raysond
Being this was the spin-off to the successful "Happy Days" television series the characters of Laverne and Shirley made their debut premiere in a classic episode "A Date With Fonzie"(Season 3,Episode 10) from the "Happy Days" television series that originally aired on November 11,1975 and from that episode Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams made an astounding impression. The lead characters were introduced in that episode as acquaintances of "The Fonz"(Henry Winkler). It was from that episode and due to the high ratings it achieve,the producers thought it would be a great idea to create a spin-off to "Happy Days" which was at the time the highest rated show on the air not to mention a colossal hit for ABC-TV(which had five of the top ten shows in the Nielsens)."Laverne and Shirley" was the created brainchild of Garry Marshall along with Mark Rothman, Edward L. Milkis and Thomas L. Miller(who also served as executive producers of this series)along with producers Lowell Ganz, Jeff Franklin, Arthur Silver along with Mark Rothman and Milt Josefburg that premiered on ABC's Tuesday night prime time schedule on January 27,1976 as the mid-season replacement for "Welcome Back Kotter"(which moved to Thursday nights). The series from the first episode was a colossal hit becoming ABC's top-rated sitcom that lasted eight seasons and 178 episodes until May 10,1983. During its eight year-run it went through major changes as the network moved the show to different time slots. For the first four seasons it was on Tuesday nights from January 27,1976 until May 15,1979. Then in Season 5 it moved to Thursday nights from September 13,1979 until December 13,1979 and on January 7,1980 moved to Monday nights until February 11,1980 where it was losing viewers and falling ratings. Then for the next three seasons the network moved it back to its original Tuesday night time slot after "Happy Days" from January 26,1980 until May 10,1983.Only actress Penny Marshall was with the series for all 178 episodes. Cindy Williams was with the series for 159 episodes from 1976-1982. Williams left the series at the end of Season 7 to pursue other interests. Other recurring characters included actors David L. Lander("Squiggy" for 156 episodes); Michael McKean("Lenny" for 150 episodes),and Eddie Mekka("The Big Ragoo" for 150 episodes). Phil Foster appeared in 149 episodes while actress Betty Garrett appeared in 97 episodes of the series. The series "Laverne and Shirley" started roughly in the same time period as "Happy Days" with the timeline starting in 1958 when the series began through 1967 when the series ended.Several writers contribute to some of the hilarious hi-jinks and slapstick comedy each week ranging from Lowell Ganz, Garry Marshall, and Mark Rothman(who were the writers for all 178 episodes of the series) along with Jeff Franklin, David W. Duclon, Marc Sotkin, Milt Josefburg, Fred Fox, Ron Leavitt, Winifred Hervey, Babaloo Mandel, Bob Brunner,and Michael Warren. Big time directors ranging from James Burrows, John Tracy, Alan Rafkin, Howard Morris, Joel Zwick, Alan Myerson, Garry Marshall, Jay Sandrich, Jerry Paris, Carl Gottlieb, Chris Thompson, and Tom Trbovich just to name a few. The guest stars who made appearances on this series featured Vicki Lawrence, Ed Begley, Jr., Carrie Fisher, Ed Marinaro, Fred Willard, Billy Sands, Jay Leno, Michael Mann, Anjelica Huston, Laraine Newman, Robert Hays, Roger C. Carmel, Scatman Crothers, Charlene Tilton, Conrad Janis, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Howard Hesseman, Fabian, Pat Carroll, Hans Conried, Troy Donahue, Toni Basil, G.W. Bailey, Severn Darden, Scott Brady, Christopher Guest, Jerry Belson, to Carl Ballantine, Mark Harmon, Fred Dryer, Dennis Haysbert, Ted Danson, and Art Garfunkel. Even had cameos from Jim Lange and Ilene Graff too.During the peak of the show's run "Laverne and Shirley" got there own Saturday Morning cartoon show that aired on ABC on October 10,1981 with Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as the voices of there characters where it was part of "The Laverne & Shirley/Fonzie Hour". But with the original series the cast was electric not to mention the adequate writing and above average direction not to mention the slapstick antics made this show a solid ratings winner for the eight seasons it was on the air. Several great episodes do stand out here and I will start with the show's top ten which includes the two-part episodes "Murder on the Moose Jaw Express"(Season 5),"The Bardwell Caper"(Season 6), "We're In The Army Now"(Season 5). Other great episodes included "The Diner" (Season 5), "Look Before You Leap"(Season 2), "The Defiant One"(Season 7),and "Laverne and Shirley Meet Fabian"(Season 3). When the series was suddenly canceled by ABC in 1983 it faced strong competition of NBC's "The A-Team" that crushed it in the ratings. The series that replaced it in the fall of 1983 was "Foul Ups,Bleeps and Blunders" aka "The Dick Clark Show" on ABC's Tuesday night schedule.
happipuppi13
Being a devout fan of Happy Days and having had Aurthur Fonzerelli as a hero,it only made sense I would watch "Laverene and Shirley" as well. Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams certainly made an impression on their 1st guest appearance in "Happy Days". Penny was definitely already "Laverne" but "Shirley" while nice was sort of like Laverene too,thankfully she became the sweet,boo-boo kitty hugging Shirley we know & love. The show debuted in January of 1976 and just took of straight from there. With "Happy days" as it's lead in of course. The theme,"Making Our Dreams Come True" by Cyndi Grecco was a top 20 hit (although the music a bit faster than that from the TV version.) After watching the Cunninghams,Fonzie & Ralph & Potsie,I sat tight for even bigger,bawdier & sillier slapstick laughs from these two wonderful females. Those that know this show like the back of their hand could most likely name of all the best sight gags and stunts. I loved the one with the seemingly alive "Murphy Bed". This was a bed that you could lift up and put away into the wall behind two doors. The girls open these doors in someone's apartment and the bed hits the floor. They try to put it back but it seems this bed has a mind of it's own! They walk near it and it lifts itself off the ground. They step back...it goes back. Finally they tackle the bed like football players and it sends them both up into the wall space and up & down until they come flipping out of there,land on their feet and slam it back shut! Laverne: "That thing tried ta eat me"!! LOL! If Lucille Ball was tuning in that night,I'm sure she laughed herself sore.Just as important as the physical humor were the touching stories about the importance friendship and standing by someone through "whatever". They even stand by the lecherous Lenny & Squiggy ("Hello!"),who are always busting into their apartment and sometimes making inappropriate advances on them. Yet,somehow over the course of the show they become friends.My favorite episode,before the ill-fated idea of moving to California,was the 2 parter,"The Moosejaw Express". Laverne & Shirley board this train of the same name and end up in the middle of espionage & murder. It's not so much that this episode is "funny" but it shows what had to be the strongest test of their friendship. The spy/killer on board is trying to sell microfilm to the Russians,somehow it has ended up in the girls possession. In the climax of part 2,Shirley is seemingly thrown out the door of the luggage car by the villain and Laverne is beyond anger. "You killed her. You killed Shirley!! You killed my best friend!!" She decks him on the jaw,struggles with him and she's almost thrown off herself but suddenly a hand from outside the car grabs him and he flies out the door. It's Shirley! Who has somehow grabbed onto something outside earlier. She grabs Laverne's hand and they're safe inside again. One of the best shows from between 1976-1980. Then comes the '80-'81 season. Talk about an overhaul! What in the world possessed producers or whoever to move the girls to Hollywood,California we'll never know. Unless it was ratings. Can anyone out there name more than five of these '80-'83 shows? Unless I read IMDb's episode list,I'd be hard pressed too. The most telling thing that should have said "end it" was the episode where Shirley has moved out and gone to live with her new husband Walter Meeny (whom she married in the season before,he was in a body cast.) "Shirley Feeny Meeny" leaves Laverne a note letting her know where she's gone so suddenly and why. So,in the final season we end up with "The Laverne Show" (I called it) with almost forgettable episodes. The worst? There's a ghost in the apartment that is the spirit of an Olympic athlete who cannot ascend until he wins a race that he lost decades ago. He inhabits Laverne for this race and (this is really stupid)when the race starts we go to slow motion and hear the theme from..."Chariots Of Fire"???! I will say,a few shows stand out in this era. Shirley dating a man whose only separated from his wife,Squigy's reunited with his con artist father & others. (Watch them on DVD,the good ones do stand out.)Anyhow,the show by this time,unlike "Happy Days",is set in the year 1967,(Happy Days was still somewhere in 1963 or 1964),Betty Garrett has departed,Lenny & Squiggy's act has worn thin and Carmine has gotten nowhere in Hollywood. For those that don't know,the show had no "good-bye" episode and no return visits from Shirley. The last show in May of '83 was about Carmine leaving California. He heads to New York to try and make it there. I've only read about this episode,I've never seen it because,like most,I lost track of the show because it had become almost an "unfunny" series. (Edit 02/03/2016 : Finally saw ALL of the shows on DVD.)7 out of 10 for mainly,1976 to spring 1980. If I had to rate the series solely on '80 to '83? Two stars at best,making those years "Schlemiel/Schlomozzel". (END)
