Screen favourites Henry Winkler and Rob Lowe have led Hollywood’s stars in paying tribute to writer, director and producer Garry Marshall, who has died aged 81.
Garry made Henry Winkler a worldwide icon by casting him as The Fonz in ‘Happy Days’, and also gave Brat-Packer Rob his big break aged only 15 in sit-com ‘Mean Jeans’.
Garry, whose last film ‘Mother’s Day’ came out earlier this year, died on Tuesday of complications from pneumonia, his publicist after a stroke, his publicist confirmed.
Garry’s long career began with writing on ‘The Dick Van Dyke Show’ for TV in the 1960s. Since then, he has been responsible for many memorable moments on screen both big and small. We look back on this mere collection…
Happy Days (1974 - 1984)
A great dollop of nostalgic humour, as the Cunningham family live through the 1950s with help and guidance from the almost superhuman greaser, Fonzie.
'Jumping the Shark'
The phrase, which embodies that time when great scriptwriters have run out of ideas and have their lead characters do something truly bizarre, can be credited to Garry’s idea to put the Fonz on a pair of a waterskis and have him, quite literally, jumping over a shark, during the fifth season of his hit show.
Mork and Mindy (1978 - 1982)
Originally a Happy Days spin-off, this sitcom enjoyed a life of its own. A wacky alien comes to Earth to study its residents, and the life of the human woman he boards with is never the same. This made a star of Robin Williams, with whole scripts depending on his power of improvisation, certain pages of script blank except for the words “Robin does his thing …”
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Beaches (1988)
One of the great girl-buddies films, with Barbara Hershey and Bette Midler enjoying the pleasures, then pain, of a lifetime friendship. Only to be watched with tissues at the ready.
Pretty Woman (1990)
The film that catapulted Julia Roberts from almost unknown to the world's most contagious smile.
The Princess Diaries (2001)
Another star in the making, this time Anne Hathaway, as decidely unglamorous Mia Thermopolis who discovers she is the heir apparent to the throne of Genovia. Chaos ensues...
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Valentine's Day (2010)
Intertwining couples and singles in Los Angeles break-up and make-up based on the pressures and expectations of Valentine's Day. Garry repeated the all-star formula with 'New Year's Eve' and, most recently, 'Mother's Day'. The three films drew less and less praise from the critics, but for the irrepressible Garry, it was all about the audience. He told the Guardian recently, "They all make a dollar."