Baker - My Days: Happy and Otherwise

MY DAYS

H APPY AND O THERWISE

by
Marion Ross
with David Laurell

Foreword by Ron Howard

KENSINGTON BOOKS

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Copyright 2018 by Marion Ross Enterprises, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

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Library of Congress Card Catalogue Number: 2017955111

ISBN: 978-1-4967-1515-9

First Kensington Hardcover Edition: April 2018

eISBN-13: 978-1-4967-1517-3
eISBN-10: 1-4967-1517-9
First Kensington Electronic Edition: April 2018

Table of Contents

FOREWORD

Having already had the privilege of playing the son of one of televisions most iconic fathers, Andy Taylor, on The Andy Griffith Show , I was honored to have been given the opportunity to take on the role of the middle child of one of the mediums all-time favorite mothers, Marion Cunningham, on Happy Days .

As with any perfectly cast play, film or television showand The Andy Griffith Show and Happy Days both easily qualifyit would be unimaginable to have had anyone other than Andy Griffith playing the part of Andy Taylor or any actress other than Marion Ross portraying Mrs. C.

Television aficionados and die-hard Happy Days fans know that the show the world would come to embrace and love first aired on February 25, 1972, as a segment on ABCs comedy anthology Love, American Style . Originally shot as a pilot, which wasnt picked up, the episode segment was titled Love and the Television Set, later retitled Love and the Happy Days for syndication. The show was the brainchild of Garry Marshall, who believed that after surviving the turbulent 1960s and entering the 1970s with a scattered understanding of who we were and where we were going, Americans would be primed for a good healthy dose of nostalgia: a story about a family living in the simpler and idyllic postwar world of the 1950s.

It was at the outset of the filming of that pilot that I first met Marion. At the time, the cast that would eventually transition into the Happy Days everyone now knows included her, Anson Williams and me. I was in my senior year of high school and had taken a week off to shoot the pilot. Having acted for as far back as I could remember, I was interested in pursuing a career as a director. The thing I remember more than anything else about doing that pilot was standing on the set with Marion while they were setting up a shot, and going through my mail. I had applied to USCs film school, and there, amongst the envelopes I was sorting through, my eye caught one with the USC School of Cinema-Television as the return address. After I ripped open that letter and learned I had been accepted, Marion was the first person I shared the good news with. I recall her being just as excited as I was.

Her excitement over my acceptance to USC, along with her support and encouragement for my dream to direct, could not have been more genuine if I had been one of her own children. That real excitement and heartfelt support would be something that I, and others, would continue to experience after Happy Days was picked up as a series by ABC.

Marion always showed a grounded, fun, unpretentious and unforced way of cheerleading all of us during the run of the show. She was a positive and upbeat force, yet she always had just enough of a wiseass streak in her that she never made you feel her caring was forced or overly sentimental. The way Marion embraced and interacted with everyone was always very organic and totally genuine.

As with The Andy Griffith Show , the cast and crew of Happy Days were truly like a family. We all got along well and cared for one another, which continues to this day. I have always felt that this played a huge role in how, unlike some other child actors, I have been able to maintain my sanity in what can sometimes be a crazy business. It was that compass of nurturing care and compassion instilled in me, first by my parents and then by the people I worked withAndy, Garry, Marion and othersthat has played a major role in my ability to positively navigate my way through my career, as well as my life.

When Happy Days took off and exploded into a national event, we became one of the highest-rated shows in television history. And yet, in spite of all the outside noise and commotion, the excitement, the pressures, the internal business factors that are a part of any production, everyone loved working together. We loved what we achieved as a family and as a team. There was always a strong ensemble feel in doing Happy Days , no matter who had the best lines in any given episode.

I have always felt that in her own maternal and yet unobtrusive way, Marion had a lot to do with that feeling. The cast always felt free to talk to Marion, whether it was about a personal problem or a frustration on a professional level. She was a great listener and possessed the ability to defuse things in a totally uncontrolling way. Marion had an endearing way of offering advice, which stemmed from having no agenda other than being a caring and interested friend. While working with David Laurell, Marions writing collaborator on this book, I learned that during the run of Happy Days , Garry would rely on her if any ruffled feathers needed to be smoothed. When David told me that, I wasnt surprised. It made perfect sense that Marion would be his go-to person to get the skinny and gain a better understanding of what was happening on the set, as well as in each of our minds and personal lives.

Today, when I think back on doing Happy Days , a million wonderful memories flood my mind. Among those is a running inside joke between Marion and me. Whenever we did scenes together, between takes, she would lightly brush the tips of my ears with her fingers and whisper to me, You should really get these ears fixed, dear. Just a little tuck is all you need, honeyjust so they dont pop out so much.

I never knew if she really meant that or not, but it became a little shared moment between us that, as with so many other things she would do, served as a tension breaker, made me laugh, and endeared her to me.

When I heard that Marion had finally decided to sit down and write a book about her life, I was thrilled. Yes , I thought. Im sure many people will initially pick up this book simply because they grew up as a fan of Happy Days and loved her as Mrs. C, but more importantly, because by reading about her life, they will learn so much more about this inspiring woman.

While she made a fantastic Marion Cunninghamone of the greatest television moms of all timeit is important for people to know that when one looks at the totality of her career, from the stage to the screenlarge and smallshe cannot be overestimated as an actress of extraordinary range. As they make their way through the pages of this book, readers will learn about the days that have made up her life and will discover that some of her most challenging and brilliantly played roles were those that played out, not on soundstages, locations or back lots, but in real life. Theyll learn of a determined young girl who harbored a secret dream and who blossomed into a woman who made that dream come true; of a spouse who, like so many others, found herself dealing with the difficulties the disease of alcoholism brings to a marriage; of a single mother with one foot in the world of raising children and the other in the demanding professional world of show business; of a beloved grandmother; and of the loving companion of a man who, late in her life, became her true soul mate. This is a remarkable story that will give readers insight into a Marion Ross they never knew, one who, during both her happy days and those that presented challenges, always handled everything with grace, dignity and wisdom, while making it all look so easywhen it clearly wasnt.