There’s a scene in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 masterpiece Magnolia where the dying Earl Partridge looks back on his life of betrayal and regret. “This fucking life…it’s so fucking hard, so long!” the dying man moans. “Life ain’t short, it’s long, it’s long, God damn it!”
This fucking life is so fucking hard. This fucking life is so fucking long. But this fucking life is also filled with things like love, laughter, grace, forgiveness, and a 24-hour live webcam of the Bronze Fonz. Let’s check in on the last one now:
Yep. He’s still with us. That’s good.
The live EarthCam diligently pointed at the iconic and once-controversial statue is the work of Visit Milwaukee. The local tourism organization set up the cam earlier this year, in advance of The Fonz’s 80th birthday. No, not the 80th birthday of the statue (it was installed in 2008), but the 80th birthday of both the Happy Days character Arthur Fonzarelli and the actor who played him, Henry Winkler. Yep, Fonzie’s in-universe birthday is the same as Winkler’s. Huh!
Visit Milwaukee will host an open-to-the-public “Happy Birthday Fonzie!” party on Thursday, October 30. Expect a live TV broadcast from CBS 58, themed drinks, special photo ops, and more. The fun begins at 2 p.m. You can RSVP here.
As for the webcam…it’s kind of great, isn’t it? We’ve been absolutely glued to the thing since we learned of its existence this morning. Shout-out to the 8,000 people we’ve already seen take photos with the BF. Ayyy.
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