My Days: Happy and Otherwise

In an autobiography as cheerful and straightforward as the author’s character on Happy Days, Ross uncomplainingly recounts a life filled with more melodrama than comedy. For 11 years the actress regularly entered American households as the iconic TV mother Mrs. Cunningham, but here she shares the struggles that preceded that success. Growing up in Minnesota during the Great Depression, Ross dreamed of becoming a Hollywood star. With her supportive mother’s help, Ross scraped together the money to study drama and speech (losing, in the process, her heavy Minnesota accent when it was pointed out to her). A move to California and a Paramount Studios contract seemed to mark the fulfillment of Ross’s dreams—until the contract wasn’t renewed. Neither an impulsive marriage to an alcoholic nor having to work while raising two children dimmed Ross’s dream, but these circumstances did force her to abandon hopes of film or theater stardom and focus on television. Following her divorce, Ross took a small part in the 1970 film Airport, which role led to her being cast in the Happy Days pilot. Interviews with the series’ cast and crew, including Ron Howard and the late Gary Marshall, add insight into Ross’s contributions to the show’s success. While lacking in the behind-the-scenes gossip readers might expect, this book will please fans with its down-to-earth account of the dedicated actress behind an adored character. (Mar.)