I was going to initially write, “Whatever happened to Paul Williams” but when I had a quick glance over at the IMDb I noticed that the man has never really been out of work; he’s just not as ubiquitous as he once was. Back in the 70s you couldn’t turn on the radio, go to a movie, catch an awards telecast or see a TV show that didn’t have some direct or indirect involvement from ole Paulie – the diminutive, bespectacled cutie who looked an awful lot like he might be Frodo’s distant hippie cousin. Or a baby pug. Regardless of his appearance, Paul Williams either co-starred in or co-wrote the music for everything in the 70s and wound up winning an Oscar, a couple Golden Globes and couple Grammys in the process.
As an actor he was in Smokey & the Bandit, Battle for the Planet of the Apes and my personal favorite, Phantom of the Paradise.
Ok, I said he co-starred in everything; I didn’t say they were necessarily good things. I admit to liking a lot of not-good things. Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park for example. (Surprisingly not a sequel to the Williams flick but infinitely more embarrassing for Messrs Simmons, Stanley, Criss & Frehley.) 
On TV, again despite the quality of material, Paul Williams was even more prolific. He appeared on Love Boat, Fantasy Island, even The Hardy Boys - the last on which he was saddled with an incredibly unfortunate name, “Allison Troy.” (Jealous of his fame were you, Hardy Writer Punks?)But no doubt Paul Williams’ greatest contribution was music. He was the songwriter and/or co-songwriter behind:
“An Old Fashioned Love Song” – that very cool Three Dog Night tune, notable for its haunting opening and extremely awesome use of kazoo at the end, which is still frequently played on classic rock radio. (Personally I prefer Williams’ own recording of this one. I can’t quite figure out what it is that makes his voice so incredibly distinctive but it’s probably something to do with the ever-present quiver or high-ish pitch. It’s like he’s a real-life Muppet but in the most fabulous way. Maybe that’s what made him such a good guest on their show.)
“We’ve Only Just Begun” – that definitively schmaltzy and yet beguiling tune by The Carpenters, which has also managed to stay on the air waves lo these many years.
“Evergreen” – that Barbra Streisand theme song to A Star is Born (he shared his Oscar win on this with Babs).
The theme song to The Love Boat – Come on, don’t roll your eyes. It’s exciting and new!
The entire score from the aforementioned Phantom of the Paradise.
The entire score from the beyond brilliant Bugsy Malone (I admit it, I own the soundtrack!)
The entire score from The Muppet Movie.
“Rainbow Connection,” people!! Why are there so many songs about rainbows; but more importantly why did this song not win the Oscar over a song from Norma Rae which no one remembers???? And if for some reason someone is reading this and thinking hey, I know that Norma Rae song, then either you’re lying or you and the Oscar recipient of that song are the only ones who do in fact remember.
In any event, Paul Williams totally rocked and I am just sending out some well-deserved props to him. Dang, I just totally got down with my bad self!!
*Yeah, this refers to Hee Haw and yeah, Paul made an appearance on the show. But since I couldn't find a clip of Paulie singing this song, I decided to leave you with a clip of a ton of other people, including most notably, inexplicably and terrifyingly, Ernest Borgnine at 2:08.
