My Days Read online

  Chapter 18

  My TV Daughter Erin

  In April of 2017, I was deeply into writing this book. I had completed the first draft and was going back over each chapter, line by line, making sure I was comfortable with everything. Just a few months earlier, my writing colleague, David Laurell, had spent time with Erin Moran, whom, just like the rest of my Happy Days family, I wanted to be involved with my book.

  Erin had called me shortly before speaking with David, and although we hadn’t talked to one another in a while, we picked up right where we had left off and had a wonderful “catch-up” conversation. As I said good-bye to her and hung up, I felt so much better about her than I had on so many other occasions over the years. She seemed to be not only upbeat but also at peace with the demons of depression, drugs and alcohol she had wrestled with for many years.

  To be brutally honest, had I received the news that Erin had died at any point in time during the prior two or three decades, I would have been crushed, but not surprised. Every time I had seen her or spoken to her in the years following Happy Days, I had hoped and prayed that her demons would never get the better of her and that we would see one another again. By that April, I no longer gave that any thought. As hard as it may have been for me to believe, the cute little girl so many Americans grew up watching on Daktari, Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi was now older than I was when I played her mother. She had turned fifty-six the prior October, and it seemed that she had beaten the odds, had put her demons behind her, and had settled into a peaceful life with her second husband, Steven Fleischmann, in Indiana.

  I think it was because of that last conversation, in which she sounded so good, that when I received the news of her passing on the afternoon of April 22, 2017, it hit me much harder than it might have ten or twenty years before. Within a short time, the news of Erin’s death was being reported on various television networks and, I’m sure, many people who knew of her history just surmised that drugs were involved. My phone began ringing off the hook with news producers who wanted to send reporters and camera crews out to my house to talk about Erin and my feelings about her passing.

  Because it was a Saturday, my longtime personal assistant, Gwen Berohn, was off, and I just couldn’t bring myself to deal with all the calls, much less have camera crews come to my home. I did, however, speak with a few reporters by phone. At that time, I was as much in the dark as anyone else as to the cause of her passing, so all I could say was that it was a tragedy that we had lost someone who was so kind and talented. I kept being asked how I felt, and what could I say? I was obviously heartbroken, but I was also a bit annoyed at being asked that question. Erin’s passing wasn’t about me or my feelings. It was about the loss of a woman who had brought so much joy to people from the time she was very young.

  My feeling that Erin’s death was a tragedy only grew stronger when I later learned that she died due to complications of stage four squamous cell carcinoma of the throat, and that the toxicology tests showed no illegal narcotics were involved in her death. From what I heard, she first experienced symptoms of the problem just shortly after her fifty-sixth birthday, deteriorated rapidly, had poor medical treatment, and may not even have been aware herself of just how badly the cancer had metastasized.

  In the weeks following Erin’s death, I thought of her every day. I thought back to those days when she and I were the only “girls” on the show, and recalled how close we had become during the Happy Days years. I have the most lovely memories of her coming to my dressing room between scenes, where we would have tea together and we would talk. She was just a few years older than my daughter, Ellen, so I was always very interested in learning what Erin was going through so I could get ready to deal with that sort of thing with my own daughter as she got older. She was such a darling girl, and she fit in so well with the rest of the cast.

  That, however, wasn’t always the case with her parents, who loved to be onstage when we were rehearsing and on the nights we taped. And they especially loved cast parties. They were big partyers and were always the last to leave. They were this young and attractive couple who were a little wild, and I know they caused Garry some frustration at times. And then there was her grandmother, who was very keen (maybe a little too keen) on Erin being in show business. Erin was not brought up the way I was. Her parents were, seemingly, not serious about anything. They were fun-loving and free-spirited, and I just never felt that Erin was properly grounded because of that. But everybody loved her. She was always eager to please and was a very good actress to boot.

  After Happy Days was over, I stayed in touch with Erin. I genuinely cared about her and often worried about her. She had gotten involved with Scott Baio romantically, and that was not good for her. She would call me crying, and I would talk to her and offer some advice, but I don’t know if she was really capable of understanding some things, because she had never been taught how to cope with the realities of life. She was always making friends with the strangest people and getting herself into odd situations, which I think stemmed from a lack of guidance. But I sincerely hope that in the end, she was doing as well as she sounded the last time we spoke.

  Not too long after her death, I had a very small gathering at my home—the Happy Days Farm—to pay tribute to Erin. I knew Henry was out of town and would not be able to make it, but I was adamant that the guest list be very intimate, just Ron, Anson, Donny, Scott and Erin’s very close friend Cathy Silvers, the daughter of Phil Silvers, who played Jenny Piccalo on Happy Days. I tried to keep that very hush hush, but word leaked out, and I said no to everyone outside of our little Happy Days family. I even turned down the pleadings of my own son, Jim. I just wanted it to be us—the Happy Days family members who knew her and loved her.

  We had a wonderful time reminiscing and telling stories, so many of which we had forgotten. When they left, I felt so much better after being around the guys and Cathy, although a while later, I found myself sobbing uncontrollably as I read and reread the interview David did with her for this book not long before her death.

  “Marion is a Scorpio, so she has a very stable personality. She is grounded and has a strong foundation.” —Erin Moran

  David Laurell (DL): How did Happy Days come into your life?

  Erin Moran (EM): I had done quite a bit of television work and was doing a play with Anson Williams right around the time they were casting for Happy Days. I had this big crush on Anson, and I knew he had already been cast, so I tried out for the part of Joanie, but I didn’t get it. Then the girl that did get it didn’t work out for some reason. Anson gave my agent a call and said I should come back for another reading. I did, got the part, and the rest is history.

  DL: Do you remember the first time you met Marion?

  EM: Yes, it was on Stage Nineteen on the Paramount lot, which became our home. On my first day I was introduced to the whole cast, and right from the start, everyone was so nice. I was happy to be working with such wonderful people, who, in such a short time, became like a second family to me.

  DL: I know that it will mean a lot to Happy Days fans to learn that you really all did, and do, love one another.

  EM: Oh yeah! We really bonded, almost immediately. There was no negativity on that show. It was just all positive and warm. Right from the start it was like we all had known each other for years. I was really lucky. I had been working in the business since I was four years old, and had never had a bad experience. Then the icing on the cake was getting to do Happy Days. I deeply loved those people and have always thought of them as family.

  DL: Talk about your personal relationship with Marion. Did you ever go to her seeking advice?

  EM: She was the one I went to. We had gotten very close over the years, and when we were rehearsing, I would go over to her dressing room, which happened to be right next to mine, and we would have tea together, like two neighbors. We would sit and just talk and talk. She would tell me about her kids, and I would tell her about my family. We would tal
k about what I was going through at any given time, and she would give me advice on stuff. We would get so lost in our deep conversations that we would forget we were doing a show. Then they would come and knock on the door and say, “Come on, come on. Marion, Erin, places!” Marion and I would look at each other and laugh and laugh, because we would get so caught up in talking, we would actually forget we were at work.

  DL: Marion has said your parents were rather free-spirited. How was your real mom different than your television mom?

  EM: My parents were not your typical stage parents, but I think they had more fun than anyone by being involved with Happy Days. My mom was the type who was very outgoing and didn’t appear to be strict with me, but at home she was. I was not close with her, and so if I had something bothering me, I would go to Marion. I know that on many occasions she felt uncomfortable—that it would have been out of place for her to interfere in some personal family situation, and she would feel she needed to back off. When that was the case, she would say, “I really don’t know. You should ask your mom about that. ” When she would say that, I would think, I don’t want to ask my mom. That’s why I’m coming to you. I didn’t want to ask my mom, because I knew she wouldn’t answer me. Talking with her the way I talked with Marion just was not where our relationship was.

  I was kind of hurt when Marion put me off, but then, as time went on, I noticed she did that with other people who went to her for advice. When I saw that, it clicked. I remember one time thinking, Oh, okay! That’s just what I needed to see to get it. Now I understand. She was very wise, and because of that, she wasn’t going to step out of bounds and cause problems or disruptions within families or between people. She was one smart lady. We had this wonderful talk one time, long after Happy Days was over and I was an adult. I think it was shortly after my mother passed away in 2008. Marion told me that there had been so many times she wanted to tell me something or give me some advice and help with all the questions I had and answers I craved, but she just felt it wasn’t her place to do so.

  DL: As you may know, Garry was very aware that Marion was a calming force who had a stabilizing influence over the cast members. He said that when there would be cast meetings, he looked to her at times because she was the real adult in the room.

  EM: We would all know that. Marion is a Scorpio, so she has a very stable personality. She is grounded and has a strong foundation. We were always kind of in awe of her. She always had a wonderful answer for everything—very clean cut and to the point. If you ever had a question for her, the answer would be right there on the table for you to take.

  DL: You know that Marion was very hesitant about writing this book. How do you feel about her deciding to finally do it?

  EM: I have to say I’m surprised. I never thought she would do it, because years ago she would tell me, “I’m never going to do an autobiography! Never!” I never really knew why she was so adamant about never writing a book, but I’m so very glad she finally decided to do it. If anyone ever had a reason to write a book, it’s Marion. She has so many stories about how she came through difficult times and how she never gave up on her dream of becoming an actress. People forget, she wasn’t well known before Happy Days. She didn’t become a star until she was in her fifties. Most actresses I know would have thrown in the towel a long time before that. She is a great inspiration to people who know her, and I think by writing this book, she will be an inspiration to all those people who only know her from television.

  DL: What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

  EM: I hope they will get a real understanding of just how nice of a person she is. She has such a beautiful spirit and great heart. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure to be in her presence doesn’t want to leave her. I saw that so many times at events and things over the years. People just loved to be around her! I really think that people who have never had the chance to meet her and spend time with her have missed out on one of the greatest things life has to offer. So I hope this book will give people a little taste of what it is like to meet her personally.

  DL: If you were given just a few sentences to sum her up, what would you say?

  EM: She was a great mom and actress and friend. She taught me more than anyone else I have ever known. She taught me things that gave me courage and hope when I didn’t have either. Of all the actors and actresses and people I’ve worked with throughout my life, she is number one. Of all the people I have ever met or known, she is the very best. She is the most wonderful person I’ve ever known in my entire life. That’s really something to say about another person, but it’s very true.

  Chapter 19

  My Dear Henry

  As we go through life, we all meet people with whom we have an immediate rapport. It is kind of an amazing phenomenon that, even though you have just met and you know nothing about one another, something sparks and a connection is made. That was the case with Henry Winkler and me. From the moment we met, there was something about Henry that integrated me. Yes, he was good looking and sexy, but there was something else about him I found even more appealing. He was kind, gentle, and had an old soul.

  The fact that Henry turned what was at first just this small and recurring role of Fonzie into the show’s breakout character, who would launch a thousand items that bore his likeness and would become one of popular culture’s and television’s all-time greatest icons, was not surprising to me. He had a charm and a charisma that were just impossible to conceal.

  The more I got to know Henry, the more I was fascinated with him. He was the son of Jewish emigrants who left their home in Berlin, Germany, on the eve of World War II with nothing but a little box that contained some jewelry that had been handed down to them. He and I were also kindred spirits in that from the time we were very young, we both harbored the dream of becoming actors. Achieving that dream was much more of a challenge for Henry than it was for me due to the fact that he is dyslexic, something that went undiagnosed when he was a child. And yet, in spite of dealing with dyslexia, he went on to graduate from Emerson College and the prestigious Yale School of Drama.

  I know this is hard for even hard-core Happy Days fans to remember, but when we first started the show, the role of Fonzie was rather insignificant and his trademark leather jacket was nonexistent. Henry was not what Garry had had in mind for that character. He had imagined him to be a blond 1950s matinee idol type. It was only after Henry got an audition, because of his part in the then yet-to-be-released film The Lords of Flatbush, that Garry changed his mind about who and what Fonzie would be.

  As for the absence of his leather jacket, that was dictated by the brass at ABC, who felt it would make him look like a criminal. And so, for the better part of our first season, they put Henry in this god-awful green Windbreaker. He looked ridiculous wearing that jacket, and it is a great testament to Henry’s charisma and acting talent that, in spite of that dorky jacket, he still established the character as the coolest guy in the room.

  Garry was more than aware that the character Henry had created screamed for a black leather jacket, and so, after a bit of negotiating (the television term for arguing) with the powers that be, a compromise was struck and the network agreed to let him wear a leather jacket on one condition: he had to be either on or with his motorcycle. Garry agreed to the terms and then, in a classic Garry move, saw to it that the character of Fonzie was never in a scene without his motorcycle. That lasted until some point in our second season, when the character had become so entrenched as a leather jacket–wearing cool guy that the obligation to include the motorcycle was dropped.

  I would say that during the first season of Happy Days, I became closer to Henry than anyone else in the cast. He really befriended me first, and we became fast pals. The writers took notice that a personal spark had been ignited between Henry and me. They saw that he enjoyed teasing me and that we had a very playful relationship with one another. As good writers do, they picked up on that and began writing more and more
scenes between us. They also incorporated an interesting and brilliant little twist—that I would be the only character on the show who would call him “Arthur.” They felt that would distinguish Mrs. C’s relationship with Fonzie as being different and more personal than it was with any other character.

  As the success of Happy Days grew, and Henry became such a huge star—and I mean huge, as in a way that at the time had been reserved for Elvis or the Beatles—it always amazed me that the world knew him as Mr. Cool and Mr. Perfect, and yet, to me, he was always so kind, caring, tender and sensitive.

  I remember one time during a rehearsal when Henry seemed to be a bit out of sorts. He just wasn’t himself, especially around me. When I asked him what was wrong, he told me that earlier that day, when he and I had been talking, I had turned away from him and had started talking to someone else. I never gave that a second of thought, but Henry was so sensitive that he thought he had said or done something I didn’t like, and he was devastated. That is the Henry I know. He may have come across to Happy Days viewers as this sexy tough guy who was the epitome of cool, but behind that character he so perfectly created and played, he was such a tender and kind man. He was always very observant of everything going on. He was a great “people watcher,” and whenever guests would show up onstage during our rehearsals, he made it a point to introduce himself (like he had to do that), ask their names, and then be so kind to them.