Happy Days Were My Favorite Days

When I was a kid in the 1980s I would sit glued to the television everyday after school watching reruns of shows from the 1950s, '60s and '70s. And, while there are several episodes of various shows that I have undoubtedly forgotten, one that I will always remember is the episode of "Happy Days" when Fonzie jumped the shark. I can picture the whole scenario as it unfolded. The Happy Days gang had all gone out to Hollywood where Richie was offered a contract with a big movie studio. While he was deciding what to do with his future, some California beach kid, who was jealous of Fonzie's coolness, challenged him to jump over a shark on a pair of water skis. Never one to back down from a challenge, Fonzie accepts, ignoring both common sense and the advice of everyone around him. With Richie driving the boat, Fonzie, in his trademark black leather jacket and a bathing suit, held on for dear life as he glided across the water and hit the ramp at full speed. He then proceeded to go airborne, flying over the vicious shark and landing safely on the water, before making it back to the shore where a crowd mobbed him to celebrate. I know it sounds crazy, but I can actually remember being nervous the whole time until Fonzie touched that sand. I guess it's because Happy Days was one of my favorite shows back then and to me, there was nobody cooler than the Fonz. When I was 5 years-old I even had a green t-shirt with his face, thumbs up gesture and the words "ayyy" written on the front.