The Interesting Case of Diana Canova

It's been a perfect storm of bad luck for me this past week. My temporary job ended abruptly, and a new business editor at the local paper I've been writing for is re-evaluating the business page and currently not taking on any more freelance work. Wednesday I lost my bank book and had to put a hold on my account . . . before I realized that the teller had forgotten to give it to me when I went to the bank the next day. On top of that, the job market is so bad that I'm unlikely to get a job soon unless I learn how to make pizzas, and the last article I wrote for that local paper will not be published because it took too long to get it done.

But then maybe things work out for the best. When I ponder how things seem to turn out horribly all the time, it helps to think of Diana Canova.

Who? Let me explain. In the late seventies, Diana Canova gained fame as Corinne Tate on the ABC soap opera parody sitcom "Soap," and was one of the most recognizable television actresses of the time. In 1980, after three years on "Soap," she left to star in her own series - "I'm a Big Girl Now," about a single mom who moves back in with her father after her divorce. The cast included the great Danny Thomas as her father (no surprise, since the show was produced by the company cofounded by Thomas's son Tony, which was also responsible for "Soap"), veteran actress Sheree North, and comedian Martin Short. Sound like a sweet deal to you? Diana Canova must have thought she won the lottery.

Her luck was short-lived. For one thing, Danny Thomas had long since peaked as a comedian, and Martin Short - his Jiminy Glick character and Broadway show light years away in 1980 - had yet to peak as one. Furthermore, "I'm a Big Girl Now" wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either. It was sort of okay. Which would have been fine if the ratings had been that good. They weren't. The show was canceled after one season, and Canova's career never quite recovered.

However, it all turned out for the best. Shortly after she left "Soap," that show was forced off the air by the Moral Majority for its dealings with taboo subjects. So either way, Diana Canova still would have been out of a job. But by leaving "Soap," which had been the target of religious groups for years, when she did, she avoided the ultimate humiliation of being forced off the air by Jerry Falwell. Her sudden career misfortune also helped her out of another jam involving religion.

Diana Canova was member of the Church of Scientology, and she was treated as something special for her celebrity status. When it became apparent that she had become a hasbeen, the church suddenly lost interest in her as a person. She later left the organization and began to criticize its desire for money and its practice of "auditing."

So Diana Canova was spared embarrassment by one wacko religious group and was able to have the courage to leave another, and all because of an unfortunate turn of events. And although she never regained her Carter-era fame, she did continue her acting career before retiring. I'm certain she's now living a comfortable, happy life.

I just hope she isn't making pizzas. :-O