WEBVTT - William Daniels Meets World 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:22.960 Writer, where you're you're in Kentucky. I'm in Kentucky and 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:25.880 you're in a very beautiful house and colleges. Yeah, it's gorgeous. 0:00:25.880 --> 0:00:28.880 I have friends who moved during the pandemic, you know, 0:00:29.000 --> 0:00:33.640 like how everybody's sort of made big life decisions. Yeah, 0:00:33.680 --> 0:00:36.040 so some of my some of our closest friends who 0:00:36.280 --> 0:00:38.120 like where our neighbors we used to do a nanny 0:00:38.159 --> 0:00:42.000 share with our our sons are like best friends. Unfortunately, 0:00:42.080 --> 0:00:44.440 they moved all the way to Kentucky UM in the 0:00:44.440 --> 0:00:47.120 middle of the pandemic. So every summer now we've made 0:00:47.120 --> 0:00:49.000 it a point to get out here and visit them. 0:00:49.040 --> 0:00:51.640 So I was visiting Alex in New York UM, and 0:00:51.680 --> 0:00:54.040 then on our way back, we decided we'd stop off 0:00:54.040 --> 0:00:56.360 in Kentucky for a few days. And gosh, it's so 0:00:56.400 --> 0:00:59.560 gorgeous here. It's so green. L A is not a 0:00:59.640 --> 0:01:02.880 green news just back in Connecticut, same thing where you're 0:01:02.920 --> 0:01:06.080 just like, it's crazy, I just forget, like you know 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:07.880 how much I need that, you know, I mean, I 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:10.680 grew up around trees in northern California, and like, I 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:12.920 you know, I obviously I love l A for so 0:01:12.959 --> 0:01:18.040 many reasons, mostly cultural, but like the landscape just doesn't 0:01:18.040 --> 0:01:20.280 have trees, and I just don't even think about it 0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:23.840 until I get someplace like here, and you know, my 0:01:23.880 --> 0:01:26.199 son Indias just like running through the grass and there's 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:28.480 trees everywhere, and I'm just like obsessed with it. I'm 0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:30.959 kind of like looking around, going, oh, this feeds my 0:01:31.080 --> 0:01:34.039 soul in something like very real way, especially also coming 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:36.080 from New York City, which, of course are you giving 0:01:36.080 --> 0:01:38.600 Are you giving India very good tick check every night? 0:01:38.640 --> 0:01:41.200 When when he comes in, that's a good call, that's 0:01:41.200 --> 0:01:43.720 a great call. Yeah, that's that's the East Coast thing. 0:01:43.760 --> 0:01:45.840 It's like, all right, check the socks, check everything, let's 0:01:45.840 --> 0:01:47.480 make sure we're good to go here. Another thing we 0:01:47.480 --> 0:01:49.720 do not have to think about here, and you know exactly, 0:01:50.000 --> 0:01:52.560 you just don't have to think about it at all. Well, 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:56.360 I am really super excited about this episode. First of all, 0:01:56.440 --> 0:01:59.920 we had a wonderful talk and and reunion with Rusty 0:02:00.080 --> 0:02:03.480 last week. How great is here? I mean, he's incredible 0:02:03.680 --> 0:02:06.760 And I thought it was really interesting that last week 0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:09.560 in the episode we watched with Rusty, he made the 0:02:09.639 --> 0:02:14.400 point that Phoene can give different advice than Alan can 0:02:14.480 --> 0:02:18.919 because Phoenie doesn't have kids, and then the next episode 0:02:19.880 --> 0:02:24.400 was basically all about and I thought to Rusty, watch 0:02:24.560 --> 0:02:29.160 more than one watched this episode. No, I'm sure he 0:02:29.200 --> 0:02:31.680 just remembers that. That was like the central tension. You know, 0:02:32.080 --> 0:02:34.400 these first couple of episodes, you can tell they're so 0:02:35.040 --> 0:02:38.280 rusty heavy first of all, which is interesting, but then yeah, 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:39.880 you can just tell that that, you know, one of 0:02:39.919 --> 0:02:42.760 the central pitches of the show was what would it 0:02:42.760 --> 0:02:45.040 be like if your teacher lived next door? Yes, which 0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:48.040 you know, obviously, because Phoenie became such a legendary character 0:02:48.280 --> 0:02:50.880 became such a huge part of our characters lives, we 0:02:51.200 --> 0:02:54.040 all kind of forgot that that central pitch. For an 0:02:54.040 --> 0:02:57.720 eleven year old boy like Corey, that's huge. And playing 0:02:57.720 --> 0:03:00.600 out that tension for its comedy value and it's educational 0:03:00.680 --> 0:03:03.400 value is super interested in and that's clearly what they 0:03:03.400 --> 0:03:05.120 were doing in the first couple of episodes. I mean, 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:08.520 it really was Rusty, Bill and Ben for the first 0:03:08.800 --> 0:03:11.040 you know, a few episodes. It really, I mean huge 0:03:11.080 --> 0:03:13.840 and one of the things we should mention. We've but 0:03:13.880 --> 0:03:16.200 we talked about the original pilot where Rusty wasn't in 0:03:16.280 --> 0:03:18.040 and I wasn't need either. We we went back and 0:03:18.080 --> 0:03:20.440 kind of looked. So. While it was called the Untitled 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:25.080 Ben Savage Project, it was also called eleven. Yeah, was 0:03:25.160 --> 0:03:27.880 the name of the show originally. I never remember that. 0:03:27.919 --> 0:03:30.360 I don't think I ever saw the original pilot. I 0:03:30.400 --> 0:03:32.000 was just there when we filmed. I got a copy 0:03:32.040 --> 0:03:34.320 for it was a horrible title, how do you maintain 0:03:34.560 --> 0:03:38.280 exactly next year? Exactly? So that's what it was. It 0:03:38.360 --> 0:03:41.200 was eleven a k that bet the Untitled Ben Savage Project. 0:03:41.280 --> 0:03:44.440 So I had forgotten that entirely, which was weird to see. Well, 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:47.280 I don't want to make our guests today wait very long. 0:03:47.560 --> 0:03:50.120 We've been waiting long enough. Welcome to pod Meats World. 0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:52.920 I'm Daniel Fishel, I'm Wilfredell, and I'm right or Strong 0:03:53.040 --> 0:03:58.240 and today we are so incredibly overjoyed to welcome to 0:03:58.360 --> 0:04:04.800 the podcast Bonnie Bartlett and Mr Bill Daniels. Is everybody 0:04:04.800 --> 0:04:20.000 on their best behavior because Mr Feenie's here? Oh, in 0:04:20.080 --> 0:04:27.320 matching colors too? Yeah? Isn't that interesting? That just happened? Really? First, 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:30.200 then he came up and he said, I gotta wear this. Yeah, 0:04:30.600 --> 0:04:33.640 you guys look fantastic. Is that is this? What is this? 0:04:33.760 --> 0:04:38.160 What happens when you've been married for seventy years? Yes, 0:04:38.400 --> 0:04:42.799 and you know what, June thirty, it'll be seventy one years. 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:47.719 Oh my gosh, congratulations. Also, if if I'm I'm not mistaken, 0:04:47.760 --> 0:04:51.640 Bonnie was very recently. You just had a birthday yesterday, 0:04:51.760 --> 0:05:01.400 yesterday nine birthday? How happy birthday? And I'm nine now 0:05:01.440 --> 0:05:06.599 I'm ninety three. Unbelievable. Can I ask you, guys, what 0:05:06.640 --> 0:05:12.119 do you think the key to seventy one years of marriages? Billy? 0:05:12.200 --> 0:05:22.840 You know the answer to that well, respect, an honest communication. Yeah, 0:05:23.080 --> 0:05:25.400 I mean that sounds sounds like a really good foundation 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:29.680 for almost every relationship. You're right, Yes, it doesn't matter 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:31.440 who the person is. If you have those two things, 0:05:31.520 --> 0:05:33.640 you could probably make it work well. And you have 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:36.760 to be flexible, I mean you really do. You have 0:05:36.839 --> 0:05:42.159 to be willing to change. Yeah, something's not good. You 0:05:42.200 --> 0:05:44.800 have to be willing to make the changes both of you. 0:05:45.480 --> 0:05:47.880 If one person changes and the other person doesn't, it 0:05:47.920 --> 0:05:52.960 doesn't work. But if both people make changes to uh 0:05:53.560 --> 0:05:55.919 make it better, well, let me ask you. Let me 0:05:55.920 --> 0:05:58.240 ask you about this then, because I'm super fascinated. Do 0:05:58.320 --> 0:06:02.520 you mean, but you guys are both actors? Incredibly successful actors? 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:06.120 How did that? I mean, would you have had it 0:06:06.160 --> 0:06:08.440 any other way? Uh? You know, in other words, you 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:11.720 mustn't have known actors who married people outside of the industry. 0:06:11.920 --> 0:06:15.479 Are you know people who were industry couples like you two? 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:17.840 I mean, how did that? How was that? How did 0:06:17.839 --> 0:06:21.200 that happen? Did you work together first and then fall 0:06:21.240 --> 0:06:23.080 in love? Or did you just happen to meet? And 0:06:24.120 --> 0:06:26.840 I want to hear more about that. We we met 0:06:26.920 --> 0:06:35.719 in a classroom at Northwestern. Oh. I didn't know her. Uh. 0:06:35.760 --> 0:06:40.960 We were auditioning for a play. And there were people 0:06:41.080 --> 0:06:44.400 sitting around, and you know, I've been on Broadway, so 0:06:44.520 --> 0:06:50.760 I was a cocky kid, right these kids, And I thought, 0:06:51.279 --> 0:06:54.680 oh my god, I'm not sure I want to be 0:06:54.839 --> 0:06:58.560 in this bomb. And then I heard somebody in the 0:06:58.560 --> 0:07:02.600 back of the room who was an actress, you could 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:07.480 tell you. I looked around and there she was. So 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:11.680 I waited at the door for her, and I said, 0:07:11.840 --> 0:07:15.360 how about a cup of coffee? And she said you're 0:07:15.400 --> 0:07:21.840 too short, And I said, come on, have a cup 0:07:21.840 --> 0:07:27.400 of coffee. She said, okay, coffee. And she's been following 0:07:27.400 --> 0:07:32.600 me around the campus. But known to me it was 0:07:32.640 --> 0:07:35.160 a good actress. I was a big I was a 0:07:35.160 --> 0:07:38.600 big fan or whatever. You got all our fans, you know, 0:07:38.720 --> 0:07:42.640 I was one of him. I fought so you were 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:47.520 playing a cool Any celebrity, any celebrity that was in 0:07:47.720 --> 0:07:51.640 my site, I would follow, you know. Later on in 0:07:51.720 --> 0:07:55.440 New York, I followed Greta Garbo down Fifth Avenue, couple 0:07:55.440 --> 0:07:59.880 of Roosevelt. I followed her in New York. So anyway, 0:08:00.000 --> 0:08:02.360 I was that kind of person, just a shadow person, 0:08:02.440 --> 0:08:05.320 you know. So it never occurred to me that we 0:08:05.360 --> 0:08:08.320 would meet. It never occurred to me that we would 0:08:08.560 --> 0:08:12.560 become boyfriend girlfriend. Never occurred to me because he was 0:08:12.640 --> 0:08:14.840 out of my room, you know what I mean. He 0:08:15.000 --> 0:08:20.000 was like, he was like special, and he always had 0:08:20.000 --> 0:08:25.280 this little Italian girl with him, so that what who 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:28.640 are we that that was one of the girls in school. 0:08:29.480 --> 0:08:32.000 You know. It's cool. When I would see him on 0:08:32.040 --> 0:08:35.200 the on the subway or whatever you call out the 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:38.400 hell he was going down to a play, you know, 0:08:38.440 --> 0:08:41.040 on Chicago. The whole group. He was always with this 0:08:41.080 --> 0:08:45.800 little Italian girl. I'm a big blonde. Oh, I mean, 0:08:45.840 --> 0:08:49.280 I've never thought of me with him that way, but 0:08:49.400 --> 0:08:52.040 I was impressed. And he had a leather jacket. Also, 0:08:52.120 --> 0:09:01.040 I like tradition. That's azing. So anyway, that's and what 0:09:01.240 --> 0:09:04.720 I said, you're too short, what I meant was, oh no, no, 0:09:05.080 --> 0:09:08.560 I'm I'm too big for you. You know, I'm I'm tall. 0:09:08.800 --> 0:09:14.120 Used to these big Swedish boys and the Swedish Swedish, yes, 0:09:14.559 --> 0:09:20.680 because Bullin was very Swedish. I know all that. And 0:09:20.800 --> 0:09:26.640 so I was dumbfounded that he would be interested in me. 0:09:27.240 --> 0:09:31.000 And so after that first cup of coffee, did you 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:33.640 guys just continue Was that just the beginning of a 0:09:33.679 --> 0:09:38.400 seventy one year relationship? That's correct, we were we were together, 0:09:38.640 --> 0:09:42.240 tied at the hip from then on. Wow. And when 0:09:42.240 --> 0:09:45.240 did you guys first actually worked together in that play? 0:09:45.720 --> 0:09:48.000 You did that play? Oh my god, we did that play. 0:09:48.200 --> 0:09:54.600 It was Buried the Dead, Buried the Dead by I 0:09:54.640 --> 0:09:58.920 had a very dramatic party, killable, you know, very dramatic, 0:09:59.640 --> 0:10:02.760 and and he was the head of the onion. I think, 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:06.640 oh my gosh, he was ahead of you. Very dark play, 0:10:06.880 --> 0:10:12.560 very dark anti war play. Unbelievable. And so did you 0:10:12.600 --> 0:10:16.520 guys continue to consciously choose to work together or did 0:10:16.520 --> 0:10:19.560 you just kind of happen because people associated with As 0:10:19.559 --> 0:10:22.600 a matter of fact, we were both in positions I 0:10:22.800 --> 0:10:27.160 on the soap opera. But we never interfered with each 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:29.880 other's We never said, oh I want my husband to 0:10:29.920 --> 0:10:32.080 be on this, Oh I want my wife. You never 0:10:32.120 --> 0:10:37.760 like demanded a contractor. And elsewhere, it just happened, just happened. Wow. 0:10:39.040 --> 0:10:44.360 Elsewhere when it was consciously done was when Michael Jacobs 0:10:44.760 --> 0:10:47.240 asked me to come in on that last year. Yes, 0:10:47.400 --> 0:10:50.880 well yeah, so for everyone listening, and just in case 0:10:50.920 --> 0:10:55.720 you didn't know, obviously, Bill Daniels is Mr Feenie and 0:10:55.800 --> 0:10:57.880 Bonnie came on and joined us, joined us for the 0:10:57.960 --> 0:11:01.720 last season where she played the Dean and Mr Feeney 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:04.839 and the Dean fell in love and um, it's actually 0:11:04.920 --> 0:11:07.600 one of our fans most favorite things when they realize 0:11:07.640 --> 0:11:10.199 you guys are married in real life, and they go, wait, 0:11:10.559 --> 0:11:15.199 you know, I went to Chicago for a Golden Girl's 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:20.000 convention because I played a villain on an episode of 0:11:20.080 --> 0:11:23.240 Golden Girls called Barbara Thorndyke, a real anti semi to 0:11:23.440 --> 0:11:28.760 terrible terrible girl terrible, And so I would and I'm finding, 0:11:29.040 --> 0:11:32.280 you know, autographs and enjoy things in this little girls 0:11:32.320 --> 0:11:36.800 about twelve fourteen maybe, And she came up and she 0:11:36.880 --> 0:11:39.160 looked at a picture down here and she looked up 0:11:39.200 --> 0:11:49.920 and she said, your Mrs Feenie, Mrs Baby she sight 0:11:50.040 --> 0:11:53.360 and I've never had that, it was never called Mrs Treedie. 0:11:56.040 --> 0:12:01.920 She connected it, and I thought that was so sweet. Oh, yesterday, 0:12:01.920 --> 0:12:09.080 that is so emotional about this show. Yeah, yeah, everybody does. Yeah, 0:12:09.080 --> 0:12:12.000 and especially for you, Bill. I imagine people must look 0:12:12.080 --> 0:12:15.080 up to you and immediately I feel like you're this 0:12:15.160 --> 0:12:18.439 great authority and vast wealth of knowledge that they can 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:23.600 tap into. I don't know, I think, so, yeah, you're 0:12:23.640 --> 0:12:27.199 you're you're the teacher for many generations now, I mean 0:12:27.280 --> 0:12:30.280 it's it's it's moving from generation to generation of Mr 0:12:30.320 --> 0:12:34.079 Feenie was my teacher? Right? And then they asked, they asked. 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:38.280 They say, oh, I want my children to watch, and 0:12:38.280 --> 0:12:40.880 then they have their children watched the show. Yes, I 0:12:41.120 --> 0:12:44.400 love the show. So Bill, how did Boy Meets World 0:12:44.440 --> 0:12:47.680 come to you? Did you have to audition? Was it offered? 0:12:47.679 --> 0:12:50.840 Do you what? What was the situation there was? Michael? 0:12:53.080 --> 0:12:57.040 I asked for a meeting because I turned it down. 0:12:58.640 --> 0:13:02.720 I wanted to know why. I said, Well, that's a 0:13:02.760 --> 0:13:06.880 funny name, and I don't really I don't really want 0:13:06.920 --> 0:13:10.240 to make fun of teachers. I I respect them, and 0:13:10.640 --> 0:13:14.000 they were underpaid and all that, and he said, and 0:13:14.040 --> 0:13:18.440 then he told me what my role was based on, 0:13:18.720 --> 0:13:22.600 which was a mentor of his when he was in 0:13:22.760 --> 0:13:27.520 high school. So a mentor of his. So I realized 0:13:28.040 --> 0:13:32.440 that the part would be treated with respect. Right. He 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:38.560 rewrote something too, Yeah, the the he rewrote something, and 0:13:38.640 --> 0:13:41.440 the power is that he didn't want it, but he 0:13:41.520 --> 0:13:43.480 made them. He made him do it. And that's what 0:13:43.640 --> 0:13:47.880 sold you. That first episode we got was a lot 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:51.600 of serious stuff. He gave him a lot of serious stuff. 0:13:52.400 --> 0:13:56.120 But Michael was willing to do that and capable of 0:13:56.160 --> 0:14:00.439 doing that, and he went against the work see to 0:14:00.520 --> 0:14:03.360 do it. Yeah, you know, if I remember correctly, it 0:14:03.400 --> 0:14:05.760 was actually after the table read that we we did 0:14:05.760 --> 0:14:09.560 have a table read, and and then then Bill was 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:12.240 very upset um and the table read did not go well, 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:15.280 if I remember, and over in general, and Bill was upset, 0:14:15.320 --> 0:14:18.079 the network was upset, and Michael was sort of stuck 0:14:18.120 --> 0:14:20.720 in between the two impulses and ended up rewriting the 0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:24.640 entire script that night, You're right, yeah, yeah, and then 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:27.560 and then Bill was happy, and I remember Bill threatening 0:14:27.600 --> 0:14:29.480 to leave, or that's the story I heard at least. 0:14:30.920 --> 0:14:33.600 And it's because he didn't feel like Mr Finie was 0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:38.760 being like was he was being treated with respect that 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:44.920 it might be Yeah, well that's that's that's very common 0:14:44.920 --> 0:14:47.080 in television, is is the teacher is kind of the 0:14:47.120 --> 0:14:49.880 buffoon and the kids are the kids are pulling one 0:14:49.960 --> 0:14:53.360 over on the teacher every time. And yeah, that that 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:57.280 was just the television trope that you would always see. Um, yeah, 0:14:57.360 --> 0:15:01.040 and that's that's didn't want to do. Also after Saint Elsewhere, 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:05.920 uh Uh, everybody wanted, as a matter of fact, both 0:15:05.920 --> 0:15:09.120 of us, they wanted us to do comedy. We Bill 0:15:09.240 --> 0:15:13.360 turned down one comedy after another because he didn't want 0:15:13.360 --> 0:15:15.280 to do it. But that's, you know, that's the natural 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:17.880 thing to do after a serious thing, then you do 0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:20.280 a comedy. He didn't want to do a comedy, and 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:24.040 I gosh, I went through a lot of times when 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:26.240 I would like to have done it, but he said no. 0:15:26.880 --> 0:15:32.120 And so, uh then when this came up, he really 0:15:32.160 --> 0:15:35.080 didn't think it would would work and he didn't really 0:15:35.120 --> 0:15:38.600 think that he wanted to do it. Seven years later 0:15:40.080 --> 0:15:42.360 and he had a great time and he loved it. 0:15:42.680 --> 0:15:47.200 And I think that's due to Michael Jacobs. First of 0:15:47.200 --> 0:15:49.840 all and then all of you guys, he really did 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:52.960 you know, respect you well. And it also brought him 0:15:53.000 --> 0:15:55.680 to a whole new fandom because I mean, you've got 0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:58.440 university seeing elsewhere is one kind of group of fans, 0:15:58.520 --> 0:16:01.760 and sev seventy six is one kind of group of fans. 0:16:02.120 --> 0:16:04.440 But now to be on a show where the fans 0:16:04.520 --> 0:16:08.520 grow up watching you, it's a completely different vibe when 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:11.720 you when you've got somebody raised watching you on television, 0:16:11.720 --> 0:16:15.640 it's now so Bill when you when you look back 0:16:15.680 --> 0:16:17.960 on the shows that you do, is there one group 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:20.880 of fans that that you tend to get recognized for 0:16:21.000 --> 0:16:24.680 something more than than something else? Definitely, not saying else 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:30.160 or interesting, Um I think Mr Fannie, Yeah, definitely. It's 0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:33.080 the It's the thing that what do you call it, 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:37.400 popular culture or something became the most iconic right because 0:16:37.400 --> 0:16:40.440 sane elsewe would probably be the most critically acclaimed of 0:16:40.520 --> 0:16:45.320 all the show followed by night Rider. I was night Rider, 0:16:45.400 --> 0:16:50.360 remember in Mayor on the street and a bus came by. 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:53.560 I'm walking along and a bunch of kids got off 0:16:53.600 --> 0:16:56.600 the bus and they saw me and they said Mr Feeney, 0:16:56.880 --> 0:16:59.520 and they come running and I ran around the blow 0:16:59.640 --> 0:17:04.920 Peter from He said to me, sorry, I'll see you later, 0:17:05.000 --> 0:17:13.800 and they absolutely terrified him and they me in New 0:17:13.880 --> 0:17:18.720 York particularly, Uh when when Bill wrote a book and 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:22.880 we went to a signing, they were voracious, chased us around, 0:17:23.440 --> 0:17:28.399 jumped on the car, did all kinds of things. Wow. Yeah, 0:17:28.440 --> 0:17:33.440 they were fanatics. I'm calling it hashtags. I don't imagine 0:17:33.480 --> 0:17:39.800 fans of the Zoo Story on Broadway we're jumping on. Bill. 0:17:39.880 --> 0:17:42.879 What are your memories, What are your memories of meeting 0:17:42.920 --> 0:17:46.240 all of us for the first time, and what was 0:17:46.280 --> 0:17:51.560 that like to work with basically twelve year olds. Well, 0:17:52.880 --> 0:17:58.800 you will alway young and having fun and I was 0:17:58.960 --> 0:18:04.320 much more serious. Is so I would hang out in 0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:09.080 my dressing room away from you all as you fooled 0:18:09.119 --> 0:18:15.040 around qua the camera, and then they said Mr Daniels 0:18:15.040 --> 0:18:18.960 were ready for you, and then I go out. You 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:25.000 guys were having a ball, and I taken it very seriously. Frankly, 0:18:25.640 --> 0:18:30.080 I wish I were one of you. Yes, he would 0:18:30.160 --> 0:18:33.720 like to and one of you guys nevered fun. Did 0:18:33.720 --> 0:18:37.720 you enjoy the live studio audience? Oh yes, I much 0:18:37.800 --> 0:18:44.040 prefer a live audience. Uh, and that's from my work 0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:50.679 on Broadway. Uh. You know when you know, when you 0:18:50.880 --> 0:18:57.240 start on something and they're rustling the papers and programs 0:18:57.280 --> 0:19:03.359 and so forth, and you stugged, and then when you 0:19:03.400 --> 0:19:08.960 can hear a pin drop, you know you were doing okay, 0:19:07.160 --> 0:19:12.600 you quite different. I remember, yeah, you. I remember you 0:19:12.600 --> 0:19:15.000 would sit in your dressing room and you would play 0:19:15.080 --> 0:19:19.719 chess against yourself. And then I asked you one day, 0:19:19.760 --> 0:19:21.440 I said, will you will you teach me how to play? 0:19:21.440 --> 0:19:23.159 And you went sure, and we did that for for 0:19:23.200 --> 0:19:24.840 a couple of weeks. You taught me how to play chess, 0:19:24.840 --> 0:19:26.480 and then I think you kind of went, I want 0:19:26.520 --> 0:19:30.040 to go back and play against myself again. I'm a 0:19:30.880 --> 0:19:33.400 I'm a much better player when I play against myself. Yes, 0:19:33.440 --> 0:19:37.720 that is how I recall it. Now, Bill, we've been 0:19:37.760 --> 0:19:40.360 we've been doing this Rewatch podcast for This is our 0:19:40.640 --> 0:19:46.120 third Rewatch episode, and these first three episodes have been 0:19:46.600 --> 0:19:50.000 so incredible and and there's always been at least one, 0:19:50.119 --> 0:19:55.280 if not to very Mr Feeney and Corey Matthew's scenes. 0:19:56.600 --> 0:19:58.679 This is now the second episode. I'd like to go 0:19:58.720 --> 0:20:02.320 on record saying the second episode where I fully welled up, 0:20:02.359 --> 0:20:04.600 I thought I was going to start having tears fall 0:20:04.680 --> 0:20:06.560 down my face was able to stop them before they 0:20:06.560 --> 0:20:10.560 fell down my cheeks. But you and Ben together are 0:20:11.000 --> 0:20:16.040 absolute magic in especially in these early episodes. What was 0:20:16.160 --> 0:20:21.919 that like working with Ben? Well, it was the same 0:20:21.960 --> 0:20:28.000 as working with you. It really was very pleasant. I 0:20:28.000 --> 0:20:33.359 I stayed away from being judgmental. I took whatever you 0:20:33.480 --> 0:20:37.160 gave me, and I tried to work with it, and 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:40.600 it worked out very well. I didn't want to be 0:20:40.800 --> 0:20:47.520 somebody who was older and more knowledgeable and making remarks 0:20:48.720 --> 0:20:54.120 criticizing your work was suggesting I did none of that. Yeah, 0:20:54.560 --> 0:20:57.840 you did not. I said that too. I said, don't 0:20:57.920 --> 0:21:00.639 do you help them? He said, no, they're on my 0:21:00.760 --> 0:21:04.120 level there, they're they're the same level. I am, I can't. 0:21:04.160 --> 0:21:07.560 I can't help. And we felt that we felt like 0:21:07.600 --> 0:21:09.719 we felt so respected in a way. I mean we've 0:21:09.720 --> 0:21:12.360 talked about that on on this set. I mean, having 0:21:12.400 --> 0:21:15.119 been on other sets as a kid, it wasn't always 0:21:15.160 --> 0:21:17.120 like In fact, most of the time it was not that. 0:21:17.480 --> 0:21:20.280 So to have that respect from the adults, especially the 0:21:20.280 --> 0:21:23.359 ones as as experienced and seasoned as you, was such 0:21:23.400 --> 0:21:26.679 an amazing feeling and it made us, I don't know, 0:21:26.880 --> 0:21:28.920 it made us all up our game. I think, Well, 0:21:28.960 --> 0:21:31.760 you also Bill. You you so you talk about in 0:21:31.800 --> 0:21:34.600 your book which is um, there I go again, How 0:21:34.600 --> 0:21:37.359 I came to be Mr Feenie, John Adams, Dr Craig 0:21:37.440 --> 0:21:39.720 kit and many others, which is a wonderful book that 0:21:39.760 --> 0:21:42.600 you wrote. You in the beginning you talk about how 0:21:42.800 --> 0:21:46.880 you were a child actor. Did that affect in any way, 0:21:46.880 --> 0:21:50.639 shape or form how you dealt with us? Yes, oh yes, 0:21:51.160 --> 0:21:56.399 I felt my I haven't mother that put my sister 0:21:56.480 --> 0:22:00.280 and I in the business. She was very judgment soul 0:22:01.600 --> 0:22:04.919 as an ambitious and she was She was a classic 0:22:04.960 --> 0:22:09.320 stage mom in that sense totally. Frankly, I really didn't 0:22:10.080 --> 0:22:15.480 have a normal childhood. I was over at NBC with 0:22:15.560 --> 0:22:20.640 the horn and heart of Children's Hour for years and 0:22:21.359 --> 0:22:28.600 I really kind of resented it, you know, until I realized, uh, 0:22:29.560 --> 0:22:34.360 the better aspects of the work, of what it could mean, 0:22:35.440 --> 0:22:40.200 uh to do your job as best you could, and 0:22:40.720 --> 0:22:46.040 that's there's an audience out there. So she was terrible, 0:22:47.760 --> 0:22:50.080 she was, and I think that and I loved her. 0:22:50.280 --> 0:22:52.480 She was a great grandma, but she was a terrible mother. 0:22:53.000 --> 0:22:59.440 But I think that those early scenes with Ben, I 0:22:59.480 --> 0:23:03.280 think that whether he knew it or not, he was 0:23:03.320 --> 0:23:06.720 then do you know what I mean Bill was then 0:23:07.080 --> 0:23:10.800 this sweet kid, that brand new, you know, as far 0:23:10.840 --> 0:23:14.160 as he knew, just starting to act and just using 0:23:14.280 --> 0:23:18.800 his instincts, no training or anything, just instinctively acting and 0:23:18.840 --> 0:23:24.120 the lovely personality. And I think that's connected Bill to him. Yeah, 0:23:24.119 --> 0:23:26.920 then all of you later. But that shows, I mean 0:23:27.800 --> 0:23:32.000 it certainly shows. Yeah, it shows. And so Bonnie, what 0:23:32.160 --> 0:23:36.440 kind of father? And now what kind of grandfather is Bill? 0:23:36.560 --> 0:23:40.359 What has he? We know Bill as as this, you know, um, 0:23:40.400 --> 0:23:43.760 we remember him being so incredibly professional on set with us. 0:23:43.760 --> 0:23:47.399 I remember him taking his lines very seriously, holding the 0:23:47.440 --> 0:23:49.320 script or his cards that he had where he had 0:23:49.320 --> 0:23:51.760 his lines written, and not wanting to mess up, being 0:23:51.880 --> 0:23:55.520 very hard on himself about being very hard, very hard 0:23:55.560 --> 0:24:00.359 on himself. I saw him once to go up one six. 0:24:00.440 --> 0:24:02.240 He went up where they gave him a new lyric 0:24:02.320 --> 0:24:05.399 and he blew it. He came into the dressing and 0:24:05.359 --> 0:24:07.639 went into the bathroom and wouldn't come out. He was 0:24:07.680 --> 0:24:11.040 crying in the bathroom. And this was as a grown man, 0:24:11.280 --> 0:24:14.479 you know, and everybody else was laughing. Yeah, no one, 0:24:14.520 --> 0:24:16.439 It wasn't a big deal to anyone of that. Like 0:24:16.560 --> 0:24:20.520 you guys would you'd laugh and somebody he just he 0:24:20.560 --> 0:24:23.560 would cry because he was still a little boy, and 0:24:24.119 --> 0:24:28.800 his mother saying, can't you get that that's so hard 0:24:28.840 --> 0:24:34.000 to get again? Do it again? And then he sit 0:24:34.040 --> 0:24:36.800 in the backseat of the card and do it correctly 0:24:36.920 --> 0:24:44.359 for her, darting to know what kind of father is he? He? 0:24:44.840 --> 0:24:48.440 You know, I was so worried. Well I was Alice 0:24:48.560 --> 0:24:51.120 actress anyway, but so I didn't want to have children, 0:24:51.680 --> 0:24:54.640 and Bill wanted to have children more than I did. 0:24:54.640 --> 0:24:57.760 But I thought, no, this wouldn't work because very frankly, 0:24:58.080 --> 0:25:02.120 he was an angry guy, and I thought he would 0:25:02.160 --> 0:25:04.399 be tough on kids, you know, I thought you would be. 0:25:05.280 --> 0:25:09.880 I was afraid. And then as it turned out, he 0:25:09.960 --> 0:25:16.040 was a terrific father. And he both the boys, I 0:25:16.480 --> 0:25:19.480 think they were very different, and he adjusted to each 0:25:19.560 --> 0:25:23.520 one h two so that they could be who they 0:25:23.520 --> 0:25:26.120 wanted to be and who they were. He didn't ever 0:25:26.240 --> 0:25:29.520 try to He never tried to make either of our 0:25:29.600 --> 0:25:33.960 voice like him or to do anything that special. Just 0:25:34.119 --> 0:25:38.040 grow up and they're very different, and they they they've 0:25:38.080 --> 0:25:43.480 turned out to be very wonderful men and fathers themselves. 0:25:44.200 --> 0:25:48.040 So he was a very good father. Well, that was 0:25:48.080 --> 0:25:50.199 one of the things that amazed me. Was what I 0:25:50.280 --> 0:25:52.919 like to call the two Bills, and I'm one of 0:25:52.960 --> 0:25:56.119 the few people that got to see that. Where you know, 0:25:56.280 --> 0:25:59.679 on set, Bill, you were the consummate professional. We just 0:26:00.000 --> 0:26:04.119 wanted to earn your approval and have scenes with you. 0:26:04.160 --> 0:26:06.200 We were all going to Michael at different times saying 0:26:06.280 --> 0:26:08.640 we can we please have a scene with Bill Daniels. 0:26:08.680 --> 0:26:10.880