happy-days-henry-winkler-makes-call-earth-conservation-new-photo

‘Happy Days’ Legend Henry Winkler Makes Call for Earth’s Conservation with Gorgeous Photo

Henry Winkler is not just an expert angler. He’s also a conservationist. And the “Happy Days” star recently tweeted a gorgeous waterfall photo accompanied by a message urging his followers to care for planet Earth.

“We should take care of this planet… don’t you think?” Winkler tweeted on Thursday.

‘Happy Days’ Star Enjoys Fishing

Winkler has gotten into some trouble on social media in the past over his posts celebrating one of his favorite pastimes. For example, the accomplished angler tweeted an image of himself holding up a fish that he caught last month. And that promptly drew a social media backlash against fishing.

“I can’t even express the beauty everywhere on our planet,” Winkler tweeted, alongside a photo of himself holding up the fish that he’d caught.

People then hopped into Winkler’s replies to tell him he should have released the fish in the photo rather than taking a picture of it, and moreover, “death to any animal is not beautiful.”

Other people tweeted their defenses of fishing and of Winkler, pointing out that some people grow up fishing and that humans are natural predators of fish.

Winkler is reportedly an enthusiastic outdoorsman who has really taken to fly fishing, which he got into in the 1980s after a friend taught him and his wife Stacey how to fly fish.

Winkler Reflects on the Show

While Winkler has moved on from “Happy Days,” many fans and commentators haven’t. And that much was clear in a 2013 interview that Winkler conducted with the BBC.

Talk show host Stephen Sackur asked Winkler if he saw the connection between the upbeat “Happy Days” ethos and then-President Ronald Reagan’s “Morning in America” messaging. But Winkler demurred, saying that while Reagan was a “very nice fellow,” the actor didn’t share his politics.

Rather, Winkler said he thought “Happy Days” carried meaning for people all over the world. And he suggested that the show’s escapist, nostalgic theme comforted audiences who wanted an escape from the current events of the day.

“Even today, in 2013, people are watching somewhere in the world,” Winkler said. “What I’m saying is, I don’t know if I think that optimism is important for human beings. They are having a hard time getting a job. It is always difficult to find a job. They are beat up in the world outside, they come home. I don’t think people want cutting edge television, no matter how you cut it.”

The ever-empathic Winkler may have been on to something there. “Happy Days” became an iconic TV show that still has a healthy fan following today, as the many Fonzie images in Winkler’s Twitter replies attest.