When the characters of Laverne and Shirley first showed up on Happy Days, few in the audience
could’ve predicted that the two were going to get their own spin-off! Laverne & Shirley
came on the air at a time when spin-offs were a great deal more common than they are today,
but the prospect of a spin-off wasn’t always guaranteed success. Laverne & Shirley ended
up blossoming into one of the most successful spin-offs in television
history. The show starred Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams as the titular characters,
and Penny has recently revealed a surprising fact about her character’s iconic blouse. Join
Facts Verse as Penny Marshall revealed the obvious secret about Laverne’s outfit.
Laverne & Shirley Was a Spin-Off of Happy Days Early on in Happy Days’ run, the sitcom introduced
a pair of characters that would grow to become iconic in their own right. Happy Days premiered
in 1974, and its third season featured an episode in which the characters of Fonzie
and Richie went out on a double date with a pair of girls that were much more experienced than they
were. The pair of girls came from the city, and their names were Laverne and Shirley. Of course,
the characters were initially only intended to appear in a single episode of Happy Days. However,
their appearance proved so popular that they soon got a spin-off.
Stars Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams were relative unknowns at the time that they were
cast on Happy Days. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t have taken such minor roles! Penny and Cindy were
happy for the chance to appear on Happy Days, even if it was just for an episode. When it turned out
that their appearance paved the way for the two performers to get their own spin-off series,
they were ecstatic! Laverne & Shirley premiered in 1976, and it became a
massive hit with audiences. Though plenty of spin-offs from the time period didn’t make it
past a handful of episodes, Laverne & Shirley lasted for eight seasons.
As with the majority of spin-offs from the time period, Laverne & Shirley took very little
from its parent sitcom outside of its central titular characters. However, Laverne & Shirley
did maintain Happy Days’ Wisconsin location. The series followed its titular characters as
they went about their day-to-day lives. The two characters worked relatively blue-collar jobs
at a location by the name of Shotz Brewery, where they could be found capping the lids onto bottles.
The Show Introduced Lots of New Characters Besides the characters of Laverne and Shirley,
Laverne & Shirley also featured a cast of memorable supporting characters. The two
most popular of these supporting characters were arguably Lenny and Squiggy. Lenny and Squiggy were
truck drivers that worked at Shotz Brewery, and they were also Laverne and Shirley’s neighbors.
In addition, the two could also oftentimes be found performing in their rock-and-roll
group, which was dubbed Lenny and the Squigtones. The characters of Lenny and Squiggy were actually
conceived well before their first appearances on television. Michael McKean and David Lander
played the two characters, respectively. According to legend, the two performers came up with the
comedic duo while they were smoking marijuana during their years as college drama kids.
Besides Laverne, Shirley, Lenny, and Squiggy, Laverne & Shirley also made
great use of performers Phil Foster and Betty Garrett. Phil played the character of Frank
DeFazio, who was Laverne’s father. Meanwhile, Betty Garrett played Laverne and Shirley’s
landlord, whose name was Edna Babish. The characters of Frank and Edna ended
up getting together and tying the knot over the course of the series. Another recurring
character on Laverne & Shirley was Carmine Ragusa, who was played by an actor by the name of Eddie
Mekka. Though Carmine was introduced to audiences as a love interest for Shirley, he ended up
becoming a lovable character in his own right. In the first few episodes of the final season
of the show, Cindy Williams quit and Shirley was no more. However, the character of Carmine kept
appearing more and more until he became another one of the show’s main characters by its end.
By the end of Laverne & Shirley, Laverne was the last titular character standing. Of the two
performers who played the titular characters, it would also be Laverne’s actress that would
go on to have a more lucrative career in the entertainment industry. The character
of Laverne might not have had such longevity with audiences if it weren't for a costume
decision that Penny Marshall made early on in the show's production.
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Penny Made a Key Creative Decision for Her Character
When it comes to introducing first-time viewers to Laverne & Shirley, there’s an easy way that you
can point out which character is which. This is because the character of Laverne always had
an “L” stitched onto her clothing. Laverne’s “L” became so iconic over the course of the
show’s run that it became inseparable from the character herself. Some may not realize that it
was actually Penny Marshall who came up with this costume decision herself. The reason
that Penny was so adamant about the embroidery was that she believed that audiences might
initially have a hard time telling her and Cindy Williams apart without the extra help.
Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams didn’t look all that much alike,
but their similar wardrobes and hairstyles made it so that Penny feared audiences might not be
able to pick them apart instantly. Penny’s decision to have an “L” embroidered on her
character’s clothing ended up paying off. As we’ve already established, she ended up
being the last titular character standing on the series. After Laverne & Shirley came to an end,
Penny Marshall would continue carving out her niche in the entertainment industry.
In the 1980s, the television actress would transition into directing films.
How Penny Got Her Start in Entertainment Penny Marshall was born in the Bronx on October
15, 1943. The future star began to tap dancing at a young age, as her mother was a dance
instructor. Penny graduated from high school in New York City, but she made the move out to New
Mexico when it came time for her to pursue her higher education. There, Penny studied for over
two years in the fields of math and psychology. During her college years, Penny became pregnant
with the child of her college sweetheart. This college sweetheart was named Michael Henry,
and the pair ended up getting married in 1963. The child that Penny gave birth to was given the
name of Tracy Henry. However, Tracy would later have her name changed to Tracy Reiner. Penny and
Michael Henry were only married for around three years. After the marriage ended, Penny would take
herself and her daughter to Los Angeles, where her brother was working in entertainment.
At the time that Penny Marshal moved herself and her daughter to Los Angeles, Penny’s brother Garry
was working as a writer on The Dick Van Dyke Show. With her brother’s connections
backing her up, Peggy began appearing in some minor acting roles. Her very first
gig on the screen saw her appearing in an advertisement for Head & Shoulders.
In 1971, Penny Marshal married a similarly burgeoning Rob Reiner. That same year, Rob
would get his breakout role in All in the Family. This was another connection that helped Penny
slowly rise up in the entertainment industry. She appeared in a few made-for-television films
during the early 1970s, with one of them being produced by her aforementioned brother. It
wouldn’t be long before Penny received her star-making role of Laverne DeFazio.
Peggy Became a Big-Name Film Director Though it’s relatively common knowledge
that Penny Marshall went on to become a big-name film director, some may
not realize that Penny actually got her start directing during her time on Laverne & Shirley,
at the behest of her brother. Over the course of Laverne & Shirley runs, Penny
directed four episodes. After the show came to an end, Penny continued working
behind the cameras and was given the chance to helm her own film in the late 1980s.
Penny Marshall was married to Rob Reiner from 1971 to 1981. Coincidentally,
Rob Reiner was also a sitcom star that made the transition to film directing
during the 1980s. In fact, Rob Reiner’s directorial debut was one of the main reasons
that the aforementioned character of Lenny hardly appeared on Laverne & Shirley during its final
season. Michael McKean played the character of Lenny, though scheduling conflicts arose when
Rob cast him in his directorial debut, which was the classic mockumentary film This Is Spinal Tap.
Rob Reiner’s big-screen directorial debut became an instant classic, and so did Penny Marshall’s!
The first theatrical film that Penny Marshall helmed was 1988’s Big, which was also the vehicle
that made a star out of Tom Hanks. Penny and Tom had a lot of fun working together on Big,
so they worked together again on 1992’s A League of Their Own. Penny Marshall sadly passed away in
2018. At the time, the actress-turned-director was 75 years old. Penny is considered a hero amongst
many film buffs today for being a rare female film director that found mainstream success.
Everyone knows about the iconic “L” that was stitched on Laverne’s clothes on the
show Laverne & Shirley, but did you know that the embroidery was a creative decision on the
part of actress Penny Marshall? Now it’s time to hear from you: did you know that
Penny Marshal directed four episodes of Laverne & Shirley and that the Laverne actress is also
responsible for one of the most iconic aspects of her character’s wardrobe? Comment down below!