Ron Howard Hid Something Major During Happy Days Filming — And Henry Winkler Just Spilled It All

Henry Winkler is pulling back the curtain on one of television’s most beloved sitcoms — and the story behind Happy Days’ rise to the top is far more turbulent than most fans ever realized.

The 80-year-old actor, best known for playing Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli on the classic ABC series, appeared on the June 17 episode of the podcast Where Everybody Knows Your Name, hosted by Ted Danson. During the conversation, Winkler opened up about the show’s rocky early days, the production change that transformed its fortunes, and just how hard that shift hit his co-star and lifelong friend and American Graffiti star Ron Howard.

According to Winkler, when Happy Days first premiered in 1974, the show was genuinely struggling in the ratings. The cast was sent out on promotional tours in an effort to build momentum, including a memorable appearance at a Neiman Marcus in Dallas that drew an overwhelming crowd of roughly 25,000 people. The scene outside the store became so chaotic that co-star Don Most, who played Ralph Malph, feared for their safety. Winkler recalled stepping into character on the spot, channeling Fonzie’s voice to calm the crowd and carve a path to their waiting car.

Despite the enthusiastic public response, the show continued to underperform on air. The turning point came when Happy Days creator Garry Marshall made the decision to switch the production format to a three-camera setup with a live studio audience, a change that took effect in the fall of 1975.

For Winkler, who had built his career on the stage, the transition was seamless. For Howard, however, it was a completely different story. Unlike Winkler, Howard had no prior experience performing in front of a live audience. His early career had been shaped by his years on The Andy Griffith Show as a child, a single-camera production with no audience present.

Speaking to Danson, Winkler revealed that Howard was “almost vomiting” with nerves during the adjustment period — though he was quick to add that audiences watching at home would never have suspected a thing, crediting Howard’s professionalism for masking the anxiety entirely.

The gamble paid off in a major way. Energized by the live audience format, Happy Days climbed steadily in the ratings and ultimately claimed the title of No. 1 show on television during the 1976–1977 season. The series went on to run for 11 seasons, wrapping in 1984.

When Howard made the decision to leave the show in 1980 to pursue directing full-time, Winkler admitted his initial reaction was one of panic. But almost immediately, he said, he recognized that directing had always been Howard’s true calling and offered his full support. Howard has since gone on to direct a celebrated body of work including Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code, with his upcoming project Alone at Dawn, starring Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway, on the horizon.

Winkler, meanwhile, has continued acting and earned an Emmy Award for his performance on the HBO series Barry. The two reunited professionally on Arrested Development, with Howard serving as narrator and Winkler in a recurring role, further cementing a friendship that Winkler told PEOPLE has been one of the defining gifts of his life.