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Winkler back in town for World of Wheels For the second time in less than six months, actor Henry Winkler will visit Chattanooga in what is becoming a relatively common, if not curious occurrence. Winkler is best known to a generation of fans as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli on “Happy Days,” a G-rated hybrid of Marlon Brando and James Dean who became synonymous with the response, “Ayyyy,” and who then quite literally jumped the shark, giving birth to the term used to describe that moment when something that was once great has reached a point of decline. More recently, Winkler, 67, has starred in the popular TV series “Royal Pains” and “Hero Factory,” as well as smaller roles in a string of TV shows since his “Happy Days” heyday (and don’t forget Night Shift, the cult comedy also starring a young Michael Keaton). So, he’s not exactly out of work or struggling for cash. So why spend the weekend signing stills and endlessly posing (thumbs up!) with aging fans? We requested an interview with Winkler to find out, but alas the holidays intervened and nothing transpired. Nevertheless, Winkler will return to town over the weekend for the annual World of Wheels custom car show to do just that. He was last spotted in Chattanooga in September, appearing at a benefit for the Mountain Education Fund (at which time he Tweeted, “You want friendly??? Go to Chattanooga!!!”) Prior to that appearance, the actor was the featured speaker at Memorial Health Care System’s 2006 Family Expo in 2006. Investigating this (obscure, some would say obsessive or idiotic) phenomenon, we dug deeper. (Ayyyy—we’re The Pulse, what do you expect? The Pentagon Papers? Watergate?) Without the benefit of an interview, the best reason we can point to is Winkler’s ties to the Children’s Action Network, which raises awareness of and provides for children’s needs. Winkler and his wife, Stacy, are founding members of the organization and seek out projects that create quality entertainment for children. Makes sense. This would explain his trips here as the star power behind the MEF fundraiser and Memorial Hospital’s Family Expo, but not
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the obvious money-grab that is the autograph booth at World of Wheels where, incidentally, one can also personally encounter Danielle Colby-Cushman from “American Pickers.” Neither Pinky nor Leather Tuscadero, she is nonetheless nothing to sneeze at. We’d not waste the time or energy on such “Happy Days” alums as Anson “Potsie” Williams or Donny “Ralph Malph” Most—or even Erin “Joannie” Moran, who most certainly could use the cash—were they to appear. After all, most of the show’s cast—excluding Winkler and star Ron Howard—recently sued seeking royalties for merchandise sold by CBS bearing their likenesses, including comic books, DVDs, T-shirts, scrapbooks, trading cards, lunch boxes, and other trinkets manufactured in China. The case was settled out of court last summer. Winkler is another story.
4 • The Pulse • JANUARY 10-16, 2013 • chattanoogapulse.com
Its no secret that former stars often pimp themselves out at conventions. That long list—which might begin with the original cast of “Star Trek”—is littered with many ex-notables who find themselves in need of an audience and money. We once encountered a depressed and overweight Val Kilmer signing 8x10 glossies of his former self in a booth at ComicCon in San Diego next to former “Buck Rogers in the 21st Century” star Erin Gray. (Gray, now 62, was, incidentally, a delight—and still a babe). As with Kilmer, it saddens us somewhat to see him at this level. But he does meet convention-celebrity appearance criteria, so why not duck into a quiet,mid-size Southern city for a quick pile of cash on an otherwise uneventful weekend. There are worse gigs. Welcome back, Henry. And forgive us if we almost said “Kotter.”
stage
One-man show pays tribute to Leopold
On Friday, Jan. 11, Chattanooga storyteller Jim Pfitzer will present his oneman play “Aldo Leopold—A Standard of Change,” followed by a celebration of the conservation pioneer’s 126th birthday, complete with live music, cake and a Leopold-themed raffle. Both the play and the celebration will be at Barking Legs Theater, located at 1307 Dodds Ave. Since Pftizer’s play premiered last April in Chattanooga, he has performed it at Bonnaroo, the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Wisconsin and at venues in West Virginia, Minnesota and North Carolina. Now according to Pfitzer, the pace of engagements is increasing dramatically as word of the play spreads. After the Jan. 11 celebration, he hits the road for eight shows in January and February in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Tennessee and Wisconsin. The play was praised by Buddy Huffaker, executive director of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, who said, “‘A Standard of Change’ brings Leopold’s life and vision of a land ethic into the present and looks to the future for audiences both new to Leopold and those that have long looked to him and A Sand County Almanac for guidance and inspiration.” Leopold lived from 1887 to 1948. As a scientist and forester, he was responsible for creating and implementing environmental policies that he later came to believe were misguided and harmful. Eventually, his ideas and advocacy played an influential role in the modern movement for wilderness conservation and wildlife management and in the development of what he called a “land ethic” that recog-