Remembering Andy Williams

Andy Williams, one of America's top pop vocalists and popular TV show host, has died.  He was 84.

One of the benefits of a career in radio is, or maybe WAS, the chance to meet lots of celebrities needing to use your show to promote themselves or a project they support.  Usually you have enough notice to prepare for a famous guest and are ready with questions you think will provide some insight and fascination for listeners.  Naturally, like much in life, sometimes you get surprised…

In January of 1977 I was new to San Diego having re-located the previous August from the Tampa/St. Petersburg market.  As the afternoon drive guy on KOGO it was part of my deal to also host the Saturday morning show in place of the legendary Ernie Myers who had a contract that guaranteed him a Monday through Friday work week.  It was fun for me since I had primarily been a morning guy for most of my career. The show was my opportunity to establish a beachhead in the morning real estate if and when Ernie decided to retire.  

From 1968 to 1988 Andy Williams hosted the annual San Diego Open.  He was an avid golfer and the PGA loved having big names on the majority of their tournaments in those days.  Bob Hope, Glen Campbell and Dinah Shore had their own and the Torrey Pines course at La Jolla was the perfect venue for the Andy Williams San Diego Open.  

I was at the AWSDO that Saturday in January of 1977 and about half way through my 6am-10am show when an official from the tournament stuck his head in the door of the KOGO mobile studios set up for the event.  He said, "Andy is here and I'm bringing him in for an interview in a few minutes."  "Hummina hummina  hummina", I managed.  Immediately I thought I'm not prepared!  What the hell can I ask him??!!

At first I thought a sincere thank you for all the make-out music he had provided for my high school Romeo years. (The girls all loved him.)  Fortunately I realized that would fill about ten seconds of time, IF he laughed.  The only other subject that was rolling around in my cranium was the recent trial and conviction of his ex-wife, Claudine Longet, who had air-conditioned her boyfriend, professional skier Spider Sabich, to death with a pistol that just happened to fall into her hands.  That's ALL I had.  My mind couldn't stop thinking of wise ass cracks like Claudine wanting Spider to "listen to a 45" and other equally snide and insipid lines.

And then….HE WAS THERE.   

I rose to shake hands and was stunned to see how short he was.  I had no idea.  I'd seen him on TV for years and had always thought him to be of average height but here was a guy wearing Cuban heels who  barely touched 5'5", maybe less.  He was really short!  I'm certain that the surprise shown in my face.  In addition he gave every indication of being massively hungover and in no mood to "chat".  My career flashed in front of my eyes as he shakily fired up a large stogie, no doubt as an incentive for me to keep our meeting brief.

In my headphones I heard that we were nearing the end of a commercial break and I was "ON" in ten seconds.  Flop sweat enveloped my body as I lamely began introducing Andy.  A quick comment about us both having spent time in Iowa, he in Wall Lake and me in Spencer, went nowhere and I could tell by the look on his face he wasn't going to stick around too long if this was all I had.  I asked about his brothers and how their boyhood act evolved from singing on the radio in Des Moines and Cincinnati to backing up Bing Crosby on his big hit, "Swingin' On A Star".  And THEN IT CAME TO ME…

Somehow,  either by reading it or hearing about it, I recalled the little known fact that Andy, as a young boy, had provided the singing voice for Lauren Bacall in the movie "To Have and To Have Not", a picture that first teamed her with Humphrey Bogart.  I asked him if it was true and how it happened.

His eyes widened and he sat up with interest.  He was engaged and suddenly excited to talk to me.  I had turned the corner and we were headed for home!  He told the story of how he and his brothers, Dick, Bob and Don had been under contract to MGM and were on the studio lot playing ball outside Louie B. Mayer's window as Mr. Mayer was meeting with Bogie and Bacall.  The subject of Bacall's lack of singing talent had been the major topic since the picture required her to briefly sing a song.  Mayer, always anxious to utilize contract players, called out to the Williams brothers and ask them to come to his office.  Each brother was auditioned on the spot to see if there was a close match to Lauren's low pitch.  In his early teens, it was decided that young Andy's voice was just about perfect.   

Andy Williams became the singing voice of Lauren Bacall.  

Movie trivia had saved me!

If you have a chance, check out "To Have and To Have Not"to hear the voice of a young Andy Williams exit the mouth of the very sexy Lauren Bacall.

The rest of the interview went very well.  I relaxed and remembered questions about some of his hit records and his relationship with Bobby and Ethel Kennedy, even though he was a registered Republican.  In every respect it became a worthy interview.  He left the KOGO trailer in good spirits and I went home with a wonderful memory of a major singing talent with over twenty-seven charted hit records that continue to play on as the  soundtrack of my generation.

Andy Williams 1927-2012