Ron Howard and Henry Winkler Have First Public Reunion in 50 Years with Happy Days Costars Anson Williams and Don Most

• Happy Days costars Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, Anson Williams and Don Most reunited at Steel City Con in Pittsburgh on April 5
• During the event, Winkler noted that “this is the first time we’ve appeared this way in 50 years”
• Howard, meanwhile, joked in response, “It feels like 50 minutes”

Happy Days actors Henry Winkler, Ron Howard, Anson Williams and Don Most had their first public reunion in years.

The group reunited during a panel discussion at Steel City Con in Pittsburgh on Saturday, April 5.

During the event, the Happy Days costars reflected on their time on the popular show — and Winkler, 79, noted that “this is the first time we’ve appeared this way in 50 years,” per a video shared on the event’s official Instagram page.

“It feels like 50 minutes,” Howard, 71, joked in response. “It does. We’re having so much fun hanging, and this is sort of our great excuse to come together, so thank you.”

“It’s just been a great show,” the actor-turned-director continued, just before the group began a question-and-answer session. “Everyone has been so warm and wonderful — all your energy.”

Set in the 1950s and 1960s Milwaukee, the show followed the Cunningham family: father Howard (Tom Bosley), mother Marion (Marion Ross), son Richie (Howard) and daughter Joanie (Erin Moran), as well as Richie’s friends Potsie (Williams) and Ralph (Most) — and, of course, local bad boy, Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler). The show ran for 11 seasons on ABC from 1974 to 1984.

At the event, Winkler reflected, “First of all, Garry Marshall was, like, a brilliant creator, a great writer. … They chose a wonderful cast — some of them, unfortunately, are no longer on the earth with us — but we played together, we stayed together, and we worked hard together. Nobody thought they were better than anybody else.”

Howard added, “I say that was a huge key. The show evolved as, really, an ensemble. So that idea of we were like a family, well, okay, maybe not a family, but we were a unit, we were a community, and also, I think for us, it was kind of like our coming of age story. We were just growing up through this process.”

“It was a life experience that’s unlike anything else that I’ve ever known,” he continued. “And we had great chemistry. We had fun working together from the beginning, and it never failed us.”

Before the event, Winkler talked to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about how “amazingly excited” the guys were for the convention.

“We have been together. We see each other, we talk to each other, support each other,” he said. “But this is the first time we will be together in a public setting.”

Although the stars do not appear together in the public eye often, their relationships are strong. Winkler credited Marshall for establishing a collaborative and supportive environment. Marshall wouldn’t allow any “bad behavior” on set, according to Winkler.

“No matter who you were, no matter what, you were part of an ensemble,” The Waterboy actor said. “Everybody respected each other. Then, he created a softball team and we played every Sunday. Then we traveled all over the country. Then we traveled all over the world.”

He added: “You play together, you stay together. And they picked really well. They picked great people to be part of this group and we have always stayed close and in touch.” Marshall died in 2016 at age 81.

The group’s appearance in Pittsburgh is not the first time Howard, Williams and Most have gotten together this year. In February, the three Happy Days alumni participated in a panel discussion at MegaCon Orlando.

During the discussion, Howard said he “hadn’t watched an episode in a long time,” until he was waiting for a flight one day. He turned on a random episode and experienced “the greatest feeling.”

He said, “Because I know why the show was a hit: it was good. And we were good.”

“We were so cohesive as an ensemble unit,” Howard added. “We really connected in a great way. And it’s one of the reasons the show has endured.”