Laverne & Shirley

Laverne & Shirley was a popular American television situation comedy which ran on ABC from 1976 to 1983. It starred Penny Marshall as Laverne De Fazio and Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney, roommates who, as the series began, worked in a Milwaukee, Wisconsin brewery. It was a spinoff of Happy Days, as the two lead characters were originally introduced on that show as acquaintances of Fonzie.

Vaguely located in the same time period as Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley started in approximately 1955, and when the series ended, it was 1968.

Laverne & Shirley was the longest-running television series with female leads until the supernatural comedy-drama Charmed broke that record in its eighth season in January 2006.

Opening sequence

In the beginning, the girls are skipping down the street, arm in arm, reciting a hopscotch chant: "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!" The theme song is entitled "Making Our Dreams Come True" and is performed by Cyndi Grecco. The opening sequence is very popular and has been parodied in many pop culture outlets, including the movie Wayne's World. The sequence has also been parodied in other languages, on Friends in a Spanish-language track under the title Laverne y Shirley and on Saturday Night Live, in Japanese, under the name Rabun to Shuri.

Location and setting

For the first five seasons, from 1976 to 1980, the show was set in Milwaukee during the mid-1950s to early 1960s. Brewery bottlecappers Laverne and Shirley lived in a basement apartment, and visible from their window were the feet of street pedestrians. The two women could communicate with upstairs neighbors Lenny and Squiggy by screaming up the dumbwaiter shaft connecting their apartments. Also living in the building was Laverne's father, Frank, proprietor of the Pizza Bowl, and landlady Edna Babish. Shirley maintained an on-again, off-again romance with dancer/singer Carmine Ragusa.

In 1980, all of the remaining characters in Laverne & Shirley, and therefore the setting of the show, moved from Milwaukee to Los Angeles. Laverne and Shirley took jobs at a department store in the gift wrapping department, Frank and Edna opened a country and western restaurant called Cowboy Bill's, and Carmine started doing singing telegrams and working as an actor. From this point until the end of the show's run, Laverne & Shirley was set in the mid-1960s. With each season, a new year passed in the timeline of the show, starting with 1965 in the 1980-81 season, and ending in 1968 in 1983. The opening credits of the California seasons features the cast toasting at New Year's, and visible on a large banner is the year depicted in that season.

When the show moved to California, Ed Marinaro was cast as Sonny, a stunt man and love interest for Laverne. He had previously been cast years earlier as Laverne's cousin during an episode where the cast visited Frank's mother. Leslie Easterbrook was cast in the role of Rhonda, a bubble-headed bleach blonde who usually started sentences with the words "Rhonda says...". The move to Los Angeles is largely considered to be the show's "shark-jumping" moment.

Near the end of the show Cindy Williams was unhappy because she believed that the studio favored Marshall over her. Williams ultimately decided to leave due to pregnancy, and by that time Laverne & Shirley's ratings had already declined considerably. Despite Williams' noticeable pregnancy during the sixth season and Shirley's marriage the next, no on-screen reference to Williams' condition was ever made.

In the final season, Shirley falls in love and marries Walter Meany (making her Shirley Feeney Meany). With Shirley gone, Laverne tried to go it alone, and a new opening was shot with Laverne watching children singing the famous "Schlemiel! Schlimazel!" lines. But the series did not survive the loss of one of the title leads, and was subsequently canceled.

Characters

Michael McKean and David Lander portrayed Laverne and Shirley's obnoxious yet lovable greaser neighbors, Leonard "Lenny" Kosnowski and Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggmann. Betty Garrett played Edna Babish, the girls' landlady. She eventually fell in love with Laverne's father, Frank De Fazio (played by Phil Foster), and married him. Edna later left Frank after she met a Texan named "Big Ed". In many episodes, Shirley's singing and dancing boyfriend, Carmine "The Big Ragu" Rugusa (played by Eddie Mekka) provided a little romance and a strong right arm for the gang. The Big Ragu was also the former Golden Gloves boxing champion of Milwaukee.

Full character list

Laverne De Fazio (Penny Marshall) Laverne is known for being a tough-talking tomboy. As a child Laverne lived in Brooklyn; with her Italian immigrant parents and grandmother. Laverne and her father later moved to Milwaukee after her mother's death. Laverne works along side best friend and roommate Shirley. Laverne is known for being the cynic of the pair. Milk & Pepsi was Laverne's infamous favorite drink. Penny drank Milk & Pepsi in real life and added it to Laverne's character. A famous trait of Laverne's style was the letter "L" monogrammed on her sweaters. This idea was also introduced by Penny.
- Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams) Shirley is the perky positive one with apple cheeks to match her personality. Shirley is the one that never "lets her balloon land". One of Shirley's most prized possessions is Boo boo kitty, a large stuffed cat doll which sits next to her bed. Her favorite song is Frank Sinatra's "High Hopes" and the song is featured in a few of the show's episodes.
- Lenny Kosnowski (Michael McKean) A lovable goof who pesters Laverne and Shirley along side best friend and roommate Squiggy. Lenny works as a truck driver at the local brewery. Lenny was raised by his father, after his mother abandoned them. Lenny is 89th in line to the Polish Throne. Lenny attempted to have the words "Lone Wolf" on the back of his red jacket, but a mistake left him with "One Wolf." Laverne was kind enough to sew on one of her own "L's" to complete the phrase. Lenny says that he's not completely sure, but he thinks Kosnowski is Polish for "Help, there's a hog in my kitchen!"
- Andrew "Sguiggy" Squiggmann (David Lander) The most obnoxious of the bunch and the greasiest. Squiggy also works and lives with childhood friend Lenny. Squiggy grew up with neglectful parents. For some reason, he collects moths.
  - Frank De Fazio (Phil Foster) Laverne's Italian born father who runs the Pizza Bowl; a local hang out that serves Italian pizza, beer, and of course bowling. As a running joke, it was made so you couldn't understand him because of his thick accent; which came off sounding more like mumbling.
  - Edna Babish (Betty Garrett) The landlady who eventually marries Laverne's father. Edna occasionally sings and dances in the local Brewery talent show. Edna is known for having 8 divorces, and later divorces Frank towards the end of the show.
  - Carmine "The Big Ragu" Rugusa (Eddie Mekka) Shirley's on and off again boyfriend, and high school sweetheart. "The Big Rugusa", is a part-time boxer who owns a dance studio and dreams of making it big as a dancer/singer. Towards the end of the series, he auditions for the Broadway musical Hair and wins a major role.
  - Big Rosie Greenbaum (Carole Ita White) a snobby childhood friend of Laverne & Shirley's. She married a rich doctor and rubs it in the girls' faces, though they sometimes make fun of the fact that he is proctologist. She is known for being Laverne's rival, particularly.
  - Rhonda Lee (Leslie Easterbrook) a ditzy blonde actress/singer/dancer/ model trying to make it big. Is Laverne and Shirley's Los Angeles neighbor.
  - Sonny (Ed Marinaro) A stuntman and Laverne and Shirley's building manager.
  - Anthony (also Ed Marinaro) Laverne's Italian cousin.
  - Sgt. Alvinia T. Plout (Vicki Lawrence) Laverne and Shirley's Army Drill Sergeant in a handful of episodes where Laverne & Shirley are in the Army Reserve. Alvinia is a strict, frigid, Army woman out to prove to the Army that a woman can do anything a man can do; unfortunately for Laverne & Shirley, Plout wants to use them as her example.
  Ratings
  
  Soon after Laverne & Shirley premiered in 1976, it became the most-watched American television program, even surpassing Happy Days' television ratings. At the time Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams were among television's best-paid actresses. Laverne & Shirley kept their #1 spot for quite some time but many believe nepotism between Garry and Penny Marshall had a negative influence the last few seasons of the show, and also was one of the main reasons Cindy Williams left the show. Other obsevers believed that the show should never have "moved" to California, and instead should have found better writers.
  The program was so successful at the time that it spawned a merchandise franchise. Mattel released two models of Laverne & Shirley dolls, and one model of Lenny & Squiggy dolls. Hot Wheels created a Shotz Brewery delivery van, and several novelty toys were sold such as Halloween costumes, jigsaw puzzles, coloring books, and other toys.
  Dramatic acting and real-life issues
  
  Though generally viewed as a slapstick comedy, the cast proved their dramatic acting ability in Episode #104, Why Did The Fireman..?. The episode guest starred Ted Danson as Randy, a firefighter and Laverne's steady boyfriend who is killed on duty. Laverne in shock, refuses to accept his death and waits up all night for him to come home. The father-daughter scene between Penny Marshall (Laverne) and Phil Foster (Frank De Fazio) in which he consoles his daughter is an example of the dramatic acting uncharacteristic for the series yet evident in this episode. This episode was directed by Joel Zwick and was written by Roger Garrett.
  The show took on other serious subjects, such as class differences in The Society Party, Guilty Until Proven Not Innocent, The Debutante Ball, and Testing Testing. Another issue the show focused on was how women were treated in the 1950s. Often women were expected to be forever virgins, and were unwelcome in the work place. In the episode Once Upon a Rumor, Laverne (Penny Marshall) stated "It isn't fair, a guy with a reputation is a hero. A girl with reputation is a "bimbo". In the episode The Bully Show, a blind date traps Laverne in her apartment and attempts to rape her.
  Trivia
  - During the first season, the on-screen title was given as Laverne DeFazio & Shirley Feeney, though in ads and promos, it was always referred to as Laverne & Shirley.
  - While still producing new episodes, older episodes of Laverne & Shirley went into syndication. The syndicated episodes had the title Laverne and Shirley and Company.
  - ABC also found a place for it on its daytime schedule; at 11:00am (EST), replacing reruns of Happy Days with L&S beginning in April 1979, with megahit Family Feud following at 11:30. When $20,000 Pyramid was cancelled in June 1980, ABC moved Family Feud to noon and replaced L&S with reruns of The Love Boat.
  - In 1976, Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams released an album titled "Laverne and Shirley Sing", which contained some original songs and some 1950's and 1960's standards.
  - In 1979, Michael McKean and David Lander followed suit with the album "Lenny and the Squigtones", featuring mainly original songs by Michael McKean.
  Magazine covers
  The show's success led to its characters appearing on the covers of several entertainment and popular-culture magazines. Laverne and Shirley were featured on the cover of TV Guide a total of five times. Penny Marshall was featured twice on the cover of People magazine, and Cindy Williams was featured once. Characters from the show also appeared on the covers of Redbook, Star, PhotoPlay, TV Times, Super Mag, Cracked and many others (some of which are no longer in print).
  
  Episode list
  
  Episode # Prod # Air Date Title _____ ______ ____________ ___________ ___________________________________________
  - Season 1
  - 1. 1- 1 001 27 January 1976 The Society Party
  - 2. 1- 2 002 3 February 1976 The Bachelor Party
  - 3. 1- 3 003 10 February 1976 Bowling For Razzberries
  - 4. 1- 4 005 24 February 1976 A Nun's Story
  - 5. 1- 5 004 2 March 1976 Falter at the Altar
  - 6. 1- 6 007 9 March 1976 Dog Day Blind Dates
  - 7. 1- 7 008 16 March 1976 Once Upon a Rumor
  - 8. 1- 8 006 23 March 1976 One Flew Over Milwaukee
  - 9. 1- 9 010 30 March 1976 Dating Slump
  - 10. 1-10 009 6 April 1976 It's the Water
  - 11. 1-11 011 13 April 1976 Fakeout at the Stakeout
  - 12. 1-12 012 27 April 1976 Hi, Neighbor
  - 13. 1-13 013 4 May 1976 How Do You Say 'Are You Dead' in German?
  - 14. 1-14 014 11 May 1976 From Suds to Stardom
  - 15. 1-15 015 18 May 1976 Mother Knows Worst
  - Season 2
  - 16. 2- 1
  - 17. 2- 2
  - 18. 2- 3
  - 19. 2- 4
  - 20. 2- 5
  - 21. 2- 6
  - 22. 2- 7
  - 23. 2- 8
  - 24. 2- 9
  - 25. 2-10
  - 26. 2-11
  - 27. 2-12
  - 28. 2-13
  - 29. 2-14
  - 30. 2-15
  - 31. 2-16
  - 32. 2-17
  - 33. 2-18
  - 34. 2-19
  - 35. 2-20
  - 36. 2-21
  - 37. 2-22
  - 38. 2-23
  016 28 September 1976 Drive! She Said 017 5 October 1976 Angels of Mercy 020 19 October 1976 Bachelor Mothers 023 26 October 1976 Excuse Me, May I Cut In? 021 9 November 1976 Bridal Shower 024 16 November 1976 Look Before You Leap 025 23 November 1976 Dear Future Model 019 30 November 1976 Good Time Girls 018 7 December 1976 Two of Our Weirdos Are Missing 026 21 December 1976 Christmas Eve at the Booby Hatch (aka Oh, Hear the Angel Voices) 027 4 January 1977 Guilty Until Proven Not Innocent 038 10 January 1977 Anniversary Show 028 11 January 1977 Playing Hooky 029 18 January 1977 Guinea Pigs 031 1 February 1977 Call Me a Taxi 022 8 February 1977 Steppin' Out 032 15 February 1977 Buddy, Can You Spare a Father? 033 22 February 1977 Honeymoon Hotel 034 1 March 1977 Hi, Neighbor Book 2 035 8 March 1977 Frank's Fling 036 22 March 1977 Haunted House 030 29 March 1977 Lonely at the Middle 037 5 April 1977 Citizen Crane
  - Season 3
  - 39. 3- 1 042 20 September 1977 Airport '59
  - 40. 3- 2 043 27 September 1977 Tag Team Wrestling
  - 41. 3- 3 044 4 October 1977 The Pact
  - 42. 3- 4 045 25 October 1977 Robot Lawsuit
  - 43. 3- 5 047 1 November 1977 Laverne's Arranged Marriage
  - 44. 3- 6 040 8 November 1977 Cruise (1)
  - 45. 3- 7 041 15 November 1977 Cruise (2)
  - 46. 3- 8 046 22 November 1977 Laverne and Shirley Meet Fabian
  - 47. 3- 9 049 29 November 1977 The Stakeout
  - 48. 3-10 048 6 December 1977 Shirley's Operation
  - 49. 3-11 039 13 December 1977 Take My Plants, Please
  - 50. 3-12 052 27 December 1977 New Years Eve 1959
  - 51. 3-13 050 10 January 1978 The Mortician
  - 52. 3-14 053 17 January 1978 The Horse Show
  - 53. 3-15 051 24 January 1978 The Slow Child
  - 54. 3-16 055 31 January 1978 The Second Almost Annual Shotz Talent Show
  - 55. 3-17 054 7 February 1978 The Dentist
  - 56. 3-18 056 14 February 1978 Bus Stop
  - 57. 3-19 057 21 February 1978 The Driving Test
  - 58. 3-20 058 28 February 1978 The Obstacle Course
  - 59. 3-21 059 9 May 1978 The Debutante Ball
  - 60. 3-22 061 16 May 1978 2001: A Comedy Odyssey
  - 61. 3-23 060 23 May 1978 The Dance Studio
  - 62. 3-24 062 30 May 1978 Breaking Up and Making Up
  - Season 4
  - 63. 4- 1 064 5 September 1978 Festival (1)
  - 64. 4- 2 065 12 September 1978 Festival (2)
  - 65. 4- 3 068 19 September 1978 Playing the Roxy
  - 66. 4- 4 067 26 September 1978 The Robbery
  - 67. 4- 5 066 10 October 1978 The Quiz Show
  - 68. 4- 6 069 17 October 1978 Laverne and Shirley Go to Night School
  - 69. 4- 7 063 24 October 1978 Date With Eraserhead
  - 70. 4- 8 070 31 October 1978 The Bully Show
  - 71. 4- 9 073 14 November 1978 A Visit to the Cemetery
  - 72. 4-10 071 21 November 1978 Chorus Line
  - 73. 4-11 072 28 November 1978 Laverne and Shirley Move In
  - 74. 4-12 074 5 December 1978 Dinner For Four
  - 75. 4-13 075 12 December 1978 It's a Dog's Life
  - 76. 4-14 076 19 December 1978 Oh, Come All Ye Burns
  - 77. 4-15 078 16 January 1979 Who's Papa?
  - 78. 4-16 080 30 January 1979 The Third Annual Shotz Talent Show
  - 79. 4-17 077 6 February 1979 Supermarket Sweep
  - 80. 4-18 079 13 February 1979 Lenny's Crush
  - 81. 4-19 081 20 February 1979 Fire Show
  - 82. 4-20 083 27 February 1979 Squiggy in Love
  - 83. 4-21 082 6 March 1979 The Feminine Mistake
  - 84. 4-22 084 13 March 1979 The Tenants Are Revolting
  - 85. 4-23 086 8 May 1979 Spy in My Beer
  - 86. 4-24 085 15 May 1979 Shirley and the Older Man
  - Season 5
  - 87. 5- 1 089 13 September 1979 Shotgun Wedding Part 2
  - 88. 5- 2 090 20 September 1979 One Heckuva Note
  - 89. 5- 3 088 27 September 1979 Fat City Holiday
  - 90. 5- 4 087 4 October 1979 Upstairs, Downstairs
  - 91. 5- 5 092 18 October 1979 What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?
  - 92. 5- 6 094 25 October 1979 You've Pushed Me Too Far
  - 93. 5- 7 093 1 November 1979 The Wedding
  - 94. 5- 8 091 8 November 1979 Bad Girls
  - 95. 5- 9 097 15 November 1979 You're in the Army, Now (1)
  - 96. 5-10 098 15 November 1979 You're in the Army, Now (2)
  - 97. 5-11 099 22 November 1979 Take Two, They're Small
  - 98. 5-12 096 6 December 1979 The Fourth Annual Shotz Talent Show
  - 99. 5-13 095 13 December 1979 Testing, Testing
  - 100. 5-14 100 7 January 1980 Not Quite South of the Border
  - 101. 5-15 101 14 January 1980 You Oughta Be in Pictures
  - 102. 5-16 102 21 January 1980 The Beatnik Show
  - 103. 5-17 104 28 January 1980 The Right to Light
  - 104. 5-18 103 4 February 1980 Why Did the Fireman . . .
  - 105. 5-19 107 11 February 1980 The Collector
  - 106. 5-20 105 26 February 1980 Murder on the Moosejaw Express (1)
  - 107. 5-21 106 4 March 1980 Murder on the Moosejaw Express (2)
  - 108. 5-22 109 11 March 1980 Survival Test
  - 109. 5-23 108 25 March 1980 The Duke of Squiggmann
  - 110. 5-24 110 1 April 1980 Antonio, the Amazing
  - 111. 5-25 112 6 May 1980 The Diner
  - 112. 5-26 111 13 May 1980 Separate Tables
  - Season 6
  - 113. 6- 1 113 18 November 1980 Not Quite New York
  - 114. 6- 2 114 25 November 1980 Welcome to Burbank
  - 115. 6- 3 115 2 December 1980 Studio City
  - 116. 6- 4 116 9 December 1980 Grand Opening
  - 117. 6- 5 117 16 December 1980 Candy is Dandy
  - 118. 6- 6 118 30 December 1980 The Dating Game
  - 119. 6- 7 119 6 January 1981 The Other Woman
  - 120. 6- 8 120 13 January 1981 The Road to Burbank
  - 121. 6- 9 121 27 January 1981 Born Too Late
  - 122. 6-10 123 3 February 1981 Love Out the Window
  - 123. 6-11 124 10 February 1981 Malibu Mansion
  - 124. 6-12 125 17 February 1981 To Tell the Truth
  - 125. 6-13 126 24 February 1981 I Do, I Do
  - 126. 6-14 127 3 March 1981 But Seriously, Folks . . .
  - 127. 6-15 128 10 March 1981 The Bardwell Caper (1)
  - 128. 6-16 129 17 March 1981 The Bardwell Caper (2)
  - 129. 6-17 130 7 April 1981 High Priced Dates
  - 130. 6-18 131 14 April 1981 Fifth Anniversary
  - 131. 6-19 132 5 May 1981 Out, Out Damned Plout
  - 132. 6-20 122 12 May 1981 Laverne's Broken Leg
  - 133. 6-21 133 19 May 1981 Sing, Sing, Sing
  - 134. 6-22 134 26 May 1981 Child's Play
  - Season 7
  - 135. 7- 1 136 13 October 1981 The Most Important Day Ever
  - 136. 7- 2 137 27 October 1981 It Only Hurts When I Breathe
  - 137. 7- 3 147 3 November 1981 I Wonder What Became of Sal?
  - 138. 7- 4 141 10 November 1981 Teenage Lust
  - 139. 7- 5 138 17 November 1981 The Defiant One
  - 140. 7- 6 135 24 November 1981 Night at the Awards
  - 141. 7- 7 139 1 December 1981 Some Enchanted Earring
  - 142. 7- 8 142 8 December 1981 Moving In
  - 143. 7- 9 140 15 December 1981 Friendly Persuasion
  - 144. 7-10 144 5 January 1982 I Do, I Don't
  - 145. 7-11 143 12 January 1982 Love Is the Tar Pits
  - 146. 7-12 149 19 January 1982 Watch the Fur Fly
  - 147. 7-13 146 26 January 1982 Rocky Ragu
  - 148. 7-14 150 2 February 1982 Star Peepers
  - 149. 7-15 148 9 February 1982 An Affair to Forget
  - 150. 7-16 145 16 February 1982 Class of '56
  - 151. 7-17 153 23 February 1982 Ski Show
  - 152. 7-18 151 2 March 1982 Helmut Weekend
  - 153. 7-19 156 9 March 1982 That's Entertainment
  - 154. 7-20 154 16 March 1982 Lightning Man
  - 155. 7-21 155 4 May 1982 Crime Isn't Pretty
  - 156. 7-22 152 11 May 1982 Perfidy in Blue
  - Season 8
  - 157. 8- 1 157 28 September 1982 The Mummy's Bride
  - 158. 8- 2 158 12 October 1982 Window on Main Street
  - 159. 8- 3 169 19 October 1982 The Note
  - 160. 8- 4 166 26 October 1982 Lost in Spacesuits
  - 161. 8- 5 160 9 November 1982 The Playboy Show
  - 162. 8- 6 167 16 November 1982 Death Row (1)
  - 163. 8- 7 168 23 November 1982 Death Row (2)
  - 164. 8- 8 171 30 November 1982 Jinxed
  - 165. 8- 9 170 7 December 1982 Of Mice and Men
  - 166. 8-10 173 14 December 1982 The Gymnast
  - 167. 8-11 175 4 January 1983 The Monastery Show
  - 168. 8-12 165 11 January 1983 Defective Ballet
  - 169. 8-13 159 18 January 1983 The Baby Show
  - 170. 8-14 172 25 January 1983 Rock 'n' Roll Show
  - 171. 8-15 163 1 February 1983 The Fashion Show
  - 172. 8-16 161 8 February 1983 Short on Time
  - 173. 8-17 176 15 February 1983 Ghost Story
  - 174. 8-18 162 22 February 1983 Please Don't Feed the Buzzards
  - 175. 8-19 174 1 March 1983 How's Your Sister?
  - 176. 8-20 164 15 March 1983 Do the Carmine
  - 177. 8-21 177 3 May 1983 Councilman DeFazio
  - 178. 8-22 178 10 May 1983 Here Today, Hair Tomorrow
  - Special
  - S- 1 7 May 2002 Laverne & Shirley Together Again (Reunion)
  External links
  - Laverne & Shirley at tv.com
  - Laverne & Shirley at Internet Movie Database
  1970s TV shows in the United States | 1980s TV shows in the United States | ABC network shows | Sitcoms | Television spin-offs | Nielsen Ratings winners | Period piece TV series | CBS Paramount Television shows | Television shows set in Wisconsin | Happy Days

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Laverne & Shirley

Opening sequence

Location and setting

Characters

Full character list

Ratings

Dramatic acting and real-life issues

Trivia

Magazine covers

Episode list

External links