The Fonz coming to Milwaukee

[jaybird2001wi]

Apparently, City Tourism leaders want to put a bronze statue of Henry Winkler aka the "Fonz" in downtown Milwaukee. I don't know whether to laugh at this suggestion and wonder if Milwaukee will become to butt of Late Night Comedy jokes or be generally excited about this.

 

Comment from jsonline.com:

Give me a break! Shouldn't we be trying to IMPROVE our image?? I'd rather see the money spent on improving our lakefront. We'll never be able to compete with Chicago but we can still try.....

- Jill, Greenfield, WI

Heck, the Rocky statue worked in Philadelphia.

[JoeHova]

This makes me feel uncomfortable. Milwaukee is already seen as pretty lame by the majority of the country, I don't see a statue of character from a crappy sitcom helping us look more sophisticated.

[adamb100]

I wouldnt call Happy Days a crappy sitcom but we dont need a statue of the Fonz, it would be bizzare.

[homer]

Dumb idea. I'd rather they put a statue of someone talented like Spencer Tracy or Al Jarreau before they put one of the Fonz.

[dannyjnoonan]

I'm not sure what I think. I mean, it's not like it's going to be a terribly big and dominating statue. There's a statue of Mary Tyler Moore on Nicolet Mall in Minneapolis. It's basically the same idea. Plus it is an added bonus for tourists coming to see the new Harly museum I suppose. But I think the real question we're all asking is, "why not Ralph Malph?"

[TooLiveBrew]

http://img297.imageshack.us/img297/7569/ptva00003nn.jpg

 

Praise be the Fonz

[berniebrewer4life]

as long as it's in decent taste, why not? I think it would be fun to see it when walking around downtown.

[TheBwaz]

Where can I find the statue of Fr. Groppi?

 

I also note that it seems that the folks who gripe the loudest about what is going on in the city don't pay taxes there, or the county (although, I think the city pays here unless somebody donates). I like the Fonz statue, especually if Henry Winkler is there to dedicate it, he cracks me up.

 

As for the image, eh, we'll live. Read Stigl's article on the goats, Chicago already thinks we sleep with them.

 

If you need me, I'll be packing the livestock hauler full of goats to discharge in Wrigley-placey.

[Mr QL]

Why not? The Fonz is known all around the world.

[hurricanecrush]

Dumb idea. I'd rather they put a statue of someone talented like Spencer Tracy or Al Jarreau before they put one of the Fonz.

Or Liberace. http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/laugh.gif

[SeriesFinale]

I'm not sure what I think. I mean, it's not like it's going to be a terribly big and dominating statue. There's a statue of Mary Tyler Moore on Nicolet Mall in Minneapolis. It's basically the same idea.

 

There's also one of Bob Newhart as Robert Hartley along Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

 

As an outsider, I think the people of Milwaukee are being a little uptight and humorless about this.

[JoeHova]

I caught the bus at Water & Wisconsin (where the statue will apparently be) almost every day for 4 years and not once did I look over at the Bank One building (or Chase building now, I guess) and think, "you know what would really fit in great right there? A statue of a sitcom character!"

 

That's kind of my main problem with it. The statue of Mary Tyler Moore is in front of the building where she threw her hat in the air in the show. The statue of Rocky used to be on the same step he ran up during the movie. What did Fonzie have to do with the Bank One building? If he did have something to do with it, fine, but otherwise if they are going to put up a statue of a sitcom character they should put it near where he supposedly hung out/lived.

 

It just seems like a cheap ploy for attention. The nearby statue of the duck actually belongs there because that is where the duck lived and became a cause celebre. Alternatively, the Polish people of the south side got together and built a statue of Tadeusz Ko?ciuszko near St. Josophat's cathedral because Ko?ciuszko was famously the "Hero of Two Continents"- a national hero in both Poland and the US.

 

Both of those examples sprang up organically and have some connection to the nighborhood they are in. When compared to them, the "Fonz" statue seems tawdry.

 

Overall, it's not really that big of a deal, but I highly doubt anyone that had been planning to go to New York or San Francisco or Chicago or Miami or Toronto or DC will drop those plans and hop the first plane to Milwaukee in order to gawk at a statue of Henry Winkler outside of a bank.

[TooLiveBrew]

http://cbwhiz.com/dump/fonz.png

 

Why ya'll hatin' on me?

 

 

Seriously, I agree 100% with JoeHova. Total ploy for attention, and terrible idea. If this comes up more - to quote JH - organically, then I could see myself being behind it. As it stands, total attention tactic.

[dannyjnoonan]

"Total ploy for attention..."

 

Well, duuuhhh. Isn't that what every statue it? We build statues so people look at them, no? I think it's cool.

[TooLiveBrew]

thanks for the condescention, dannyj. Totally necessary.

 

Statues are meant to honor - to pay tribute - not 'just to look at.' Something 'just to look at' is the poster you put up on your wall. Take a look at this list of Milwaukee statues. Do you really think a statue of some fictional lazy ladies' man belongs in this group? Or would it seem more like Sesame Street's "One of these things is not like the other..." bit?

[dannyjnoonan]

It wasn't meant to be condescending. Although your response clearly was. But I think you're totally wrong. Statues are meant to honor and to inform passers by about who the person was. But they also exist just to be cool. Like the Fonz. Juneau helped put Milwaukee on the map, but so did Fonzie. He's pop culture, but he's still culture. In the grand scheme of things, he did is much good in the world as Robin Yount or Al McGuire. He brought a similar amount of recognition of the city too. The link you provided includes a statue of Alfred Hitchcock. Is he more important to Milwaukee than Henry Winkler? Or does he get a statue just because he's a better director? And who says statues can't be of fictional characters. The link you provided includes a statue of a water nymph, no? I don't believe in water nymphs. The link you provided also mentions some pretty unsavory characters too, albeit important historical characters.

I just think that any criteria you could make up for deciding who deserves a statue, that includes all the people in that article, must include Fonzie too. And Ralph Malph.

[TooLiveBrew]

Juneau helped put Milwaukee on the map, but so did Fonzie.

Wow. I think there needs to be a big distinction between "literally putting a city on maps," and "a goofy character on a TV show happening to be set in Milwaukee." While I agree that deciding who deserves and who doesn't is a slippery slope, I don't think this one is much of a tough call. That's just my opinion, but I think the more common reaction to the statue will be, "They have a statue of him?" - as opposed to , "Wow, it's really cool that they have a statue of the Fonz."

 

What does a water nymph have anything to do with this? A mythical fictional character that has been around in numerous cultures for centuries v. a TV character from a sitcom that ran 11 years? No similarities. The statue is displayed as a piece of art, so if that's the logic in supporting a statue of the Fonz, fine. But that's not what's at issue here, the argument has been that it will be 'good for Milwaukee,' with which I fundamentally disagree. Will those who enjoy(ed) the show love it? Sure. But many others will see it as ridiculous, including Henry Winkler himself:

 

"It's an honor, but it is so bizarre to think there should be a statue."

 

After reflecting on this issue while I type, I guess I come more to the conclusion of, "What could it hurt?" than "NO WAY!" But I still think it's strange. The show was never even filmed in Milwaukee.

 

EDIT: "Well, duuuhhh..."

Not condescending? Do explain.

[dannyjnoonan]

I mentioned the water nymph because it sounded like one of your problems with the Fonz having a statue depicting him is that he's a fictional character. I was trying to cover all of what it sounded like you thought were appropriate statue criteria, including not being a fictional character. I thought that didn't check out because the link you provided included at least one statue of a fictional character and you seemed to approve of all of those.

"Well duuuhhh" was just meant to be silly. If I really thought somebody was being stupid, this wouldn't be my response.

My overall reaction is basically "what could it hurt?" too. It's not like it's taking the place of the Juneau statue or something. It's just a neat additional thing to add to our city. And Fonzie is cool.

[sbrylski]

I think its cool.

 

But what's next, a Squiggy monument?

[iluvlamp]

Um, no. It's a waste of money considering Fozzy never actually existed. Bork, Bork Bork!

[Mr QL]

You people are so uptight.

[SeriesFinale]

But what's next, a Squiggy monument?

 

Personally, I always think of Laverne and Shirley as being "the" Milwaukee sitcom, even though they moved to LA after a few seasons.