The Time Tom Hanks Fought Fonzie

There’s barely an entry on Tom Hanks’ IMDb page before you get to his 1982 appearance on Happy Days as a guy brave enough to challenge the Fonz to a fight. Little did Hanks know that the episode would foreshadow real-life animosity.

First, Happy Days: The sitcom, now in its 10th season, was getting long in the tooth. What better way to ignite viewer interest than to invite Hanks, a budding star from fellow ABC sitcom Bosom Buddies, to appear as a childhood rival of Arthur Fonzarelli? Hanks played Dwayne Twitchell, shoved off the swing set by Fonzie in the third grade, and sworn to revenge ever since. 

Like Bruce Wayne training to become Batman, Twitchell spent years studying martial arts so that one day he could kick the Fonz’s ass.

Despite the Fonz’s artful dodging, the episode, “A Little Case of Revenge,” is notable in that it’s the first time in Happy Days history that another character actually strikes former gang member Fonzie. Twitchell’s slo-mo kick to the face — okay, shoulders — sends the Fonz hurtling through a plate-glass window. I’ll spoil the end for you: Fonzie survives the fall and shows mercy on Twitchell. The two men shake hands and agree to let bygones be bygones.

Hanks’ Happy Days appearance made an impression on sitcom writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, who recommended the actor to Richie Cunningham, er, Ron Howard, for the lead role in Splash. That part made Hanks a movie star.

Fast forward to 1989, when Winkler was hired to direct Turner & Hooch, the cop/dog buddy movie starring Tom Hanks and a slobbering pooch. While Winkler was the bigger star in 1982, the decade saw their fortunes reverse. Hanks was the big shot now. 

In preparation for filming, Hanks and Winkler were location scouting in Carmel, Winkler said last year on the How to Fail podcast. “A woman comes, honest to God, running out of a shop and says, ‘Henry, Fonz! Oh, my god!’” 

Winkler greeted the woman, adding, “And, of course, you know Tom Hanks.”

Was Hanks miffed that the woman treated Winkler like the bigger star? Sounds unlikely, but Winkler was fired from the directing job just 12 days into filming. Winkler’s director of photography told him, “I knew that this was going to happen, on that day in Carmel.” 

Personality definitely played a part. As Winkler told People in 1993: “Let’s just say I got along better with Hooch than I did with Turner.”

While Hanks has never spoken publicly about the feud, both he and Winkler privately aired their grievances to mutual friend Howard. “It was just one of those unfortunate things where they really had a working style that did not fit,” he diplomatically told The Guardian in 2020. “I know it was painful for both of them, and I was able to lend an ear, if not offer any solutions.”

Now it’s 2025, and there’s still no resolution in sight. The only way to work this out? A showdown at Arnold’s, Friday night, judo outfit optional. Last one through the plate-glass window wins.