Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Jim Stingl column

Source: Milwaukee Journal SentinelAug.self storage 17--The Bronze Fonz turns 5 on Monday, and no one has enjoyed the metallic mascot on Milwaukee's riverfront more than the man who brought the TV character to life."I get pictures from all over the world of people dressing him up and proposing to him. The last picture I got was a Victoria's Secret model giving me a hug. That was not a bad day," Henry Winkler said when I reached him by phone at his home in southern California."It is a great honor. You cannot be blase about that no matter how much time goes by."The life-size statue -- 5-foot-6-inches, just like Winkler -- was unveiled Aug. 19, 2008, on the Riverwalk just south of Wells St. downtown. In the large crowd that day were several cast members from "Happy Days," a popular sitcom about malt-shop-era life in Milwaukee that aired first-run in the 1970s and 1980s and forever in reruns.With each passing year, the statue is more in need of a plaque explaining that Arthur Fonzarelli, or Fonzie, was the tough guy with a heart of gold, the greaser who loved his motorcycle, the ladies man who was so cool that jukeboxes and other mechanical devices bent to his will. I met young people passing by who had no idea who he was and had never seen the show.But among locals and visitors, the Bronze Fonz is one of the most popular photo spots in Milwaukee. I walked over there at 5 p.m. on Wednesday to find Fonzie receiving nearly constant attention. People imitate his thumbs-up pose, and they repeat his catch phrases, most notably "Ayyyyyy."People have draped themselves over Fonzie so often that his black leather jacket has worn down to bare bronze at the shoulders. Kids big and small climb on him and hang on his arms, which so far have held without breaking."Milwaukee's Rocky Balboa," I heard someone say.It looks like he's been keyed a few times, and his groin area shows signs of wear that suggest indignities you don't even want to contemplate. But he's in remarkably good shape for someone who has stood outside for five Wisconsin winters waiting for the next admirers to come by.Jim and Gayle Vogan from Chesterton, Ind., were photographing each other with Fonz when I walked up. They were enjoying a day trip to Milwaukee, and Gayle had learned of the statue from an online list of 82 things to see here."We loved the show," Jim said. "Fonzie was so tough, but he wasn't a big guy.""He needs some Crest Whitestrips,' Gayle said, pointing toward the statue's tarnished gold teeth.They said what a lot of people say when they see the statue: What's with his green pants? His Wrangler jeans turned out more teal than anyone intended.Gerald Sawyer, the sculptor from the Lake Mills area, had a desire to leave Fonz in gleaming gold bronze -- "Pop 迷你倉rt at its finest," he said. But he said the committee organizing the project said late in the process that it wanted a black leather jacket, white T-shirt and blue jeans. Blue oxides are hard to achieve, Sawyer said, and that's why Fonz became Mr. Green Jeans.Dave Fantle, then with Visit Milwaukee, led the charge to bring the statue to Milwaukee. He said the committee thought the shiny bronze was too blinding and suggested going with some colors."We were never supportive of the painted jeans. But by the time we saw the pants, it was too late," said Fantle, now deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.Nonetheless, he said, the statue has won marketing awards from the tourism industry. Other designs were considered, including Fonzie on a motorcycle and him sitting in a diner booth where people could join him. The final cost, covered by donations, was about $90,000.The larger debate in Milwaukee back then was not paint or no paint, but whether to erect the statue at all. Some felt it was a step backwards and played into negative stereotypes about Milwaukee. Mike Brenner, who publicly threatened to close his art gallery if the Fonz was erected, says now, "In general, I still hate that thing. It's terrible. Nothing has changed in the city because of it."Fonzie stands in Bob Bauman's aldermanic district. He wasn't a fan in the beginning but has come around to thinking it's harmless fun. He sometimes takes people to see it, and he once photo-shopped his own head on the bronze Fonz image for a fundraiser invitation.Jeannine Sherman, director of public relations at Visit Milwaukee, said travel writers who come to town find Fonzie irresistible. "He ends up in a lot of travel stories," she said. "I think the Fonz is a great example of how the past and present can co-exist peacefully."Sawyer, the sculptor, said the success of the bronze Fonz has led to other commissions for him. He comes to Milwaukee once a year to touch up the statue and remove oxidation.If you look closely at Fonzie's hands, the veins form the initials of Henry Winkler and his wife, Stacey. Sawyer "hid" them there.Winkler also gets to Milwaukee maybe once a year and likes visiting the statue."There are always people taking pictures. I kind of go in and photo-bomb their picture and then they realize, holy mackerel, I'm there, the statue is there, they're there. It is a pretty delightful situation," he said."Sometimes I just walk up and say, 'You know what. Let me get the both of you together and I'll take the picture.' "Call Jim Stingl at (414) 224-2017 or email at jstingl@jrn.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Visit the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at .jsonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services文件倉