How did Laverne & Shirley become the #1 show in America?

stank

I watched it on Nick at Nite when I was a kid, but as I got older I didn't care for it anymore. It's so cartoonish.

The original proto-Two Broke Girls.

L&S used to come on Tuesday nights after "Happy Days." We would watch both, but my mom absolutely hated L&S because the ladies were frequently screaming while engaged in slapstick antics. Mom was very noise sensitive.

Poor competition? What else was on at the time?

Unfortunately, most Garry Marshall shows do not hold up well. The writing is high school level deep, and the audience cheering when every single actor enters the room wears out its welcome quickly.

The two exceptions are The Odd couple and Angie. Angie has some dreadful writing, but the cast manages to really elevate the material. Particularly Sharon Spellman, who should have been nominated for an Emmy.

Because Laverne always had an "L" on her left tit

They were #1 from 1977 to 1979.

Their competition in 1977-78: The Fitzpatricks, then Shields & Yarnell on CBS, and The Richard Pryor Show, then The Man from Atlantis, then Chuck Barris Rah Rah Show on NBC.

Their competition in 1978-79: The Paperchase on CBS, and Grandpa Goes to Washington, then Cliffhangers, then The Runaways on NBC.

What knocked them off in 1980?

ABC moved all of their shows around that season and most of them took a huge hit in the ratings. Some recovered, and some didn't. Laverne and Shirley didn't.

There were only three tv networks and there was nothing else to watch.

Imagine how shitty a show had to be to be trounced by Laverne & Shirley

Only one Emmy nomination despite being on the air for almost a decade.

"We were broke, people could relate. I'm very safe in the ghetto."

[quote] What knocked them off in 1980?

The infamous lesbian episode got a lot of FCC attention.

If Ed Marinaro had been made a regular, it would still be thriving in reruns.

I'm not making excuses for bad sitcom writing, but the country had just been through the trauma of Watergate and a president resigning, not to mention all of the vets returning from Vietnam. A large segment of the public wanted generally more wholesome, feel good comedies at that point. Also the nostalgia for the 50s was wrapped up in this sentiment (shows and movies like L & S, Happy Days, Sha Na Na, Grease, Diner, American Graffiti, etc), to be followed by the rise of conservativism/Reagan in the 80s.

It is a problem with a segment of American culture--we tend not to want to solve problems, but shove them aside and prefer to have feel good, happy time distractions. Exhibit A: President Donald Trump and the last 3 1/2 years.

It was one of my favorite shows back then. And the theme song, beautifully sung to Cyndi Grecco, is one of my fav songs all time.

Me, of course.

It wasn't funny at all. It was silly and cutesy with over the top idiocy. Every time I've attempted to watch a rerun I feel like I'm wasting time and rotting my brain.

I loved "Cliffhangers", R8!!

The laugh track was so loud, it convinced millions of people that the show was actually funny

It was the late 1970s, an era of '50s and early '60s nostalgic reflection and obsession for maturing Baby Boomers; and, along those lines, the Laverne/Shirley characters had a comedic chemistry experiencing comic situations that resonated with fans of that earlier era's "I Love Lucy" Lucy/Ethel characters and adventures.

I wouldn't know.

That Lenny and Squiggy was an obvious couple a pixies!

The move from Milwaukee to Burbank, Carmine's departure for Broadway (to star in "Hair"), the addition of new characters, and finally, Cindy Williams departure to have a baby, subsequent lawsuit, and release from her contract changed the dynamic so that it was no longer "Laverne & Shirley," but "The Penny Marshall Show." The show was still popular, but when Penny demanded that production be moved to New York City, ABC decided to end the series.

I was just a child, but I thought the Squiggy "Hello!" was hilarious. Also, the Big Ragu was hot. At that time, most people only had access to four channels: ABC, NBC, CBS, and PBS. It was the least terrible of four weak choices.

Cindy Williams auditioned for Princess Leia, her audition tape is online. She played it exactly like she played Shirley. Thank god George Lucas didn't cast her!

Remember that it was the #1 show, period—not just among its time slot. So R8’s post is lacking as they’re talking time slot. In terms of all programming, however, L&S was beating out programs such as MASH, Three’s Company, All in the Family, Happy Days, Mork & Mindy, The Jeffersons, Taxi, Charlie’s Angels, The Love Boat, Diff’rent Strokes and more. I would rather watch any of those shows before Laverne and Shirley.

So for a couple years there, L&S was knocking off some real heavy hitters before the time slot change screwed them up. The question is why, and I guess R23’s explanation sounds reasonable enough.

Shortly before Penny Marshall died, she and Cindy Williams sat down for a joint interview with the Television Academy Foundation. It's very good.

Btw, the show that took the crown from Laverne & Shirley was Dallas in 1980. It held the title for four years before Dynasty beat them in 1984. Then The Cosby Show became king in 1985.

I get the nostalgia and escapism factor, but it still doesn't change the fact that most of the Marshall shows have a quality level that is about on the level of a "Saved By the Bell"

Th Odd couple was a solid, quality show. Even the first season or two Happy Days was quite good. Then once Fonzie hit it big, it got completely dumbed down and turned into actors reiterating catch phrases and mugging their lines for the audience that screamed their heads off everytime someone new entered the room. And that seemed to become a Garry Marshall trademark for his series.

Shit, Nancy Walker left Rhoda AND McMillan and Wife to do something called Blanksy's Beauties. Try watching the entire episode. What a steaming pile of SHIT. Makes Charlie's Angels look like Masterpiece Theater.

i actually loved that show then and now... to me, it's actually the one show from that time that still "holds up"... at least compared to 'happy days" which is beyond cheesy....

I lived through it, OP, and I still have no idea.

Mary Tyler Moore never got to #1 but this show did?

I loved "Laverne and Shirley" and as a teen I roared with laughter every week....until they moved to California, then I quit watching!

Only America's most beloved get a Saturday morning cartoon series.

The show had a great theme song!

Interesting fact; Lenny’s last name is Kosnowski, which is Polish for “help, there is a hog in my kitchen.” Also, I’m shocked by the lack of praise for Betty Garrett.

Ed Marinaro was also pretty hot in Hill Street Blues.

Certainly not a match for today's sensibilities, but the show had heart.

Boo Boo Kitty was the secret to its success.

The move to California was deadly. The producers, writers, etc. might get bored, but they don't realize the audience doesn't want change. We like comfortable, familiar things.

where can we stream L&S ?

Because it was fucking hilarious. OP has zero sense of humor. Probably doesn't think I Love Lucy is funny, either.

Did Melania ever Vo-Di-O-Doh and never tell?

We know that Shirley was a good girl and never kissed and told.....

R40 Today's sensibilities suck.

[quote]where can we stream L&S ?

There are many full episodes on Youtube.

R38 I met Betty Garrett when I was a child. L&S was my absolute favorite TV show. Her car broke down in front of a relative's house in LA and I happened to be staying there with my mom during summer vacation. It was an old Mustang. She came in to use the phone and stayed until the tow-truck came. I admired a knickknack she had stuck to the dashboard. The next day, after the car was fixed, she came back to the house and gave me the knickknack. I still have it. Lovely woman.

Outstanding! What is the knickknack???

But whose pussy stunk more? Laverne or Shirley? Edna Babish? Rhonda Lee? Or Carmine's Mussy?

R49 A small baby seal figurine, with a fuzzy, flocked surface. :-D

Just wonderful! Thanks for the story!

R52 You're welcome! So many celebrities are asses, you really remember the ones that are kind.

I tried to see what the fuss was about when Logo began airing it and it was nearly unwatchable but still a million times better than Happy Days.

L&S was fun. Betty Garrett left All In The Family for this show, perhaps because she didn't like the chemistry at CBS.

People love shit. Remember your average person isn’t very bright and doesn’t have good taste.

Despite some stunningly good ales being made in America, some like Sierra Nevada even being widely available, the number one best selling beer by a WIDE margin is Bud Light.

I've been rewatching a couple episodes on dvd & my fav was when Laverne goes to a convent for two weeks (Shirley had already left).

I laugh my ass off at the stuff in that one.

Kids love the slapstick, parents like the PG 13 talk & you know what you're getting every show (L & S barging in after something gross was said).

The G. Marshall shows had a lot of heart which some others tried to do but couldn't pull off at the time.

Although I loved sci fi I couldn't get into Mofrk at the time (I still can't).

This show is a prime example of a show better remembered from when you were a kid than to try to watch it now. It was hilarious when I was 10 years old.

All the ABC Garry Marshall shows of the 70s/early 80s were the prototype to ABC's THIF shows a decade later

In fact , Miller/Boyett got their start producing L&S, HD and M&M with Garry Marshall and Edward Milkis, before leaving Paramount for Warner's/Lorimar and then came their own Perfect Strangers, Valerie, Full House, Family Matters, Step By Step etc.

Also Full House creator Jeff Franklin, was a showrunner on L& S from 1978-1980, he actually wrote some hilarious L&S episodes, like the train murder mystery two parter, don't know what the hell happened when he created that dreadful Full House in 1987

John Stamos also credits Garry Marshall for getting him cast as Uncle Jesse on Full House and Marshall for coming up with his FH catchphrase, "Have Mercy"

Here's a possible reason

It was unfunny then and unfunny now.

If in heaven we don’t meet, We can help each other beat the heat, And if things ever get too hot, Pepsi Cola hits the spot.

The funniest lines from one of the episodes was when Lenny and Squiggy came over to their apartment and asked if they could borrow some bedsheets.

Laverne and Shirley: Whaddya need to borrow sheets for? What’s wrong with yours?

Lenny and Squiggy: Because...they’re HARD!

The only thing that I remember from the show. Sad.

There were very funny bits on the show, like when they had a too bright lightbulb in their fridge, and would quickly whip dark glasses on and off when they opened its door, or when they slid under a hospital bed trying to change the sheets. Above all, Williams and Marshall had great sweet/sour chemistry together, as you can see in the r29 interviews.

I always thought Laverne was kind of gawkily grotesque and didn’t like when the stories centered around her (not that Williams was Gene Tierney, exactly.). But then, I was a child. I’d be easier on Laverne today.

The Laverne stories were the best. Shirley was a bore. Working at the Pizza Bowl sounds great right now.

They seem almost chummy in that interview. I had a vague idea they didn't like each other and fought a lot on set.

The public is always eager to pit two women against each other.

They had the same ups and downs as any long running costars who are around each other ‘round the clock for 7 or 8 years. I’m sure it begins to feel like prison after a while.

[quote]R65 The Laverne stories were the best. Shirley was a bore.

Laverne was a mouth breather.

I have no idea, It wasn't #1 because of me, I tried it a couple of times and never found it funny, more annoying than funny.

Actually they get a bit nasty in that Television Academy Interview. Penny spills the beans that Cindy dated Squiggy for a bit and wanted scenes together for pictures and videos. At one point Penny even says, "you don't want me to talk about..." something unknown.

Penny does one alone afterward and really rips into Cindy's husband for fucking things up. She also rags on Cindy a bit for her movie career and concerns about her looks on camera.

Let's face it, Laverne was unattractive and had a horrible voice. The only way she ever would have gotten laid was by being easy.

Laverne and Shirley was one of those right time, right place kind of deals. Frankly, there are a bunch of shows on television that are pure ca-ca that are either on right now or have recently ended but yet are in syndication that stinks up the airwaves. Contenders are: Two and a half men, two broke girls and anything starring Tim Allen.

Season 8

#11 =

There were better written shows on at the same time: Taxi, Barney Miller, WKRP.

L&S seemed to be most successful when it had Happy Days as a lead-in and have competing shows that were either awful or simply had a very different audience.

Cindy had several noted theatrical films under her belt before she did television. She was never really an interesting actress. serviceable but not much more than that.

No one ever went broke underestimating the taste or intelligence of the American public.

[quote]L&S was fun. Betty Garrett left All In The Family for this show, perhaps because she didn't like the chemistry at CBS.

CBS didn't produce All in the Family -- they just broadcast it. And I'm assuming she left because she was barely a semi-regular on that show.

[quote]R75 Cindy had several noted theatrical films under her belt before she did television.

She was kind of the Kate Jackson of the cast, furious she had to turn down SOPHIE’S CHOICE.

R77, she was barely a semi regular on L&S as well. When she left, she said she thought it would be fun to work with Penny and Cindy. The rumors were already around, so AITF was probably not a picnic.

Cindy did make a good television film produced by Ross Hunter called SUDDENLY, LOVE. It was about a girl from humble beginnings who became an architect and married into a wealthy family. Her husband was played by Paul Shenar. Eileen Heckart played her selfish and greedy mother; Les Ayers and Joan Bennett wer her WASP in-laws. It was not bad at all, though on critic called it a “trite throwback to Helen Trent” or something like that. It was on YouTube for a while but it’s gone now. I may look for it on BitTorrent.

Americans a very, very stupid.

[quote]It was about a girl from humble beginnings who became an architect and married into a wealthy family.

They STEEL my STORRY! I sue for roylaties!

It was mindless fun, as most of ABC's lineup under Fred Silverman was.

Like its "parent" show, it went on too long. But it was fun.

In real life Penny Marshall was married to Rob Reiner (The Meathead) on All In The Family for a few years. She was also considered for the role of Gloria Bunker on All In The Family.

^^ I get her family tree mixed up. I thought that guy was her brother. Till now!

Garry Marshall, who created Happy Days, L&S, Mork and Mindy (and later did films like Pretty Woman) is Penny's brother.

Reiner was her ex-husband. And if I remember right, he adopted Penny's daughter and they are still family, even after the divorce.

And was her grandfather an established figure... or that was her husband’s father?