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| Cindy Williams, at left, with long-time co-star Penny Marshall in "Laverne and Shirley". Source: https://tvline.com/2023/01/30/ cindy-williams-dead-laverne-and-shirley-obituary/ (May be subject to copyright) |
~ the opening credits of Laverne and Shirley.
It was a regular part of viewing – watching two women, arms linked, reciting something I could not quite understand, or so I thought, as they danced down a sidewalk that led straight into the theme music for the show.
Those two women were Laverne Defazio, who had a handwritten “L” on the left side of her chest on every blouse, shirt, sweater and coat she wore, and Shirley Feeney. They worked at Schatz Brewery in Milwaukee, and had no end of adventures with their weird cast of characters in the aptly titled sitcom, “Laverne and Shirley”.
A few months ago I heard about the death of Cindy Williams, at age 75, and it brought back a lot of memories of “Laverne and Shirley”
Prelude to a kiss
The first time I ever saw Cindy Williams was in director George Lucas’ first film “American Graffiti” where she played girlfriend to Ron Howard’s character in a night in the lives of some teenagers in the 1950s. It would not be the last time the two would get together on screen.
The first time I ever saw Cindy Williams was in director George Lucas’ first film “American Graffiti” where she played girlfriend to Ron Howard’s character in a night in the lives of some teenagers in the 1950s. It would not be the last time the two would get together on screen.
These “Happy Days”
Must see viewing on Tuesday nights on Channel 9 on the peasant vision dial was “Happy Days”. One episode, the Fonz sets up his best friend Richie Cunningham on a double date with two women. They were named Laverne and Shirley. Fonzie would take Laverne and Richie would date Shirley.
Must see viewing on Tuesday nights on Channel 9 on the peasant vision dial was “Happy Days”. One episode, the Fonz sets up his best friend Richie Cunningham on a double date with two women. They were named Laverne and Shirley. Fonzie would take Laverne and Richie would date Shirley.
Richie’s parents are out for the night when the girls come over. The Fonz and Laverne quickly go back to his place while Shirley stays with Richie. She starts to tell a story about a recent fight she had with Laverne.
She told Laverne, “You have a mouth like a sewa (sewer).” One thing led to another and Shirley described how she curled up her fist and hit her – and inadvertently smacks Richie. Shirley, horrified, immediately drops to the floor beside Richie and says, “Let me kiss a boo boo.”
At that point, Richie’s parents come home.
That was the beginning of “Laverne and Shirley”.
Colourful characters
“Laverne and Shirley” was populated by a bunch of colourful characters. There was Laverne’s dad Frank Defazio, who owned the Pizza Bowl, where you could bowl a few frames while you had a slice or two. There was his girlfriend and later wife Edna Babish, who was the girls’ landlady. There was Carmine Ragusa, the Big Ragu, who was a dancer, singer and boxer who had an on-again, off-again romance with Shirley. And of course there were Lenny and Squiggy, who just looked greasy and goofy, but were still family.
“Laverne and Shirley” was populated by a bunch of colourful characters. There was Laverne’s dad Frank Defazio, who owned the Pizza Bowl, where you could bowl a few frames while you had a slice or two. There was his girlfriend and later wife Edna Babish, who was the girls’ landlady. There was Carmine Ragusa, the Big Ragu, who was a dancer, singer and boxer who had an on-again, off-again romance with Shirley. And of course there were Lenny and Squiggy, who just looked greasy and goofy, but were still family.
Two quick Lenny and Squiggy memories. They were making a deal and when the others said “Let’s shake on it”, they literally started shaking their bodies, instead of their hands. Often, someone said something odd, gross, or awkward like “That sounds like a toilet”, or “Only someone greasy would do that”and suddenly Lenny and Squiggy would burst through the door with Squiggy saying “Hello”.
And a Carmine Ragusa memory. He was a singer and I recall him singing, “You’ll never go from Rags to Riches”. It seemed like kind of a theme song for him. It turns out he was also a friend of the Fonz’s as they teamed up once, in an episode of “Happy Days” I believe, to save the day.
Opening credits
The show starts with Laverne and Shirley, arms linked. They're doing what looks like hopscotch that turns into a dance, leading straight into the theme “Making Our Dreams Come True”. They are reciting these words that I never understood.
The show starts with Laverne and Shirley, arms linked. They're doing what looks like hopscotch that turns into a dance, leading straight into the theme “Making Our Dreams Come True”. They are reciting these words that I never understood.
While researching this entry, I discovered I was getting the words right. They in fact are not English, but a Yiddish-American hopscotch chant from Penny Marshall’s childhood.
This was another song I recorded off TV with a tape deck my brother left behind when he went off to college. It had an actual microphone I held right up to the speaker on the TV. I recall listening to that, rewinding it, and listening again trying to figure out what they were saying.
The end
The show went on for eight seasons, moving from Milwaukee to California starting in season six. After season seven Cindy Williams got pregnant. After two episodes in season eight, she was written out, after protesting a schedule that had her working on her due date. She left the show, sued the studio, and there was no more Shirley in “Laverne and Shirley”, although the name was never changed.
The show went on for eight seasons, moving from Milwaukee to California starting in season six. After season seven Cindy Williams got pregnant. After two episodes in season eight, she was written out, after protesting a schedule that had her working on her due date. She left the show, sued the studio, and there was no more Shirley in “Laverne and Shirley”, although the name was never changed.
After the eighth season, “Laverne and Shirley”, which ran from 1976 to 1983, starting as a mid-season replacement for the 1975-1976 season, was cancelled, after a total of 178 episodes.
Imitation
A few years after the show was off the air, I heard something interesting. Schatz Brewery was a fictional brewery but it was not until years later I heard of Schlitz Beer. After all, back then without cable TV, I didn’t know about a lot of American products. Well, Schlitz is Schatz, but you probably already knew that.
A few years after the show was off the air, I heard something interesting. Schatz Brewery was a fictional brewery but it was not until years later I heard of Schlitz Beer. After all, back then without cable TV, I didn’t know about a lot of American products. Well, Schlitz is Schatz, but you probably already knew that.
See you Sunday night
Cindy Williams did some other work in the 1980s, but the one role that sticks out for me is not only a great role she played, but a movie that kicked off a new feature on Sunday nights on CBC.
Cindy Williams did some other work in the 1980s, but the one role that sticks out for me is not only a great role she played, but a movie that kicked off a new feature on Sunday nights on CBC.
The movie, released in 1986, was called “Help Wanted: Kids”. Williams and Bill Hudson, her real-life husband of the time, played ad executives married to each other. Intending to make a good impression on their new boss, they hire two orphans to play their children.
“Help Wanted: Kids” kicked off a new feature on ABC called “The Disney Sunday Movie”. Each movie would be introduced by Michael Eisner who was the head of Disney at the time. A few months later, CBC followed suit. They slid it into their Sunday night line-up where “Magical World of Disney” had played after “The Beachcombers” for years.
I recall doing my homework and only half watching this movie, until a pivotal scene when the music playing in the background as the adults went after their upset children was “Broken Wings” by Mr. Mister.
Parting thoughts
It is always interesting that someone can create a signature role then just be discarded at a moment’s notice. For seven years Cindy Williams played Shirley Feeney helping take the show to number one in the ratings and, in 1978, earning a Golden Globe nomination for the role. Then, she decided to start a family and the producers couldn't even show enough sympathy to give her time to have the baby.
It is always interesting that someone can create a signature role then just be discarded at a moment’s notice. For seven years Cindy Williams played Shirley Feeney helping take the show to number one in the ratings and, in 1978, earning a Golden Globe nomination for the role. Then, she decided to start a family and the producers couldn't even show enough sympathy to give her time to have the baby.
It was a sad ending to a role that I am sure made the studio and the network more money than Cindy Williams ever saw.
Yet, time does have a way of blurring the bad things some times. I had forgotten all that, other than Williams getting pregnant while making the show. Maybe it wasn’t as public as it certainly would be today.
In any event, the over-arching memories are of Cindy Williams playing alongside Penny Marshall in a comedy that made you laugh, out loud some times, and occasionally even made you cry.
They portrayed a simpler time where everything always seemed to work out in the end.
That’s not a bad legacy to leave.
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