“Ayyyy!” Take it from the Fonz, the fictional character from the hit TV show Happy Days played by Henry Winkler. He portrayed the epitome of cool and confidence as he shouted out his favorite one-word catchphrase with both thumbs up to signify extreme approval.
Winkler is cool and confident today when he talks about his longtime friend, James “Jimmy” Dunne, and the big award coming Dunne’s way at the University of Kentucky.
Dunne is one of 20 to be honored Sept. 12 at a prestigious ceremony on the UK campus in Lexington as inductees into this year’s UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni (see listing on page 40).
Dunne, a 1977 UK College of Arts and Sciences graduate, became a giant in the entertainment industry. He established himself while writing episodes for Happy Days, a comedy series that ran from 1974-1984 about “innocent teenagers” in Milwaukee in the 1950s and early ’60s.
“I wish I had come up with the ‘Ayyyy!’ phrase for the Fonz, but unfortunately I didn’t,” Dunne said.
From Happy Days, Dunne enjoyed diverse careers in the world of entertainment as a songwriter, recording artist, composer, film and television producer, author and entrepreneur.
In 1984, he wrote the hit song “Nobody Loves Me Like You Do.” It was popularized by Whitney Houston, Anne Murray and Kenny Loggins and made it to No. 1 on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Songs chart. Aside from the accolades Dunne has received in the entertainment industry, his neighbors in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles know him as a good neighbor.
They credit him as a driving force in local rebuilding efforts from the widespread damage done to the community earlier this year by wildfires.
“Community is where it’s at,” he said in a recent interview. “I am a big believer in community and relationships.”
Now, the affable Dunne, 70, is getting the worthy attention of his alma mater. His buddy Winkler could not be happier.
“I think Jimmy has lived every day of his life with a smile on his face,” Winkler said. “He was a struggling musician when we met and then became a behemoth in the music world.
“He is lovely to know, and it is a pleasure to say congratulations to you, Jimmy, on this wonderful honor of yours. Love, Henry.”
Jimmy Dunne and Kentucky
Dunne grew up in La Grange, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, in a family of seven children. He was the second oldest.
“Well, it was more like I grew up in a parish,” he said, noting his family’s strong ties to the Catholic church.
Dunne was a good student who enjoyed music and playing tennis. He wanted to study journalism in college. His mother recommended the University of Kentucky, and he was off to the Bluegrass State.
“I didn’t know anybody when I went there,” he said, “but I soon met some great people, and I fell in love with Kentucky.”
Dunne played on UK’s varsity tennis team and became a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and the Omicron Delta Kappa honorary society. He also wrote features for the Kentucky Kernel school newspaper.
While in college, Dunne, an accomplished pianist, began a musical career by holding concerts throughout the area. “I sang James Taylor and Elton [John] stuff,” he said.
He also founded Dunne Productions, a music booking agency, in Kentucky.
His college best friend was Joe Gran Clark, who put together an illustrious career as an attorney in Russellville.
“Jimmy and I met the first night we were staying at Haggin Hall on UK’s campus,” Clark said. “He was in the hallway on a carpeted floor. He was challenging anyone to beat him running from one room to another.
“He was so full of life. Happy. Easy to be around. He was then and is now.”
Dunne said he learned “to learn” from Clark. They pushed each other in and out of classes as they forged ahead in college.
Clark went on to law school, and Dunne graduated with majors in journalism and business and minors in music and advertising. He graduated Phi Betta Kappa, finishing in the top 1 percent of his graduating class—not too shabby for a guy who started college challenging all comers to a run in a dorm.
Dunne’s Entertainment Career
Dunne thought a little about attending law school but went west after UK. He was a tutor for Sigma Alpha Epsilon members while taking graduate courses at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.
He soon landed a job with Happy Days as a writer. After crafting more episodes for the show, he became the youngest producer at Paramount.
When Happy Days ended, Dunne became the producer and writer of the spin-off, Joanie Loves Chachi, and continued to produce pilots for director Ron Howard.
Dunne acted in a number of hit TV series and films, including Dynasty, As the World Turns, Guiding Light and Pretty Woman. He also excelled in song writing. “No One Loves Me Like You Do” remains a staple on oldies radio. Other Dunne songwriting accomplishments include official songs of the Olympic Games, presidential campaigns and numerous alma maters, and fight songs for universities such as Southern Methodist and Pepperdine.
Dunne’s songs have been released on 28 million records worldwide, along with scores, songs and themes in more than 1,500 television episodes and dozens of feature films.
He is the founder of Inspire, a music and branding firm that has directed many national branding campaigns for retail stores and corporations. They include JC Penney, Staples, Office Depot, Visa and St. Joseph’s Aspirin.
Dunne is the author of the award-winning children’s book The Shepherd’s Story, published by Loyola Press. He is promoting his new book, Jimmy Dunne Says: 47 Short Stories That Are Sure to Make You Laugh, Cry—and Think. He has been dubbed “America’s New, Positive and Inspiring Voice.”
In addition to all this, Dunne is a keynote speaker at entertainment and business conferences and on college campuses. Yet he finds time for community leadership roles and recently was honored as Pacific Palisades’ Citizen of the Year.
He and his wife, award-winning interior designer Catherine Bailly Dunne, have two daughters. In January, Dunne and his wife were displaced temporarily from their condo in Pacific Palisades as wildfire cleanup efforts swept through the area. Their home was spared, but their former family home—where they had lived for nearly 40 years before moving in 2021—was destroyed.
The Palisades fires destroyed 7,000 structures and killed 12 people. When Dunne returned to the site of his former home, he found a slab of sidewalk discolored by the fire, but he could make out the tiny handprints of his daughters, Alexis and Kaitlyn, that were imprinted in the concrete long ago. He cried.
Returning to Kentucky
“I am humbled to receive this award from UK. I have such a reverence and love for the school and state,” said Dunne as Big Blue Nation prepares to formally recognize his impact and achievements. “It will be an absolute joy to come back.”
UK is ready to praise him. “Jimmy Dunne’s path—from the Kentucky Kernel to a dynamic career in music, television and film—reflects the creativity and versatility that define an arts and sciences education,” said UK College of Arts and Sciences Dean Ana Franco-Watkins.
“His storytelling has inspired audiences around the world, and we are proud to recognize his achievements and celebrate his lasting impact.”
Ayyyy!