‘Happier Days’ possible for senior America

The Interview, a regular feature of The Catholic New World, is an in-depth conversation with a person whose words, actions or ideas affect today’s Catholic. It may be affirming of faith or confrontational. But it will always be stimulating.

This week, Catholic New World staff member Michael D. Wamble talks with actor Tom Bosley.

For many, the face of depression and suicide is that of a teen. Perhaps they are a victim of peer pressure, trying to do the right thing and being unpopular. Or maybe they’ve found themselves without a prom date or feel they lack the “cool” of Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli, of the old “Happy Days” TV series that’s still popular in syndication.

While teens were the focus of that series, we also should have considered the mental health of Richie Cunningham’s TV parents, Mr. and Mrs. C, who have long since received AARP memberships.

Though suicide rates—indelible marks made by depression—are particularly high among teens and young adults, those age 65 and older, who comprise 13 percent of the United States population, account for 20 percent of all suicide deaths.

Symptoms of depression in seniors include: lack of energy, trouble concentrating, lack of an appetite, problems sleeping and suicidal thoughts.

Factors contributing to such high numbers include: death of a spouse; anxiety over rising health-care costs; and even belief that depression should be accepted as part of the aging process.

The last factor isn’t true, says Chicago-born actor and one-time DePaul University law student Tom Bosley. Best remembered for roles on “The Father Dowling Mysteries,” “Murder, She Wrote” and, of course, “Happy Days.” Bosley is leading a campaign called “Happier Days in Mature America” to combat the myth that depression is part of getting older.

The campaign is co-sponsored by Organon, Inc., a New Jersey-based pharmaceutical manufacturer and the National Mental Health Association. The message: teens aren’t the only ones in need of loving care.

Catholic New World: Part of the reason you’re back in Chicago is because of this campaign. What motivated you to bring this message to mature America?
Tom Bosley: ...I have had people in my family who’ve been depressed. So when this opportunity came up through Organon, with the support of the National Mental Health Association, I jumped at the chance to help people recognize the symptoms of depression and get the word out that 1) depression is something that can be cured and 2) it is not a natural part of getting older.

CNW: And prescription medications can help older Americans?
TB: There are new medications coming out that are better than the current ones.

CNW: One can’t help but notice how you’ve remained active on the stage and in front of the camera. Does being active can also work to combat depression?
TB: I think anything that a person could do to live in a comfortable and happy state will deter any depression that they might have or will help relieve it in some way. But for those who are extremely depressed, they have to be attended to. And their offspring, relatives and friends of older people, have to be aware of it too. They have to pay attention and show love and care and get their parents or that older person to the doctor. There they can be examined to determine if they are suffering from clinical depression.

CNW: This seems to be evidence of generational shift. Some of the roles you’ve played have been paternal, as the father in “Happy Days” or as an ordained “Father” in the “Father Dowling Mysteries.” Mr. C, a TV model of the middle-aged dad, isn’t middle-aged anymore.
TB: I’m too old to play a father now. I would be a grandfather in the next show. (Laughs.) Aging is a natural process. Depression, on the other hand, is not.

CNW: But can’t that be hard for younger Americans to remember when shows like “Happy Days,” a hit all over again on cable’s TV Land, freeze characters at a certain point in the public’s mind?
TB: If people are watching shows that amuse them and entertain them, they’re going to be fine. If they have to watch some kid shoot five people at the beginning of a movie-of-the-week, that can be terribly destructive, more so for the young people than for the older people. I hate to say this because I make a living out of it, TV and the motion picture industry have been somewhat destructive in helping to create...depression in people of all ages.

CNW: Since this is a Catholic paper, I am bound to ask if we can expect to see Father Dowling solve more TV mysteries.
TB: I wish there were. Unfortunately, I think where it is—the Pax Network—is the extent of watching it on TV. Only 45 shows were made and the people who liked it I know miss it very much.
You also have to understand, this was a Jewish boy playing a Catholic priest. Through the advice of my wife, who is Catholic, and with a padre who was always with us, it was a learning experience as well as an enjoyable experience.

CNW: Looking back at the roles you’ve chosen, have they reflected your values?
TB: Well…you don’t start out that way. An actor takes a role because it’s offered to him. It just so happens that I was involved in a series that was totally accepted by the American family because it provided something for everybody. I’m certainly proud of what we did but I can’t be the father to over 100 million people every day… (Laughs) I have enough problems with the four kids I have.

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