Penny Marshall, who starred in the hit 70’s ABC comedy “Laverne & Shirley” and then became a successful director, has died to complications from diabetes.
“Laverne & Shirley” ran from 1976-1983 and proved an enormous success for ABC.
“Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!” became an anthem for many working class Americans who tuned in to watch the duo each week.
It was the No. 3 show on television in 1975-76, No. 2 in 1976-77, and No. 1 in 1977-78 and 1978-79, spawning ancillary revenue in the form of merchandising, a record album, and an animated series based on the show.
Marshall began her directing career by helming several episodes of “Laverne & Shirley.”
She would become the first woman to direct a film that grossed more than $100 million, the first woman to direct two films that made more than $100 million, and she was only the second woman director to see her film Oscar-nominated for best picture.
But it all started, really, with “Laverne & Shirley.”
The show, which premiered in January 1976, scored in the ratings immediately.
Within months of the series’ debut, Marshall and co-star Cindy Williams were asked to record an album, “Laverne & Shirley Sing.”
They sang one song from the album, a cover of the Crystals’ hit “Da Doo Ron Ron,” on a float during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade that November.
An animated series, “Laverne & Shirley in the Army,” ran in ABC’s Saturday morning lineup in 1981, with Marshall and Williams voicing the characters.
The show inspired a line of tie-in merchandise, including Laverne, Shirley, Lenny, and Squiggy dolls, a board game, puzzles, and a great deal more.
Marshall was born in the Bronx, where her mother taught tap dancing, while her father directed industrial films.
Marshall made her screen debut in 1968 with small roles in Richard Rush’s “The Savage Seven” and Jerry Paris’ “How Sweet It Is!,” on which her brother Garry was a writer.
From 1972-74 she recurred on “The Odd Couple,” a show developed for TV by brother Garry, as Myrna, the schlumpy secretary employed by Jack Klugman’s Oscar Madison.
Garry Marshall died in 2016.
Her candid autobiography “My Mother Was Nuts” was published in 2012.
She was twice married, the first time to Michael Henry from 1961-63, the second time to actor-director Rob Reiner from 1971-79. Both marriages ended in divorce.
She is survived by a daughter by Henry who was adopted by Reiner, actress Tracy Reiner, and Hallin, a TV director. .
