Henry Winkler has had one hell of a career. I know him best for his work with Adam Sandler, particularly The Waterboy. That probably goes to show my age really. But he's a staple in film and television, everywhere from Scream to Barry to developing MacGyver. However, his biggest and arguably most noteworthy role is still as Fonzie on Happy Days. It's what really put Winkler on the map and significantly increased his visibility. Consequently, he started reaping the rewards with tons of celebrity interactions.
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One in particular sees Henry with iconic singer/songwriter Neil Diamond of "Sweet Caroline" fame. Recently, the comedic actor spoke with Jimmy Kimmel on his late night show, where he reflected on the peaks of his Happy Days fame. One time, it even allowed Winkler to hop on stage with Diamond for a performance of "Song Sung Blue" in 1977.
Henry Winkler Recalls Singing With Neil Diamond as The Fonz
"[It was a] hot August night," Winkler recalls. "Happy Days is as big as it possibly gets. I'm wearing a kind of a nice cable sweater you know and I'm sitting in the audience with my wife, Stacey, and all of a sudden, he calls me up."
However, this isn't exactly as smooth as it could be for Henry. He's vocally expressed how bad he battles dyslexia. Consequently, reading the screen with the lyrics in live time would be an absolute disaster. Moreover, he doesn't have any of them memorized either. Anyone could bust out their rendition of "Sweet Caroline." This was a different ballpark entirely. But of course, Winkler wings it and it goes off without a hunch.
Now, I am so dyslexic I do not know the words to any song except for 'God Bless America,' " Henry admits as Kimmel and the audience laughs. "And so, he calls me up and he said, 'Let's sing 'Song Sung Blue' as the Fonz.'"
