My Days Page 22
DM: That I have always enjoyed getting to spend time with her. And also that she was always so supportive of me—of all the cast members. When the show ended, we kept in touch on a regular basis, and every time we talked, she wanted to know what was going on in my life and career. Whenever she would do a play, I would always make it a point to go and see her, and she was so thrilled that I was there. We were all very supportive of one another’s work, and since I have been doing my music, she has come to see me on a few occasions. There’s nothing better than to be onstage singing and look out and, through the glare of the spotlight, see her beaming face in the audience.
DL: Is there any one special memory you have of Marion that stands out the most?
DM: I think it would have to be when we went on our softball tours. I especially remember this one time when we were in San Francisco, which is Jerry’s hometown. He decided he was going to take a few of us on a tour of the city. So we piled into this convertible—Jerry, Marion, me and a couple of the other cast members. I have no recollection of learning anything about San Francisco. All I can remember is we were all laughing our heads off and having the time of our life. We had such great times doing those tours, and Marion was a real trouper. Most of us, I think, with the exception of Henry, had played since we were kids, but there was Marion, who had never played before, right out there with us as a part of the team.
DL: I have been an entertainment writer and reporter for many years. I have interviewed hundreds of actors who have been a part of ensemble casts in television shows, and in many cases, they really came to love one another and become like a family. That said, I have never seen it to the degree it seems to exist with the Happy Days cast.
DM: Yeah, we really grew to love and care about each other, and I have always felt that played a big part in the show’s success. You asked me before about the interaction between the cast members. I think viewers perceived there was something real about the way we interacted. We had so much respect for one another, and we all worked very hard—each one of us gave it our all on that show. We supported one another, and there was a real family unity amongst us. It was the greatest thing that has ever happened to me in my life, and I’m so thankful to the people who come up to me and tell me how much Happy Days has meant to them. I’ve had people even get emotional telling me how watching that show helped them get through difficult times and how they thought of all of us as a part of their family. I always feel so blessed and grateful when that happens. I am so thankful to have been a part of a show that had just a powerful impact.
Chapter 21
My Wonderful Friend Anson
While working on this book with my collaborator, David, I introduced him to Anson Williams. One day, David called and told me he had just returned home from having lunch with Anson at a restaurant in Malibu.
“We sat and talked for hours,” David told me. “I felt like we were old friends—like we knew one another forever.”
That didn’t surprise me in the least. That’s just the way Anson is.
He treasures friendships and loves people. And he has always had this innate desire to help people. It’s a part of his DNA—literally. His cousin (whom he always called “Uncle Henry”) was Dr. Henry Heimlich, the thoracic surgeon and medical researcher who developed the lifesaving maneuver for treating choking victims. Dr. Heimlich had a huge influence on Anson and inspired him to found his company, StarMaker Products, which develops all sorts of wonderful things to help people—things that help their body to work better without drugs, like a completely natural topical gel that brings down a person’s skin temperature when they become overheated or have a hot flash, and a natural spray that helps people stay alert by stimulating the tongue’s lingual nerve.
We were very lucky to have had such a talented cast on Happy Days, but Anson was blessed with far more talents than the ability to act. He has always been one of the most curious people I have ever met. And I mean that in a good way. He always wanted to know what was going on with everyone, and why this was being done, or why we were doing that. I believe that is why he has the ability to establish a wonderful rapport with people very quickly: he is genuinely interested in the people he meets, who and what they are all about and what makes them tick.
I have had the pleasure of meeting and getting to work with many fascinating people during my life, but Anson is only one of a few who I would say is a true Renaissance man. Along with being an extremely talented actor, he is a good singer, director, athlete, businessman and entrepreneur. He has an ingenious mind when it comes to publicity and marketing, and he is also a very good writer. He has written a revolutionary cookbook that offers recipes for delicious comfort foods—from lasagna to apple turnovers—that can be prepared in a way that ensures perfect portion control by using a one-hundred-calorie counting system he devised with a nutritionist.
Along with the other members of our Happy Days family, I am so proud of all the things Anson has accomplished, especially his behind-the-scenes work as a television director of after-school specials, made-for-television movies and popular episodic television shows, including Beverly Hills, 90210; Melrose Place; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; Star Trek: Voyager; Xena: Warrior Princess; The Secret Life of the American Teenager; Sabrina the Teenage Witch; Charmed and 7th Heaven.
“She’s calling her book My Days. Well, I think there will be people who will read this book whose days will be better because they have read about Marion’s days.”
—Anson Williams
David Laurell (DL): How did Happy Days come into your life?
Anson Williams (AW): I had done over thirty commercials and a lot of television shows in which they would always cast me as the concerned boyfriend (furrows his brow and gives a look of deep concern). I had always had a desire to be a musician or to act, but I never really did much of anything to pursue it when I was in high school, or even right after I graduated. That was simply because I had no idea how to go about starting a career in show business. I had grown up in Burbank, and so a lot of my friends had family members who were in all different aspects of the film and television industry. I started asking around as to what I should be doing if I wanted to be a singer or an actor, and the answer I got was that I just needed to get out there and start doing it. So I started going to talent nights around Los Angeles. I was singing and then began going on casting calls for small parts in local theater productions, and one thing just led to another.
DL: And one of the things it led to was an audition with Garry Marshall.
AW: Right, for the pilot that would ultimately become Happy Days. I can assure you, when I went on that audition, I had no idea that what I was doing would dramatically change my life. At the time I was just looking for a gig to pay the rent, so to me, this was just the hope of getting a payday. But then I got the part and found out that I would be working with Ron Howard, which was unreal, because I grew up watching him on The Andy Griffith Show. I remember when we were shooting that pilot, there were all these whispers around the set that this would be a “sure thing” to be picked up because it was such a great premise. Well, it didn’t get picked up, the pilot aired as a Love, American Style episode, and I didn’t give it any other thought. I just went on with my life.
But then a year later American Graffiti came out and Grease opened on Broadway and became a huge hit, and all of a sudden, the 1950s were hot, and ABC gave Garry’s pilot another look. Not many people know this, but when ABC decided to go with the show, they brought Ron and me back in to screen-test. That was kind of odd, because we had been in the pilot. But they were concerned that we might be too old for the roles. Something else that is not widely known is that, along with me, they were considering another actor for the part of Potsie—an actor by the name of Donny Most. He had read for Potsie, and they didn’t think he was right for the part. But Jerry Paris saw something he liked in Donny, and he created the role of Ralph just for him.
DL: Stop and think about it, Anson. Of the billions o
f people who have inhabited this earth, only a handful—what, maybe a couple hundred—have been a part of a successful television show and created characters that have become iconic and that will live forever. Do you ever allow yourself to think about that—that you and your cast mates are among the members of that extremely exclusive clique?
AW: I’m grateful beyond belief. The success of Happy Days went so far beyond the scripts, which were well written, and the show itself, which was perfectly cast. There was an “it” factor with that show. There are people who live in some of the most remote parts of the world, in areas of Africa, who know nothing about American life, much less what it was like in the 1950s. And yet they related to Happy Days and the characters. They felt a connection between themselves and the characters, and that is because love and friendships and family are the same no matter where you go in the world. People may look different and the backdrops of their lives are different, but the message of Happy Days is universal to every culture.
That is not just a phenomenon for people who loved the show. It was the same for us—those of us who did the show and created the characters. We felt that way about one another as human beings, as well as the characters each of us brought to life. I think that is why we have all remained close and stayed in touch. We all bonded in a way that really was exceptional—like it was some kind of a meant-to-be kismet. That is why, even though we may not see one another for a while, when we do, it is right back to where it has always been. We just pick up from where we left off like there has been no passage of time.
DL: You knew Marion before the other cast members, from working on the pilot, but you didn’t really get to know her until the show was picked up. What was it like working with her?
AW: Professionally, she is the consummate pro. You would hear that from anyone who has ever worked with her. It would not be an exaggeration to say we were all in awe of her experience, especially as a stage actress. On the personal level, she was always so kind and positive about everything. She has always been one of those people that you feel good to be around. She has always radiated this glow of positivity, which was an inspiration to me. I would go as far as to say she was a role model who instilled the quality of positivity and the importance of positive thinking in me.
As I have gotten older, I have developed this real personal peeve about the societal definition of aging, that too many people buy into what society says about getting older, and it subconsciously limits them from doing all sorts of new things. We are such an empowered force and have so much to offer. I’m in better physical shape today than I was in my thirties. I’m more on my game than ever before when it comes to ideas. That comes with the worldliness and experience you gain by both having had successes as well as failures—from making mistakes and learning from them.
There are still so many mountains to climb as we get older, and it kills me when I see people my age, and even younger, who are on the back nine, just wandering around, not knowing what to do with themselves. I have friends who are in their fifties who look and act like old men. Their mind is aging them, because their body is following their negative thoughts. They have nothing to stimulate them. I know people who sit around wondering what they can do, and the answer is they can do anything they want to do. It’s all about the power of positive thinking. You have to fill your mind with positive thoughts, and then your body follows along and gets excited about life. I have been preaching that message for a long time. It is what my business ventures have been based on. And, to a very large extent, it was Marion who sowed the seeds of embracing positivity in me many years ago.
DL: As you know, Marion is not much of a kicker or a screamer. But she may have done a tiny bit of both before finally agreeing to write her autobiography. As someone who knows her so well and has been inspired by her, what do you hope readers of this book will gain by learning more about her?
AW: Many things. First, I would like to think that after learning more about her, and getting to know that her life wasn’t all roses, people would go back and watch Happy Days and Brooklyn Bridge with a fresh perspective. I would like them to really watch her in every scene. She was a genius in the way she crafted her characters. She was also a comedic genius. I would encourage people to really watch her and to be aware of her timing, which was always right on, and her reactions and expressions. She has brought life to the characters she has played, which has made them so much more than they otherwise would have been.
Jerry Paris recognized that, and he let her create the character of Mrs. C. He did that with all of us—allowed each of us the opportunity to contribute to who our characters became. He let us create dimensions that gave our characters life and that the writers would then take and run with. Jerry gave us all the freedom to be creative and sculpt our characters. The Fonz is 100 percent Henry. Donnie completely created Ralph. And the same was true with Mrs. C. Marion totally created that character.
DL: You sound like you are a genuine die-hard Marion Ross fan.
AW: [laughing] I love her. Everyone who has been fortunate enough to know her loves her. Even though she has always been a strong woman, she was never the type to get in anyone’s face or be obtrusive or demanding in any way. That is just not a part of her makeup. In fact, she could be very reserved and quiet. When we were doing Happy Days, she would sort of fall back if things ever got a little heated. She wasn’t the type to be out there throwing in her two cents, unless she was asked to weigh in on something or to offer some advice on something. Then she was great—she always had something to say that was thoughtful and made sense.
You were asking me before about what I hope people take away from this book. I think when they read about Marion’s life experiences, it will be of great help to people, especially for other women who have gone through, or are going through, some of the things she has dealt with. I believe there will be people whose lives will be better by getting to see what she has been through and how she handled it. She’s calling her book My Days. Well, I think there will be people who will read this book whose days will be better because they have read about Marion’s days. It will be inspiring to people, just like she has always been an inspiration to me. I have a better understanding of the world, priorities, selflessness, kindness, courage and strength because of her. She is the embodiment of the power of positive thinking—about cause and effect. When I think of her—or just hear her name—I smile. She’s a white light of can-do spirit.
Chapter 22
My Neighbor Scott
My home, which I have always affectionately called the Happy Days Farm, is located in the eastern shadow of Serrania Ridge, located between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Chalk Hills. Just to the west of the ridge, there is a beautiful formal estate where my neighbor lives—my neighbor Scott Baio.
Scott was just fifteen when he came to Happy Days. I was surprised to learn he was fifteen, because he appeared to be younger. He was just this cute little kid who, in what seemed like no time, grew in front of our eyes.
Another guy from Brooklyn, he was a sharp fellow who had an appealing personality. His character, Chachi, who was the younger cousin of Fonzie, joined our family during our fifth season. I can only imagine how overwhelming that must have been for him. By that time we had a major hit show on our hands, and he was immediately thrown into scenes with a cast that was entirely composed of household names.
That could have been intimidating for any actor, much less a teenager who had played the title role in the 1976 film Bugsy Malone but had done very little television work. But nothing seemed to faze Scott. He was polite and professional (believe me, his father would have never allowed him to be anything but) and just fit in perfectly with the rest of us.
Scott was the third child of Italian immigrants, Mario and Rose Baio. Like me, he had decided when he was very young that he wanted to become an actor. Unlike me, he was always very open about that dream, and his parents were always very supportive. When he first started out, he got some commercial
work and then beat out more than two thousand other young actors for the lead role in Bugsy Malone, which is what brought him to Garry’s attention.
After Happy Days wrapped, Scott went on to appear in a few feature films, such as Skatetown, U.S.A.; Foxes and Zapped!, and, of course, he also did the short-lived Happy Days spin-off, Joanie Loves Chachi. Not long after that he starred in his own series, Charles in Charge, which ran on CBS in 1984 and1985 and then in first-run syndication from 1987 to 1990.
In 2007 Scott did a VH1 reality series called Scott Baio Is 45 . . . and Single. At the conclusion of the first season of that show, he married his then girlfriend—a beautiful blond model, actress and Southern belle named Renee Sloan—and they soon announced that she was pregnant with twins.
Following a difficult pregnancy, during which Renee lost one of her babies, the couple’s daughter, Bailey, was born five weeks premature on November 2, 2007. Initially, it was believed that she was suffering from glutaric acidemia type 1, a rare organic metabolic disorder, but extensive testing ultimately proved the diagnosis to be false, and Bailey was ultimately given a clean bill of health. With immeasurable gratefulness that their daughter was healthy, Scott and Renee took that horrific experience to heart and established the Bailey Baio Angel Foundation to raise awareness and funding for children who are dealing with metabolic disorders.
Today nothing brings a smile to my face more than to be doing something at the Happy Days Farm and to have Scott and Bailey stop by to visit while out for a walk. I always love spending a little time with them, just catching up on what they are doing. And even if some time passes and I don’t see them for a while, it just makes me happy to know that they’re not far away—just right over the ridge.