‘Improvement’s’ Williams Keeps Producing Hits

TV or not TV. . . .

HAMMER: “My dad worked in a factory and my mom waited on tables, so I don’t take this lightly,” says Matt Williams, a very hot TV producer.

Williams created “Roseanne” but left after a falling-out with the star, Roseanne Arnold. And now he is co-creator of this TV season’s top-rated new series, “Home Improvement,” which, as the lead-in to “Roseanne,” gives ABC real muscle on Tuesdays.

“Home Improvement” stars comedian Tim Allen as a macho family man and host of a TV home-repair show. Tonight’s episode is a natural as TV’s real-life home-repair expert, Bob Vila, turns up as the guest-star, playing himself.

Allen has quickly proved himself a natural for the sitcom form. But in Hollywood circles, Williams has also created a buzz with his exclusive deal to develop shows for Disney studios, which he says is “in the $10-million range.”

He’s very matter-of-fact about his deal:

“I think when you talk numbers, it’s a very important point to say ‘Relative to what?’ You may pay an actor $10 million for a series that can generate $400 million. In light of what you get for your investment, being cold and analytical about it, Disney made a good investment in me.

“The idea of making $2-, $3-, $5-, $10 million boggles people’s minds in the rest of the country, and even in my family. But we’re the people here until 4 in the morning working on scripts, and we’re going to make a lot of people rich. You have to be a writer, management and a businessman all at once.”

Williams, a former writer for “The Cosby Show,” also has creator credits for “A Different World” and last season’s Carol Burnett comedy anthology, “Carol & Company.”

But “Home Improvement,” he says, “is the most fun of any series I’ve ever worked on. A lot of shows work, but you pound away, pound away. Here, maybe it’s the spirit. When I met with Tim, I turned to Dave (McFadzean, one of the other co-creators along with Carmen Finestra) and said, ‘This is a Top 10 show.’

“I’m pleasantly surprised with Tim. I knew he was funny. He’s a natural clown, like a Cosby. He thinks funny. But he’s a good actor. He took lessons back in Detroit for four or five months before he came out here to do the show.

“The other thing is that he keeps a balance on the floor. He keeps things flowing out there by kidding around.”

“Home Improvement” has a solid lead-in from “Full House,” but has been building on that show’s ratings. And despite his nasty split from “Roseanne,” Williams thinks ABC made a “wise” decision in pairing the programs:

“Both series are consciously dealing with male-female relationships. The main difference is the point of view. With ‘Roseanne,’ you have a more feminist view, working class. With Tim, it’s more middle class and a man’s point of view.”

Williams prefers not to discuss his departure from “Roseanne,” saying: “I wish them well. Really. When I’m about 85 and sipping bourbon on the porch, I’ll write the book.”

MODERN TIMES: Tonight’s episode of “Roseanne” finds the character played by the star considering breast-reduction surgery because of a back problem.

PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Should be quite a baby shower on “Murphy Brown” on May 11 when the pregnant newswoman (Candice Bergen) hosts real-life TV journalists Katie Couric, Maria Shriver, Paula Zahn, Joan Lunden, Faith Daniels and Mary Alice Williams. This is, of course, during the May ratings sweeps.

FORMULA: CBS is now two-for-two in the ratings with annual, uplifting “Hallmark Hall of Fame” tales of frontier women. Last year, it was Glenn Close in “Sarah, Plain and Tall.” And just a few Sundays ago, it was Jessica Lange in “O Pioneers!” Both shows even had the same director, Glenn Jordan.

MIRACLE WORKER: Nolan Ryan, who at 45 is still a threat to pitch a no-hitter every time he starts, gets the celebrity treatment Feb. 19 on NBC when he’s interviewed on “First Person With Maria Shriver.”

DISCOVERY: We were blown away by a remarkable and quite serious ‘60s interview with the late Jimmy Durante shown recently on Century Cable’s public access Channel 3 in Beverly Hills. We tracked down the interviewer, psychology professor Herman Harvey, in Rancho Palos Verdes, and so should every cable outlet in town that is looking for truly unique programming--his old series, “The Sum and Substance,” once seen on KNXT, now KCBS Channel 2.

Harvey asked famous people what was important to them. Tonight at 8:30, for instance, his interview with Jean Renoir airs on Channel 3 (BHTV). Next Tuesday it’s Upton Sinclair, then Durante again Feb. 25. Others in the series have included Aldous Huxley, Clifford Odets and Gregor Piatigorsky.

We go into this detail to urge you to get away from the usual network pap and search for the program jewels that often pop up as you zap around. We asked Harvey about Durante, and he said with a laugh: “I sent (the guests) letters, and he accepted. I think he was in awe of the professorial status. But, oh, what a guy. He didn’t drive at the time, so he said, ‘Can you pick me up?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’ So I came with an old, broken-down Oldsmobile.”

BOX SCORE: David Letterman’s 10th anniversary special walloped the competition last week, earning a 27% audience share. He probably brought people to network prime time who rarely tune it in. Now, let’s see--isn’t this the guy that NBC seems to think wouldn’t draw an audience except in his post-midnight slot? Oh, brother.

OUR GANG: Henry Winkler (The Fonz) hosts that “Happy Days Reunion Special” on ABC March 3, and Ron Howard, Tom Bosley, Marion Ross and creator Garry Marshall will be among the other principals on hand.

TAKEOFF: Yes, that’s Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth--the husband-and-wife psychiatrists of “Cheers”--who’ll be visiting NBC’s “Wings” on Thursday. As much as any character on “Cheers,” Neuwirth takes the venerable comedy series into a special dimension--creating a sort of drawing-room sitcom.

HAIR: Every time I see reruns of TV shows from the ‘60s, I think of how absurd we looked with our sideburns. But, listen, those mustaches were OK.

BEING THERE: “Television has done much for psychiatry by spreading information about it as well as contributing to the need for it.”--Alfred Hitchcock in “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.”

Say good night, Gracie. . . .