'' 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 . It used to be the longest-running television series featuring female leads until the American
Supernatural Dramedy ''
Charmed '' broke that record in January 2006 when ''
Charmed '' entered the second half of its eighth and final season.
In the beginning, the girls are skipping down the street, arm in arm, reciting a 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''.
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.
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...".
In the final season, after Shirley fell in love with (and married) Walter Meany (making her Shirley Feeney Meany), Laverne tried to go it alone, but the series did not survive the loss of one of the title leads, and was subsequently canceled. 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. By the time Williams finally decided to leave due to pregnancy, ''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.
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.
- (Penny Marshall) 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 "L's" on her chest. This idea was also introduced by Penny.
- (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.
- (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.
- (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 collects moths.
- (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.
- (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.
- (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.
- (Carole Ita White) a snubby childhood friend of Laverne & Shirley's. Who married a rich foot doctor and rubs it in the girls faces, known for being Laverne's rival.
- (Leslie Easterbrook) a ditzy blonde actress/singer/dancer/ model trying to make it big. Is Laverne and Shirley's Los Angeles neighbors.
- (Ed Marinaro) A stuntman and Laverne and Shirley's building manager.
- (also Ed Marinaro) Laverne's Italian cousin.
- ( 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.
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 have never "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.
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 ("
Cheers ", "
Becker ") 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.
- 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''.
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 # Prod # Air Date Title
_____ ______ ____________ ___________ ___________________________________________
- 1. 1- 1 001 27 Jan 76 The Society Party
-
- 2. 1- 2 002 3 Feb 76 The Bachelor Party
- 3. 1- 3 003 10 Feb 76 Bowling For Razzberries
-
- 4. 1- 4 005 24 Feb 76 A Nun's Story
- 5. 1- 5 004 2 Mar 76 Falter at the Altar
- 6. 1- 6 007 9 Mar 76 Dog Day Blind Dates
- 7. 1- 7 008 16 Mar 76 Once Upon a Rumor
- 8. 1- 8 006 23 Mar 76 One Flew Over Milwaukee
- 9. 1- 9 010 30 Mar 76 Dating Slump
-
- 10. 1-10 009 6 Apr 76 It's the Water
- 11. 1-11 011 13 Apr 76 Fakeout at the Stakeout
-
- 12. 1-12 012 27 Apr 76 Hi, Neighbor
-
- 13. 1-13 013 4 May 76 How Do You Say 'Are You Dead' in German?
- 14. 1-14 014 11 May 76 From Suds to Stardom
- 15. 1-15 015 18 May 76 Mother Knows Worst
- 16. 2- 1 016 28 Sep 76 Drive! She Said
- 17. 2- 2 017 5 Oct 76 Angels of Mercy
-
- 18. 2- 3 020 19 Oct 76 Bachelor Mothers
- 19. 2- 4 023 26 Oct 76 Excuse Me, May I Cut In?
- 20. 2- 5 021 9 Nov 76 Bridal Shower
- 21. 2- 6 024 16 Nov 76 Look Before You Leap
- 22. 2- 7 025 23 Nov 76 Dear Future Model
- 23. 2- 8 019 30 Nov 76 Good Time Girls
- 24. 2- 9 018 7 Dec 76 Two of Our Weirdos Are Missing
- 25. 2-10 026 21 Dec 76 Christmas Eve at the Booby Hatch (aka Oh, Hear the Angel Voices)
- 26. 2-11 027 4 Jan 77 Guilty Until Proven Not Innocent
- 27. 2-12 038 10 Jan 77 Anniversary Show
- 28. 2-13 028 11 Jan 77 Playing Hooky
- 29. 2-14 029 18 Jan 77 Guinea Pigs
- 30. 2-15 031 1 Feb 77 Call Me a Taxi
- 31. 2-16 022 8 Feb 77 Steppin' Out
- 32. 2-17 032 15 Feb 77 Buddy, Can You Spare a Father?
- 33. 2-18 033 22 Feb 77 Honeymoon Hotel
- 34. 2-19 034 1 Mar 77 Hi, Neighbor Book 2
-
- 35. 2-20 035 8 Mar 77 Frank's Fling
- 36. 2-21 036 22 Mar 77 Haunted House
-
- 37. 2-22 030 29 Mar 77 Lonely at the Middle
- 38. 2-23 037 5 Apr 77 Citizen Crane
- 39. 3- 1 042 20 Sep 77 Airport '59
-
- 40. 3- 2 043 27 Sep 77 Tag Team Wrestling
- 41. 3- 3 044 4 Oct 77 The Pact
- 42. 3- 4 045 25 Oct 77 Robot Lawsuit
- 43. 3- 5 047 1 Nov 77 Laverne's Arranged Marriage
- 44. 3- 6 040 8 Nov 77 Cruise (1)
- 45. 3- 7 041 15 Nov 77 Cruise (2)
- 46. 3- 8 046 22 Nov 77 Laverne and Shirley Meet Fabian
-
- 47. 3- 9 049 29 Nov 77 The Stakeout
- 48. 3-10 048 6 Dec 77 Shirley's Operation
-
- 49. 3-11 039 13 Dec 77 Take My Plants, Please
- 50. 3-12 052 27 Dec 77 New Years Eve 1959
- 51. 3-13 050 10 Jan 78 The Mortician
- 52. 3-14 053 17 Jan 78 The Horse Show
- 53. 3-15 051 24 Jan 78 The Slow Child
- 54. 3-16 055 31 Jan 78 The Second Almost Annual Shotz Talent Show
- 55. 3-17 054 7 Feb 78 The Dentist
- 56. 3-18 056 14 Feb 78 Bus Stop
-
- 57. 3-19 057 21 Feb 78 The Driving Test
- 58. 3-20 058 28 Feb 78 The Obstacle Course
- 59. 3-21 059 9 May 78 The Debutante Ball
- 60. 3-22 061 16 May 78 2001: A Comedy Odyssey
-
- 61. 3-23 060 23 May 78 The Dance Studio
- 62. 3-24 062 30 May 78 Breaking Up and Making Up
- 63. 4- 1 064 5 Sep 78 Festival (1)
- 64. 4- 2 065 12 Sep 78 Festival (2)
- 65. 4- 3 068 19 Sep 78 Playing the Roxy
- 66. 4- 4 067 26 Sep 78 The Robbery
- 67. 4- 5 066 10 Oct 78 The Quiz Show
- 68. 4- 6 069 17 Oct 78 Laverne and Shirley Go to Night School
- 69. 4- 7 063 24 Oct 78 Date With Eraserhead
- 70. 4- 8 070 31 Oct 78 The Bully Show
- 71. 4- 9 073 14 Nov 78 A Visit to the Cemetery
- 72. 4-10 071 21 Nov 78 Chorus Line
- 73. 4-11 072 28 Nov 78 Laverne and Shirley Move In
- 74. 4-12 074 5 Dec 78 Dinner For Four
- 75. 4-13 075 12 Dec 78 It's a Dog's Life
- 76. 4-14 076 19 Dec 78 Oh, Come All Ye Burns
- 77. 4-15 078 16 Jan 79 Who's Papa?
- 78. 4-16 080 30 Jan 79 The Third Annual Shotz Talent Show
- 79. 4-17 077 6 Feb 79 Supermarket Sweep
-
- 80. 4-18 079 13 Feb 79 Lenny's Crush
- 81. 4-19 081 20 Feb 79 Fire Show
- 82. 4-20 083 27 Feb 79 Squiggy in Love
- 83. 4-21 082 6 Mar 79 The Feminine Mistake
- 84. 4-22 084 13 Mar 79 The Tenants Are Revolting
- 85. 4-23 086 8 May 79 Spy in My Beer
-
- 86. 4-24 085 15 May 79 Shirley and the Older Man
- 87. 5- 1 089 13 Sep 79 Shotgun Wedding Part 2
- 88. 5- 2 090 20 Sep 79 One Heckuva Note
- 89. 5- 3 088 27 Sep 79 Fat City Holiday
- 90. 5- 4 087 4 Oct 79 Upstairs, Downstairs
- 91. 5- 5 092 18 Oct 79 What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor?
- 92. 5- 6 094 25 Oct 79 You've Pushed Me Too Far
- 93. 5- 7 093 1 Nov 79 The Wedding
- 94. 5- 8 091 8 Nov 79 Bad Girls
- 95. 5- 9 097 15 Nov 79 You're in the Army, Now (1)
-
- 96. 5-10 098 15 Nov 79 You're in the Army, Now (2)
- 97. 5-11 099 22 Nov 79 Take Two, They're Small
- 98. 5-12 096 6 Dec 79 The Fourth Annual Shotz Talent Show
- 99. 5-13 095 13 Dec 79 Testing, Testing
- 100. 5-14 100 7 Jan 80 Not Quite South of the Border
- 101. 5-15 101 14 Jan 80 You Oughta Be in Pictures
- 102. 5-16 102 21 Jan 80 The Beatnik Show
-
- 103. 5-17 104 28 Jan 80 The Right to Light
- 104. 5-18 103 4 Feb 80 Why Did the Fireman . . .
-
- 105. 5-19 107 11 Feb 80 The Collector
- 106. 5-20 105 26 Feb 80 Murder on the Moosejaw Express (1)
-
- 107. 5-21 106 4 Mar 80 Murder on the Moosejaw Express (2)
- 108. 5-22 109 11 Mar 80 Survival Test
-
- 109. 5-23 108 25 Mar 80 The Duke of Squiggmann
- 110. 5-24 110 1 Apr 80 Antonio, the Amazing
- 111. 5-25 112 6 May 80 The Diner
- 112. 5-26 111 13 May 80 Separate Tables
- 113. 6- 1 113 18 Nov 80 Not Quite New York
- 114. 6- 2 114 25 Nov 80 Welcome to Burbank
- 115. 6- 3 115 2 Dec 80 Studio City
- 116. 6- 4 116 9 Dec 80 Grand Opening
- 117. 6- 5 117 16 Dec 80 Candy is Dandy
- 118. 6- 6 118 30 Dec 80 The Dating Game
- 119. 6- 7 119 6 Jan 81 The Other Woman
- 120. 6- 8 120 13 Jan 81 The Road to Burbank
- 121. 6- 9 121 27 Jan 81 Born Too Late
- 122. 6-10 123 3 Feb 81 Love Out the Window
- 123. 6-11 124 10 Feb 81 Malibu Mansion
- 124. 6-12 125 17 Feb 81 To Tell the Truth
- 125. 6-13 126 24 Feb 81 I Do, I Do
- 126. 6-14 127 3 Mar 81 But Seriously, Folks . . .
- 127. 6-15 128 10 Mar 81 The Bardwell Caper (1)
- 128. 6-16 129 17 Mar 81 The Bardwell Caper (2)
- 129. 6-17 130 7 Apr 81 High Priced Dates
- 130. 6-18 131 14 Apr 81 Fifth Anniversary
- 131. 6-19 132 5 May 81 Out, Out Damned Plout
- 132. 6-20 122 12 May 81 Laverne's Broken Leg
- 133. 6-21 133 19 May 81 Sing, Sing, Sing
- 134. 6-22 134 26 May 81 Child's Play
- 135. 7- 1 136 13 Oct 81 The Most Important Day Ever
- 136. 7- 2 137 27 Oct 81 It Only Hurts When I Breathe
- 137. 7- 3 147 3 Nov 81 I Wonder What Became of Sal?
- 138. 7- 4 141 10 Nov 81 Teenage Lust
- 139. 7- 5 138 17 Nov 81 The Defiant One
- 140. 7- 6 135 24 Nov 81 Night at the Awards
- 141. 7- 7 139 1 Dec 81 Some Enchanted Earring
- 142. 7- 8 142 8 Dec 81 Moving In
- 143. 7- 9 140 15 Dec 81 Friendly Persuasion
- 144. 7-10 144 5 Jan 82 I Do, I Don't
- 145. 7-11 143 12 Jan 82 Love Is the Tar Pits
- 146. 7-12 149 19 Jan 82 Watch the Fur Fly
- 147. 7-13 146 26 Jan 82 Rocky Ragu
- 148. 7-14 150 2 Feb 82 Star Peepers
- 149. 7-15 148 9 Feb 82 An Affair to Forget
- 150. 7-16 145 16 Feb 82 Class of '56
- 151. 7-17 153 23 Feb 82 Ski Show
- 152. 7-18 151 2 Mar 82 Helmut Weekend
- 153. 7-19 156 9 Mar 82 That's Entertainment
- 154. 7-20 154 16 Mar 82 Lightning Man
- 155. 7-21 155 4 May 82 Crime Isn't Pretty
- 156. 7-22 152 11 May 82 Perfidy in Blue
- 157. 8- 1 157 28 Sep 82 The Mummy's Bride
- 158. 8- 2 158 12 Oct 82 Window on Main Street
- 159. 8- 3 169 19 Oct 82 The Note
- 160. 8- 4 166 26 Oct 82 Lost in Spacesuits
- 161. 8- 5 160 9 Nov 82 The Playboy Show
- 162. 8- 6 167 16 Nov 82 Death Row (1)
- 163. 8- 7 168 23 Nov 82 Death Row (2)
- 164. 8- 8 171 30 Nov 82 Jinxed
- 165. 8- 9 170 7 Dec 82 Of Mice and Men
- 166. 8-10 173 14 Dec 82 The Gymnast
- 167. 8-11 175 4 Jan 83 The Monastery Show
- 168. 8-12 165 11 Jan 83 Defective Ballet
- 169. 8-13 159 18 Jan 83 The Baby Show
- 170. 8-14 172 25 Jan 83 Rock 'n' Roll Show
- 171. 8-15 163 1 Feb 83 The Fashion Show
- 172. 8-16 161 8 Feb 83 Short on Time
- 173. 8-17 176 15 Feb 83 Ghost Story
- 174. 8-18 162 22 Feb 83 Please Don't Feed the Buzzards
- 175. 8-19 174 1 Mar 83 How's Your Sister?
- 176. 8-20 164 15 Mar 83 Do the Carmine
- 177. 8-21 177 3 May 83 Councilman DeFazio
- 178. 8-22 178 10 May 83 Here Today, Hair Tomorrow
- S- 1 7 May 02 Laverne & Shirley Together Again (Reunion)
