Better Late Than Never mixes travel, comedy
Henry Winkler loves his fans.
The man who achieved pop-culture immortality in the 1970s as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli will drop everything for them. He’ll pose for pictures, sign autographs and tell old Happy Days war stories.
But Jeff Dye — who took a comedic reality-TV tour of Asia with Winkler in NBC’s Better Late Than Never — says the Fonz sometimes goes overboard as the accommodating celebrity.
“I’d say 60 per cent of Japan recognizes Henry Winkler,” Dye says in the show, which premières at 9 tonight. “Henry will make a point to take a photo with all those people.
“And the other 40 per cent who doesn’t know who Henry Winkler is? He will also make a point to stop and talk and take photos.”
Ah, but there is a line that cannot be crossed.
“I remember one time, years ago, I was in the men’s room and a man actually followed me into the stall,” Winkler says. “He said, ‘I know this is totally inappropriate. But I figure I’ll never get another chance to ask you for an autograph.’ Can you believe it?”
Suffice to say that the man did not wind up with a souvenir of any kind. Most people, of course, would never make that mistake.
But back to Better Late Than Never, which is equal parts travel series and unscripted comedy.
Winkler was joined on his trip across Asia by three other celebrities: William Shatner (a.k.a. Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame), Terry Bradshaw (four-time Super Bowl champion quarterback) and George Foreman (former heavyweight boxing champ).
The mismatched foursome — think of them as a real-life Odd Couple times two — went to Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Hong Kong; and Phuket and Chiang Mai, Thailand.
They immersed themselves in the local cultures while checking items off their bucket lists. But they had no locked-in travel itinerary and, according to the producers, no personal assistants to help along the way.
Also along for the ride was Dye, a comedian, actor, TV host and “Bigfoot enthusiast.”
The show’s premise is based on a popular South Korean series called Grandpas Over Flowers.
Here’s how Winkler and Shatner describe Better Late Than Never.
Winkler: “Delicious. Spontaneous.” Shatner: “Exciting.” Winkler: “Funny.” Shatner: “Innovative. Different.”
Winkler: “Emotional . ... An elephant made me cry!”
Shatner: “It was eye-opening — and our eyes were closed because of lack of sleep, but immediately flew open from the first moment that we got lost in Tokyo.”
Winkler: “I was petrified when I left America. I was electrified when I came back.”
Bradshaw might wind up being the most entertaining member of the group. He doesn’t seem to have an edit button in his head. Any crazy thought that occurs to him one moment leaves his lips the next.
Winkler: “Terry Bradshaw is a gigantic ...” Shatner: “Child.” Winkler: “Funny. Emotional.” Shatner: “Innocent.” Winkler: “A dear man.” Shatner: “Naïve.” Winkler: “And wise.” Shatner: “Wise?” Winkler: “I thought he had great wisdom.” Shatner: “Is that right?” Winkler: “I swear. If you had chatted with him, you would have known that.”