Henry Winkler Cut From Scream Poster Over Fonz Fears — SkimNews
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- Henry Winkler was told by the studio his name couldn't appear on the original 1996 "Scream" poster because he "was the Fonz" and would "knock the balance of horror off" if audiences knew he was in the film.
- The poster decision left Winkler "insulted" and "bewildered," though he agreed to do press after the same executives who rejected his name asked him to.
- Principal Arthur Himbry — Winkler's "Scream" character — received applause during screen tests for the 1996 film.
- Winkler said he obliged for himself, director Wes Craven, and "the movie as a whole," adding the takeaway: "You just show up, you have no idea what's going to happen, but that's out of your control."
- The "Scream" franchise also starred Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Drew Barrymore, and Matthew Lillard, with "Scream 7" becoming the highest-grossing installment at $176.9 million.
Why it matters: Winkler's account reveals a concrete marketing calculation by the 1996 studio: they judged that his Happy Days recognition would clash with Scream's horror positioning, so they stripped his name from the poster. Three decades later, Scream has become one of horror's most successful franchises, with Scream 7 recently becoming its highest-grossing entry at $176.9 million.
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