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56-552: Carole Penny Marshall (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, film director, and producer. She is best known for her role as Laverne DeFazio on the television sitcom Laverne & Shirley (1976–1983), receiving three nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy for her portrayal. Marshall made her directorial debut with Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) before directing Big (1988), which became

112-422: A November 2013 episode of Sam & Cat . With the encouragement of her brother, Marshall became interested in directing. While starring on Laverne and Shirley , she began her directing career with four episodes of that show. In 1979, she directed several episodes of the short-lived sitcom Working Stiffs , starring Michael Keaton and James Belushi . She soon moved on to theatrical films; her first film

168-658: A Terrible Thing", another song from the album. In 1980, Romina Power (of Al Bano and Romina Power fame) recorded a separate theme tune for the show when it was introduced to the Italian market. The track, simply titled "Laverne & Shirley", featured verses in English and Italian. Released as a single in the same year, the track failed to chart. Billie Hayes Hayes was born in Du Quoin, Illinois , on August 5, 1924, to Charles and Marie (Armstrong) Brosch. Her father

224-669: A basement apartment, where they communicate with upstairs neighbors Lenny and Squiggy by screaming up the dumbwaiter shaft connecting their apartments. Also included in the show are Laverne's father, Frank DeFazio, proprietor of the Pizza Bowl, and Edna Babish, the apartment building's landlady, who later married Frank. Shirley maintained an off-again on-again romance with dancer/singer/boxer Carmine "The Big Ragu" Ragusa. During this period, characters from Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley made occasional guest appearances on each other's series. Michael McKean and David Lander created

280-587: A biopic on Effa Manley , but it never materialized. While at college, Marshall met Michael Henry, a football player, and left school at age twenty to marry him in 1963. They had one daughter named Tracy in 1964 (now Tracy Reiner ). The marriage lasted three years. On April 10, 1971, Marshall married actor and director Rob Reiner, who later adopted Tracy. Her marriage to Reiner ended in 1981. The couple had five grandchildren. Following her divorce from Reiner, Marshall dated actor Larry Breeding, who had made guest appearances on Laverne & Shirley . Marshall suffered

336-568: A cameo appearance as herself. In the Taxi episode "Louie Moves Uptown," Marshall is turned down for residency in a new high-rise condominium in Manhattan. The Laverne & Shirley episode "Lost in Spacesuits" is referred to in the scene. Marshall would again work with Brooks, now a co-producer for the animated series The Simpsons , when she lent her voice to Ms. Botz, a.k.a. Ms. Botzcowski,

392-462: A closet of the building and said at the screening that the film from the first shoot had gotten lost, so they only watched the performance of Cindy Williams with Penny Marshall. In the opening credits, Laverne and Shirley recite "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated," a Yiddish -American hopscotch chant, which then leads into the series' theme song, " Making Our Dreams Come True " performed by Cyndi Grecco . In

448-524: A memoir, My Mother Was Nuts. Marshall died in Los Angeles on December 17, 2018, at the age of 75. According to her death certificate, her death was attributed to cardiopulmonary failure, cardiac arrest , and Type 1 diabetes . Marshall was cremated and her ashes are interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills , Los Angeles . An 'L', like those her Laverne character wore,

504-402: A personal loss when Breeding was killed in a car accident in 1982. Marshall had a brief relationship with singer Art Garfunkel in the mid-1980s, and he credits her with helping him through his depression. In 2010, it was reported that Marshall had been diagnosed with lung cancer that had metastasized to her brain, but two years later she was "fine now". Following her recovery she published

560-408: A sister, television producer Ronny Hallin . Penny's birth name, Carole, was selected because her mother's favorite actress was Carole Lombard . Her middle name was selected because her older sister Ronny, wanting a horse, was saving pennies ; their mother chose the middle name in an attempt to console Ronny. Penny's father was of Italian descent, his family having come from Abruzzo , and her mother

616-565: A successful spinoff, Laverne & Shirley (1976–1983). The characters of Laverne and Shirley appeared in five more episodes of Happy Days . In 1982 at the beginning of Laverne & Shirley ' s eighth season, Williams left the show due to her pregnancy. Marshall continued with the show, but it was canceled after that season's final episode aired in May 1983. In 1983, while still filming Laverne & Shirley , Marshall resumed working with James L. Brooks when she guest starred on Taxi in

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672-495: A talent agency called Squignowski Talent Agency. From this point until the end of the series' run, Laverne & Shirley was set in the mid-1960s. In one of the shots in the show's new opening sequence, the ladies are seen kissing a 1964 poster of the Beatles . With each season, a new year passed in the timeline of the show, starting with 1965 in the 1980–81 season, and ending in 1967 with Carmine heading off for Broadway to star in

728-569: A teenaged Mork & Mindy were added to the mix. The series ran until September 3, 1983. The program was so successful at the time that it spawned a merchandise franchise . Mego released two models of Laverne and Shirley dolls, and one model of Lenny and Squiggy dolls. Matchbox created a Shotz Brewery delivery van, and several novelty toys were sold such as Halloween costumes , a board game , jigsaw puzzles , coloring books , video slot machine and other toys. Paramount Home Entertainment and (starting with season 2) CBS DVD have released

784-438: A television commercial for Head and Shoulders beautifying shampoo. She was hired to play a girl with stringy, unattractive hair, and Farrah Fawcett was hired to play a girl with thick, bouncy hair. As the crew was lighting the set, Marshall's stand-in wore a placard that read "Homely Girl" and Fawcett's stand-in wore a placard that said "Pretty Girl". Fawcett, sensing Marshall's insecurity about her looks, crossed out "Homely" on

840-468: A tough-as-nails drill sergeant named Alvinia T. "The Frog" Plout ( Vicki Lawrence ). While their time in the Army Reserve was brief in the live action series, it did inspire an animated series with the duo in the army contending with their immediate superior, a commanding pig named Sgt. Squealy who was voiced by Ron Palillo (best known for his role as Arnold Horshack on Welcome Back, Kotter ) who

896-451: Is always threatening to report them to Sgt. Turnbuckle (voiced by Kenneth Mars ). For the sixth season in 1980, Laverne and Shirley and their friends all moved from Milwaukee to Burbank, California . Laverne and Shirley took jobs at Bardwell's department store as gift wrappers. Frank and Edna managed a Texas barbecue restaurant called Cowboy Bill's, Carmine delivered singing telegrams and sought work as an actor, and Lenny and Squiggy started

952-411: Is emblazoned at the bottom of her headstone. Marshall's films tend to address contemporary issues in society such as coming of age, women’s accomplishments, and oppression of the mentally disabled. For instance, the oppression of the mentally disabled is well elaborated in the film Awakenings . The film unites two big stars in a story about the plight of mentally disabled individuals and how a person who

1008-451: Is not living with any life-threatening condition gets to learn a lesson about humanity after spending time with a mentally disabled person. Achievement of women has been elaborated well in the film A League of Their Own , a film that stars two blood sisters joining the women’s baseball league during World War II. In that time, many men in professional leagues joined the armed forces. The movie exposes exciting victories and personal conflicts on

1064-476: The Laverne & Shirley spin-off, so her role was recast with Liberty Williams (no relation), and a seven-minute screen test was filmed. Between that afternoon shoot and the evening, Cindy Williams was eventually talked into doing the role and she re-filmed the scene that night with Penny Marshall, who became her co-star in the series. Executives wanted to see both versions, but Eisner hid the first reel of film in

1120-477: The Midwest . Hayes then moved on to New York City, where she auditioned for theatre owner/operator and producer J.J. Shubert , and was hired for principal roles in three roadshow operettas: The Student Prince , The Merry Widow , and Blossom Time . Hayes was best known for her comic portrayal of Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo on NBC 's Sid and Marty Krofft television series H.R. Pufnstuf , as well as in

1176-563: The "babysitter bandit," on the first produced episode of The Simpsons , making her the first official guest star to appear on the show. Marshall also played a cameo role as herself on the HBO series Entourage . She also made a cameo appearance alongside her brother Garry in the Disney Halloween-themed movie Hocus Pocus as husband and wife. She was reunited with her Laverne & Shirley co-star, Cindy Williams , on

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1232-547: The 1970 film Pufnstuf based on the series. Her characteristic cackle and animated physicality were notable during the show's 17-episode run in 1969–70. She reprised this role in another Sid and Marty Krofft program Lidsville (while also having a regular role as Weenie the Genie) , and in The Paul Lynde Halloween Special (1976). Hayes portrayed a similar character in another television role as

1288-694: The Bronx , in a building which was also the childhood home of Neil Simon , Paddy Chayefsky , Calvin Klein , and Ralph Lauren . She began her career as a tap dancer at age three, and later taught tap at her mother's dance school. She graduated from Walton High School , a public girls' high school in New York and then went to University of New Mexico for 2 1 ⁄ 2 years where she studied math and psychology. While at UNM, Marshall became pregnant with daughter Tracy Reiner (née Tracy Henry), and soon after married

1344-522: The Marshall stand-in placard and wrote "Plain". Marshall and Billie Hayes were the only actresses to audition for the role of Witchiepoo for H.R. Pufnstuf , produced by Sid and Marty Krofft . Marshall thought that she was not right for the part, and Hayes got the role. In 1968 Marshall accepted an offer from her brother to appear in a movie he had written and was producing, a comedy called How Sweet It Is! (1968). She landed another small role in

1400-465: The Tuesday night time slot after Happy Days . By its third season, it had become the most-watched American television program according to Nielsen ratings . In August 1979, before the start of its fifth season, Laverne & Shirley was moved to Thursdays at 8 pm opposite The Waltons on CBS and Buck Rogers in the 25th Century on NBC . By the end of the fifth season, ratings fell sharply and

1456-541: The album Lenny and the Squigtones , also performed in character, featuring original songs (and some spoken material) penned by McKean and Lander. The album was released on Casablanca Records . In July 1979, McKean and Lander also appeared together (in character) on American Bandstand performing the song "King of the Cars", the single released from their Lenny and the Squigtones album. They also performed "Love Is

1512-452: The biker film The Savage Seven (1968), as well as a guest appearance on the hit television series That Girl , starring Marlo Thomas . Marshall was considered for the role of Gloria Bunker Stivic on All in the Family , but lost the part to Sally Struthers . In 1970, Garry Marshall became the executive producer of the television series The Odd Couple . The following year, Marshall

1568-554: The characters of Lenny and Squiggy while both were theater students at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania . Lander told an interviewer in 2006 that they created the characters while high on marijuana . After graduating, they continued to perform the characters in live comedy routines before joining the show's cast. During the fifth season, the girls went into the Army Reserve , and they contended with

1624-557: The entire series of Laverne and Shirley on DVD in Region 1 , albeit with music substitutions and scene deletions. On June 16, 2015, CBS DVD released Laverne & Shirley – The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. Season 1 has also been released on DVD in Region 2. The first three seasons have been released on DVD in Region 4 by Paramount. The theme song from the series (" Making Our Dreams Come True " as performed by Cyndi Grecco )

1680-526: The father, Michael Henry, in 1963. The couple divorced three years later in 1966. During this period, Marshall worked various jobs to support herself, including working as a choreographer for the Albuquerque Civic Light Opera Association. In 1967, she moved to Los Angeles to join her older brother Garry, a writer whose credits at the time included TV's The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966). Marshall first appeared on

1736-423: The fictitious Shotz Brewery in late 1950s Milwaukee , Wisconsin . From the sixth season onwards, the series' setting changed to mid-1960s Burbank , California . Michael McKean and David Lander co-starred as their friends and neighbors Lenny Kosnowski and Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman, respectively; along with Eddie Mekka as Carmine Ragusa, Phil Foster as Laverne's father Frank DeFazio, and Betty Garrett as

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1792-486: The field, while, at the same time, building sisterhood and strong bonds among teammates. Producer Director Laverne %26 Shirley Laverne & Shirley is an American sitcom television series that ran for eight seasons on ABC from January 27, 1976, to May 10, 1983. A spin-off of Happy Days , Laverne & Shirley starred Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney, two friends and roommates who work as bottle-cappers in

1848-483: The final season without Cindy Williams, the chant is recited by a group of schoolchildren. The hopscotch chant is from Penny Marshall's childhood. For the first five seasons, from 1976 to 1980, the show was set in Milwaukee (executive producer Thomas L. Miller's home town), taking place from roughly 1958–59 through the early 1960s. Shotz Brewery bottle cappers and best friends, Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney live in

1904-507: The first film directed by a woman to gross more than $ 100 million at the U.S. box office. Her subsequent directing credits included Awakenings (1990), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture , A League of Their Own (1992), Renaissance Man (1994), The Preacher's Wife (1996), and Riding in Cars with Boys (2001). She also produced Cinderella Man and Bewitched (both 2005), and directed episodes of

1960-571: The gingerbread-house witch in Season 8, Episode 10 (1971) of Bewitched (" Hansel and Gretel in Samantha-Land"). Hayes played Mammy Pansy Yokum in the Li'l Abner 1956 Broadway musical, the 1959 film version , and a 1971 television special. In 1966, she toured with the national company of Hello, Dolly! starring Betty Grable . Hayes made television appearances on Murder, She Wrote , on

2016-448: The girls' landlady Edna Babish. Featuring regular physical comedy , Laverne & Shirley became the most-watched American television program by its third and fourth season; in total, it received six Golden Globe nominations and one Emmy nomination. The series is a spin-off from Happy Days , as the two lead characters were introduced on that series as acquaintances of Fonzie ( Henry Winkler ). The original working title

2072-483: The musical Hair . When the series' setting changed to California, two new characters are added: Sonny St. Jacques, a stunt man, landlord of the Burbank apartment building and love interest for Laverne; as well as Rhonda Lee, the ladies' neighbor and an aspiring actress. In March 1982, Cindy Williams became pregnant with her first child. In August, two episodes into production of the series' eighth season, Williams left

2128-475: The original director dropped out of the project. She also gave her daughter Tracy and her brother Garry roles in the film. Marshall described her leap into directing feature films as very hard to learn, likening it to "cramming four years of college into one semester." While on set all day, she spent her nights planning out the rest of the film, trying to get it finished on time. Marshall also added that Whoopi Goldberg would take her aside and calm her down if she

2184-505: The popularity it had attained during its first four years on the air, and during its final season struggled against The A-Team on NBC. By the time of its cancellation in 1983, the series ranked at number 25 for the season. The show aired in reruns on ABC daytime from April 1979 to June 1980. During the run of the main show, an animated spin-off called Laverne & Shirley in the Army began airing on Saturday mornings. The first program

2240-650: The series Paul Sand in Friends and Lovers . It aired on CBS-TV Saturday nights beginning September 14, 1974. Despite good reviews and decent ratings, it was canceled mid-season. Brooks and Burns, along with studio head Grant Tinker , were so impressed with Marshall's comedic talent that the following season, they hired Marshall and actress Mary Kay Place to play Mary Richards' new neighbors (Paula and Sally Jo) on The Mary Tyler Moore Show . Garry Marshall, creator and then part-time writer for Happy Days , cast Marshall and Cindy Williams to guest appear on an episode of

2296-513: The series' title remained unchanged. Ratings dipped but were strong enough for the show to be considered for a ninth season. Marshall agreed based on the agreement that the show would move production to New York City. Faced with the high cost of such an endeavor, ABC opted not to renew the series and it was removed from the schedule in May 1983. Laverne & Shirley debuted in the 1975–76 TV season, with its first episode airing in January 1976, in

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2352-427: The show and filed a $ 20 million lawsuit against Paramount after they demanded Williams work on her scheduled due date. The case was later settled out of court and Williams was released from her contract. The series' final season continued with two episodes with Williams still playing Shirley; then it was just Marshall as Laverne, who now worked for an aerospace company. Despite the absence of Williams and her character,

2408-457: The show. The installment, titled "A Date with Fonzie", aired on November 11, 1975, and introduced the characters Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney (played by Marshall and Williams, respectively). In that episode, Laverne and Shirley were a pair of wisecracking brewery workers who were dates for Fonzie ( Henry Winkler ) and Richie ( Ron Howard ). The pair were such a hit with the studio audience that Garry Marshall decided to co-create and star them in

2464-626: The sitcom failed to make the list of the top 30 programs. In an effort to improve the show's ratings, ABC moved Laverne & Shirley to Mondays at 8 p.m. in December 1979. The ratings fared no better, so in February 1980 the network moved the series back to its familiar Tuesday-night berth, where it remained for the next three years. Between 1980 and 1982, the ratings improved considerably, but, despite having regained its original time slot and changing its format, Laverne & Shirley never regained

2520-1122: The soap opera General Hospital as Robert Scorpio's mentor O'Reilly in 1981 and 1985, and in the role of Maw Weskitt in Episode 39 of the second season of The Monkees ("Hillbilly Honeymoon"). Her first voice work role was as Orgoch on the Disney feature film The Black Cauldron in 1985. Other voice work roles included Mother Mae-Eye in the animated series Teen Titans , One-Eyed Sally in The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald , Granny Applecheeks in The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy , and roles on cartoons The Further Adventures of SuperTed , The Nightmare Before Christmas , Johnny Bravo , W.I.T.C.H. , The Batman , TaleSpin , The Brothers Flub , Bubble Guppies , Rugrats , Transformers: Rescue Bots , Duckman , Shrek Forever After , Bonkers , Problem Child , Siegfried and Roy : Masters of

2576-486: The television series According to Jim and United States of Tara . Carole Penny Marshall was born in Manhattan on October 15, 1943, to Marjorie Irene (née Ward), a tap dance teacher who ran the Marjorie Marshall Dance School, and Anthony W. Marshall (né Masciarelli), a director of industrial films and later a producer. She had a brother, actor/director/TV producer Garry Marshall ; and

2632-769: Was Laverne DeFazio & Shirley Feeney . The characters were originally "two girls who date the fleet", but for family hour , they had to be changed and mellowed down, which, in Cindy Williams' opinion, gave the show more depth. Set in roughly the same period, the timeline started in approximately 1958, when the series began, through 1967, when the series ended. As with Happy Days , it was made by Paramount Television , created by Garry Marshall (along with Lowell Ganz and Mark Rothman ) and executive produced by Garry Marshall, Edward K. Milkis, and Thomas L. Miller from Miller-Boyett Productions . According to former Disney CEO Michael Eisner , Cindy Williams had refused to do

2688-409: Was added to the permanent cast to play a secretary, Myrna, and held the role for four years. In Marshall's final appearance on The Odd Couple , her character married her boyfriend, Sheldn ("they left the "o" off the birth certificate", she explains), played by Rob Reiner, her real-life husband. The episode included Marshall's real-life siblings, Garry and Ronny, as Myrna's brother and sister. While she

2744-502: Was aired on October 10, 1981, and featured the voices of Marshall and Williams playing Laverne and Shirley in the Army with a talking piglet drill sergeant named "Squealy" (voiced by Ron Palillo ). The show was retitled Laverne & Shirley with Special Guest Star The Fonz when the Fonz began working in the motorpool as the chief mechanic, and then again retitled Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour when new segments involving

2800-673: Was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award . In 1990, Jake Eberts hired her to direct Super Mario Bros. (1993), but she was replaced by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel after Roland Joffé replaced Eberts as producer. In 2010 and 2011, Marshall directed two episodes of the Showtime series United States of Tara . Women in Film and Video presented her with the Women of Vision Award in 2013. Marshall planned on developing

2856-435: Was from Germany, and was a coal miner who headed the local miners' union. Her mother was from Illinois, and worked in administration relief. She had an older brother, Louis Brosch. She started working professionally in entertainment at the age of nine, tap dancing in local theatres. By the time she was in high school, she played in bandleader Vince Genovese's orchestra, then toured with her own singing and dancing act throughout

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2912-407: Was going to be Peggy Sue Got Married (which at that point was scheduled to star Debra Winger in the leading role). Marshall and the writers of the film, however, had creative differences, and Marshall left the project, with Winger also leaving out of loyalty to Marshall. Marshall was soon given the directorial job of the crime comedy Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986) starring Whoopi Goldberg after

2968-691: Was looking exhausted that day. In 1999, Marshall's Parkaway Productions company was transferred from Universal to Sony. Jessica Cox was hired to run the company in 2000. Marshall directed several successful feature films from the mid-1980s onwards, including Big (1988) starring Tom Hanks (the first film directed by a woman to gross over US$ 100 million), Awakenings (1990) starring Robin Williams and Robert De Niro , A League of Their Own (1992) with Geena Davis , Tom Hanks , Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell , and The Preacher's Wife (1996) starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston . In 1991, she

3024-498: Was of German, English, and Scottish descent; Marshall's father changed his surname from Masciarelli to Marshall before she was born. Religion played an odd role in the Marshall children's lives. Garry was christened Episcopalian, Ronny was Lutheran, and Penny was confirmed in a Congregational Church , because "[Mother] sent us anyplace that had a hall where she could put on a recital. If she hadn't needed performance space, we wouldn't have bothered." She grew up at 3235 Grand Concourse,

3080-575: Was on The Odd Couple , Marshall played small roles in TV movies such as Evil Roy Slade (1972), starring John Astin and Mickey Rooney (and produced by brother Garry); The Crooked Hearts (1972) starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Rosalind Russell , in which she played a waitress; The Couple Takes a Wife , starring Bill Bixby ; and Wacky Zoo of Morgan City (1972). In 1974, James L. Brooks and Allan Burns cast Marshall as Janice Dreyfuss, sister-in-law to Paul Dreyfuss (played by actor Paul Sand ) in

3136-620: Was released as a single from Cyndi's LP by the same name and became a radio favorite, becoming a top-30 American hit in 1976. In 1976, Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams released an album, performed in character, titled Laverne & Shirley Sing , which contained some original songs along with some 1950s and 1960s standards. The album was originally released on Atlantic Records . On November 11, 2003, Collector's Choice released it on CD. The single " Sixteen Reasons " reached #72 in Canada. In 1979, Michael McKean and David Lander followed suit with

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