While Don Herbert was undoubtedly the star of “Watch Mr. Wizard” and “Mr. Wizard’s World,” his youthful sidekicks brought authenticity and realism to the shows as they conducted the experiments and learned from him. They represented the audience watching at home and proved if they could do it, then anyone else could as well. In the early stages of “Watch Mr. Wizard,” Mr. Wizard was joined by his 11-year-old neighbor, Willy Watson, who appeared as his assistant on a number of episodes.
Herbert would show Willy how the experiments would work, then have the child ask questions and recreate them. Eventually, a decision was made to change up the format of the program and have different children appearing on the show, instead of just one.
Willy was played by actor Bruce Lindgren, whose stint in “Watch Mr. Wizard” helped him catch the television bug and led to a lengthy career in the industry. Lindgren would hold a position as a promotions director for a San Francisco television station, while also running his own network television consulting business at one point. In 2021, Lindgren died from complications related to congenital heart failure. He was 81 years old.
