Anson Williams "Happy Days"

Anson Williams became a television icon as Potsie Weber on Happy Days, but his Hollywood story goes far beyond Arnold’s Drive-In.

Anson joins Steve Kmetko for a revealing look back at more than five decades in show business, including how he stumbled into his first acting job with a young Steven Spielberg, what Garry Marshall taught the Happy Days cast about surviving Hollywood, and the extraordinary day John Lennon secretly showed up on the Happy Days set with his son Julian.

Anson also tells the remarkable story of how his connection to Dr. Henry Heimlich helped bring the Heimlich maneuver to national television, remembers his late Happy Days co-star Erin Moran, talks about working with Bette Davis and Hollywood legends including Milton Berle and Ethel Merman, and explains how Ron Howard helped inspire his second career as a television director.

Plus, Anson discusses his newest project, Crazy Mama, starring Linda Purl.

It’s an hour of Hollywood history from someone who was there for an astonishing amount of it.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Anson Williams joins Still Here Hollywood

01:00 Growing up in Los Angeles and trying to break into show business

04:00 The disastrous audition that launched his career

07:24 His first real break

09:00 How a sit-in at a talent agency changed everything

12:00 His first acting job, directed by Steven Spielberg