One Of The Beatles Was A Happy Days Fan, And He Made Sure To Let The Cast Know

If you grew up during the mid-1970s through the mid-1980s, it's likely that "Happy Days" was broadcasting on your television set. Created by the late Garry Marshall, the sitcom initially centered on Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) and his family. However, Richie's friend Fonzie (Henry Winkler) rose to further prominence despite initially being a secondary character. With "The Fonz" becoming the series' breakout character, the show started to emphasize him above everyone else, which led to some discontent behind the scenes – star Ron Howard even threatened to quit "Happy Days" altogether.

Viewers who watched "Happy Days" while it was in its original run on television were also likely to have The Beatles' albums spinning on their record players. Although the band broke up in 1970, the Fab Four's initial discography and their output as solo acts dominated popular culture throughout the decade. And in a serendipitous twist of fate, one of The Beatles was a big fan of "Happy Days," and went out of his way to let the cast know.

It turns out that among the millions of viewers tuning into "Happy Days," John Lennon was one of them. He often watched the show with his son, Julian Lennon, who was a pre-teen during the series' earlier seasons. John arranged a set visit for him and Julian, much to the pleasant surprise of the cast and crew — particularly The Fonz himself, Henry Winkler. In an interview on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," Winkler reflected on the Lennons' visit to the "Happy Days" set:

"All of a sudden, John Lennon just came to visit. And he brought with him, Julian. He was so shy. And I didn't know how to get into a conversation with John Lennon. Then I just started talking about his 'Imagine' album that he made, the solo album. There was a cut on it called 'Mother,' which was like a primal scream. So I started talking to him about that. He opened like a flower. It was amazing."

For fans of 1970s popular culture, the prospect of John Lennon and The Fonz having a conversation together is one of the coolest things anyone can, ahem, imagine. In that moment, you have one of the signature musicians in the world talking to the actor playing one of the defining television characters of that era. Imagine being a fly on the wall on the "Happy Days" set, witnessing such a historic moment.

Henry Winkler was not the only "Happy Days" cast member who has reflected on meeting John Lennon. Anson Williams, who played Potsie Weber, also recalled meeting the Beatle, discussing John's visit in an interview on "The Yo Show," corroborating Winkler's claims that Lennon was quite shy, yet kind during the visit:

"It was the first year of the show. It was early morning, and we were filming some scenes. Henry Winkler was there, Ron Howard, myself and Donny Most. I go to get a cup of coffee, and I see this guy with a ten-year-old kid. I think he looks familiar. It was John Lennon."

In 1984, Julian Lennon released his debut studio album, "Valotte," four years after his father's assassination. Julian would appear on the syndicated music television program, "Solid Gold," where Henry Winkler would reunite with him for the first time since the Lennons visited the "Happy Days" set about a decade prior. In the same interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Winkler recalled meeting Julian, all grown up:

"And then, 10 years later, Julian had a hit. And on the Paramount lot, they did 'Solid Gold.' I had my offices there, I got a knock on the door, and he asked, 'I don't know if you remember me?' to which I replied, 'Yeah, I do.'"

While John Lennon being a fan of "Happy Days" remains one of the more interesting links between The Beatles and sitcoms, the surviving members of the Fab Four would also have their special connection to another landmark series: "The Simpsons." Although John never lived to lend his voice to the series, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr all played the Simpsonized versions of themselves.