The SAG-AFTRA Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting performing artists with a vital safety net of programs and services, and PEOPLE, the world’s most popular magazine brand, have joined together for a virtual table read of an episode of Happy Days to raise funds that will provide emergency financial and medical assistance, disaster relief, and scholarships to SAG-AFTRA artists and their families, as well as support the Foundation’s free educational programming including its children’s literacy program Storyline Online®.
Four-time SAG Award nominee Henry Winkler will reprise his iconic role as Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli in a table read of the 1975 episode “The Motorcycle,” where “the Fonz” seeks revenge for the culprit who demolished his treasured bike. Two-time SAG Award winning actress Glenn Close (and 2021 nominee, Hillbilly Elegy) steps into the role of Mrs. Marion Cunningham from the nostalgic television series, with John Carroll Lynch (2021 SAG Award nominee, The Trial of the Chicago 7) playing her husband, Mr. Howard Cunningham. Rounding out the cast are 2021 SAG Award nominees Eli Goree and Aldis Hodge (One Night in Miami…) as Richie Cunningham and his pal, Ralph Malph, respectively; Jamie Chung (Lovecraft Country) as Joanie Cunningham, and Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) taking on the roles of Potsie Weber and a waitress in Al’s Diner, respectively.
The episode streams Monday, March 29 at 8pm ET/5pm PT exclusively on PEOPLE.com and on the PeopleTV app, plus PEOPLE’s social platforms including YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, as well as on PeopleTV’s Facebook and Twitter.
“As the annual benefiting charity of the SAG Awards, we are so grateful to PEOPLE for 27 years of support. We want to thank them for their generous donation, and for sharing our very special virtual table read and fundraiser on all of their platforms,” said SAG-AFTRA Foundation President Courtney B. Vance. “We also want to thank the beloved Henry Winkler for directing this Happy Days episode and bringing back his legendary role of ‘the Fonz’, and to all of the SAG Awards nominees who participated in this benefit on behalf of the Foundation and our community. This is what our Foundation is about – supporting our own community and helping those who need it most.”
“PEOPLE has supported SAG-AFTRA for close to three decades and we are in awe of the work the Foundation does providing assistance to thousands of performing artists in need,” said PEOPLE’s editor-in-chief Dan Wakeford, who will host the table read and introduce the “Happy Days” cast. “This year has been so tough for so many, and there is no doubt that the work of the entertainment community has helped us get through it.”
“Watching the camaraderie of this year’s SAG Awards nominees as they came together – virtually – for this SAG-AFTRA Foundation HAPPY DAYS table read was joyous,” said SAG Awards Executive Producer Kathy Connell. “It is once again evidence that the spirit of the actors community is alive and well. Giving back to the Foundation has been the heartbeat of the SAG Awards since its inception and in these times it’s encouraging to see union members come together creatively while supporting their peers.”
