Another Williams Nearly Played Shirley
The beloved television series Laverne & Shirley was one of the rare spin-offs that eventually surpassed its parent series 'Happy Days' in the ratings. Although it was a fairly popular show during its peak, there was a lot of craziness behind the scenes, due mainly to the sudden success of the show.
Luckily, though, time has healed most of those old wounds and the cast members are all on friendly terms today. Check out our gallery and see these surprising secrets that producers from Laverne & Shirley hid from its fans.
Cindy Williams had second thoughts about signing on for a TV series once it looked like the show might be approved. At that time, she still wanted to focus her career on film.
'Schlemiel, Schlemazel'
Other actresses were tested for the role, with one, Liberty Williams, making it as far as filming the 10-minute pilot scene with Penny Marshall. But the chemistry between Cindy and Penny had been so strong that producers agreed to Cindy’s high salary demand and request for equal, but staggered, billing: Penny’s name appeared first, but Cindy’s name appeared higher onscreen.
The Network Didn't Want Phil Foster To Play Laverne’s Dad
Penny Marshall has no recollection of where the 'Schlemiel, Schlemazel' chant originally came from, she just knows that it was something she and her sister used to say during their seven-block walk to school in the mornings when they were kids.
Back in the 1950s, when Phil Foster was working as a stand-up comedian, he gave Garry Marshall his first job as a comedy writer. Marshall then repaid the favor when casting 'Laverne & Shirley' by hiring Foster to play Frank. Writer and producer Mark Rothman told reporters that he was on board with hiring him, but some of the executives at ABC didn't approve.
Lenny and Squiggy’s Original Act Wasn't G-Rated
Foster mumbled a lot and had a thick Brooklyn accent, so they worried viewers wouldn't be able to understand him. However, in the end, Foster was signed.
Actors Michael McKean and David Lander met while working together at a comedy club called The Credibility Gap. One of their skits was about two characters named Lenny Kosnowski and Anthony Squiggliano.
“Re-Virginized”
The voices and posturing were much the same as Lenny and Squiggy's, except that the jokes were not what we're used to because they were full of profanity and sexual references.
You might remember that when Laverne and Shirley first appeared on a 'Happy Days' episode, their characters were “from the wrong side of the tracks." They were a bit more out there than how their characters appear on Laverne & Shirley, maybe even a bit sleazy.
Misbehaved Actors
According to Penny Marshall, the characters were “re-virginized” and portrayed as blue-collar, but somewhat innocent.
Cindy and Penny's characters seemed innocent on their show, but their real-life personas were more foul-mouthed than what the show portrayed. On set, they were notorious for their foul language and confrontation.
"L" For Laverne
Multiple times while on set, the two actors and the writing staff would have such bad beef between the two groups that production would be delayed.
Laverne’s “L” monogram was actually Penny Marshall’s idea.It's common on new shows for character names be repeated until the audience gets familiar with them.
Only Laverne
However, rather than having to be constantly addressed as “Laverne,” she came up with the idea of sewing an “L” monogram onto her clothing to subtly remind the audience which character she played.
By season eight, the show should have been called "Laverne and Nobody" due to the common absence of Shirley's actor Cindy Williams. During that season, Williams married singer Bill Hudson in 1982 and then became pregnant with their first child.
The Big Ragu
Eventually, Paramount released her from her contract and Marshall pressed on alone.
The series finale, “Here Today, Hair Tomorrow,” featured the character The Big Ragu frustrated with his career as an entertainer in Los Angeles and heading to New York to audition for the fictional musical 'Hair'.
From The Beginning
While in New York, he took an apartment with a group of aspiring actors where hilarity would certainly have ensued if the show was picked up as a series as a spin-off.
The idea of the show dates back to an unused script for the short-lived series Paul Sand In Friends And Lovers, which aired from September 1974 to January 1975.
Repurposed Script
Penny Marshall played his sister-in-law of the main character, but the script was ultimately not picked up for the original show.
Although the script was never picked up, it was repurposed for an episode of Happy Days. The result was the episode “A Date with Fonzie,” which the Fonz summons two “loose” girls from his little black book to go on a double-date with him and Richie.
Early Pitch
The world of television would forever be changed from that one episode.
'Laverne & Shirley' was actually pitched before the Happy Days episode of "A Date With Fonzie" had actually aired.Garry Marshall bumped into the ABC chief at the time, Fred Silverman, at an industry event not long after “A Date with Fonzie” had shot. Silverman asked Marshall if he had any new show ideas for a Tuesday night comedy block for the network.
Sitcom or Musical
After witnessing the filming of the episode, Marshall replied that he had an idea about two single blue-collar girls who worked as bottle-cappers at a brewery. Silverman was so interested in his pitch, he ordered a pilot on the spot.
For a sitcom series, the show featured quite a bit of musical numbers, including countless performances at the Pizza Bowl and that interesting Christmas episode at a mental hospital. To cash in on the show’s unplanned musical success, Marshall and Williams recorded "Laverne & Shirley Sing," which was a collection of covers of rock and roll hits from the 50s and 60s.
Not All Days Were Happy
This album is still widely available, and fans can listen to their favorite covers.
Like most sitcoms, things went downhill as the seasons progressed. In the fall of 1980, the studio tried to reboot the show by moving the story from Milwaukee to Burbank, California, which caused plenty of issues with the show. Over the last two seasons, a number of characters came and went.
Worse After Shirley Left
Lenny, played by Michael McKean, even left for the last four episodes, and of course, Shirley left during season eight. Although the writers tried valiantly to recapture the show’s original magic, it just wasn't the same as what it used to be at the beginning of the series.
After Williams left the show, tensions between Marshall and Williams remained high for years. According to Marshall about the situation, “We were not estranged during the show but then she got married. I was very happy.
Chaos On The Set
She was having a baby but was a pain in the ass. He wanted to be a producer. So that’s what happened.” It wasn't until 30 years later when they would appear on camera again, and it happened to be on the Nickelodeon show Sam and Cat.
Actors on set were often bickering over who had the most lines, and they would often critique the writers. According to people on the set, there was a lot of script throwing happening at the time of filming.
Writers Vs Actors
David Lander, who played Squiggy, said, “We went through 12 writing staffs at about 12 people a staff. That’s about 144 people who went through our portals.”
The actors on the set of Laverne & Shirley thought they knew better than the writers.
Cindy's Ego
According to show creator Garry Marshall, “Penny and Cindy thought that they knew more than anyone else and that the writing staff was without talent…the writers…thought Penny and Cindy were mean, too young to be so bossy, and narcissistic.”
It was no surprise to anybody who worked with her to know that Cindy Williams had quite the ego. According to a source who worked on the set, “Cindy pulled up to the Paramount gate one day, with the wooden arm across the gate, and the guards didn’t recognize her.
Family Rivalry
She thought they should have recognized her by then. So she backed up her car, gunned it, and drove right through the wooden gate.”
Laverne & Shirley debuted at the number one spot the week of January 27, 1976.
But the number-one show that year was actually All in Family, which starred Rob Reiner as Archie Bunker’s son-in-law, who was ironically Penny’s husband at the time.