode “Little Revenge,” playing a former classmate of Henry Winkler’s Fonzie, who has held a grudge against him since third grade. Dr. Dwayne Twitchell (Hanks), now a doctor and karate expert, exacts revenge on Arthur Fonzarelli.
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“I kicked Fonzie,” recalls Hanks on SiriusXM The Jess Cagle Show“I was wearing a judo karate suit. I think I was the first legend to actually attack Fonzie. I kicked him through the stained glass window in Al’s Drive-in.”
While this probably won’t endear Hanks to fans of The Fonz, it did get the attention of some at Disney — the former happy time romantic comedy that stars ron howard splash This will be the first movie released by Disney’s new label, Touchstone Pictures, and they need a leading man to fall in love with Daryl Hannah’s mermaid disguise.
“Ron Howard has left the show, he’s directing, and they wrote a movie called splash,Hanks explained. “And at Disney, no one wants to work for Disney, and no one wants to take the job.” In the end they said, ‘Hey, the guy who kicked Fonzie through the plate glass window was probably a good guy. ’ So I ended up auditioning. “
The rest is history. Co-starring John Candy and Eugene Levy, splash It was well received by audiences and critics alike, earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay and establishing Hanks as a bona fide movie star.
Although Winkler and Hanks have yet to rematch.
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