Happy Days wrote an entire episode around the weirdest Guinness World Record holder
Fonzie's cousin was a non-actor who also appeared on the Tonight Show for his unique abilities.
You didn't have to be a comedian or celebrity to get on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. The legendary late-night host welcomed all kinds of goofy talents. On February 20, 1976, a teenager from the Bronx hopped onto his very first airplane voyage and crossed the country to Los Angeles. The Tonight Show had booked Charles Galioto for a very specific skill. This 16-year-old was the best in the world at catching coins off his elbow.
Allow us to explain. Rest the back of your hand atop your shoulder. Lift your elbow to the level of your face, turning your forearm into a level platform. Stack some quarters by your elbow. Now, in one quick motion, fling your hand forward and try to catch the quarters before they drop to the ground. This is coin snatching. And Charlie Galioto held the Guinness World Record for catching the most coins off his elevated elbow.
The Math honor student got a week off school, flew to Hollywood, put on his favorite bellbottom jeans and patchwork flannel shirt, and went on The Tonight Show to demonstrate his unique abilities to Johnny Carson.
Johnny asked the kid if he had any aspirations to be in showbiz. "I've been in a couple plays," the Bronx boy said.
It turns out, this bizarre trick landed Galioto a rather rarified role — he became an official Fonzarelli.
A year later, at the start of 1977, Galioto appeared in an episode of Happy Days as Fonzie's cousin, Angie. The Fonz seemingly always had cousins popping in and looking for advice. The diminutive Spike was the first we saw early in the series, dating Joanie Cunningham. Of course, Chachi is the best known, also for partnering up with Joanie.
Cousin Angie was a one-off, however. He appeared in just this single episode, "The Book of Records," which was obviously written around Galioto's coin-snatching skills. Yes, they wrote an entire episode around coin-catching. The Seventies were a quirky time.
In this tale, the Magilla Book of Records comes to Al's Drive-In for a publicity event and talent contest. Fonzie's cousin, Angie, sadly has confidence issues. But the coolest cat in town give his younger cuz a crash course in Fonzarelli confidence and… well, you can probably guess what happens with Angie and his coins.
Galioto never acted on television again. There just is not a lot of use for a guy who can snatch change from his elbow.
45 Comments
Of course, that talent ends up, rather predictably, saving Jack's life in the third act. Too bad that "Happy Days" couldn't follow in those memorable (in a shallow pop culture way, at least) foosteps and make Cousin Angie's -- and Galioto's -- one and only (and otherwise unmarketable) skill pay off to the extent that somebody like me would be writing about it fifty-four years later...
I totally remember that episode and my friends and I practicing and doing it. I am fifty-something and I just did, like it was yesterday. Now I am going to teach my Son.
BTW, apparently the world-record is now well over THREE hundred!
Last Appearance of BAG Zombroski Neil J Schwartz.
Bag is the guy who played practical jokes on Richie Potsie and Ralph
Bag also played the drums in Richie's band and he was a member of the
Demons.
Had a great girlfriend named
Kitty played by Audrey Landers
And another girlfriend named
Olivia (Amy Irving ) who dumped
Ralph so Ralph told RICHIE Cunningham Ron Howard
That he was going to join the
Marines . Both Kitty and Olivia
Appeared In separate one
Episode only appearances.
It looks like Kitty and Olivia
Dissapeared to the SITCOM ZONE .The Sitcom ZONE is where TV characters vanish to
When they dissapear from their
SITCOMS with no explanation.
Characters like Angela Brown
From My Favorite Martian
CPL BOYLE AND CPL Cuccinelli
And Sgt Whipple from Gomer
Pyle USMC CHESTER Anderson
Tooey Brown Larry Mondello
And Judy Hensler from Leave
It to Beaver Ed Sawyer and
Lucy Mathews from The Andy
Griffith Show Newt Kiley and
Roy Trendell from GREEN ACRES
Eugene Barkley from The Big Valley Junior Hocker from Petticoat Junction and Ginger
From The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet were already in the
Sitcom ZONE when Olivia and
Kitty arrived there .
Replaced Judy Hensler (Jeri Weil) on Leave It to Beaver in
1960 after Judy Hensler vanished with no explanation .
Penny Woods dissapeared from
Leave it to Beaver in 1962 and
No one replaced Penny.
I hope that METV will decide to
Write ARTICLES on actresses
Jeri Weil (Judy) and Karen Sue
Trent .
Favorite characters on Happy Days .Bag and Ralph were both
Great practical Jokers on Happy Days Also a program note about
Happy Days and Green Acres:
The Book of Records episode of
Happy Days will be on METV
On Wednesday March 24th
Happy Days will be on METV on
Wednesday March 24th at 6:30 pm with the Last Appearance
Of BAG . In The Book
BAG ZOMBROSKI did the diffecult record of hand standing ....... ......... ... Book of Records Episode
THE LAST APPEARANCES OF
NEWT KILEY. On Green Acres
Will be on METV on Thursday
March 25th at 9:30pm
The last appearance of BAG will
Be on the Book of Records episode of Happy Days on
Wednesday March 24th at 6:30pm
Lou Ann Poovie Elizabeth MacRae will be on METV on
Tuesday March 23rd at 9pm
The title of this episode is
Love's Old Sweet Song and
This the episode where Lou
Ann Poovie is singing the song
That Old Black Magic at the
Congo Club and Lou Ann Poovie
Meets Gomer Pyle (Jim Nabors)
Private Duke Slater Ronnie Schell CPL Boyle Roy Stuart and
Sgt Carter Frank Sutton for the
First time.
The name of the episode of
Green Acres which has the
Last Appearance of Newt Kiley
(Kay Kuter) on Thursday March 25th At 9:30pm on METV is
Called The Case of the Hooterville Refund Fraud.
This is the episode where Newt
Kiley and the other farmers in
Hooterville write letters to the
Government asking for an
Income tax refund.
PEGGY MacMillan on 4 episodes
Only on The Andy Griffith Show.
3 of Peggy's episodes will be on
MeTV this week from 8pm-9pm
And episode 4 of Peggy McMillan
Joanna Moore will be on METV
Next week
Some of my favorite characters
The Andy Griffith Show are
Goober Pyle
Gomer Pyle
Ernest T Bass
Andy Taylor
Barney Fife
Ed Sawyer
Lucy Mathews
On it, he says "Grew up in The Bronx and I'm currently living in Hartsdale"
TRICK that ANGIE FONZARELLI
Charles Galioto did.
I wonder how many persons out
There can walk on their hands
Like BAG ZOMBROSKI Neil J Schwartz did on Happy Days.
Where TV viewers can ask TV
Questions about their favorite
TV Characters and old TV shows.
There are excellent columns
About BAG ZOMBROSKI Neil J Schwartz on Happy Days and
Wally Plumstead Skip Young
On The Adventures of OZZIE and HARRIET in recent columns
Of TV Banter.
Just ask GOOGLE to pull up
TV BANTER with Joanne Madden .
That's All Folks!!?!!?!!!!
EUGENE BELVIN Episodes
1 Live and Learn
2 Hello Roger
3 And the Winner is
4 Welcome to my Nightmare
6 Mother and Child Reunion
7 Home Movies
8 Baby It's Cold Outside
9 Hello Tough Guy
10 Tell Tell Tart
Melvin Belvin Episodes
1Fonzie the Substitute
2Baby It's Cold Outside
3 A Touch of Classical
4 Such A Nice Girl
5 Letting Go
6 Empty Nest
7 I Drink Therefore I Am
Moose Episodes
1 Guess Who's Coming to Visit
2 Hardware Jungle.
3 Because She's There
BAG ZOMBROSKI Episodes
1 The Deadly Dares
2 Give The Band A Hand
3 Open House
4 Not With My Sister You Don't
5 HAUNTED
6 Fonzie Joins the Band
7Cruising
Fonzie's New Friend and
9 The Book if Records
Gavan O Herlihy played Chuck Cunningham in 6 Episodes and
Randolph Roberts played Chuck Cunningham in 2 Episodes
Danny Butch played SPIKE in
Four Episodes
Hillary Horan played Daphne
The 3rd person to play the
Drums in Richie's band
Ted McGinley played Roger
Phillips on Happy Days
Harris Kal played Bobby for 19
Beatrice Colen played Marsha
Simms in 22 episodes
BRUISER (Paul Linke) and
Rebel (Reb Brown) are the two
Guys that Ralph was scared of
Episodes and Beatrice Colen
Danny Butch Played SPIKE