Anson Williams "Happy Days"

Steve Kmetko (0:01)

Yes, I'm Still Here Hollywood, and coming up on today's episode, for generations of television fans, he was one of the most recognizable faces on one of the most beloved sitcoms in history. But what many people don't realize is that after becoming a household name, he quietly built one of the most successful second acts in Hollywood, directing some of television's biggest series. This is Still Here Hollywood, and I'm Steve Kmetko. Join us with today's guest from Happy Days, actor Anson Williams.

Anson.

Anson Williams (0:35)

Hi.

Steve Kmetko (0:36)

Hi. Thanks for coming in today. I really appreciate it.

Anson Williams (0:39)

No problem.

Steve Kmetko (0:40)

I'm going back to Happy Days first, OK?

Anson Williams (0:43)

Excuse me, what?

Steve Kmetko (0:45)

It's what I think everybody remembers you from. Yes. OK.

And I think it's great to see you still have all your hair, and it's looking good.

Anson Williams (0:53)

Thank you.

Steve Kmetko (0:54)

I know that feeling.

Thank God for hairspray. When you were a kid.

Anson Williams (0:59)

Yes.

Steve Kmetko (1:00)

What did you, you grew up in Los Angeles, right?

Anson Williams (1:02)

Well, I grew up in East Los Angeles, on Chicago Street, and then at a very young age, we moved to Burbank on the GI Bill. So basically most of my young years was Burbank, California.

Steve Kmetko (1:15)

Was it easier to get going in the business here, having come from the area?

Anson Williams (1:19)

Gosh, I was just a number in the world, and at 18 years old decided I want to get into show business, knowing nobody, nothing, but I love singing. So back then, it was a little more reasonable to get an apartment with friends and whatever unlike today. So you can survive, do odd jobs, try to go to school, and I would go to talent nights. I'd bring my sheet music and go to these talent nights at Nickerbocker Hotel, Jack Cowley's at the time, all these very, about four or five places. You go in there, bring your sheet music, and you're really bad, but you don't know it. And you keep thinking you're going to be discovered. No one discovers you ever. But it was the beginning. And then one night, I was at one of these open nights, and a waiter said that he was going to try out for Summerstock the next day. And I asked him, what's Summerstock? And he explained there's resident companies, and the stars come in, and they'll do like a show every two weeks during the summer, a musical.

And he said, what's great is it's an equity show, and equity allows two lines. One line is for equity, one line is not equity. And the producers have to see you. So there I was the next morning at on Hollywood Boulevard at the Masonic Temple, and with a line around the block. And I'm standing there, standing there, standing there, and the equity line is going, and I see all these disappointed people coming out, you know, and finally, after hours, our line is going in. Now our line is going in, like, I think it was four bars and out, because the producers, they don't want to look at this line. They're done, so we get inside, this look like St. Peter's inside, huge, intimidating, and I hear these voices, my boy Bill, and next, the hills, next, and I'm hearing these great voices, and they're echoing, and they're, just one at a time, McDonald's hamburger's coming out. Finally, it's my turn. I walk in there, I have this, my sheet music, Mame, and this really mean-looking piano player with a cigarette. You got the music? Yeah. Is it your key?

And these four bored people behind this table, they don't even look up. So I'm like, oh. Not a good sign. I go, oh, so I start. I go, you coach the blues, and forget the words. I forget everything. And I make it up.

I'm just making up the words. And all of a sudden, I'm hearing this laughter at the table. Laughing, laughing. And they're looking. And I got through the whole song. They're hysterical. Then they say, do you dance? I go, yeah. I don't, I to this day, God did not give me that gift. A little movement, yeah. The feet don't work. I go, yeah. Well, we're having a callback. I go, what's a callback? They're laughing thinking, I didn't know what they're talking about. Well, it turns out some of the people they had stayed behind for a dance audition. Okay, Tommy here is going to take you guys in, give you a little routine, and you come back in and we'll see how you do. Great. Walk out, wait for a while. They take us to this room, all these mirrors.