Marion Ross: Happy Days Memories, Broadway Stories & Writing "My Days: Happy and Otherwise"

Television icon Marion Ross, forever remembered as Mrs. C from Happy Days, joins Neil Haley to discuss her remarkable career and new memoir "My Days: Happy and Otherwise." Marion reveals surprising behind-the-scenes tension from Happy Days, explaining that Tom Bosley initially didn't want her as his TV wife because he came from Broadway (having won a Tony for "Fiorello") and wanted someone "more important." She candidly shares how it took a long time for them to develop a genuine friendship, though Tom was ultimately "a really nice man, a very good man." Marion explains the memoir's title reflects both her happy television success and the difficult "otherwise" period between ages 40-50 when she went through a challenging divorce. Marion discusses how her son, actor Jim Meskimen (known for the Geico George Washington commercial), literally had to convince her to write the book by bringing writer David Laurel to her house. She describes her preferred method of storytelling - being recorded in conversation rather than typing - and how the collaborative process made the memoir possible. Marion shares incredible stories from her diverse career, including performing Noel Coward's "Blithe Spirit" live on CBS with Claudette Colbert, Lauren Bacall, and Coward himself, working with Cary Grant, playing a Jewish Polish grandmother on "Brooklyn Bridge," voicing characters on SpongeBob SquarePants, and appearing as Drew Carey's mother. Now retired and living at "Happy Days Farm," Marion continues connecting with fans through book signings across the country, from San Francisco to Missouri to New York, where hundreds of devoted fans line up to meet the woman who made Mrs. C a household name.