What happens when you pair the cool charisma of Henry Winkler with the wild, scene-stealing energy of Michael Keaton? You get pure comedic gold!

Night Shift (1982) wasn’t just Ron Howard’s directorial debut — it was the beginning of a cult classic. Winkler and Keaton’s electric chemistry lights up the screen, Shelley Long brings her irresistible charm, and if you look closely, you might even spot a young Kevin Costner among the chaos….

But the real surprise? Shelley Long’s unforgettable ”magic in the kitchen” moment. Ready to dive into the secrets behind this iconic film? Let’s get started!

From morgue to mayhem
Released in 1982, Night Shift is a quirky comedy classic that introduced audiences to Michael Keaton’s unforgettable charm and showcased Ron Howard’s budding talent as a director.

Set in a New York City morgue, the film follows the unlikely partnership of Chuck Lumley (Henry Winkler), a mild-mannered night shift worker, and Bill Blazejowski (Michael Keaton), his eccentric and wildly ambitious new coworker.

When the two stumble upon an unconventional business opportunity — turning the morgue into a base for a high-end escort service — they find themselves in hilarious and unexpected situations.

What makes this movie stand out isn’t just the clever humor, but the amazing chemistry between the three leads. Each of their characters is incredibly likeable, making it all the more enjoyable to watch.

Callback after callback
Talking about Night Shift without mentioning Michael Keaton is impossible.

Not many people remember the wild and crazy young Michael Keaton, but Night Shift is a perfect snapshot of him in the 1980s — goofy, funny, and undeniably full of charm. The comedy movie was Keaton’s breakthrough role and first major starring part, and he was practically unknown at the time, having only appeared in a B-comedy and a CBS comedy series called Report to Murphy.

”I don’t how many times I had to go back in and audition,” he recalls. ”It was just callback after callback after callback.”

In the end, Keaton managed to convince the writers and producers. With his fast-talking style, broad Irish face, thinning brown hair, and darting green eyes, Keaton was brilliant as Bill “Blaze” Blazejowski. His timing and energy were spot on – but another detail helped too:

“I came along just at the time when the changeover from television to film actors was becoming possible,” Keaton later reflected on his rise to stardom.

To really get into the groove of his character, Michael Keaton would crank up the volume and blast Bruce Springsteen, especially ”10th Avenue Freeze-Out” from the Born to Run album.

On opening day, he recalls, ”I purposely went to see it alone. I wanted to sit right there in the middle of the theater in the afternoon, and it was wonderful. I don’t know any other word to use, to tell you the truth.”

The man who helped Keaton steal the movie
Ron Howard really hit the jackpot when he cast Keaton for Night Shift.

In scene after scene, Keaton upstaged the more seasoned Henry Winkler, who was already a TV star known for his role as “The Fonz.” As critics raved about Keaton’s performance, the door to Hollywood swung wide open for him. But Keaton’s success — and his entire film career — might not have been launched if it weren’t for Henry Winkler’s subtle yet invaluable support.

“Henry was offered either part and he opted for the quieter one,” Ron Howard revealed in an interview with the Boston Globe.

“Then he helped Michael steal the picture. He gave Michael a lot of choices. With some of the bits, he’d tell Michael, ‘I know (you’ll get laughs) if you take this routine one step further.’”

Henry Winkler chose to play the timid morgue director in Night Shift as a deliberate contrast to his iconic, tough-guy character, Fonzie. As he put it on Twitter, ”I thought I’d play Richie Cunningham for once.”

Henry Winkler didn’t like Keaton
t’s surprising that Henry Winkler and Michael Keaton never reunited for another film after Night Shift, given the undeniable chemistry between them. Their dynamic on-screen was hilarious, memorable, and perfectly balanced.

The reason behind their lack of future collaborations may lie in how their relationship began during the filming of Night Shift. When Henry first read with Michael, he wasn’t entirely sure about working with him. As he later reflected, according to Howard: ”The guy’s talented, but I don’t know if I’m comfortable working with him.”