Andy Williams (1927-2012): On His Own Personal "Moon River"

Cover of Andy Williams

Andy Williams, who died of bladder cancer at age 84, was an entertainer whose singing voice sold millions of records in the 1950s and 60s.  He was also part of many Baby Boomers' lives when they watched his TV show with their parents.

There was "Butterfly" and "Can't Get Used to Losing You" as Williams' first hits on the record charts,  But he was best known for popularizing movie theme songs that became associated with him long after the films were forgotten:  "Moon River" from "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "The Days of Wine and Roses", "Where Do I Begin" from "Love Story", and so on.

Williams' success led to his own weekly TV variety series, which had two separate runs on NBC (1962-67 and 1969-71).  You don't see this type of show today, unless they involve awards or celebrity judges.  But Williams' show was typical of the genre that began with Perry Como and Dinah Shore in the 1950s, and ended in the 1970s with Sonny and Cher and Donny and Marie Osmond.

It went something like this:  Host sings a few songs, duets with musical guest (usually Ethel Merman or Ella Fitzgerald), participates in a skit with guest comedian (usually Jonathan Winters), introduces rock-and-roll band or pop singer for the kids watching (this is the 1960s, folks), then closes the show with an inspirational tune.

Williams also helped popularize the TV Holiday Show with his annual specials.  You know the ones:  Host enlists members of his family, along with a special guest or two, in an hour of Yuletide songs and cheer taped inside a TV studio months in advance.  Even today, Williams' influence on the Christmas season still holds sway.  His song "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" has become a holiday standard.

We mentioned the Osmonds.  It was Williams who discovered Donny and his brothers during a Disneyland performance, then brought them on his TV show and became stars singing barbershop.

Andy Williams' life was not without controversy.  He stood by former wife Claudine Longet during her trial in the mid-70s, accused of murdering skier Spider Sabich.  Her claim that it was accidental got her a lesser sentence, and thirty days in jail (though she ended up spending a week there).

In a time of national grief, there was Williams at the funeral of his friend Robert Kennedy, singing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".  He later said he was a lifelong Republican.

For the last few years of his life, Williams opened up his own theater in Branson, Missouri, where he continued to perform until recently.

Andy Williams was a part of the 1960s that didn't involve war and protest, nor was he part of the rock generation.  Instead, he was a pop singer who soothed a nation with lush ballads, and was seen as someone they could trust who was on TV every week.  Right now, he's on his own private Moon River.