Marion Ross has a long and impressive filmography. Over the course of her career, Ross held nearly 200 roles. She’s appeared in fan-favorite shows like MacGyver, Perry Mason, and That 70s Show. More recently, the veteran actress lent her voice to characters in Spongebob Squarepants, Family Guy, and The Boondocks. However, most people still remember her from her time on Happy Days.
Marion Ross played Marion Cunningham, or Mrs. C, for a decade. She helped raise one of TV’s favorite red-headed teenagers. Additionally, she was the only person who could call the Fonz by his first name. Mrs. C was the cornerstone of the Cunningham family and the show’s warmer moments. Her career was already in motion when she landed the role. However, Happy Days made her a household name.
Today, Marion Ross is retired from acting. But, she doesn’t mind taking time to reminisce about her time on Happy Days. Overall, it seemed that her days on the show were, in fact, happy ones. She often talks about how her fellow cast members were close even when the cameras stopped rolling. It is obvious that she remembers Happy Days fondly.
Recently, Marion Ross appeared on the Media Path podcast to talk about her career. Of course, the conversation turned to Happy Days more than once. At one point, Ross discussed why she doesn’t watch the classic sitcom.
One of the show’s hosts wanted to know if Marion Ross found herself watching the Happy Days when it comes on or if she thinks, “Ugh I’ve seen this. I know what… I don’t have to watch this.”
“No, I forget. I forget to watch it,” Marion replied with a laugh.
Marion Ross Wasn’t Sorry to See ‘Happy Days’ End
Sure, Marion Ross had a great time on Happy Days. However, she was there for ten years. By then, things had started to go downhill. The writers were running out of stories. Remember, the classic series invented “jumping the shark” to try to bolster ratings.
In an interview with The Archive of American Television, Marion Ross opened up about the last episode. In that episode, Richie came back to watch Joanie and Chachi tie the knot. It was like a big family reunion for the cast as well as longtime fans.
About filming that episode, Ross said, “We were glad it was over. It was time for Happy Days to end. We all knew it would be over, but it still was such a huge part of our lives.”
Happy Days is actually a big part of American entertainment as a whole. It made Marion Ross and Henry Winkler household names. Additionally, it helped to launch Robin Williams’ career. Ron Howard left the show to follow his dream of directing films. Without the series, it is possible that none of that would have happened.
