Hugh Neeld: The Curmudgeon Report

Who hasn’t, at one time or another, fantasized about being immortalized with a life size statue of themselves? I know I have. That’s what came to mind when I recently read a story in the paper headlined "The Fonz Gets Bronzed."

You remember the Fonz, don’t you? He was the leather-jacketed biker played by actor Henry Winkler in the TV series Happy Days in the 70’s and 80’s. Anyway, a statue of Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli has been erected in Milwaukee, the setting for the series.

The statue, money for which was raised by two local booster groups, was dedicated Labor Day in the downtown area along the Milwaukee River. Attending the ceremony with Winkler was series creator Garry Marshall and costars Anson Williams, Don Most, Marion Ross, Tom Bosley and Erin Moran. Ron Howard was on location and unable to attend. Winkler, by the way, will be in Tyler Sept. 23rd. He’s here as guest speaker at the annual All Saints Episcopal School Founders’ Day dinner.

But back to the statue. Similar statues, such as the ones of Bob Newhart in Chicago and Mary Tyler Moore in Minneapolis were commissioned several years ago. As a matter of fact, there are life-size statues of people you would never have imagined inspiring one. Jackie Gleason as Ralph Cramden, for instance, whose likeness can be seen at the port authority bus terminal in New York City (where else?)

A statue of Andy Griffith and Ron Howard is in Raleigh, N.C., Colonel Sanders in Louisville, Ky., Rocky Balboa in Philadelphia, somebody called Hamburger Charlie (don’t ask) in Seymour, Wisc., Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha the witch in Salem, Mass., and General George Custer (“Where’d all them danged Indians come from?”) in Monroe, Mich. In Texas, Austin has a statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Kilgore a larger-than-life-size statue of H.L. Hunt.

True, the above named people have been more deserving of a statue than I, but still…

When I shared these thoughts with my brother, he put the whole idea in proper perspective. “You? Bronzed in Tyler?” He laughed. “Stoned in Jacksonville, maybe, but not bronzed in Tyler.”

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A question to ponder:

Has TV changed the American child from an irresistible force to an inanimate object?

putterhugh@suddenlink.net

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Hugh Neeld is a freelance columnist for TylerPaper.com.

Hugh Neeld is a freelance columnist for TylerPaper.com.
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