One of the friendlier folks I've met in Show Biz is actor-comedian Pat Harrington, Jr. I can't claim to be a close buddy but I got to know him through a group we're both in called Yarmy's Army and there I found out he was as funny off-screen as he is on-screen…and that the "swell fellow" image he has on TV is authentic. You probably know him best for playing Schneider on the sitcom One Day at a Time or from his many game show appearances. I remember discovering him back on one of Steve Allen's shows where Pat expertly played the Italian golf pro, Guido Panzini.
Pat is now 86 and the last time I saw him a few months ago, he could have passed for late-60's…but just visually. His awareness was another matter and it's gotten worse since then. Today, his family has decided to go public with a secret that many of us have known and kept. His daughter Tresa posted the following to Facebook…
It is with a broken heart that my father is succumbing to Alzheimer's. After falling three weeks ago, a small hemorrhage in his brain, and three weeks of hospital/nursing home, he is mentally and physically disintegrating. I weep, knowing he is not long on this earthly plane; cussing at him today to get him to open his mouth to eat the pureed food, as his swallowing mechanism isn't functioning so well, but then alas, he opens his mouth for ice cream…
I break down, laying my head on his chest, and the first sign of recognition, as he places he hand behind my head, to comfort me. He wanted to ease my pain. I pray that whatever happens, in the next days or weeks, that it is for the best. And if Nama, Daddoo and Uncle Terry want him home, than that is where he should be. I love you, daddy!!!
Near as I can tell, everyone who knows Pat loves him. What's happening to him couldn't happen to a nicer guy…because there isn't one.