On screen, Ron Howard always cut a confident figure. He played a key role in the 1970s hit sitcom, Happy Days. However, according to Don Most and Anson Williams, that confidence eluded Ron at the start of season three, when the show began filming in front of a live audience.
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Most and Williams recalled the opening day during a recent appearance at Fanboy Expo Knoxville's Happy Days reunion panel.
"Donnie, Henry [Winkler] and I, we had done theater and we were excited about this, because every Friday was like opening night, you know, a little nervous, live audience," Williams detailed, via PEOPLE. "Ron Howard, on the other hand, had never had never done a stage show."
The conversation appeared to unlock a long-dormant memory in Most, too. He told the audience that he recalls Williams stating that he "couldn't find Ron anywhere."
Of course, the duo eventually found Ron. However, they might have been surprised to see just how nervous he was before going on stage.
"There's a wardrobe room, and there's Ron in the corner, shaking, back turned to me," Williams detailed. "And I go, 'Ron!' And he just walks out. And kills that night! He found out he's really good at the theater. That was the beginning of us becoming number one in the world."
Happy Days Became One of the Most Popular Shows in the World
As Williams continued talking, he recalled how the Happy Days actors were given the green light to make their roles their own. That also meant improvising with the script and their lines.
"The other thing that made it great, we rehearsed and could improve the show. It wasn't like, 'Here's the page, just shoot the scene.' We can improve it. And I think that's another reason we stayed on a long time, because we were all able to collaborate."
This isn't the first time fans of the show have heard that information. Last month, Henry Winkler shared a similar recollection during a conversation with Ted Danson on the 'Where Everybody Knows Your Name' podcast.
During the discussion, Winkler also declared that Ron was "one of the best acting partners I've ever had in my career."
Winkler then admitted that he would improvise during filming, which allowed him to be more creative within his role.
"Things would come to me during the show, and I would just do them, I wouldn't stop my imagination," he said. "And Ron went wherever I went ... It was uncanny, you could not fake it. You couldn't make it up."
Happy Days came to an end in 1984. However, reruns are still shown to this day.
