Today he’s known as a major movie star, but Tom Hanks got his start in a 1980s sitcom that launched his career. “Bosom Buddies” introduced the actor to a mass audience, but “Happy Days” arguably played almost as big a role in propelling him to true stardom. Hanks, who essentially became the regular Daniel Day-Lewis, starred in the fifth episode of the show’s 10th season, “A Little Case of Revenge,” where he became infamous for playing a character who became the first person to punch the great Arthur Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler). This guest spot also brought Hanks to the attention of two people who would give him his big screen breakthrough two years later.
By season 10, “Happy Days” was at a strange point in its evolution. Original star Ron Howard – who played Richie Cunningham for seven seasons – was long gone, leaving Winkler’s Fonzie and several new cast additions to lead the series. This transition wasn’t entirely smooth, even though the series ran for four full seasons after Howard’s departure. “A Little Case of Revenge” aired in November 1982 during the show’s penultimate season, and fairly soon after, “Bosom Buddies” ended its run in March of that year.
The episode saw Hanks portray Dr. Dwayne Twitchell, a psychiatrist who was pushed by Fonzie at the age of eight and never recovered. In “A Little Case of Revenge”, Twitchell returns to get revenge on Fonzie, and although he never really got what he came for, he became the first character to punch Winkler’s greaser, thus cementing himself as one of the most memorable guest characters in the show’s history (and Hanks as one of the most memorable guest stars).
Tom Hanks was the first man to punch Fonzie
In “A Little Case of Revenge”, things come to a head inside Arnold’s Drive-in when Dr. Dwayne Twitchell, dressed in full karate gear, attacks an aloof Fonzie and destroys much of the restaurant’s interior in the process. All of this is watched by a horrified Arnold, played by Pat Morita (who debuted as Mr. Miyagi in “The Karate Kid” the same year Hanks donned his own gi for “Happy Days,” despite the fact that studio executives initially didn’t want Morita for the film). After Fonzie gives Twitchell a chance, the doctor kicks him through a window in a moment that elicited an audible gasp from the studio audience as they expressed the collective shock of viewers across the country.
It may seem silly decades later, but the fact that Fonz took a hit was a big deal to kids who grew up idolizing the character as the untouchable epitome of cool. No one had ever punched Fonzie before, and Hanks doing it in slow motion was truly a remarkable moment for the series and its fans. Of course, the show’s writers weren’t about to let the character go down that easily, and Fonzie soon returns to the restaurant where he appears to be preparing for retaliation, only to tell Twitchell, “You stood up to the Fonz. I like that.”
Hanks’ obvious commitment to the role made for a memorable performance which, coupled with his character getting his hands on Fonzie, made the episode unforgettable. But it also could have given Hanks a film career.
Kicking Fonzie through a window launched Tom Hanks’ film career
In the early 1980s, Disney launched its new distribution label aimed at releasing films aimed at a more mature audience: Touchstone Pictures. The first film on this label was “Splash”, a fantasy romantic comedy starring Daryl Hannah as a mermaid who arrives and falls in love with New Yorker Allen Bauer, played by Tom Hanks. The director? Richie Cunningham himself, Ron Howard.
As such, you might think that the former “Happy Days” star witnessed Hanks’ performance and was convinced to cast him in her mermaid movie. Well, that’s not exactly how it happened. “Splash” co-writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel had previously worked as writers on “Happy Days” and it was these two who remembered the actor from their time on the series.
As Hanks told Jess Cagle in 2023: “The guys who were the head writers of ‘Happy Days’ at the time, Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel. […] said, “Hey, that guy who kicked Fonzie through a window might be good.” And so I ended up auditioning for “Splash.” According to the actor, “no one wanted to work for Disney” at the time, which in part prompted Ganz and Mandel to contact him at such an early stage in his career. Once the duo recommended Hanks to Howard’s assistant, the budding star auditioned almost immediately and landed the role. would have happened if he hadn’t thrown Fonzie out a window.
