Ron Howard says 'Happy Days' co-star Henry Winkler the reason why 'Night Shift' was greenlit

"By the time I left the show, I actually left with a contract in hand to go produce and direct television movies. Then soon Brian Grazer and I connected on Night Shift. Four years after that, Imagine [Entertainment, his production company that he opened with Grazer in 1985] was born," he added. "Henry was always so supportive of that. When Henry said yes to Night Shift, that's what got that movie greenlit. He played a hand in helping my dream ultimately come true, which was to be a studio, Hollywood, feature director."

To celebrate 50 years since the beloved sitcom premiered, the actor wrote on Instagram, "It’s a bit unfathomable to think that it’s been 50 years since Happy Days. To this day, I’m pretty thankful to have shared so many memories and laughs with all of them, and YOU! To celebrate, enjoy 50 years of Happy Days in 50 seconds, and explore the visual history put together by Brian Levant and Fred Fox Jr."