Fonzi's clothing transition - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Corleone23 · 07-27-2004, 12:16 AM

Has anyone else noticed how the Fonz's cloths change from early in the show to the later years?

Originally, he had a darker leatheer jacket, a white t-shirt, darker straight-ended jeans, and black boots.

Later, he wore a lighter leather jacket, a black t-shirt, lighter bell-bottomed jeans, and pointier boots.

I far prefer the earlier Fonz. That was the real 50's style, and I think the styles of the show got too 70's/80's in the later years.

wayne · 07-27-2004, 03:40 AM

He wore a windbreaker jacket during the 1st season instead of a leather one because Garry Marshall was doing a film somewhere, but when he came back, the leather was there to stay. Some people say its blue, but it looks grey to me, anyway it looks ugly!

ponytail · 07-27-2004, 06:50 AM

I think he wore the black t-shirt because he had gained weight. I didn't care for the bell-bottomed jeans. I perferred the earlier Fonz, black leathered jacket, dark blue jeans and white t-shirt.

Bea · 07-27-2004, 07:53 AM

The Fonz has a great sense of fashion if you ask me.

TheGreatPretender · 07-27-2004, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ponytail
I didn't care for the bell-bottomed jeans.

ew neither did I. i didn't like how the leather jacket was suddenly brown too.

Orville Kruger · 07-27-2004, 08:31 PM

He wore the windbreaker because the network didn't want a guy in a leather jacket.

They told Garry Marshall that he could only wear the leather jacket when he was with his motorcycle. So started staging a lot of Fonzie's scenes with him leaning against his bike.

Classic TV link

Corleone23 · 07-29-2004, 02:24 AM

Yeah we know about the windbreaker jacket...

but I meant more the change from early leather jacket to later epsiodes...

Orville Kruger · 07-30-2004, 07:06 PM

I think Fonzie eventually switched to the black t-shirt because, being close to 40, he was getting a bit of a spare tire.

And of course everyone's hair got longer. The actors were living in the 70's and weren't committed enough to cut their hair to the period they were trying to portray.

Hey Corleone, here's a Godfather link you might be interested in. Enjoy.

hawaii five-o · 08-01-2004, 03:58 PM

Fonzie's original leather jacket was donated to the Smithsonian. That's why his jacket changed from black to brown.

Artfiore1 · 08-01-2004, 11:05 PM

Hi all,
This is something I have been wondering for quite some time, and would like to know if any of you folks know. Just exactly how many different Fonzie leather jackets there were?

There was, of course, the classic dark brown, grainy leather, collar-turned-up Fonzie leather jacket, which was seen in the first two or three seasons of Happy Days . . . after the producers decided that leather didn't mean "crime" and ditched the cotton jacket. Then some time in or around 1977 -- around the time of Spunky runnng away -- Fonz went to a jacket which was noticeably larger. (I've always assumed that the "Fonziemania" of 1975 & '76 had led to Henry Winkler eating better and outgrowing the original jacket. Plus, he was getting older.) In either case, he could no longer wear a jacket which fit Joanie perfectly. That second Fonzie jacket had a lighter (sort of tan) trim around the waist and cuffs. It also appeared to be a slightly lighter shade of brown, and looked like it had a smoother texture to it. He went on wearing that same one, or one like it, except it had *dark brown* trim around the waist and cuffs, instead of that tan trim. This darker trim was also MUCH thicker than the other(s). This makes me wonder -- was this still the same second jacket just with different trim on it or was it a whole new jacket? We're, at this point, talking about two, possibly three, different leather jackets.

Then came the period during which the Fonz wore the jacket with the collar flat down and zippered up higher in the front, over a *black* T-shirt instead of a white one. (Did someone think a black T-shirt would make him look thinner?) To me, it made the jacket appear an even *lighter* shade of brown . . . . or was *that* another jacket, which actually *was* a lighter brown? Now, we're up to three, possibly four leather jackets.

Eventually near the end of the series, he went back to the collar-turned-up, jacket zippered lower, white T-shirt look. This jacket seemed darker, just like the one he wore in the early years of the show. But, it also appeared to have that smoother texture to it, AND it had the darker, thicker trim. So, my next question is -- was this jacket he wore at the end of the series the same one he'd been wearing since '77, just looking darker because he'd gone back to a white T-shirt, or in actuality was it about the fifth or sixth different jacket?

Does anyone know for sure?

How many jackets were there? And, when they say the Fonz's leather jacket is in the Smithsonian Institution, which one is there? Somebody here (hawaii five-o) mentioned that the original jacket being donated to the Smithsonian was the reason he changed jackets on the show. But actually, I'm pretty sure that the first, possibly the only, jacket change on the show had occurred something like 5 years prior to the Smithsonian induction.

Just curious.

Later,
Art

TJ · 08-24-2004, 01:56 AM

From what I've heard, there were atleast 3 of the classic leather jackets. The first one got stolen. Then there was another one that was used and is in the Smithsonian I believe and there was one that was specially made with lining for the Jump The Shark episode.

Scott Baio mentions the leather jackets in this article also:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...threadid=98187

Artfiore1 · 08-24-2004, 10:44 AM

TJ,
Thanks for the info and the link. Interesting to see Scott making reference to some of the same things I did in my earlier reply -- just in different words.

It appears that what I called a "second jacket" with "a lighter (sort of tan) trim around the waist and cuffs, which "appeared to be a slightly lighter shade of brown, and looked like it had a smoother texture to it", to Scott, was "another leather jacket, which is more realistic."

I also made reference to a jacket Fonz wore "with the collar flat down and zippered up higher in the front, over a *black* T-shirt instead of a white one", which appeared to be "an even *lighter* shade of brown." I guess this is what Scott means when he says "third jacket which was, in my opinion, a little wimpy."

And, what I called "dark brown trim around the waist and cuffs, (instead of that tan trim) which was also "MUCH thicker than the other(s)," Scott referred to as "elastic armbands" on a jacket which "wasn't black, it was brown."

We still don't *really* know for sure. There were at least three -- that's for sure. There may have only been three. There may have been five. There may have even been six.

Later,
Art

TVFactFan · 08-24-2004, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Corleone23
Has anyone else noticed how the Fonz's cloths change from early in the show to the later years?

Originally, he had a darker leatheer jacket, a white t-shirt, darker straight-ended jeans, and black boots.

Later, he wore a lighter leather jacket, a black t-shirt, lighter bell-bottomed jeans, and pointier boots.

I far prefer the earlier Fonz. That was the real 50's style, and I think the styles of the show got too 70's/80's in the later years.

Fonz worst outfit was

Brown Leather Jacket
Vanilla Jeans
Black T-Shirt

What a mess

Artfiore1 · 08-24-2004, 07:42 PM

Corleone23,
The late 1950s can only last so long, As the Fonz and the Cunninghams moved into the 1960s, and the cast and crew, in real life, moved through the disco era and into the 1980s, changes had to occur. I'd imagine it's awfully difficult to produce a TV show the setting of which began some time around 1957 and then ended 11 years later in the mid '60s. Fonz ditched the "wet look" when most of the country did, but he never gave up the D.A. He also started wearing the kinds of pants an aging greaser might in the '60s, rather than what a Mr. Cool of the '50s would.

To me, however, the thing that made the least amount of sense throughout the series -- was Chachi's hair.

Later,
Art

Corleone23 · 09-19-2004, 07:21 PM

Yeah, they should have kept the 50's clothes. The 50's were so much better than the 60's.

07-27-2004, 12:16 AM	#1
Corleone23 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 20, 2004 Posts: 22	Fonzi's clothing transition Has anyone else noticed how the Fonz's cloths change from early in the show to the later years? Originally, he had a darker leatheer jacket, a white t-shirt, darker straight-ended jeans, and black boots. Later, he wore a lighter leather jacket, a black t-shirt, lighter bell-bottomed jeans, and pointier boots. I far prefer the earlier Fonz. That was the real 50's style, and I think the styles of the show got too 70's/80's in the later years.

07-27-2004, 03:40 AM	#2
wayne Member Senior Member Join Date: Sep 03, 2000 Location: portland Oregon, Inspiration Point Posts: 1,047	He wore a windbreaker jacket during the 1st season instead of a leather one because Garry Marshall was doing a film somewhere, but when he came back, the leather was there to stay. Some people say its blue, but it looks grey to me, anyway it looks ugly!
	__________________ wayne's world

07-27-2004, 07:53 AM	#4
Bea Member Forum Regular Join Date: Dec 19, 2003 Location: On Fonzie's bike outside Arnold's Posts: 795	Fonzie's clothing translation The Fonz has a great sense of fashion if you ask me.
	__________________ "D'OH!"- Homer Simpson

07-29-2004, 02:24 AM	#7
Corleone23 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 20, 2004 Posts: 22	re Yeah we know about the windbreaker jacket... but I meant more the change from early leather jacket to later epsiodes...

07-27-2004, 06:50 AM	#3
ponytail Member Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Mar 20, 2004 Location: In Happy, Healthy, Wealthyville Posts: 4,272	I think he wore the black t-shirt because he had gained weight. I didn't care for the bell-bottomed jeans. I perferred the earlier Fonz, black leathered jacket, dark blue jeans and white t-shirt.

07-27-2004, 08:31 PM	#6
Orville Kruger Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 16, 2004 Posts: 151	He wore the windbreaker because the network didn't want a guy in a leather jacket. They told Garry Marshall that he could only wear the leather jacket when he was with his motorcycle. So started staging a lot of Fonzie's scenes with him leaning against his bike. Classic TV link

07-30-2004, 07:06 PM	#8
Orville Kruger Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 16, 2004 Posts: 151	I think Fonzie eventually switched to the black t-shirt because, being close to 40, he was getting a bit of a spare tire. And of course everyone's hair got longer. The actors were living in the 70's and weren't committed enough to cut their hair to the period they were trying to portray. Hey Corleone, here's a Godfather link you might be interested in. Enjoy.

08-01-2004, 03:58 PM	#9
hawaii five-o Book 'Em, Dano Senior Member Join Date: Jun 27, 2003 Location: At home, eating cereal straight out of the box Posts: 1,406	Fonzie's original leather jacket was donated to the Smithsonian. That's why his jacket changed from black to brown.

08-01-2004, 11:05 PM	#10
Artfiore1 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 28, 2001 Location: East Brunswick, NJ, USA Posts: 457	Hi all, This is something I have been wondering for quite some time, and would like to know if any of you folks know. Just exactly how many different Fonzie leather jackets there were? There was, of course, the classic dark brown, grainy leather, collar-turned-up Fonzie leather jacket, which was seen in the first two or three seasons of Happy Days . . . after the producers decided that leather didn't mean "crime" and ditched the cotton jacket. Then some time in or around 1977 -- around the time of Spunky runnng away -- Fonz went to a jacket which was noticeably larger. (I've always assumed that the "Fonziemania" of 1975 & '76 had led to Henry Winkler eating better and outgrowing the original jacket. Plus, he was getting older.) In either case, he could no longer wear a jacket which fit Joanie perfectly. That second Fonzie jacket had a lighter (sort of tan) trim around the waist and cuffs. It also appeared to be a slightly lighter shade of brown, and looked like it had a smoother texture to it. He went on wearing that same one, or one like it, except it had dark brown trim around the waist and cuffs, instead of that tan trim. This darker trim was also MUCH thicker than the other(s). This makes me wonder -- was this still the same second jacket just with different trim on it or was it a whole new jacket? We're, at this point, talking about two, possibly three, different leather jackets. Then came the period during which the Fonz wore the jacket with the collar flat down and zippered up higher in the front, over a black T-shirt instead of a white one. (Did someone think a black T-shirt would make him look thinner?) To me, it made the jacket appear an even lighter shade of brown . . . . or was that another jacket, which actually was a lighter brown? Now, we're up to three, possibly four leather jackets. Eventually near the end of the series, he went back to the collar-turned-up, jacket zippered lower, white T-shirt look. This jacket seemed darker, just like the one he wore in the early years of the show. But, it also appeared to have that smoother texture to it, AND it had the darker, thicker trim. So, my next question is -- was this jacket he wore at the end of the series the same one he'd been wearing since '77, just looking darker because he'd gone back to a white T-shirt, or in actuality was it about the fifth or sixth different jacket? Does anyone know for sure? How many jackets were there? And, when they say the Fonz's leather jacket is in the Smithsonian Institution, which one is there? Somebody here (hawaii five-o) mentioned that the original jacket being donated to the Smithsonian was the reason he changed jackets on the show. But actually, I'm pretty sure that the first, possibly the only, jacket change on the show had occurred something like 5 years prior to the Smithsonian induction. Just curious. Later, Art

08-24-2004, 01:56 AM	#11
TJ Site Owner Administrator Forum Star Join Date: Feb 03, 2000 Location: Marietta, GA Posts: 10,648	From what I've heard, there were atleast 3 of the classic leather jackets. The first one got stolen. Then there was another one that was used and is in the Smithsonian I believe and there was one that was specially made with lining for the Jump The Shark episode. Scott Baio mentions the leather jackets in this article also: http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/...threadid=98187

08-24-2004, 10:44 AM	#12
Artfiore1 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 28, 2001 Location: East Brunswick, NJ, USA Posts: 457	TJ, Thanks for the info and the link. Interesting to see Scott making reference to some of the same things I did in my earlier reply -- just in different words. It appears that what I called a "second jacket" with "a lighter (sort of tan) trim around the waist and cuffs, which "appeared to be a slightly lighter shade of brown, and looked like it had a smoother texture to it", to Scott, was "another leather jacket, which is more realistic." I also made reference to a jacket Fonz wore "with the collar flat down and zippered up higher in the front, over a black T-shirt instead of a white one", which appeared to be "an even lighter shade of brown." I guess this is what Scott means when he says "third jacket which was, in my opinion, a little wimpy." And, what I called "dark brown trim around the waist and cuffs, (instead of that tan trim) which was also "MUCH thicker than the other(s)," Scott referred to as "elastic armbands" on a jacket which "wasn't black, it was brown." We still don't really know for sure. There were at least three -- that's for sure. There may have only been three. There may have been five. There may have even been six. Later, Art

08-24-2004, 07:42 PM	#14
Artfiore1 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Mar 28, 2001 Location: East Brunswick, NJ, USA Posts: 457	Corleone23, The late 1950s can only last so long, As the Fonz and the Cunninghams moved into the 1960s, and the cast and crew, in real life, moved through the disco era and into the 1980s, changes had to occur. I'd imagine it's awfully difficult to produce a TV show the setting of which began some time around 1957 and then ended 11 years later in the mid '60s. Fonz ditched the "wet look" when most of the country did, but he never gave up the D.A. He also started wearing the kinds of pants an aging greaser might in the '60s, rather than what a Mr. Cool of the '50s would. To me, however, the thing that made the least amount of sense throughout the series -- was Chachi's hair. Later, Art

09-19-2004, 07:21 PM	#15
Corleone23 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Jul 20, 2004 Posts: 22	Yeah, they should have kept the 50's clothes. The 50's were so much better than the 60's.