Here's how ''Big Al'' from Happy Days got famous

Because he certainly wasn't born into it!

September 13, 2024, 2:43PM By MeTV Staff

CBS Television Distribution

Have you ever seen a face and wondered "How'd you end up on TV, anyhow?"

Some actors take a traditional path onto the screen. They might study acting in college after starring in some high school productions. Their undergrad degree could lead to experience with regional theaters, and so on. Then, those following this conventional approach take their next steps toward legitimacy with bigger productions and roles. They'll star in an independent feature, or find their name ascending a loftier stagebill.

Then, there are those actors forced into a more unorthodox path to success. Al Molinaro is one of these latter types. He left home in Kenosha, Wisconsin to seek his fortune in Los Angeles, dreaming of onscreen glory. That was in 1940, some thirty years before Molinaro was cast on The Odd Couple. While he'd guested on other shows throughout the '60s and '70s, Molinaro went three decades before becoming a sitcom regular.

The future Odd Couple star worked a couple of odd jobs in California, always on the periphery of the television industry he wanted to infiltrate. According to The San Francisco Examiner, Molinaro was first a professional clarinet player. Then, he designed puppets for pioneering science fiction director/producer George Pal (The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine, Atlantis: The Lost Continent). Next, Molinaro became a local station TV producer.

All the while, Molinaro was studying acting, trying to get as close to the craft as he could. He studied improv comedy with Harvey Lembeck's workshop, hoping to hone his skills and be discovered as a character actor. That's when he met Penny Marshall, who wasn't yet starring in Laverne & Shirley. Molinaro was introduced to Penny's brother, Garry Marshall, who was producing a new show called The Odd Couple.

Writer John Stanley from The San Francisco Examiner heard the details from the source and wrote:

"Marshall thought Al might be suitable for the part of the sad-faced poker player, but refused to answer Al's follow-up calls. So Al dressed up in work clothes and a baseball cap and rushed to the studio carrying a cardboard box with self-caricatures all over it. 'Al Molinaro Poker Faces— More Available on Request,' was stenciled on the side. Al didn't get the part of the poker player, but Marshall liked the way he wore the cap and gave him the part of Murray the cop."