Updated

Updated · The Independent · Sep 10

Tom Hanks Denied 60-Second Happy Days Tribute Clip as Henry Winkler Recalls 1989 Feud

Updated

Updated · The Independent · Sep 10

Tom Hanks Denied 60-Second Happy Days Tribute Clip as Henry Winkler Recalls 1989 Feud

Q: Did Tom Hanks actually orchestrate Henry Winkler's firing from Turner & Hooch, or was it purely a studio decision?

There is no clear evidence that Tom Hanks orchestrated Henry Winkler’s firing; the documented decision was made by the studio, through executive Jeffrey Katzenberg. Winkler’s own account is that Katzenberg hired him to direct *Turner & Hooch* and then fired him after about 13 days, telling him, “It’s not in the dailies.” Winkler has said he believes his insecure, overly talkative directing style and repeated notes to Hanks and co-star Mare Winningham created friction on set and “pissed them off.” But he has not said he knows that Hanks personally pushed to have him removed. What the available accounts do support is that Hanks and Winkler had a poor working fit. Ron Howard, who is close to both men, said both spoke to him about the episode and described it as a clash of working styles rather than evidence of lasting hostility. That aligns with Winkler’s recent comments that he is still trying to understand the situation and remains open to repairing the relationship. So the strongest factual reading is that Winkler was fired by the studio after a troubled start to production, amid tension with Hanks, but there is no confirmed public evidence that Hanks directly engineered the firing. The role Hanks may have played, if any, remains unproven.

Q: Why does Henry Winkler still keep a handmade gift from Tom Hanks despite their decades-long Hollywood feud?

Henry Winkler still keeps the gift because it represents a personal, warmer moment with Tom Hanks before their working relationship collapsed, and because Winkler appears open to the idea that the relationship is not beyond repair. In his recent interview, Winkler recalled that during meetings for *Turner & Hooch*, Hanks built him a signed plastic model plane, described as a Piper Cub or something similar. Despite the fallout that followed—Winkler was fired after 13 days directing the film—he said he still has the handmade gift. That detail suggests the feud was tied more to a painful professional breakdown than to a desire to erase every positive memory. Winkler has said he is “still working on” his perspective about Hanks and even answered “Sure” when asked if the relationship could eventually be repaired. The broader context supports that reading. Winkler has blamed the tension largely on his own behavior at the time, saying he was insecure, “talked too much,” and gave too many notes to Hanks and co-star Mare Winningham. Ron Howard, who is friends with both men, has also described the problem as a clash of working styles rather than lasting hatred. So the reason Winkler keeps the handmade plane is not that the feud never happened, but that the gift still holds sentimental value from a more cordial period and reflects his willingness to leave room for reconciliation.

3 articles · Updated · The Independent · Sep 10

Henry Winkler said a Happy Days retrospective could not secure permission to use 60 seconds of Tom Hanks’ 1982 guest appearance, reviving their long-running rift.
Winkler traced the fallout to Turner & Hooch in 1989, when he was fired as director after 13 days amid what he described as creative clashes over giving Hanks and Mare Winningham performance notes.
Asked whether the relationship could be repaired, Winkler said he was still "working on" his perspective but answered "sure" when pressed on a future reconciliation.
Ron Howard, who has worked with both men, said in 2020 their dispute was "disappointing" and stemmed from incompatible working styles rather than lasting animosity.