Nice article about Marion Ross about her home: HAPPY DAYS FARM - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

PeggySue · 07-16-2003, 06:24 PM

recent article about Marion Ross

Hi everyone! I found this article online this week about Marion Ross, I am posting it here for anyone who is interested. She actually named her home HAPPY DAYS FARM! PeggySue

One cool country home
By Barbara De Witt
Friday, July 11, 2003 - You can hear a rooster crow as you enter Happy Days Farm, but there's not a chicken in sight.
"It's a fake ... and sometimes drives us crazy,' says Marion Ross as she stands on the porch of her rustic redwood hideaway in Woodland Hills.
The actress best known as Richie Cunningham's mom (and Fonzie's tango partner) says she bought the two-acre estate with money earned from her role on the long-running "Happy Days' TV series. She's proud not only of her investment but also its heritage.
It's the former home of "My Little Margie' star Gale Storm, who lived there in the early '50s when much of the San Fernando Valley was a series of "little ranches' known for having more tennis courts than cows, Ross explains.
The original tennis court and barn are still there and a vintage pickup truck (with a "Happy Days' vanity plate) sits in the driveway -- but being down on the farm with Ross is really more like a picnic in the park.
The two-acre farm has sprawling lawns shaded by giant jacarandas, pines and fruit trees and a long bocce ball court tucked behind huge rose bushes and morning glory hedges. It's an area she lovingly refers to as "Sophie's Park,' named after her role in the 1991 TV series "Brooklyn Bridge.'
Closer to the house, which looks somewhat like a cabin with its redwood siding, and yet inspired by a Bavarian chalet with flower boxes on the balcony, there's a pool and huge patio made of Palo Verde stone that extends into the sun room, which is supported by real telephone poles.
Standing on the patio and looking at the grassy hill beyond, Ross suddenly stops and exclaims, "Wouldn't this be perfect for a performance of `Midsummer Night's Dream' and guests could sit over there on the railroad ties going up the hill?'
Ross and her beau of 15 years, actor Paul Michael (currently starring in the independent film "The Streetsweeper'), love a crowd. Whether they're performing for them, playing tennis or croquet or cooking an Italian supper, it's an act of love for friends, who include "Happy Days' cast and crew Ron Howard, Henry Winkler and Garry Marshall.
And since Michael is usually the cook, the crowd likes to gather in the kitchen. As a testament to his culinary skills, he pulls a tray of Greek appetizers called spanakopita (spinach, feta cheese and onions encased in filo dough) out of the oven for a taste test. Not only is the kitchen big and bright with pale knotty pine cabinets and a white tile floor trimmed with a ribbon of red tile that matches the sink, but there are Italian tiles and pottery on the walls that the couple have purchased on their many travels.
But that's another story.
Ross says when she bought the house in 1980 it was just a two-bedroom home but she relied on architect Hal Whittemore of Ventura County to turn it into a 4,000 square foot country house with open beams, lofts, skylights and stone fire places, as well as four bathrooms and three bedrooms. Plus a lot of stained glass.
Whittemore is best known for designing churches (more than 180 of them) and that's how he met Ross. "She was a member of a Methodist church in the Valley that I had designed and she'd admired it and later asked for my name.'
The architect adds that she was a great client because she knew what type of theme she wanted, which was "woodsy,' and gave him an opportunity to design the entire property so that the same stone flooring is used inside and out.
Ross raves about the spaciousness of the house. `It has rhythms and curves and focal points as you go through it,' she says with pride, adding that you can stand at one end of the house and see all the way to the other end.
Although she didn't think twice about hiring someone to design the house, Ross has her own ideas about decor.
"I think the house should grow with you. You should live there and visit other places and have it continually evolving.' That idea of visiting doesn't necessarily mean other countries, however.
For instance, two of her stunning Oriental rugs were specially made for her in Hong Kong, but she found another one that looks a lot like them at Costco.
"I love Costco ... and my newest find is HomeGoods (in West Hills), where I found a patio table with a mosaic tile top but then found out it wasn't meant for outdoor use.'
The most colorful room -- painted a rusty shade of red -- is the TV room, which is covered with memorabilia and all five of Ross' Emmy nomination letters. None of which resulted in a statuette, she laughingly laments.
In TV's upcoming season, viewers can once again see Ross play mom on the "Drew Carey Show' and grandmother on "The Gilmore Girls.' Off screen, her role is proud mother of actor Michael Meskimen and Ellen Plummer, an Emmy Award-winning writer and co-executive producer of the hit TV show "Friends.'

animalcrackers · 07-17-2003, 08:23 AM

Thank you for the article, PeggySue. I've seen just a glimpse of her home in interviews. It's difinitely looks like Marion. It's very cheery. She seems to really have a happy life.

07-16-2003, 06:24 PM	#1
PeggySue Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Dec 04, 2002 Location: PA Posts: 58	Nice article about Marion Ross about her home: HAPPY DAYS FARM recent article about Marion Ross Hi everyone! I found this article online this week about Marion Ross, I am posting it here for anyone who is interested. She actually named her home HAPPY DAYS FARM! PeggySue One cool country home By Barbara De Witt Friday, July 11, 2003 - You can hear a rooster crow as you enter Happy Days Farm, but there's not a chicken in sight. "It's a fake ... and sometimes drives us crazy,' says Marion Ross as she stands on the porch of her rustic redwood hideaway in Woodland Hills. The actress best known as Richie Cunningham's mom (and Fonzie's tango partner) says she bought the two-acre estate with money earned from her role on the long-running "Happy Days' TV series. She's proud not only of her investment but also its heritage. It's the former home of "My Little Margie' star Gale Storm, who lived there in the early '50s when much of the San Fernando Valley was a series of "little ranches' known for having more tennis courts than cows, Ross explains. The original tennis court and barn are still there and a vintage pickup truck (with a "Happy Days' vanity plate) sits in the driveway -- but being down on the farm with Ross is really more like a picnic in the park. The two-acre farm has sprawling lawns shaded by giant jacarandas, pines and fruit trees and a long bocce ball court tucked behind huge rose bushes and morning glory hedges. It's an area she lovingly refers to as "Sophie's Park,' named after her role in the 1991 TV series "Brooklyn Bridge.' Closer to the house, which looks somewhat like a cabin with its redwood siding, and yet inspired by a Bavarian chalet with flower boxes on the balcony, there's a pool and huge patio made of Palo Verde stone that extends into the sun room, which is supported by real telephone poles. Standing on the patio and looking at the grassy hill beyond, Ross suddenly stops and exclaims, "Wouldn't this be perfect for a performance of `Midsummer Night's Dream' and guests could sit over there on the railroad ties going up the hill?' Ross and her beau of 15 years, actor Paul Michael (currently starring in the independent film "The Streetsweeper'), love a crowd. Whether they're performing for them, playing tennis or croquet or cooking an Italian supper, it's an act of love for friends, who include "Happy Days' cast and crew Ron Howard, Henry Winkler and Garry Marshall. And since Michael is usually the cook, the crowd likes to gather in the kitchen. As a testament to his culinary skills, he pulls a tray of Greek appetizers called spanakopita (spinach, feta cheese and onions encased in filo dough) out of the oven for a taste test. Not only is the kitchen big and bright with pale knotty pine cabinets and a white tile floor trimmed with a ribbon of red tile that matches the sink, but there are Italian tiles and pottery on the walls that the couple have purchased on their many travels. But that's another story. Ross says when she bought the house in 1980 it was just a two-bedroom home but she relied on architect Hal Whittemore of Ventura County to turn it into a 4,000 square foot country house with open beams, lofts, skylights and stone fire places, as well as four bathrooms and three bedrooms. Plus a lot of stained glass. Whittemore is best known for designing churches (more than 180 of them) and that's how he met Ross. "She was a member of a Methodist church in the Valley that I had designed and she'd admired it and later asked for my name.' The architect adds that she was a great client because she knew what type of theme she wanted, which was "woodsy,' and gave him an opportunity to design the entire property so that the same stone flooring is used inside and out. Ross raves about the spaciousness of the house. `It has rhythms and curves and focal points as you go through it,' she says with pride, adding that you can stand at one end of the house and see all the way to the other end. Although she didn't think twice about hiring someone to design the house, Ross has her own ideas about decor. "I think the house should grow with you. You should live there and visit other places and have it continually evolving.' That idea of visiting doesn't necessarily mean other countries, however. For instance, two of her stunning Oriental rugs were specially made for her in Hong Kong, but she found another one that looks a lot like them at Costco. "I love Costco ... and my newest find is HomeGoods (in West Hills), where I found a patio table with a mosaic tile top but then found out it wasn't meant for outdoor use.' The most colorful room -- painted a rusty shade of red -- is the TV room, which is covered with memorabilia and all five of Ross' Emmy nomination letters. None of which resulted in a statuette, she laughingly laments. In TV's upcoming season, viewers can once again see Ross play mom on the "Drew Carey Show' and grandmother on "The Gilmore Girls.' Off screen, her role is proud mother of actor Michael Meskimen and Ellen Plummer, an Emmy Award-winning writer and co-executive producer of the hit TV show "Friends.'

07-17-2003, 08:23 AM	#2
animalcrackers Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 24, 2002 Location: The Backseat Of Fonzie's Bike Posts: 1,603	Thank you for the article, PeggySue. I've seen just a glimpse of her home in interviews. It's difinitely looks like Marion. It's very cheery. She seems to really have a happy life.