If you have seen a movie or a TV show in the last half-century, there’s almost no doubt that you’ve enjoyed the work of Clint Howard. Along with his brother, Ron, Howard has grown up in the entertainment industry, racking up well over 200 acting credits.
Clint Howard will be a guest this weekend at Pensacon. We spoke recently and talked about his six decades in the business.
Clint Howard: Yeah, Bob. I actually started in 1961. It was December of 1961, which was my first day of employment, and it was on the “Andy Griffith Show.” From there on out, I’ve worked consistently. Now, what is this? It’ll be, in December, it’ll be 63 years.
Bob Barrett: Living a life like that, starting so young, I got to ask, what was middle school like?
Howard: Well, I didn’t go to middle school. They called it junior high school when I was going to Jordan Junior High School, and I had a wonderful, wonderful time. I loved junior high school. It probably was the highlight of my scholastic career. I was introduced to journalism. I love journalism. I love the idea of asking questions, getting answers, and forming up a story. I had a wonderful journalism teacher, a fellow who’s no longer with us named Steve Campbell. And Mr. Campbell is a fellow that I met at Jordan Junior High School. So I had a great time.
Barrett: Did you think in your early years you’d say, you know, the heck with this acting stuff, I’m going to be a journalist?
Howard: No, I never put it that way, but I did investigate other careers. You know, I had a dream of being an athlete, a professional athlete. Right away I realized I wasn’t going to be tall enough to be a basketball player. So I gave up that dream of being an NBA player, although I fantasized a lot about it, but I really did have a dream of being a professional ball player, a major league baseball player. I was a pitcher, and I managed to take it all the way to high school. I was a two-year varsity letterman for the Burroughs Indians. Back when they were called the Indians in Burbank. I was a pitcher. And, then at that point, I realized that my fastball was a foot and a half short and my curve was good for high school but was going to be very hittable in college. So at that point, I retired and stuck to acting.
Barrett: Did you play any athletes in any of your roles?
Howard: You know, I did a movie one time where I played a catcher in a movie called “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden” with Kathleen Quinlan. And the note of that movie is that may have been the first professional job of Dennis Quaid. It was a long time ago. It probably was 1978 when we shot that movie. So I played an athlete there. I played a ball player and a very athletic guy in a movie called “Gung Ho.” I’ve always kind of used my sports and my enjoyment of sports. I love sports. My wife Kat and I are still big sports guys. And I know this might irritate people, but we had KC and we celebrated all the way to the end of the Super Bowl. It was a great game, and the Chiefs, our team, did it. So Kat and I are very proud of the Chiefs, and we’ve got big smiles on our faces as we go about our days.
Barrett: You’re just telling us deep down you’re a Swiftie at heart, right?
Howard: Well, yes, you can call me a Swiftie. First of all, I really don’t care who (Travis) Kelce is dating. The fact is, she seems to be very loyal to her boyfriend. Travis is a great football player, and she fully supports the Chiefs. The fact that she makes records during the day, to me, is a big difference. When she puts on that Chiefs jersey and she goes and cheers on her boyfriend, I think that’s wonderful. And I think a lot of people make a lot more out of it than it is. But, hey, you know what? Sports is just like what I do for a living. It’s entertainment.
