About two years after that fiasco with Medical Center, I started getting a lot of TV parts. I was on many shows, including Arnie, FBI, Cannon, Gunsmoke, The Smith Family, Apple’s Way, Run, Joe, Run, and many more. Looking back on those days, it seems pretty amazing that I worked with the likes of everyone from Henry Fonda to James Arness to the wonderful Tony Randall on the show The Odd Couple, on which I played his son, Leonard. Of all the actors I worked with back then, Tony took a real interest in me and my acting craft. I was so scared because I was used to doing either films or TV shows where there was no audience. The Odd Couple was shot live in front of a studio audience, and that scared me. I had never performed in front of people before, but Tony took me aside and explained to me how to wait for the applause to die down; he taught me things about timing, and he was very complimentary about my little ad-libs. Looking back, of all of the actors I’ve worked with, I have to say that Tony Randall is one of the most generous, most thoughtful people I have ever shared a screen with. Again, for a little boy who was always desperately looking for a father figure, I don’t think he even knew how his actions affected me. I was so hungry for male attention that when someone like Tony Randall went out of his way to help teach me and guide me, well, I don’t think he ever had any idea what he did for me.
I also enjoyed working with Martin Sheen on the set of the 1975 film The Last Survivors. What was fun about that shoot is that it was done at Paramount Studios in the giant lake on the soundstage. This was a unique production to be involved with. We would spend long periods in the water. Everybody would get pruned pretty good, shriveled up all over while being cold all the time. I don’t think the adults were as crazy about it, but for me it was like a total adventure. They had a big wave machine going, and machines that made artificial thunder and lightning; it was a cool experience. Martin Sheen was one of the nicest guys I ever worked with. He was always joking around with me and made sure I was comfortable. He’d see “LG” on my robe and call me Little Guy.