#116 Happy Days with Don Most

Announcer 0:00

Looking to sound like you know what's going on in the world, pop culture, social strategy, comedy and other funny stuff. Well join the club and settle in for the Jeff Dwoskin show. It's not the podcast we deserve. But the podcast we all need with your host, Jeff Dwoskin.

Jeff Dwoskin 0:16

All right, Warren, thank you so much for that amazing introduction. You get the show going each and every week and this week was no exception. Welcome, everybody to a lie from Detroit, the Jeff Dwoskin show. As always, I am your host, Jeff Dwoskin. Great to have you back for another rockin episode. That's right. We're gonna be rocking around the clock one more time. We've got Don most with us today. That's right Ralph Malph from Happy Days, thus completing our Happy Days trilogy, Episode 110. With Anson "Potsie Webber" Williams episode 114 With Marion "Mrs. C" Ross and now episode 116 with Don Most that Happy Days trilogy is now complete. Don Most, actor singer director Diamond Star Trek Voyager the great buck Howard Glee Ed TV Don is also an accomplished singer. We talk all about that as well during the episode and where you can stream some of his amazing music. We got so much so much coming up we talk Happy Days and so much more. And that's coming up in just a few minutes.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:38

Oh my that expensive sound effect can only mean one thing. I thank you is in order to all my fans, would you believe live from Detroit, the Jeff Dwoskin show is popping all over Apple podcast podcast chart rankings. And I want to thank you all for it. We're charting in the film interview category and the United States. Great Britain, Canada, Netherlands, India, Portugal. Amazing. Thanks to all of you for listening and to the rest of the world. What's going on? Why aren't you on board? Come on. Can't you see what Great Britain, Canada, Netherlands, India, Portugal in the United States. I've already known for years that live in Detroit, the Jeff Dwoskin show is where it's at.

Jeff Dwoskin 2:20

But in all seriousness, thank you all very much. It's fun seeing the show pop on the charts. By may reflect for a quick second when I started this podcast, and I started to get to meet all these TV, film singers, writers, directors that created things that I grew up with. It was just so exciting. And I've loved this journey. And so when I was able to talk to a few people from Happy Days, I just was so over the moon about it, you know, and I got to talk to Potsie and Mrs. C and you're going to hear Ralph Malph in a minute done most it just so cool. So I definitely check out the other interviews as well. 110 with Anson Williams 114 With Marion Ross. And then of course, stay tuned for some fun conversation with Don most as I was preparing for all the interviews. It's interesting like with Ansan Williams, we talk a lot about Mickey Dolenz was almost the Fonz. I mean, how crazy would that have been like the whole idea like how different the show would have been had that happen with Marion Ross, we talked about how the entire cast played softball and went across the country to meet the fans, which played a huge part and Happy Days becoming one of the biggest shows of all time. In this episode, we talk about jumping the shark, the term jumped the shark, which a lot of people don't realize came from Happy Days and dynamos tonight we talk about that episode in particular that's coming up in a little bit. So as you kind of dig into the happy day stuff you find a lot of the trivia like I didn't know that in the Smithsonian Institute, the Fonzi's Leather Jacket they have there's actually a replica because the original one was stolen off the set and also that Henry Winkler was originally offered the role of Danny Zuko in Grease, but he couldn't sing so we turned the part down, and John Travolta turn that into a classic. Maybe y'all can help me get Henry Winkler on the podcast, tweeted the Fonz and let him know he should be on live from Detroit the Jeff Dwoskin show. Tell him you heard great interviews from Mrs. C Potsie Ralph Malph and now you need to hear from the Fonz. Let's do it. Head to social media helped me make it happen.

Jeff Dwoskin 4:21

In the meantime, I do want to thank everyone for supporting the sponsors. When you support the sponsors, you're supporting us here live from Detroit, the Jeff Dwoskin show, and that's how we keep the lights on today's interview sponsor Arnold's drive in located in the heart of Milwaukee Wisconsin named Milwaukee's number one greasy spoon 30 years in a row looking to hang out and eat good food come on over to Arnold's drive in your car for our in car service or head on in grab a booth. drop a coin in the jukebox and rag around the clock. dance along with your friends play pinball, and reminisce over Good times. Good meals and good times await you at Arnold's drive in. All right, well, I'm hungry. I don't know about you going to go get me a hamburger. In the meantime, get ready for my conversation. But Don Most, it's really awesome. If you listened to the Anson Williams conversation I asked Anson a lot about watching Robin Williams transform it to Mork from Ork, I asked Don the same question because he was there to to get a different point of view. All great, all amazing. And that's coming up right now. Enjoy. Alright everyone, I'm excited to introduce you to my next guest, actor, director, the singer, but always have a place in my heart as Ralph Malph from Happy Days.

Jeff Dwoskin 5:44

Ladies and gentlemen, Don Most welcome to the show.

Don Most 5:48

Oh, thank you so much, Jeff. It's good to be with you.

Jeff Dwoskin 5:51

It's so great to have you here. Thanks for hanging out with me on my podcast much appreciated. Oh, sure. My pleasure. I had the pleasure of kind of getting to know you as a singer. As I was getting ready for this podcast, which was great. I listen to a lot of tunes and I want to work up to that. Okay. I was reading Marion Ross's book, and she had a nice little chapter on you that you participated in her book for her. But then she opened up with a little bit about how you were very into Al Jolson, and at your Bar Mitzvah even got up with the band and sang Al Jolson. And that was sort of like the start of the whole acting career singing lessons that that seemed to be a big piece of your origin story. So how does a nine year old become assessed with Al Jolson? Yeah,

Don Most 6:38

yeah, because I was nine when I saw the movie, The Jolson story, the biopic on on him, and the movie just I don't know, it had this really profound impact on me. I loved it. It was a combination. You know, I mean, it was a really good story. Obviously, it was a big hit at the time. And Jolson had been, you know, considered the world's greatest entertainer in his heyday into the early 19, the teens and the 20s. He made the very first talking movie that The Jazz Singer because he was the biggest star, so it was a combination of the story. Jolson's talent came through even though it was Larry Parkes playing Jolson, and Larry did a great job capturing Jolson, but it was Jolson's voice that came through in a big way for me and his charisma has is an amazing talent. I want to watching the movie, it was on something called Million Dollar Movie they had in New York on channel nine, I remember. And they would show a movie, one movie for the entire week. And they would show it twice a night up during the week and four times Saturday, four times Sunday. So after I watched it the first time on a Tuesday night, I think I watched it every time after that. So I probably watched it like 12 times that week. And I you know, was nine years old and I was just mesmerized by everything about Jolson, and the story and I went out, bought his records and I would go start singing along to Jolson sing for my grandparents and you know, that kind of thing. And then by the time I was 13, I think when I got up at my Bar Mitzvah, and because there was a good band, and they they were playing some of that music. So somebody told him, I don't I can't remember how it happened. But they said, come on up, and they said, What song do you want to do? And I said, rockabye Rockabye, your baby with a Dixie melody was a big Felson hit. And it was one of my favorites. So I did and people were like, you know, whoa, holy cow, you know, talking to my parents, and they realized how much I wanted to pursue this. So they, they were supportive, and as long as I still doing my school, regular schooling and all that. And they found through a friend of theirs, this school, a studio in Manhattan, run by a guy named Charlie lope, an old vaudevillian performer again, his wife had this studio for kids and teenagers for singing, acting, dancing and all that. So that's when I started going there. And, and it led to me actually, I got picked from there to sing in a nightclub review when I was 1415 years old up in the Catskill Mountains one summer. And I was singing with seven other of those students that had been handpicked, doing all the hotel nightclubs up in the Catskills. And I thought I made a big time, you know, so that then I switched gears and I really then I switched into a very more serious acting class a workshop, put the music aside for a while and I just, I really got into the acting side for at that point, which then eventually led to me going out to California four years later and landing some roles that led up to Happy Days.

Jeff Dwoskin 9:30

Marion mentioned that you went through the same kind of processes her as when she was a young girl, which was having to break it to your parents that you have to be an actor. She had like a similar situation, but they seemed to like really embrace this was going to be your decision,

Don Most 9:47

like, as long as it wasn't interfering with regular schooling. They were very supportive. And, you know, then when it came when I was in high school and approaching that time when you're looking at the colleges, you know, they felt very strongly that I should at least go to college and have something to fall back on something substantial and not go to college for theater, but to go to college for something totally different and not quit not after high school graduation then just pursue acting. Now I had been doing pretty well by then, in New York. I grew up in Brooklyn. And like I said, it was in that class. And then I met a woman who became my manager and got me out to meet agents and I was starting an audition. And I started getting a lot of national TV commercials. That's how I got my screen actors guild card and a few small TV things that were wasn't a lot of television shot in New York back then I got a few things and a lot of commercials. But they said after college for at least you'll have that as the fallback. So I went to Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, entered as an engineering major, because that was what I was in school. I was really good in math and science. My grandfather had been an engineer. My two uncles were engineers, my cousin was studying to be an engineer. So that was the best better, I guess, made the most sense. I did that. But after one semester, I transferred out of the engineering school because I was spending more time I was missing classes, because I was taking a bus from Pennsylvania into Manhattan for auditions, you know, and, and missing classes. And you can't really be an engineering major I think without if you're not going to class so I transferred out of that school went into the business school and I was able to get by in there and that was doing plays and theater in college as well for fun but then I went out that's how they felt. And they were right I mean, it was it was the smart thing to do and it all worked out fine because then I was still I went out to California after my junior year for the summer and and I wanted abstain because things were start I started to get work and Lance and rolls and I took six months off of college my at my agent suggestion and said you can go back but you got some momentum, keep it going, you know, because I was landing some roles and not that long after the series of auditions for happy days.

Jeff Dwoskin 12:02

There's something about Brooklyn right where you're from, there must be something in the water with the people with voices from Brooklyn, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, Marvin Hamlisch, Gershwin

Don Most 12:12

Gershwin, and Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, when I went, we all went to the same high school to

Jeff Dwoskin 12:17

maybe we can pinpoint it's a water fountain at that high school,

Don Most 12:21

at Erasmus, Erasmus Hall High School. Yes, I think it's a great training ground growing up in a place like Brooklyn, and I would think Detroit to Chicago and you have to constantly be adapting to things and you know, the pace and the diversity and, and the stimulus that you have and the energy, I think it's a it's a really good sort of environment at a breeding a good breeding ground for people pursuing acting in a creative way and might, but for some reason, the acting is so many people come from there. And that same high school I mentioned, Barbara Stanwyck went there and Eli Wallach, and a lot of others, like near West goes on and on. So yeah, there's something about growing up in the streets of Brooklyn that I think lends itself to an actor's psyche.

Jeff Dwoskin 13:09

So before happy days, you had you landed a role and emergency Yeah, Lee's story and room 20 Room 222 Yeah, there's room to 22 The interesting thing I saw about emergency was that that was also John Travolta's first. Oh, first acting.

Don Most 13:27

I didn't even know that. That's interesting. I didn't know that was John's first, I guess TV job out when he came out to LA from New Jersey. He was in similar tri tri state area, New York, Connecticut, New Jersey

Jeff Dwoskin 13:39

when I was kind of referencing that to see if you read something on my shirts right. Then I realized that Mr. T and Tina, which was Pat margaritas show was actually a spin off of Welcome Back Kotter, which I did not know. Oh, wow.

Don Most 13:52

I'm not sure I remember that. That's interesting. You've got all this great trivia that I know he

Jeff Dwoskin 13:58

started to go down these rabbit holes. I was like, well, it's the only reason I even noticed that was because when I was looking at his IMDb it said Vince, Vinnie Barbarino, under Mr. T and Tina and the only reason Mr. T and Tina caught my eyes because I knew Pat Morita when he was on Happy Days was also doing that. And yeah, it was on Sanford and Son and mash. And so I was like, Oh, if anybody know was that spin off of Yeah, it seemed like everything was a spin off back then. If it wasn't the original show was a spin off of a really good show.

Don Most 14:25

Yeah, there was a lot of work and Mindy was a spinoff from Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley was a spinoff from Happy days.

Jeff Dwoskin 14:32

Yeah, there's so many great shows that just had those origins. So Alright, so let's talk about happy days. You get the audition for happy days. There was already been one pilot at this point. You weren't part of the original pilot. That's right.

Don Most 14:44

Yeah. Anson Williams played Potsie in the original and Ron Howard played Richie, in the original and Marion Ross was the mom but they had a different father led by Harold Gould and I think a different daughter. I think there was a daughter was an Erin and there was No, Ralph, there was no Fonzie and it was like 1972, I guess, and it didn't sell didn't get on the air. But then, you know, like a year later American Graffiti a year and a half late American Graffiti comes out Egghead about him taking place in the 50s. And Greece comes out on Broadway and again about the 50. So I think some of the executives at ABC go, oh, wait a minute, we had a show about the 50s. And they went back to Gary and said, We think maybe we should revisit this. But they were telling Gary, that Ron and Anson that it's now like, a year and a half later, and they were concerned, they would maybe be too old by the time they did to play high school. And Gary was like, no, no, they could still do it. But the network made Gary, test them again, even though they had done a Hidin to test along with about eight or 10 other hopefuls, myself being one of the other hopefuls of all these different pairings of Richie's and parties. I was auditioning for them. They put me up for the role of Potsie. And that's what I wound up after my was my third time back was the screen test. And that was, that was an experience that day. It was a long day.

Jeff Dwoskin 16:10

I had read that you also auditioned for Richie, no, no,

Don Most 16:15

it's not the case. Hmm, I did not. But what if there was some other Robbie Benson was there that day screen testing, he was reading for Richie, Robby Benson, who I knew from New York, we had done a commercial together Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercial, which is they were playing it all over again because of retro commercial, which I did when I was 18. But so there was Robbie, who I knew auditioning for Richie, you know, they obviously went stuck with Ron and as and then said, No, you Gary, you're right. They, they still look like they could be high school. And so they got cast again. But then what they told my agent, they liked my, the some of the executives, very impressed with my screen test. And they said to Gary, you should put him in the show, make them, you know, find a role for him. And he should be in the show, too. That's how there was a small part in the pilot episode is a guy named Ralph Malph. And who was into cars and stuff. And they didn't tell me much more than that. He's into cars. And from the dialogue, and he had a couple of scenes, not anything big, but a few little scenes. You know, he was a wisecracker he was, but if you look back at him in those early days, especially in this first four or five, six episodes, he was a little he was almost a little cooler. You know, he because he was like the guy that had this cool car and maybe had some women around him too. And, and, you know, he reached in parts. He knew him but they weren't like really tight. But then they started getting me more and more involved. And then we became like, really good friends. And the character changed a little evolved somewhat over the next few years.

Jeff Dwoskin 17:49

I think that's amazing. And it's it's a kind of a testament and a good lesson. I think for anyone in acting. It's like always give it 1,000% Cuz you could have easily gone in there thinking, Oh, Ron Howard, Nancy Williams, they already did this pilot. This is just they're just bringing me in to, you know, to check some boxes here. And I man and yeah, I loved you so much. They're like this guy. We need this guy. We need him in the show. So that's, that's really cool. That's a great story.

Don Most 18:15

Yeah, you're right. I mean, there was a certain amount of the intimidation factor when I saw Ron, I didn't know really answer at the time. But then then through the rumor mill, I started hearing they had done this pilot. And but of course I knew Ron, because everybody knew Ron. So I was very well aware of Ron, especially because we were about the same age both had red hair. And when I was young, in Brooklyn, people used to think that I looked, they call me Opie, because we looked kind of like each other. But when I was 567 years old, I'd have people coming up to me and thinking I was him. So you can imagine how weird it was for me now here I am. Screen testing for this. This show and I've been called by his character name when I was a kid is was pretty bizarre, but you're right, if I didn't, if I didn't really give it my all, although about halfway through the day, I thought there was no chance I was gonna I was very, it was a series of things that happened during that day that I was feeling like, oh, man, the stars are against me, the stars have just against me, and I was like, but in a way, it was a good thing I'll take because sometimes you could try too hard. And what happened is it kind of made me let go a little bit, you know, and it was like, and there's a certain amount of power but there's a certain amount of getting more centered when you when you let go a little bit and you can you know, it's fine. It's that fine line, you got to find that right balance, not trying too hard and not giving a damn either, you know, that's not good either. So anyway, it kind of put me in a good place. I think

Jeff Dwoskin 19:46

what were some of the things that were kind of red flags. He thought it was not going well for you. Well,

Don Most 19:52

the scene when I first did this, first we had to prepare a scene and that went fine. I thought okay, I did pretty You know, I thought I did pretty good. But then then what happened was afterwards they were having everybody do, they had this young gal, they're very attractive gal, and they were gonna have everybody do like an improvisation with her. So they say, you know, what you're going to be doing is you're going to, like you're going out on your first date with this girl, you've been wanting to go out with her. And then it was just going to be an improv, no dialogue written. So I'm getting ready. And what happened was, I was I just turned 20. But some most of the other actors there, there were some that were not even 18 yet, and the girl wasn't 18 yet. So they have to get they don't have as much time with by the unions, rules, much time to work with, you know, the workday is shorter if you're under 18. So they were getting everybody out of the way first, and then by the time it came to me, they said, Oh, the girl, we couldn't keep her anymore because it was so you're gonna do your improv with Harvey Miller over there. He was like one of the writers. He was one of the writers of odd couple that Gary you worked with. And you know, here's a guy like, I don't know, that might have been 40 years old. I'm doing my improv with Harvey Miller with this guy, and everybody else got to do with this great looking gallon. And I'm feeling I'm screwed, you know? So they said, Well, you know, we'll give you a different situation. And I didn't think that was a good, good thing at the time. And then then by the time they got the third thing they were doing was an interview on camera with you because they wanted to see who you were to. And because if you're going to be on a show, and they're going to be working with you a long time, they wanted to get a sense of who you were, too. By the time we got to the interview, I felt and I'm waiting around again for everybody else. And by the time they got to me, I was like, this isn't gonna happen. So I was like, kind of maybe I was just really loose you know, might work to my advantage. I don't know.

Jeff Dwoskin 21:51

i It's funny. You mentioned that you looked like OPI when you're younger. I read again, I was very you may get an FBI warning. Someone was digging into you on Google a lot. But the it was me. But no, I read that. I read that the only hesitation Gary Marshall head was having to redheads on the show. Yes.

Don Most 22:09

Yeah. And I thought that I was surprised that they went ahead and put, you know if they cast Ron, and I was kind of surprised that they were putting me on as one of the friends you know, because it's two redheads. But I guess the executives, I should be thankful I would I read I found out later. There was a couple years later that I found out that the executive that really was standing up and saying you should cast dot Donnie. And my name was just going by Donnie, there was Michael Eisner, who was an executive at Paramount Studios at the time, and then went on to become like the head of Disney later on. It's starting to become one of the biggest executives in the business. It was Michael Eisner. So years later, and I ran it. I ran into him somewhere. And I said, you know, I never knew about this. I have you to probably to thank for this, you know, and there might have been other people too. But somebody told me it was Michael Eisner. So anyway, that was kind of cool.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:03

That's really cool. Yeah. Now, you'd be like, did you get like a free pass at Disney World? Because of it? They said, You come anytime you want. John,

Don Most 23:10

I should have asked. I shouldn't have asked for that. Yeah.

Jeff Dwoskin 23:14

So talk to me about the evolution of the character and how your catchphrase came into it. I'll let you say I don't want to butcher it. But they. But there was a lot of good phrases on that show. It was your work. But you had your own. And so it was

Don Most 23:31

sit on it and and got it. Well, Henry's a you know, of course, and there are several others. Well, I could probably answer both of those questions in one, in a way because part of the evolution of the character happened, some of what happened was in like I was saying early on, I didn't have that much to do. You know, I get like a scene here, maybe the scene towards the beginning of the show and then seeing towards the end. And then Richie and Potsie were mainly involved in the family. And Fonzie would have a scene here in there, too. We were Henry and I were like peripheral characters. But then they started building me more and more and but part of that was combination that they had to come up with more for me a little bit here and there. But I was I was like, always into trying to come up with stuff that wasn't even in the script. So like I'd get I'd come up with ideas to embellish, you know, to make my part a little bigger and come up with some some things and the director who was Jerry Paris, who was a brilliant director, he was the guy who directed most of the Dick Van Dyke shows back before us and won an Emmy his first year directing he was an actor before that in some famous movies, but he was fabulous. He became like a mentor of mine. And we were very close. And Jerry loved when I'd come up with an idea that wasn't a script and, and he'd love it and it would stimulate him and he'd go, oh, yeah, yeah. And then spur him to come up with something on top of that, and then oh, we hate to we'd like we were like connecting and really working well, and the writers and the producers We're seeing what we were doing that wasn't in the script. And that helped to sort of build my role in it got a little bigger and bigger and bigger. And as the years developed, and Jerry was more like Ralph than I was because in real life, I was never the comedian. I was more than Quiet Kind of honor student guy. I was one of like, Richie was in high school that was not my friends. I knew guys that like to be the funniest guy in the room. But that wasn't me. I was like, kind of quiet and more shy and everything. So Jerry was was kind of like, Ralph, you know, I'm he cracked jokes all the time and love to get laughs You know, so my character started, you know, I was getting influenced by Jerry and starting to go more and more his direction a little bit. And he, when he would crack a joke and really score with it in front of everybody, then he'd go, I still got it. I still got it, you know, something like that if you do it different ways. So we'd always crack up you know, you got I still got it. One day I doing a scene shooting Friday night and you know, in front of an audience and we get ready to shoot the scene and Arnold's in it was a similar route is going to crack some kind of joke. And it hit me. I scoped Ron, I don't tell anybody else. They say, Ron, be ready. I'm going to do something that's not in the script here. So just be ready. I didn't tell him why, you know. And then I Ralph cracks the joke at orals and they kind of laughing and then I just I went, I still got it. Just like that, or I still got it. I can't remember which way I went with it. Everybody that they all cracked up. Jerry loved it. And the audience liked it too, even though they weren't in on it. I guess they just thought it was funny. So from that point forward, they started writing it in for me, you know, in different situations. And you know, and then it would be like, you were in some predicament and like, do I go even in danger? I still got it, you know, or even in it. Even in Walker Shaw, I still got it. Wherever it might have been, you know, it was a real trip for me. About 15 years later, I could never forget this. I'm watching you know, some network show somebody who's being interviewed, and they something happens. And then they went, after they went, I still got it. And I went, you know, and then it started coming into the vernacular more and more. I'm hearing it more and more. And I was like, wow, that is so surreal to me, because I know where it came from. It wasn't anybody it was Jerry via me.

Jeff Dwoskin 27:22

It's it's universal, and people could adapt it to themselves, which would be different than just if I was at a party and all of a sudden I want a that would seem like a little that would be a little weirder, because well, it depends on what the conversation is. Right? Right. Right. might fit in, more adaptable. Mine's a little more agree. So when Fabbi day started off, it's a one camera shoot. So it's more like a mini movie then eventually moves to a three camera in front of a live audience. But part of that transition was recognizing Henry Winkler and the fronds were just exploding. Mm hmm. What was it like being on the show and making that transition on the show yourself? Under the umbrella of all this Fonzie mania going on?

Don Most 28:09

Wow. Yeah, we didn't, we didn't have none of the cast. We were thrilled. You know, I mean, we were thrilled because first of all, we saw what, you know, we were there in the bird's eye view, watching Henry create this character and see it evolve. And he was doing fabulous, wonderful work, you know, from an actor's point of view and watching what he was doing. And it was like, we were always waiting to see what he was going to do next. And, and it was, he was doing such a great job with it. So then to see it catch on, like that was was exciting. And we felt really happy for him and happy for it was great for the show was great for him was great for all of us. And, and it was something to witness to, you know, we had experiences where we'd go out into public when they sent us on these publicity tours and, and we get out in the real world, instead of being insulated in the soundstage doing the thing and you don't know how many people are watching it. And then you go out and Henry and I attended. There was one event where Henry Ron and Henry Anson and I went, Braun was shooting, something couldn't be there. And we get to this thing, and there's, you know, there's like, and somebody told you the story, there's like, we see 1000s of people, and we're going oh, there must be a concert going on or something around here, you know, and then somebody and B says that they're here for us, and we'll say, you know, and then they're coming over to the car and rocking the car and everything, you know, I mean, we were like what we felt like, you know, the Beatles or whatever. And then there was a we couldn't even get through and then there was another time when Henry and I went to this shopping mall as part of a publicity tour appearing at the Paramus mall in New Jersey and we get there and we're like just you could see so many people there and you know a lot of ladies were there happy to see him from the phones I guess you know, yelling and screaming and and the police the security realized they had these I saw horses, you know, in front or whatever keep us because they were going to come around and take pictures or whatever with sign autographs. But they were there maybe a minute or two and they realized that this was going to be a danger. They thought it was a dangerous situation. And it goes, you got to get out of here we go on, we got to get you out here. We've shot there's no way to go. It was a fountain behind us. That was like with a wall and all this. And they said you going up that way. And we and I look, you're just you got to get Now get out. Because it was surging forward. So here's Andrew and I climbing up this is ledge of the wall to get out of there. And then they whisk us into a car. Tell us to lie down send another limo as a decoy. I mean, it was like, What is going on here? It's like you're in the twilight zone, you know? So So I saw what's going on. And you know, of course and Henry became He's the number one star and television. Yeah, it was it was like, it was a total. It was a crazy you know, it was It is unbelievable. But like I said we we were all very thrilled about it. And you know, we had to adapt you know, there were times when you wanted the writers I think very and Gary Marshall was very, very, very perceptive and smart. And they made sure that we all had the balanced it so that they would be stories that featured Ralph. They'd be stories that featured Potsie there'd be stories that featured Joni and you know, that everybody got their do so that that really kept it, you know, in a good place where we were all fine.

Jeff Dwoskin 31:31

That's cool. I'd seen an interview with Ron Howard where he was a little uneasy he was fine with the transition, but I think they at one point they wanted to change the name of the show to your funds these happy days.

Don Most 31:41

Right and he said that's not what I was gone for. He wasn't

Jeff Dwoskin 31:45

into that they how one transition that did kind of take that name was during the early run. You run and Henry when animated with bonds and the happy days gang, right, a Hanna Barbera cartoon, right with DD con. That's right. As cupcake. Oh, you later start on a plate with Middletown.

Don Most 32:07

Middleton and before that she appeared on Happy Days in two episodes as my girlfriend really? Yeah. Before she ever did greet.

Jeff Dwoskin 32:15

Oh, nice. So many connections. So many threads. Yeah. So the cartoon Yeah. So the cartoon, of course had a dog named Mr. Cool.

Don Most 32:28

Frank Welker was the voice and

Jeff Dwoskin 32:31

you're trying to get back to 1957. Milwaukee has their time.

Don Most 32:36

Okay, I didn't even remember that. But

Jeff Dwoskin 32:42

I just thought was funny, because I finally got the fines and the happy days gang. I'm like, Oh, they finally at least got the name something with.

Don Most 32:48

Yeah, it was a good, you know, it was a good experience. Because to do a voice for the cartoon was fun, I'd never done it. And then I wound up, it kind of led to me doing the people. Some of the same people were involved in another cartoon called Dungeons and Dragons. And I did that. And it ran, I think three seasons. And it was a really, that was a fun, really fun one. I liked that one. And I get people who it sort of became a little bit of a, you know, cold thing because a lot of people still remember that and bring it up. It was good to experience doing that. And then I did another one team Wolf, another cartoon after that. So um, nice to experience a lot of different things.

Jeff Dwoskin 33:26

And as yourself since we're talking animated for a second you were yourself on Family Guy.

Don Most 33:32

Yes, that was fun. That was a funny bit. That was a very funny bit. And they they wanted me to they were having fun with me changing my name from Donnie to Don and they didn't know I guess they called my agent and said, We'd love Don to come in and and do this little thing that we put together if he doesn't want to do it because they didn't know if I you know, take offensive the joke they were doing they said we're gonna do it anyway, we'll get someone else but we'd rather have him you know, so I read it and I thought it was very very funny. And I said oh yeah, I'll do that. You know, I'll go in and do it. And and then they did such a funny they did a great job with the with the chorus of the music that's coming up behind me as like my figure my statue whatever Donnie most rises from the mist

Jeff Dwoskin 34:16

every 100 years. Yeah,

Don Most 34:18

it was a kind of a take off from Brigadoon I guess the bigger the play every 100 years you know something's just right the dining a rose from the mist and then the end I go What was the exact light it's done most now something like

Jeff Dwoskin 34:32

let me set you up Johnny most the most he was Ralph on Happy days.

Don Most 34:40

They go it's done most now. And then I go back start going back down is that this great chorus behind it was a beautiful, beautifully done piece they did is very funny and people loved it. I get a lot of a lot of comments about that. You know, great comments.

Jeff Dwoskin 34:57

They family guys. Brilliant. And that was just like in the right time. Have a scene that just berry picking and yeah, and they stay away. Ryan you know this is this is the exact location where every 100 years

Don Most 35:11

I don't like just this total non sequitur.

Jeff Dwoskin 35:15

Oh funny. So consistency wasn't a thing on happy days you had two sets of parents.

Don Most 35:22

Yeah, no. And there were there were three different shocks

Jeff Dwoskin 35:27

so the jump the shark episode Yeah, it's fun to have watched the series at the time and later that kind of ties into that became such a that's it's just such a pop culture reference now to like for any show and I think a lot of people that make that reference don't even realize it comes from happy right? This is your the but the whole thing was was your character's fault. You you I think it was your fault. He had the jumper shark in the episode.

Don Most 35:53

Why is it my fault?

Jeff Dwoskin 35:54

I think he's um, I was rewatching it seemed like you did something and then finds out the jump a shark.

Don Most 35:59

Oh, you mean like I did something and then yeah, cornered him into having to do this. Oh, okay. Maybe I can not remembering exactly. But yeah, it's probably I did something stupid. And then he had to save face or something. I don't know.

Jeff Dwoskin 36:14

What was it like in the writers room where they're like, he's still got to have his jacket on. He can't not be wearing his jacket even though he's waterskiing.

Don Most 36:22

Yeah, I mean, I guess they probably thought it would be really funny. You know, like, he's got he's in a bathing suit with, you know, he still has the leather jacket, it will be it'll be you know, that'll be great. And I'm sure a lot of people thought it was pretty funny. But I just I remember, somebody sent me a link. I totally forgot. I kind of remembered but not to this extent, Ron Howard was being interviewed by by somebody, and they brought up the jump the shark thing and and he said in the interview, he said, Well, you know, it was really, it was really in a way, Donnie most who kind of came up with that phrase. And I'm going I did what was he talking about? And then I remember he said, we're doing a reading of the script on Monday around the table with the writers in the cast and producers. And when it was over, I was not I thought the script, you know, I felt like the scripts was and I'd been complaining, talking to Ron, when I felt like the scripts were starting to get really silly and going and going downhill and in ways. So he Ron said in the interviews, Donnie comes up to me after the reading and he looks takes a bomb and he looks at me and he says, now they got the Fonz jumping a shark. And I said, Wow, I think I remember saying that. So and then Ron said, I said to Donnie, well, look, you know, we're number one, they must know what they're doing. You know, they know what they're doing. But he said, But Donnie was not very happy with the script. You know, I thought it was and so I said, yeah, now that got the funds jumping your shark. Now somebody else coined that phrase, not knowing I had said that to Ron, you know, but I said it first.

Jeff Dwoskin 38:02

Anson, when I talked to Anthony, he shared a lot about the worst script he thought ever, which was oh, yeah, I know what you're gonna say. I know exactly the story, which was the mark for Mark. Yes.

Don Most 38:13

Right. And then it became a great show.

Jeff Dwoskin 38:15

It became a great show, but I was just curious, like, what was it like, from your point of view, just answering kind of gave his butt like, what was it? You were there the birth of Robin Williams. I mean, like, I mean, he was still you know, I know he had a reputation is a is a great improviser, you know, but like, just watching this person at work, just creating this magic on the fly. And it just must have been such a magical moment. Yeah, it

Don Most 38:37

was, it was it was definitely something that really stood out in a big way. I remember I got to the soundstage, a little late night, I wasn't late, but our call was late, later than everyone else's. Because Anson and I weren't going to be in some of the it was the day they have cameras blocked, rehearsing with the cameras and coordinating everything and they had a hard time casting the role because person they originally wanted, didn't want to do it. Then they finally cast somebody and then he wound up quitting, you know, because it was the script was we all thought it was like the one of the worst scripts and you heard of the smart this guy from outer space. I was like, what and then they so now it's Thursday. It's like Wednesday night and they don't have the Roll cast and we shooting it on Friday, you know, and Thursday's camera blocking day. So Gary's sister Ronnie Helen had seen and Al Molinero two I think it seemed Robin at the Comedy Store and on Sunset Boulevard in LA and they said we we seen this guy He's perfect for this because Robin used to do in his standard back this alien kind of thing. He actually did like, you know, he's playing with his alien did like a lot of funny noises and this and that. So I didn't know that till later. So they brought Robin in to audition and like he blew Garry Marshall everyone away. You know, I think he stood on his head and it was doing all these crazy stuff. So I walk in net. So my call is until a little bit later an answer and we go into the soundstage and and there's like this palpable buzz, electricity. I can't even describe it. And, you know, you just felt as soon as we got on the soundstage, and then somebody comes up and says, Where do you see this guy? Oh, my God, you won't believe it. This guy is like genius. And he's amazing. And people left and right. So we go up to an area, we're watching the rehearsal and then seeing Robin for the first time, and he's doing all this stuff, you know, that wasn't in the script and make some of his probably from his stand up act that he did. But he but then he's still improvising more, you know, and we're like, all our jaws are dropping, like, Who is this guy is from outer space, you know, he's playing this guy is where did he come from, you know, in when he turned it turned into, you know, is one of the worst scripts and it turned into, you know, a great episode and he had his own show. Bye, bye. For days, five days later, we found out he's got his own show now. It was that quick

Jeff Dwoskin 41:03

couple of things I read. You met your wife on Happy days?

Don Most 41:06

Yes, yes, it was the what turned out to be my it was not the last year of filming. But it was my last year because my contract ended. It was the seventh season. That's when Morgan had a guest starring role. She wound up doing two episodes. But we met during that first one and got along very quickly. And I was very enamored with her. And we started I took her out for dinner before we shot the show. And and we started dating, and then two years later got married and we're having our 40th wedding anniversary in about two and a half weeks.

Jeff Dwoskin 41:39

Mazel tov. Thank you. Does she ever hold that over your head that she smokes? The Fonz?

Don Most 41:45

No, not really. But that was the year then after that season, both Ron and I opted not to renew The show ran for four more years after that. But Ron and I were no longer on it after that

Jeff Dwoskin 41:57

to regret leaving at that point. No, no, I

Don Most 42:00

don't I don't it come to that time, you know, where I'd been doing that role for seven years. And I wanted to have a career as an actor that blasted beyond that. And I was worried that you get so associated with a role, especially a role like that on a sitcom. And I was so different from the character and, and like I said, I thought the scripts were not what they had been, and was a combination of that. You know, I actually I didn't tell this story until about a year ago. But I actually, you know, I was leaning towards not coming back. But then I said, you know, what, my manager and I came up with an idea. And he said, Let tell them tell the powers that be at Paramount and whoever they have to talk to, that they will now offering me the biggest raise that I'd ever been offered because I was no longer on contract. So you know, they had raises each year built into the contract. And maybe you'd renegotiate a little bit. But now that I was no longer in the contract, they weren't they were offering me by far the biggest raise that I had been offered. And I said, Tell them, forget about the race. I'll come back without a raise. I do for the same money, but guarantee me apart and a ABC TV movie or supporting role in a feature film at Paramount, so I can do something different. Show that and don't even give me a raise. And they wouldn't do it for us. So that's when it was I said okay. And I gave them a good chance. Good chance.

Jeff Dwoskin 43:24

Did they not invite you back for the final episode? No, no, that's Thanks. That's like a disservice to the fans too. I mean, you as well. But I mean, like, as fans sitting at home, you want to you want to see everything kind of culminate. There's a feeling that you have from home

Don Most 43:37

that absolutely. And you know, I think it was a pretty reasonable request after being on a show for seven years. And they know what I'm up against as an actor. They know how difficult it's going to be after and I'm telling him don't even get give me a raise.

Jeff Dwoskin 43:52

They could have done better by Yeah, I agree. That was

Don Most 43:55

yeah, it was unfortunate. But luckily, it was hard. It was very hard to break away. But I kept chipping away, kept chipping away, kept chipping away. And now in the last four or five years like I've been getting some really great been busier than I've been in a long time did for movies. From last November to May I did four film projects playing completely different roles went from playing pastor to a polygamist to a prison guard to a king to a career criminal to the owner of a hockey team and the CEO me you know, it's running the kind of thing that I've been what what I've been wanting to always playing all different kinds of roles and and I was doing it even before you know on television to I did Star Trek Voyager where I played a two parter a villain and then show called the CRO and I play psychiatrist and alcoholic retired ballplayer in a movie independent film called the ankles. And I want that Supporting Actor in a feature film at a big film festival recently for last heart, a movie that's on amazon prime where I played a lot the small town pastor and awards for this son viral vignettes that that I've been part of I'm actually I've acted in three episodes. I've directed one of them. And I'm one of the exec producers of viral vignettes. And it's, it's the Barrymore film festival right now, and people can go and if they look up the Barrymore Film Festival and look for harvest time, and it's the one I wait, harvest time is not part of viral vignettes. But that's what I do with Anson Williams where we play completely different characters. It's very dark comedy.

Jeff Dwoskin 45:26

Very I watched it, I watched it. Yeah, it was great. Your your your brothers and answer needs your kidney. Yeah. And you? Yeah, you play a real shark. I'll say jerk.

Don Most 45:40

I'm a jerk. All right. I mean, I'm, I'm kind of a shithead. You know, but it's, it's a really well written piece. It's really it's like dark like David Mamet meets Neil Simon or something like that. It's really good writing and we had a great time doing it and and we've won several awards at some of the festivals. I got Best Actor, the New York Long Island Film Festival and and sag one best duo and several. So you know, there's a lot of cool stuff going on. And viral vignettes is another one, same producer, David Levin, produced both of those that's at the Barrymore festival. Now people could go on,

Jeff Dwoskin 46:18

I watched the Marshall Plan. I started the family trying to talk him into the real world again. Oh, yeah. But yeah, oh, yes. Yeah, fun stuff. It's fun. Yeah, yeah,

Don Most 46:30

it is really good material. So as I'm saying, it took a while to some tough times. You know, when I told my agent when I left, happy days, I said, I don't want I'd like to try to just do film and theater. Now, this was back in 19, you know, 8081. And it's very hard back then to go from TV film, not like today where there's a bridge between the two mediums you go back and forth. People who are doing movies do TV and vice versa. Back then it was like film actors and television, especially sitcoms, so it was very hard. So but I told my age. I don't want to do television for a while. I would like to just try to do film theater while I was able I got theater, but I went nine months. I couldn't even get an audition for a film. They wouldn't even you know, that's how it was like that. Because Oh no, the from Happy Days now is not right for this, you know, it was difficult. So but then I said, Okay, let's do some television. I start, like I said, chipping away and getting something here and there. And there's a little different, little more different in theater, more and more theater, and it just it started breaking open the cracks, you know, now, these really, really cool projects have been coming my way so and then I also directed three independent films during that time period, once called the last best Sunday, very dramatic piece. So on Amazon, now it's on to B and then a film called moolah, which is on Amazon Prime, which I won like best a standing director were premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival, and introduced Shailene Woodley. She was 13 years old, her first film, and now she's wanting to do a lot of lot of stuff. She's pretty big. And luck, great cast and in moolah, and I have several projects right now that I'm getting excited about that. I might, you know, I'm attached to direct and we're trying to get it financed set up and some real traction on lately. So I'm feeling optimistic. I'll be doing that again. And then of course, then I went back to singing a little bit brought that back into the into the fold.

Jeff Dwoskin 48:28

I love the singing. I put on a cranked up Spotify and I started listening and Oh, cool. It's great. I don't listen to the Great American Songbook that much. So it was it was nice to hear it and you have an amazing voice. Thank you. I did in my research. I know Ansan beat you to the singing on Happy days. I'm sure there was one scene at least. Yeah, there may have been more but at least one that I found where you did sing on Happy days. And it was during the dance marathon. Oh, right. Right, the dance marathon. The reason the dance marathon. That episode always stuck out in my head as a Jewish boy is Henry Winkler wins by doing the Hava Nagila he does. And I always remember thinking myself, like, you know, like when people talk about oh, you see something of yours, you know of who you are. And a show like, you know, Judaism. That was it wasn't pointed out that that was a very traditional Jewish dance, but it was like I knew it. Right, right. And if you were just watching it, you'd be like, Wow, anyway, Claire's doing a really kick ass dance. That is really a physical dance to win this thing. Yeah, I know. But you were you definitely saying during that episode and so but I always remembered that I sang the anniversary waltz. Right. Right, right. Yeah, exactly. Which Jolson

Don Most 49:43

had made famous. It was a Johnson song. That's why they gave it to me.

Jeff Dwoskin 49:47

That's awesome. So how often are you singing now you do tour do you do two special dates or I was doing

Don Most 49:54

it more before the pandemic pandemic sort of cut into that but I did recently. You know, back in November, I did my first symphony I sang with the Hershey symphony in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which I loved, it was fabulous. And then I did another date and at a club in Florida, oh, then I did another one that down in at a performing arts center near Orlando not too long ago, but it hasn't really opened up in a big way yet. So I'm looking forward to getting back into doing it more often. And in between, hopefully, more, you know, TV and film roles, and maybe directing. But my manager, and I've been talking, there's a trend set up, I might be doing a tour in Italy, which I would love because Happy Days is very big in Italy still is. So they're talking about a tour for me, they're also one in New Zealand and Australia, and maybe the UK. So that would be fun. I'd love to do that. And then continue doing more places and in the US. So, you know, I used to do to work things out some of the jazz clubs in LA and New York, I've done a bunch of really cool jazz clubs in New York City, which I love doing. So I hope to do more of that. And I probably will, you know, once things open up, but I'm also working, you heard what you heard on Spotify was probably I have a CD out called D most mostly swinging, right. And it's with a great big band, great jazz studio players from LA wonderful arrangements by Willie Maria. And yo, I'd loved it. It was a blast doing it. And it came out really well really well. But I'm about to finish, we were close to finish up doing another CD with a producer that's based in Nashville, it's a little different. It's still going to be jazz standards, Great American Songbook, but not with a big band, more contemporary jazz configuration. And it's coming along great. I'm really excited. But we got to stop right in the middle of COVID. You know, we're getting close to finishing the plan is that I'm going there in about a month. And we're going to do the last three songs to finish it up. And it'll come out this year. So we don't have a title yet for it. But I'm pretty excited about it's really it's different than the one that you played. But I think it's really good.

Jeff Dwoskin 52:03

How is a musician? How do you get the word out growing up, you go to a music store and add the new stuff, but I'll be sitting out, it just seemed like as it got, as time went on it just it became harder, because digital didn't make things easier. Like it was nice to be able to go to a bookstore and just kind of bathe in the books or a music store and just basic things and explore and find things, you know, so it's got to be harder now to like, You got to really have a marketing machine to like, get people to know that even not just anybody even like if

Don Most 52:34

I know, I don't know the answer to that, you know, I sometimes ask the very same question to like, you know, the producer that I'm working with, and I don't know, it's a different game. Now, it's very different. I guess what I'm hoping to make it easier to get that word out is obviously you know, the more you do it, people become aware of it. But but on a bigger level, like you said, if you don't have a big machine behind you, and like a big record label that's gonna put a lot of money into promotion, and making sure you get custom produce will say, Well, for us to get on, you know, the radio stations, if it's in the adult contemporary thing, it's going to cost crazy amount of money to hire a promoter to get it out there. You know, if we do it in this category, it might not be as much and you know, just seems like wow, what do you do? So, you know, I'm hoping that could get a national platform to get it out there again, you know, so maybe, if I could get on some of the talk shows, like I used to get on, you know, back in the day and talk about or sing, you know, sing a song on the show. So you know, I get another current television series, you know, that'll help. So, if I get a series again, then I can get the word out and

Jeff Dwoskin 53:43

probably let's make that happen. All right, what last question. Your publicist comes to you with this idea? Do you fire him or do it? Hey, John, here's a way to get your music out there. We got you a gig on the masked singer.

Don Most 53:58

I don't. It's funny, because, you know, several people have said, Oh, you should do the mass sing or you should do it. I don't know. You know, I watched it once or twice. And I guess I have mixed feelings about it. So that you're the jury's still out on that one.

Jeff Dwoskin 54:14

Yeah. Well, I can't thank you enough for hanging out with me. This was so much fun.

Don Most 54:18

Oh, yeah. My pleasure. I had a lot of fun. Just shooting the breeze with you. And you raised some good, good topics and some interesting questions. And so I enjoyed it.

Jeff Dwoskin 54:28

Oh, well, thank you so much. Thank

Don Most 54:29

you for having me. Oh, it's my pleasure.

Jeff Dwoskin 54:31

Thank you. Okay, one more. I still got it. And then we'll go

Don Most 54:35

even with Jeff Dwoskin. I still got it.

Jeff Dwoskin 54:39

Thank you so much.

Don Most 54:41

I hope I pronounced it right. Thank you Take care of yourself. All right.

Jeff Dwoskin 54:51

All right. How amazing was done most he's still got it. He's still got it. Even on podcasts. He's still got it. That concludes my happiness. trilogy. I hope you all enjoyed it. As much as I enjoyed having it and bring it to you definitely check out the smooth sounds of Don most I wanted the music streaming platforms I'll put a link in the show notes make it easy for you to jump right there and tree areas to a little Don Most well with the interview over that can only mean one thing. It's time for a trending hashtag grin the family of hashtags it hashtag or round up, download the free always free hashtag roundup app at the Google Play Store or iTunes App Store. Download hashtag roundup app get notified every time a game goes live tweet along with us and one day one of your tweets may show up on a future episode of live from Detroit, the Jeff Dwoskin show.

Jeff Dwoskin 55:49

Today's hashtag inspired of course by the conversation I had with Don most where we talked about catchphrases. This hashtag is hashtag outdated slang and phrases brought to you by our friends at the fresh Coast tags hosted by Mark and Paul, who is a super fan of the show so great to be able to do a hashtag that he hosted back in the day, #OutdatedSlangAndPhrases a hashtag used to collect those terms and things that we say that run their course. Tweet your own #OutdatedSlangAndPhrases to me at Jeff Dwoskin show. I'll show you some love on the Twitter. In the meantime, here's some Ampeg #OutdatedSlangAndPhrases for you to enjoy. All that and a bag of chips. get you on the flip side. Where's the beef? gag me with a spoon? Right on brother. Hula boo. straight from the horse's mouth was ah, five finger discount. These are some amazing #OutdatedSlangAndPhrases as far as if actually I like that one still. Check out MySpace. Sit on it. Wait a minute. Let's keep that one and call me. Hey, good luck in what you got cookin making web a. Suck it up buttercup. wicked awesome. Kiss my grits. Bring home the bacon in it to win it. #OutdatedSlangAndPhrases have never sounded so good. I'll be back in two shakes of a lamb's tail. Kill him with kindness. Be Kind Rewind, Gone but not forgotten. Page me. She's the bee's knees. Raise the roof. All right. And our final #OutdatedSlangAndPhrases to wait. Let's blow this popsicle stand. Oh, man who knew there were so many phrases that we used to be so amazing that we just have gone the way of the dodo?

Jeff Dwoskin 57:54

Well, with the hashtag portion of the show complete with the interviews section of the show complete it can only mean one thing. Episode 116 has come to a close. Where does the time go? I want to thank again my amazing guests Don Most. And of course, I want to thank all of you for coming back week after week. It means the world to me, and I'll see you next time.

Announcer 58:18

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Jeff Dwoskin show with your host Jeff Dwoskin. Now go repeat everything you've heard and sound like a genius. Catch us online at the Jeff Dwoskin show.com or follow us on Twitter at Jeff Dwoskin show and we'll see you next time.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai