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It turns out that the character of Fonzie was partially based off of Garry Marshall's childhood friends
The character who was just too cool actually has some roots in reality.
The Fonz is far too cool for viewers to believe he's a real person, but that doesn't stop viewers young and old from trying to bump a jukebox to get it to work. But while many of Fonzie's exploits verge into the fantastical, Happy Days creator Garry Marshall revealed that the roots of the character come from his own childhood.
Marshall revealed that as a young man, he played the drums for a teen gang called the Bronx Falcons. From those boys, Arthur Fonzarelli grew.
"I used the name Flip Marscharelli (his immigrant father's name) with the group," Marshall said during an interview with the Detroit Free Press. "It was a bunch of guys trying to be like Fonzie and not making it. That's where the character came from. We were not a nice group of people, though, and after a while, the police helped us break up. We became an athletic club then."
Fonzie was close to Marshall's heart, as he also had an attachment to actor Henry Winkler.
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"Personally, the way I get involved in a new concept and show is by falling in love with a performer," he said. "Happy Days is tailored for Henry. I have to fall in love with the performer first and then want to create something for him."
More than anything else, passion was what fueled Marshall's desire to create in the entertainment industry. "I don't do a show unless the character excites me," he said. "I fell in love with those characters. I still love them. It's just that you have to keep creating them."
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