The Atlanta Journal and Constitution
                      July 21, 1997, Monday,  ALL EDITIONS

SECTION: FEATURES; Pg. 04B
HEADLINE: THEATER PREVIEW;
Making a break from the 'Bunch':  At 42, Barry Williams trying to put
his TV days behind him

BYLINE: Jill Vejnoska; STAFF WRITER

BODY:
   The face is comfortingly familiar ---except for the slight fatigue
lines around the eyes. At 42, Barry Williams is a stretched-out version
of Greg Brady, the character he played on "The BRADY BUNCH" from 1969
to 1974.

   But Williams is also spread a bit thin on this humid afternoon: A
touring production of "The Music Man," which opened in Dallas and moves
to Atlanta's Fox Theatre on Tuesday night, is being readied, and
Williams, who plays Harold Hill (the Robert Preston role), and the rest
of the cast will have had about nine days to put it all together.  

   And yet during lunch at a downtown Atlanta restaurant, the busy
performer ---with well-received turns on Broadway in "Romance, Romance"
and in the national touring company of "City of Angels" and a book
("Growing Up Brady") to his credit ---was refreshingly willing to
answer one question after another. 

   Q: The concept of a 40-year-old "Greg Brady" hits many of us hard.
Was it hard for you?

   A: No, 30 was upsetting. Because I was then out of excuses. I had
had enough time to figure things out, and if I hadn't, I had nobody
else to blame. What was I doing at 30? Not enough. I was working in the
theater, but not with the consistency I would have liked.

   Q: Has being so closely identified with "Brady" hurt you in building
a movie career?

   A: Certainly. And it still continues to do so. If you've watched
John Travolta as I have ---"Welcome Back Kotter" came along after
"Brady" ---Travolta was able to overcome that image because he did
something bigger than what he was previously known for, with "Saturday
Night Fever." Then he did something bigger than "Saturday Night Fever"
in terms of creativity with "Pulp Fiction." I will do that when I do
something more identifiable than "The BRADY BUNCH." 

   Q: How is "The Music Man," a 1950s-era play about a fast-talking
salesman in a small Iowa town, relevant today?

   A: I don't know a show that's more Americana than this one. It's a
big slice of the Midwest, of all our roots and of family entertainment.
Plus, it's got some of the best standards in American music ---"Dream
of Me," "76 Trombones," "Till There Was You." "The Music Man" was the
show that inspired me to get into this business. I saw it at my junior
high and started taking acting classes that year. 
 
Q: You travel so much ---what's the one thing you always pack? 
A: My own pillow.

   Q: "The BRADY BUNCH" is going stronger than ever in syndication
after 23 years. What's your cut?

   A: I get residuals from everything except the original series.
("Brady" was followed by a couple of TV movies and spinoff series.)
This was before cable really came along. The law changed two weeks
after we made our last show. All contracts from 1974 on reflect
perpetual residuals. But a couple of lawsuits now by Mouseketeers may
set a new precedent, and I would be the first on the bandwagon!

   Q: You played "Greg's" agent in 1995's "The BRADY BUNCH Movie." But
who did the best job playing one of the original Bradys?

   A: No question about it, Marcia (Christine Taylor). She was
frighteningly good.

   Q: And, finally, a psychological question. If you had to be stuck in
an elevator for any length of time with Geraldo Rivera, Dr. Laura
Schlessinger or Jenny Jones, which one would you choose?

   A: I think Geraldo. He's a very interesting guy. And he's sly like a
fox. 

GRAPHIC: Memories of his role as a star of TV's "The BRADY BUNCH" still
overshadow his career, actor Barry Williams acknowledges. / JOEY
IVANSCO / Staff