Anson Williams Reveals ‘Happy Days’ Earnings Playing Potsie Weber

Anson Williams just revealed his Happy Days earnings while playing Potsie Weber — and he got brutally honest about the surprising pay.

In an interview on the Still Here Hollywood podcast published on October 5, Anson, 77, got real with host Steve Kmetko about how much he didn’t make on the sitcom.

“On Happy Days, we didn’t have the same salaries they had today. Not even close — $900 an episode, $1,200 an episode,” he admitted. “It was fine back then, but … it’s not a lifetime of earnings there.”

Interestingly, Anson looked to two other TV shows for inspiration on increasing his pay: David Cassidy, who played Keith Partridge in The Partridge Family, and Barry Williams, who played Greg Brady in The Brady Bunch.

“So, I had talked with David Cassidy, and he was saying how well he did off the show singing that I went, hmmm,” Anson explained. “And then, I talked to Barry Williams. It was the last year of The Brady Bunch, and he said, ‘We’re doing so well off the show. We have the Brady Bunch singers.’”

He continued, “So I’m thinking, ‘Wait a minute. I sing. If I can convince Garry to put a band on the show, maybe I can get booked, and maybe I can get some extra income.”

Anson pitched the concept of a band at Arnold’s Drive-In to Happy Days showrunner Garry Marshall. Ultimately, the band debuted in Season 1, Episode 10, when Potsie, Ron Howard‘s Richie Cunningham, and Don Most‘s Ralph Malph sang a gig at a fraternity party.

Fans’ enthusiastic response solidified Anson’s singing on Happy Days, leading to getting booked at state fairs and resorts for a decade.

“It started this whole career that monetarily was much better and just a whole other life experience,” he pointed out. “And then Garry came to me, and he said, ‘You know I’m proud of you. You don’t b****. You found opportunity, and you’re helping the show.'”

Using his strategy as an example, Anson stressed an important lesson, “You could sit there and complain for a lifetime [that] you’re not getting paid enough, but look what you are getting. Where’s that little piece of gold? Look for that.”

Happy Days aired for 11 seasons from 1974 to 1984. Aside from Williams, Howard, and Most, the show starred Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, Tom Bosley, Erin Moran, Al Molinaro, Scott Baio, Lynda Goodfriend, Ted McGinley, and Cathy Silvers, among others.

Happy Days, streaming on Pluto TV