Hanks made a guest appearance on a 1982 episode of Happy Days where he met writers Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel who were writing the film Splash (1984), to be directed by former Happy Days star Ron Howard. Ganz and Mandel suggested Howard consider Hanks for the film. At first, Howard considered Hanks for the role of the main character’s wisecracking brother, a role that eventually went to John Candy. Instead, Hanks landed the lead role in Splash, which went on to become a surprise box office hit, grossing more than US$69 million. He had a sizable hit with the sex comedy Bachelor Party, also in 1984. In 1983–84, Hanks made three guest appearances on Family Ties as Elyse Keaton’s alcoholic brother Ned Donnelly.

With Nothing in Common (1986), Hanks began to extend himself from comedic roles to dramatic. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Hanks commented on his experience: “It changed my desires about working in movies. Part of it was the nature of the material, what we were trying to say. But besides that, it focused on people’s relationships. The story was about a guy and his father, unlike, say, The Money Pit, where the story is really about a guy and his house.” In 1987, he had signed an agreement with The Walt Disney Studios where he had starred to a talent pool in an acting/producing pact. After a few more flops and a moderate success with the comedy Dragnet (1987), Hanks’ stature in the film industry rose.

The broad success of the fantasy comedy Big (1988) established Hanks as a major Hollywood talent, both as a box office draw and within the industry as an actor. For his performance in the film, Hanks earned his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Big was followed later that year by Punchline, in which he and Sally Field co-starred as struggling comedians. Hanks then suffered a run of box-office underperformers: The ‘Burbs (1989), Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) and The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990). In the last, he portrayed a greedy Wall Street figure who gets enmeshed in a hit-and-run accident. Turner & Hooch (1989) was Hanks’ only financially successful film of the period.

The origin of the treadwheel crane dates back to Ancient Roman times (around the 1st century AD), where it was used in the construction of large structures like temples and aqueducts. Its widespread use re-emerged in medieval Europe, especially between the 12th and 19th centuries.

These cranes were commonly used in harbors, church construction sites, and castles. In major ports like Gdańsk (Poland), Strasbourg (France), and Bruges (Belgium), the treadwheel crane played a key role in loading and unloading ships. Some cranes were even built permanently atop stone towers or large wooden structures.

One or two people would walk inside the wheel, much like climbing stairs. Their movement turned a drum that wound up a rope to lift heavy cargo. Depending on the wheel’s size and human effort, the crane could lift tons of weight.

With the rise of steam engines in the 19th century, treadwheel cranes became obsolete, replaced by more efficient and powerful machinery. However, several of these historic cranes still survive today as monuments and engineering heritage sites.