Reel to Real

Ron Howard, Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler are all undisputed television icons. What they are not known to be are political activists. With rising global economic fears, the trio decided to get off the sideline and come out in support of presidential hopeful Barack Obama. But this was no mere endorsement. This was a step back in time and recreating their old television personas to voice their support in a creative and humorous way.

Howard admits in the video to being uneasy recreating his “Opie” and “Richie Cunningham” characters from The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days, but he decides to put country first (isn’t that another candidate’s slogan?).

Probably even more uncomfortable was Henry Winkler donning the leather jacket and denim (not to mention the black wig) to recreate the character that defined cool in the 1970s – Fonzie. Working with Henry on the bronze Fonz statue in Milwaukee, I’ve developed a friendship with him over the past two years. While Henry is the first to admit that the Fonzie character has opened up untold number of doors and opportunities for him, he still tries to keep a comfortable distance from the character. It’s rare when you’ll see him do his patented thumbs up sign and he’s reticent to ever do any Fonzisms in public. In an e-mail to me, Henry said going back to the character under normal circumstances would have been a long shot, but "not when Ron asks," he wrote. That’s what makes this video even more remarkable.

This is not heavy-handed politics. This is a positive, creative and fun approach that also pays homage to some classic television characters.

Regardless of your political bent, what do you think of the video?