Reacting With Authenticity: Henry Winkler Shares His In-Ring Experience During 1978’s ‘The One And Only’

You ask a group of wrestling fans, young or old, to describe pro wrestling to your average layperson and you bet your bottom turnbuckle that you’ll get 1,000 different answers. Some will say a simulated sport, others may state it as storytelling in its purest form, or heck, just for brevity, one may simply pin the antiquated label on it as a “male soap opera” to avoid further questioning. None of those answers would be wrong either because pro wrestling is indeed a subjective art form. The beauty (or botch) is in the eye of the beholder and how that certain fan interprets what goes down in the squared circle is most likely the reason that they were drawn to the genre in the first place. But, any wrestler worth their weight in the ring will tell you authenticity is how you draw those eyes to that screen or put butts in those seats. Acting, of course, shares that same prerequisite and in 1978, Henry Winkler balanced both as thespian turned pro wrestler in the Carl Reiner classic, The One And Only.

Winkler will always find his seat at the television legends’ table for his iconic role as Arthur Fonzarelli in Happy Days, but he continues to win viewers over with characters much different than the man with the magic jukebox jab. Long after he hung up the leather jacket, Winkler has found plenty of diverse success on the screen and stage, rightfully winning an Outstanding Supporting Actor Emmy for his role in HBO’s Barry. And as of July 7, you can see him voice the character of Fritz in the new Disney+ series, Monsters At Work.

Over forty years ago, however, Winkler played the role of Andy Schmidt, an all-kinds-of confident aspiring actor who believed that he’s destined for stardom. The quirky Schmidt is unbridled in decorum and tact, but that exuberance ultimately plays to his benefit as he happens to swoon the eventual love of his life, Mary (played by Kim Darby) whom he marries and takes to New York City to pursue the lofty goal of fame.

Much like a Dusty Rhodes in October 1985, “hard times” fall upon the couple and as Schmidt struggles to find the spotlight, he befriends the smaller Milton (played by Fantasy Island‘s Hervé Villechaize – another TV icon) who introduces him to the ring ropes of pro wrestling. This allows Schmidt to cultivate several characters inside the squared circle.

The One And Only plays to the crowd with razor-sharp dialogue sprinkled throughout moments of stellar slapstick and significant moments of sentimentality. Mix that with Winkler’s bold portrayal of the abrasive Andy and the strong cast of character actors and you have yourself a romantic comedy that’s signature of its legendary director.

“Carl Reiner will never be replaced, he was a magician with words and magical with comedy,” Winkler told Dominic DeAngelo of WrestleZone as the two talked about Henry’s time in the silver-screened squared circle. His filming for the production took place during a hiatus from the set of Happy Days, but Henry had some extra homework when it came to taking on the role of Andy. In playing a wrestler, he had to pay his dues between the ropes. It was the legendary Gene LeBell who answered the bell in getting Winker ring-ready.

“I trained a few weeks before we started filming and then several nights a week during filming so I was ready for the routine for that particular day of shooting,” Henry noted. LeBell, along with Roddy Piper and Chavo Guerrero, all had roles as Schmidt’s in-ring enemies, but Winkler praises the amount of consideration each wrestler took when it came to working with him.

“And these guys, Piper and all the guys that I wrestled with were so supportive and so careful and they took such good care of me so that I would not be hurt because no matter what, it was rough and tumble existence.” And sure enough, Henry suffered zero physical harm, but did incur an ailment every wrestler or actor encounters more than once during their careers. “My pride—my pride was injured if I missed a move.”

Winkler, who was born on the West Side of Manhattan, in great detail, reflects back on his childhood watching the likes of Bruno Sammartino and The Fabulous Kangaroos grapple it up in the ring and after being in The One And Only cites strong similarities between working in the ring and working with a scene partner.

“You have to respect your partner,” he said of wrestling. “You have to be generous to your partner. Even though it looks like they’re massively angry at each other and that they are just the worst enemies. They have to see each other in the next arena and so for the most part, it is really respect and generosity and the same thing goes with acting. You can’t act by yourself. You depend on what you’re getting from the other person and if the other person isn’t getting it then that’s one of the few things that makes me angry, if my partner is not prepared.”

Henry didn’t have to worry about that in The One And Only, as he had some great tag partners in the form of Villechaize, William Daniels (whom many may know as Boy Meets World‘s Mr. Feeney) and Gene Saks, who steals scenes as disheveled wrestling promoter Sidney Seltzer. And much akin to acting Winkler also expressed the importance of carrying the confidence of a Schmidt that you’re able to achieve stardom.

“You have to be honest about your own talent that it exists and you don’t have just a pipe dream of wanting to be a star, but you have to train that talent so that you’re not a flash in the pan.”

And no matter what may be the canvas you paint (or wrestle) upon, you have to keep in mind who you’re playing to.

“You never forget about the audience no matter what you’re doing. Radio, television, movies, theater, you never forget about the audience,” he stated.  “The level of energy you put out in the theater or wrestlers, is completely different than the energy you put out in a movie because right now you got that lens. The lens doesn’t lie. If you overact, people go, ‘What is that? That’s schmaltz.’ So you have to have the same level of intensity, it’s just that you let out less, but you keep everything else at the surface. In the theater, I have to play to the clock on the back wall under the balcony. I have to fill the stadium with my energy that’s why all the movements are so gross—and I don’t mean gross ‘ugly’ I mean gross ‘big’—because they are reaching the thousands of fans cheering and yelling and screaming with those rubber #1’s on it with The Undertaker.”

As far as dream roles for the stage, Henry has a significant one in mind.

“I’d like to play a mute. I’m not kidding I would like to play someone who has no words. That I must express everything through my body, through my emotion, through my skin, through my air. I don’t know why, but it has always been at the forefront of my brain,” he said, before elaborating on three key components that the art of acting is comprised of.

“Acting is really three things: listening, which is I think the ear is the center of all relationships in the world. It’s how you hear what the other person’s saying. Listening, staying calm and reacting with authenticity. Concentrating on being in the moment so you are concentrating and reacting only to what is being given to you by that other human being or the group of human beings on that stage that you are not distracted,” Winkler said. “Those three things combined help you become a better actor.”

Winkler also gave further detail about his Monsters At Work role, sharing the affection he has for the unique Fritz.

“He is cuddly, he’s funny and he is totally befuddled,” Winkler explained. “He always forgets the right word and if he can’t think of a sentence, he sings a song.”

If he’s anything like Andy Schmidt, he’ll hit the right note.

You can watch The One And Only on Amazon at this link. Winkler has also authored a series of children’s books called Alien Superstar and the third book in the series is set to release in October 2021.