Erin Moran is in trouble and for some reason that makes me sad this morning. Moran played Joanie Cunningham in Happy Days. For many men my age (51), Joanie represented that sweet and innocent girlfriend we all secretly desired. If you are my age, you know what I'm talking about. She is 51 now, homeless, and living in transient hotels after losing her "home" in an Indiana trailer park. As I sit in a Denny's in Sylmar waiting for my breakfast, I cannot help but feel sad. In my mind Moran is still a happy-go-lucky kid. In reality she is a troubled adult on the road to oblivion. Life is hard… it is even harder when people are watching.
Moran is said to be writing an autobiography.
Now Moran is holed up in an Indiana hotel, ready to share her story about the difficulty of finding fame at a young age.
My guess is that we are never going to see her book. We are much more likely to read a biography chronicling her long decline and eventual death. She's on that road now. The dead end is just around the next bend.
Her life is one of alcohol induced craziness.
The pair then hatched a plan in which Fleischmann moved back alone and would sneak Moran into the trailer after his mother went to sleep. The ruse collapsed when the 72-year-old caught Moran slipping in and threatened to call the cops.
"She finally did leave, but Steve's mom was right on her heels, chasing her out of the trailer, shouting at Erin as she made her way across the yard to their car," according to a witness. "Steve's mom was standing in the street in a nightgown and hair curlers, and the two women were screaming profanities at each other."
My breakfast just arrived. It's time to get my head back into the real word. Erin Moran, if you are out there listening, people still care. Step away from the booze and get some help before you end up an even sadder footnote to a once happier time.
