“I’m heading for a nervous break-down!”—Henry Winkler

he words were camouflaged in the easy banter that has become the trademark of the irresistible actor. Actually, it took a while before it all sank in. But when it did—when all the superfluous conversation was stripped away, what emerged was a very awful and frightening truth—Henry Winkler, was begging for help, and if he didn’t get it soon, it might be too late!

“As soon as the rush is over,” Henry had laughed, “I’m going to have a nervous breakdown. I worked for it. I owe it to myself. And nobody’s going to deprive me of it.” Couched as the words were in his typical good-humored style, they didn’t seem startling at first. Only later, when we had time to reflect on the real message, did we realize that, like another young comic actor before him, Henry Winkler was asking for understanding and compassion.

For months before the unfortunate Freddie Prinze put a revolver to his head and ended his life, he had been hinting to his friends that those were his plans. He bought a gun and toyed with it often, joking that he was going to kill himself. And he was depressed. Yet, as caring as the people around him were, they were helpless to prevent the inevitable. Freddie ended his life because it had all become too painful, and no one around seemed able to prove an answer to his turmoil.

The truth is, when you’re a friend, you have to listen very carefully when you’re told something serious, like the possibility of a brewing nervous break-down, is in the works. Sure, the term “nervous breakdown” means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but to anyone who’s ever had one, it’s a painful remembrance. And you can never tell when that pain and anxiety will become just too much to bear. It did for Freddie Prinze, and no one believed it. Everyone thought because he was successful, handsome and loved by many, he ought to feel like he was on top of the world. Like Freddie, Henry is often told the same things by his friends. To them, he answers, “The fact is I don’t feel good and I’m tired of people saying you have the world by the horns, you should feel terrific. Because getting the would by the horns doesn’t change you; you still carry around the same suitcase of problems you did before.”

Henry admits to his problems freely, and confides that a lack of self-confidence has always plagued him. “I have a lot of fear,” he says, “and I haven’t built up all the defenses I need to survive in this business.” Survival is very important to Henry, and he is understandably buckling under the tremendous pressures of doing Happy Days and trying to expand his other acting endeavors so he doesn’t get locked into his role. The strain is enormous. He gets up 5:00 every morning, and shooting at the studio isn’t over until 6 or 7 in the evening. Others have survived the pressure of doing a weekly series, but Henry’s role as Fonzie isn’t enough to keep him occupied. Because of an enormous sense of responsibility to his public, Henry spearheaded a “Toys for Tots” campaign recently, filmed a show for young people at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut, to prove that the bard can be palatable even to young people, and even tried to donate a pint of blood at the Hollywood U.S.A. annual Blood Drive. The doctor took one look at Henry, asked his weight, and nixed the donation offer. Henry is a slight young man, who only weighs in at 134 pounds with a 5’6” frame. Since the series, Henry’s lost even more weight, and despite eating enormous amounts, he just keeps taking the weight off. The reason is one that Henry admits himself. He is driven, and can’t keep still long enough to relax. The only chance he gives himself is in his wooden bathtub at his new home, where Henry tries to let his cares seep out in the heated water, seeking a point of contentment.

After one of these attempts at relaxation, a good friend unwittingly placed Henry back into a nervous state. Henry explained how it happened. “This morning a friend calls and says I never have time for anything anymore. I don’t like that I’m getting like that.” Just when Henry thought he was getting things under control, his friend informed him that he was being self-absorbed and not giving enough of his time. It made him realize that, partially of his own choosing, Henry is always being pulled apart by work and emotional commitments. It’s a precarious state, and one that would try the sanity of the most mature and together person.

A nice long rest seems to be the answer for Henry, but as we all know, you can take your problems along on a vacation with you, too. You can never escape your own thoughts and insecurities. Basically, you have to face them and solve them. That’s what Henry Winkler is trying to do, but he would prefer the help and understanding of a friend. someone who could commisserate with him and help him over this difficult period.

Fortunately for Henry, he is a perceptive, thoughtful individual who understands his own inner self very well. Sometimes he hates that aspect of his personality, and says, “My problem is that I get too intense. I get so heavy, I can’t even carry my own weight.” And yet, in the long run, it must be better to have a grip on your emotions and know where you’re coming from. Henry Winkler is self-analytical and critical, there is no denying that. But he is also wise for his thirty-one years. He knows he doesn’t have all the answers to life and happiness, and he is willing to ask for help. That’s half the battle won.

See ABC’s Happy Days.

THE END

—BY PAUL ANDREWS

 

It is a quote. SCREEN STARS MAGAZINE JULY 1977