For almost a decade Andy Williams had a popular weekly television variety show. which ran through virtually the entire 1960s and continued in specials for the first half of the 1970s. He was called “a national treasure” by President Reagan. He was good friends with Robert Kennedy and was near him when he died. His friends included Bing Crosby, Fred McMurray, Jack Lemmon, the Kennedys, John Glenn, John Lennon and many more famous names. But this is more than just a story of Hollywood. Moon River and Me: A Memoir is the story of his life, good and bad, funny and sad.
Andy Williams was born in Wall Lake, Iowa, and with his three brothers started a singing quartet. Their father pushed them hard, and as they progressed he kept moving the family to bigger cities where they could get exposure to larger audiences. While he wasn’t fond of moving, Andy was fond of singing and loved performing.
The Williams Brothers sang together until World War II when one by one they joined in the fight. When the war ended they rejoined as a singing group, but they each had lives of their own and wanted to do other things. Andy was the only one of his brothers who had a solo singing career.
Singing at Funerals to Pay for His Brother’s Funeral
In his memoir Williams discloses the sad story about his younger brother Buddy who died when he was a small child. In order to pay for the funeral, Andy and his brothers had to sing at funerals in an exchange for Buddy’s service. When they had completed their servitude to the funeral home, Andy vowed never to sing at a funeral again. He broke that vow only once when he sang “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” at the funeral of his friend Robert Kennedy.
This autobiography delves into Williams’ love of art and his art collection. It also shows his commitment to his career, something which caused his first marriage to fail. He loved entertaining and still does, although when his kids were young he was usually away on tour or working at the studio with his television show. His absence was more than his marriage could take.
Golf is another one of his favorite things, and for many years he hosted a golf tournament in San Diego. And another thing he enjoyed was drinking. In this memoir Andy Williams shares many episodes in which he drank too much and subsequently did some pretty funny things. But he was not the only Hollywood celebrity to imbibe too much and Williams imparts some funny episodes with others who enjoyed too many alcoholic beverages.
While this is an autobiography in every sense of the word, Andy Williams discloses many facts about his life that have previously been fairly secretive – his experience at an LSD clinic is just one of them.
Funny Stories from Hollywood
Besides telling the story of his career and also his hobbies, Williams adds some very funny stories. For instance, there was the time he was to meet Sammy Davis Jr. at the famous Brown Derby. Sammy was going to have another person join them. When Andy Williams arrived at the restaurant he saw a man sitting alone and went over to the table and joined him. Soon after Sammy came in and the three were having a good time discussing Sammy’s upcoming role in The Andy Williams Show. Then Sammy asked Andy why he had not introduced him to his friend, and Andy replied, “I thought he was your friend.”
These fun little Hollywood stories weave their way through the book. There’s a cute episode with Fred McMurray after a round of golf and another hilarious story when Andy was invited on a river trip with Bobby Kennedy.
From his humble beginnings in Iowa to being one of the most popular singers in America, Andy Williams creates a personal account of his life and loves. It’s an easy to read book in the same way his singing is easy listening. While he had some tragedies and sadness, he also had some experiences most people only dream about.
Moon River and Me: A Memoir is a treasure for anyone who enjoys the songs created by Andy Williams. Moon River, Happy Heart, Hawaiian Wedding Song, and others are songs that stand the test of time, thanks to Andy Williams.
- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Viking
- ISBN-10: 0670021172
 |
