By now we all know the story:The 46 year old actress began her career at age 6 with a commercial. (The footage has since been lost.) The studios soon came calling, with roles in movies like 80 Steps to Jonah with Wayne Newton and How Sweet It Is! with Debbie Reynolds. When film star status eluded her, the scrappy starlet turned to the small screen. And the lull in her career quickly ended with a flurry of appearances on some of the most popular shows of the day: Family Affair, My Three Sons, Gunsmoke and The Don Rickles Show.
Then came Happy Days. As Joanie Cunningham, she was the 1970s version of a 1950s pre-teen and teenage American girl. For ten seasons she was Richie's little sister, pulling double duty one season in the mid-run spin-off Joanie Loves Chachi. (According to Erin, "JLC" was only intended for a limited run. Incidentally John Travolta's sister Ellen played Louisa Delvecchio, mother of Chachi Arcola.)
But while Erin played the girl next door, she was no shrinking violet. She pursued her career with teeth-bared aggressiveness. ABC veterans still remember how the role of Joanie, played by actress Susan Neher in the very first Happy Days episode, was snatched by the 13 year old shark-like Moran. Neher was shaky in the role; Moran smelled blood in the water - and went in for the kill.
Which is why I was surprised to read this last weekend about Erin and The Exorcist. Erin was up for role of Regan MacNeil in the 1973 horror classic - but was forced to turn it down. In Moran's words: "My mom said, 'You're not going to do this whether you get it or not.' (My parents) were real strict. I went to a Catholic school for eight years." Linda Blair won the part ... and an Oscar nomination.
How Erin must have resented her parents, I thought. She could have been an international star! The obstruction of Erin's career was all the more remarkable when you consider that she was the youngest of Edward and Sharon Moran's six children. How did they even muster the energy to stop her from marching on to set and projectile vomiting her way to glory?!
To me it all seemed like a clear-cut case: Sharon Moran ruined Erin's life. Until...
Yesterday, when Lindsay Lohan was arrested on felony drug charges. Never mind the uncertain fate of two Lohan film projects, now in suspension, and all the jobs dependent on them. Never mind Lohan's own career prospects.
Her life is a complete mess and it's pretty clear where we should place blame: Those parents. Lindsay is a tragic illustration of how talent, beauty, and charm (and she's got them all) can only bring you so far. Without a real family, a person is handicapped, sometimes gravely, fated to constantly swim upstream in life. It's a testament to Lindsay's grit and again, her talent, that she's made it this far!
The mother, Dina Lohan, is a scandal, emotionally enfeebled and a compulsive liar. (Falsely claiming to be a Rockette is the least of her crimes.) The father, an ex-con, is suddenly concerned for Lindsay and talking God ... on Access Hollywood. Lindsay's behavior, not surprisingly, is increasingly self-destructive.
It seems to me that Sharon Moran made the decision regarding The Exorcist. As it happens, my high school Latin teacher, Rev. John Nicola, was a priest ... and an exorcist. (He told us some pretty freaky stories.) He was also the primary consultant on The Exorcist. When I asked him about Linda Blair, he said she was a sweetheart when she showed up on set, but that she wasn't prepared for the international spotlight.
Of course we all know what happened to Linda Blair: Professionally things spiraled downward. She could only get roles as rape victims and satanists. (She does deserve credit for doing all her own skating in Roller Boogie.)
Personally things were even more grim: After attending the funerals for members of Lynyrd Skynyrd she was arrested for conspiracy to buy cocaine. (Blair insisted she was trying to buy puppies.) She eventually served three years probation. And she dated Rick James. Yikes.
I wish Linda Blair well. She makes dog jewelry now. And to tell the truth it's a lot better than that Chewy Vuitton Schlock. But if she could turn back time, she wouldn't have made The Exorcist. In her own words: "I wanted to be a princess. I wanted to be in Disney movies, I wanted to be in "Lassie", I wanted to be in "Flipper", I didn't want to be a monster".
As for Erin Moran, she's gone on to have an ordinary life. Two marriages, the second for over 13 years to Steven Fleischmann and going strong. I suspect she has ups and downs like the rest of us. She certainly has some crazy memories: She and Scott Baio recently revealed that they were screwing like bunnies at the age of 14. Kids!
But through it all, during that sensitive period early in Erin's life, she had a mother who, if not a perfect decision maker, at least made decisions. If only Lindsay had had that.
(Photos: Warner Brothers / Zuma Press, X17online, Getty Images)
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 2)
1. Damn Erin Moran is only in her late 40's? She does not age good. She looks like an old bag on Celeberty Fit Club.
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srwpoicess at 10:31AM on Jan 24th 2009
3. That is so true. Parents HAVE to provide loving boundaries for their kids or they will be doomed to self distruct.
janet at 11:14AM on Jul 25th 2007
4. completely agree with you...where are the parents nowadays? they're too concerned with being a friend to their child than to be an actual parent, but even real friends wouldn't let you spiral down like that.
lmai83 at 11:15AM on Jul 25th 2007
5. I recently saw Erin on the new Scott Baio reality show. She seems to be very happy and content with her life. She seemed extremely normal. She still enjoys meeting all her old fans. She also still has a lot of "grit" to her, as seen in part of that episode. I wish her well in life. I also liked Scott's honesty with what's going on in his life right now too.
rbaker at 11:30AM on Jul 25th 2007
6. I think it's sad what is happening to Lindsay. Her parent's have obviously not grown up yet. They have no sense on how to parent a child. And now that Miss Lohan is an adult, both the Lohan parents have lost their chance to do anything beneficial for Lindsay. I guess when our parents make decisions that we feel is highly unfair, (as in the example you gave earlier in your blog about Erin), we think our lives are ruined. It's the quote we always hear. "My parents are ruining my life!" With the case of Erin, I really do believe her parents were looking out for her. Lindsay's parents on the other hand , probably could have cared less what their child was getting into. I bet all her mom Dina saw, was a free-ride. For the price of what, though? Stardom? They are showing they would rather have their daughter doped out on sooo many drugs, than be a successful human being. Wow. That should be a crime! This is sadly an example why having parents, or lack of parents matter. From what you are saying Mo, it seems Erin is having a pretty okay life. She is living life like a lot of people do. Lindsay is self-destructing. Her parents may one day wake-up and realize..."Where is our daughter?" And at the end of the day who is to blame...
GameTheory for Applied Economics Nerd at 11:31AM on Jul 25th 2007
7. How right you are.
Whether those decisions are right or wrong, every kid needs a parent who is secure enough to form an opinion and who cares enough to enforce the decision developed from the opinion.
Parenting is not easy. Saying "no" and sticking to it can be pretty grueling in the face of an angry adolescent or teenager, even a toddler for that matter. I blame lazy parenting for much of the problems young people are having today.
kim at 11:31AM on Jul 25th 2007
8. If I remember correctly, I believe Lindsay has a younger sister. Maybe her parents will see the mistakes they made with Lindsay and make an attempt to do better with Little sis (if there is one).
Laurel at 11:56AM on Jul 25th 2007
9. I've read about Drew Barrymore and how her mother Jade basically used the poor girl to get into clubs and parties around Hollywood and New York. Jade would drink and laugh and flirt while leaving her child alone and capable of getting drugs and alcohol.
Lindsay is basically the new Drew Barrymore. I just hope Lindsay sees the light soon, because addicts cannot truly let go of the drugs and the addiction they feed until they are really ready. On the other hand, it doesn't take long for drugs to errode the major systems of the body (not to mention rewire the brain so that there is always an area programmed to want the substance). It's an awful situation for the addict and their families to be in, because the addict could die of their sickness before they are ready to get clean.
I feel sorry for this poor girl, and for her brother and sister. Dina is gonna start using them to get rich now that Lindsay has lost her status.
Marta R. at 12:24PM on Jul 25th 2007
10. Parents are supposed to protect and provide boundaries for their children, not attempt to live vicariously through them. I think Lindsay's parents are guilty of the latter. Sad, but hardly a rare case in Hollywood.
Sydney at 12:34PM on Jul 25th 2007
11. Parents absolutely matter! But, what if you get stuck with not so great "role models"? As it seems Lindsey did. I'll tell you what you do. Distance yourself from poisonous people. They will only bring you down. Learn how not to act from parents like that. Surround yourself with positive, loving good intentioned individuals. Most importantly, learn to love yourself. It may be hard at first but well woth it in the end!
Cathe at 3:32PM on Jul 25th 2007
12. I LOVE YOU ALMOND ROCCA!! YOU ALWAYS MAKE SENSE TO ME!!
greykatrina at 12:43PM on Jul 25th 2007
13. Growing up in L.A., going to school and hanging out with the children of celebrities and several celebrity children, I've seen the ravages first hand of parental neglect. What also disturbs me is that society, i.e. the mainstream tabloid media, is setting a precedent of normalcy for underage stars (predominantly young women), getting served alcohol illegally, driving drunk, getting arrested and ending up in rehab. The message being sent to young women in their teens is that it's okay to behave that way. Look at Lindsay and Paris, they get arrested and end up being even more famous.
The question I keep getting back to (and obviously I am not the only one) is, where are the parents in all this?
As a father to thee small children, I am appalled at how Lohan and Hilton's mothers, have seemed to stand silently by while their daughters break the law and endanger the lives of those around them.
I am certainly no moralist, but I'm getting sick of watching these tabloid divas crowd the nightly news with their irresponsible antics. It is especially a shame with someone like Lohan, who actually has talent. To me, Hilton is just another in a long line of spoiled, disturbed rich girls (remember Doris Duke, Barbara Hutton, Gloria Vanderbilt) whom the media seems to find fascinating and the fact is, her only true claim to fame is the fact that she was videotaped having sex.
Paddy Chayefsky, who foresaw all this in "Network" must be laughing in whatever afterlife is reserved for prescient writers.
Gregg at 1:47PM on Jul 25th 2007
14. LINDSAY'S FAMILY IS UNSTABLE. AND THE PARENTS DO NOT KNOW HOW TO PARENT. THEY ARE KIDS THEMSELVES. BUT BESIDES THE INFLUENCE OF A FAMILY ARE OTHER UNDERLYING ISSUES: INCLUDING A FAMILIY STRUCTURE THAT IS DETIORATING, WHICH CAN CAUSE UNERLYING PSYCHOPATHYOLOGY.THIS TRANSLATES INTO LACK OF VALUES, DIRECTION AND OTHER FACTORS THE BIG PICTURE IS A GIRL WITHOUT HEALTHY VALUES OF SELF. THUS SHE LOOKS FOR IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION ie DRUGS AND PEERS WHO ARE ALSO LOST.I DO THNK THAT EVEN GIVEN FUCKED UP PARENTS. THERE IS THE GENETIC MAKEUP OF THE CHILD.THAT WILL LEAD SOMEONE TO A SUBSTANCE THAT MAKES THEM FEEL GOOD AND FORGET ABOUT WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEIR LIFE . MAYBE ALONG THE WAY LINDSEY WILL GET A BREAK AND FIND A MENTOR TO GIVE HER A SENSE OF SELF AND VALUES WHICH CAN SEE HER THROUGH TOUGH TIMES AHEAD.THOSE ATTRIBUTES THAT CAN HELP FIGHT AGAINST THE RAVAGES OF DRUGS.I HATE TO SEE A LIFE GO DOWN THE TUBES ,WHEN THERE ARE STILL THINGS TO DO. IT IS ALL UP THE HER AND THE SUPPORT SYSTEM SHE WILL BE WITH.
marsha beckerman at 1:43PM on Jul 25th 2007
15. There is always a fork in the road.Each of us has a direction to take.We can blame the parents or people like Lindsey can take control and choose her future. It's sad that this has become a blame society.We need to be responsible for our own actions.Everyone has troubles in their families.If you say you do not have them ,your kidding yourself.It is what we do with the learning from those troubles that makes us who we are !
Carrie at 1:57PM on Jul 25th 2007