RIP Andy Williams (page 2)

james_woods

I kind of thought Andy Williams TV show was a 1960s thing - sort of the era of Jackie Gleason, Dean Martin, and Carol Burnett.

Theocratic Sedition

BTW - somebody made the smart remark on Ferrari board that we should respect him for being married to Claudine Longet and SURVIVING.

Who was she? LOL I realise that I can simply google this, but it's much more authentic reading it from you guys.

She was Andy's wife in the 1960s when he had the variety TV show. She was often on that program and sang duets with him...Hot, French accent, kind of a B-minus to C grade star made famous through Andy.

They ended up getting a divorce, and she ended up in Aspen, Colorado in a relationship with a famous skier "Spider" Sabitch. Drugs & Booze.

She managed to get into a dragout fight with Spider, and shot him dead with a Ruger .22 pistol.

It was another of those celebrity trials where justice took a holiday because of star power. I think she ended up doing about 2 or 3 weeks in county jail due to something like perjury, but they found her innocent of the killing (left it as accidental).

Andy came back to Aspen to support her during the drama, and I think put her into rehab afterwards (at least once IIRC).

Theocratic Sedition

Thanks James!! I love reading this kind of stuff.

Finkelstein

I kind of thought Andy Williams TV show was a 1960s thing

It was James and I would have to agree with Glander's comment about the early days of television as being

light hearted entertainment. In the old days you didn't have to worry about leaving children alone in a room with the tele on,

particularly in the evening , now days you do.

Band on the Run

His style was similar to Sinatra, Tony Bennett, even Bing Crosby. Sinatra had a musicality that no other singer did. Avante-garde music school students would play Sinatra music. What is more remarkable is that Sinatra had no formal music training.

I loved Andy Williams, and esp. Moon River. He had a very genial manner. With his attractive French wife and good looks, he was more hip than other singers seemed to be. No way was he rock n roll but I still liked him personally. During his heydey, I was utterly repulsed that these crooners took up so much radio and TV time and rock music was relegated to so little. They were Beatles' enemies in my immature mind.

His friendship with Bobby Kennedy also made him seem younger. Perhaps his voice was not so compelling for me as his on air personality. The Osbournes used to drive me crazy. Boys much younger than Andy Williams who were even more unhip.

The Christmas shows were special to me, a real tradition for someone who could not celebrate Christmas. P

Perhaps I am wrong but so many Establishment singers seemed hostile to the new wave of music. Williams appeared more open. The Beatles were so much more relevant and fun before they became the Establishment.

sir82

The Rolling Stones' song "Claudine" is about her.

Iamallcool

(bookmarking)

Glander

Yep, Andy Williams was the Sixties, but after 50 years all that TV kind of runs together. Growing up in So Cal we had 3 network and 3 independant stations. All received through a roof antenna. The TV was an Emerson and when it went out Dad would pull some vacuum tubes out and take them to the tube tester at the local supermarket. We'd be back in business in an hour!

Finkelstein

Yes I remember those tubes as well, sometimes they would act up and all you had to do was hit the side of the TV and wallah.

As well I remember having to adjust the antenna on top of the TV to bring in a channel better.

The television industry was very careful about what kind of show they would air to appease public approval, as well

as a assuming forethought of actually selling televisions.

Thats why the 50's and 60's are many times considered the golden age of Television.

RIP Andy Williams

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