You might not recognize Fred Fox Jr's name, but he is the screenwriter credited for writing the now-infamous "Hollywood 3" episode of Happy Days which involved Henry Winkler as Fonzie waterskiing over a shark. The term "Jump The Shark", coined by Jon Hein (now of the Howard Stern Show), refers to the precise moment when a television series went downhill. Thirty three years after the episode aired on television, and twenty years after the term entered the pop culture lexicon, Fox has come forward to defend his work. Fox wrote an op-ed article in The Los Angeles Times defending his work on the infamous "jump the shark" episode of Happy Days: "All successful shows eventually start to decline, but this was not “Happy Days’” time. Consider: It was the 91st episode and the fifth season. If this was really the beginning of a downward spiral, why did the show stay...
- 9/8/2010
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
Fred Fox Jr posted an article in La Times, defending his inadvertent participation in creating one of the most famous TV phrases after he wrote a "Happy Days" episode that involved Fonzie (Henry Winkler) jumping over a shark. The term "Jump the Shark" went on to describe the moment of downturn for a previously successful enterprise. In this case, many believe "Happy Days" was never the same. "All successful shows eventually start to decline, but this was not "Happy Days'" time," Fox wrote. "Consider: It was the 91st episode and the fifth season. If this was really the beginning of a downward spiral, why did the show stay on the air for six more seasons and shoot an additional 164 episodes? Why did we rank among the Top 25 in five of those six seasons?" He added: "When I first heard the phrase and found out what it meant, I was incredulous.
- 9/8/2010
- WorstPreviews.com
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