Penny Marshall

In the two-hour solo portion of her interview, Penny Marshall (1943-2018) talks about her childhood, which included appearing as a child dancer on many shows, and her early acting career, which included a Head & Shoulders commercial with Farrah Fawcett and being considered to play "Gloria Bunker" opposite then-husband Rob Reiner on All in the Family before Sally Struthers was cast. She describes playing "Myrna Turner" opposite Jack Klugman and Tony Randall for her brother, executive producer Garry Marshall's show, The Odd Couple. She recalls being cast as "Laverne DeFazio" opposite Cindy Williams as "Shirley Feeney" on Laverne & Shirley, and talks of various aspects of that show including the physical comedy, the writing, its popularity, and Williams leaving before the run was over. Marshall discusses her career as a feature film director which included directing Big, Awakenings, A League of Their Own, The Preacher's Wife, and Riding in Cars with Boys. She speaks of her autobiography My Mother Was Nuts and concludes the solo portion of her interview with advice to aspiring actors and directors and discussing her legacy in the entertainment business. 

In the hour-and-a-half joint portion of their interview, Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall outline how they met and began writing together. They speak of how Laverne & Shirley came about, and Williams' initial hesitancy to commit to the series. They chronicle the show's physical comedy bits, their on-screen chemistry, and their co-stars, including Michael McKean and David L. Lander as "Lenny" and "Squiggy." They detail various reunion shows, reuniting on the series Sam & Cat, and their friendship over the years.  Amy Harrington conducted the interviews on August 7, 2013 in Hollywood, CA.