25 Things About "Laverne & Shirley"-- Part 7: What Does "Schmeill, Schmazell Mean?

22.  Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams presented the People's Choice award in 1977 to Henry Winkler and Ron Howard of "Happy Days."

23.  The famous "Schmeill, Schmazell, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated" that preceded Cyndi Grecio's classic theme song "Making Our Dreams Come True" in the opening montage came from Penny Marshall's childhood friends' song they used to sing walking to school.  According to The free Dictionary, Schmeill Schmazell means an unlucky person.

And, I always thought it had to do with the brewery where they worked.

24.  Cindy Williams left a couple episodes into the 8th and final season.  The reasons for her exit vary depending upon who gives it, but everyone agrees part of it was her demands about the show accommodating her pregnancy.  Feelings were hard and Penny and Cindy did not talk for several years.

25.  Cindy and Penny did reunite for a 2013 episode of "Sam & Cat" on Nickelodeon.

--DaCootSchmeill

25 Things About "Laverne & Shirley"-- Part 6: Don't Steal My Boo Boo

18.  Shirley Feeney's beloved Boo Boo Kitty became an inanimate series regular.  It was pulled out from under a bed by Cindy Williams.  Shirley improvised Boo Boo from her mom's car's name.  It was one of a kind and there were no duplicate Boo Boos.  The propmaster had to lock it up after each show was filmed.

19.  There was a line of merchandise for the show, including dolls of Laverne, Shirley, Lenny and Sqiggy.  Also a board game and coloring book among others.

20.  The show was filmed on Paramount's Stage 20.  This stage was also where the original "The Odd Couple" (on which Penny Marsall co-starred), "My Three Sons,"  "Star Trek Voyager" and "Primal Fear."

21.  In Season 3's talent show episode, Frances Williams, Cindy's mother, played Mrs. Bellini and Penny's mother Marjorie Marshall played the dance teacher.

--CootBoo

25 Things About "Laverne and Shirley"-- Part 5: The Big Ragu and Guest Stars

16.  Eddie Mekka played Carmine Raguso, aspiring actor and singer, Shirley's sometime boyfriend, was slated for a spinoff series, but it didn't happen after "Laverne and Shirley" was cancelled.  Remember him singing "Rags to Riches" or "I Left My Heart In San Francisco."

17.  Ted Danson, pre-"Cheers," was in one of the series' more serious episodes "Why Did the Fireman..."  Danson's fireman character, Randy Carpenter, was ready to propose but killed while on the job.

Other "Laverne and Shirley" guest stars:  Jay Leno, Mark Harmon, Carrie Fisher, Art Garfunkel (who dated Penny Marshall), Adam West, Eric Idle and Fred Dryer.

More guest stars:  Vickie Lawrence, Richard Moll, Jim Belushi, Jeff Goldblum, Hugh Heffner, Laraine Newman,Harold Dean Stanton, Howard Hesseman,  and Louis Lasser.

"And Though My Pocket May Be Empty, I'd Be a Millionaire."  --CootRagu

25 Things About "Laverne and Shirley"-- Part 4: Milk and Pepsi Drink?

12.  Laverne's favorite beverage on the show was milk and Pepsi.

13.  Penny Marshall made her directorial debut in the Season 4 episode  "Squiggy In Love."  She later went on to direct the movie "Big," becoming the first female director to do over $100 million at the box office.  later, she directed "A League of Their Own" and "Awakenings."

14.  Producers planned to end "Laverne & Shirley" after Season 5 when they moved to New York City, but Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams protested and remained in Milwaukee before moving to Hollywood for three more seasons.

15.  In 1981, a spinoff cartoon  "Laverne and Shirley in the Army" aired for one season on ABC's Saturday Morning cartoon lineup.

--DaLaverne

25 Things About 'LaVerne and Shirley'-- Part 3: What About Laverne's Famous "L" Monogram

8.  Lenny and Squiggy were originally hired on to the "Laverne & Shirley" show as writers, but wrote themselves into the story line  The network even considered having them get a spin-off of their own.

9.  Squiggy regularly tried to get Laverne to go out with him.  Cindy Williams and David Lander actually dated during the early seasons.

10.  Laverne and Shirley was a Marshall family affair.  Penny Marshall starred in it.  Gary Marshall created, produced, wrote and directed.  Their sister Ronny Hallin was casting director.  Their father Anthony Marshall was producer.  Once Anthony Marshall thought Penny had talked rudely to him and refused to sign her weekly $75,000 check until she apologized.

11.  Laverne's famous ubiquitous "L" monogram came about so viewers would remember her name. on the new show.

--Cooter

25 Things You Didn't Know About 'Laverne & Shirley'-- Part 2

4.  Cindy Willaims and Penny Marshall were working on a movie, "My Country Tis of Thee" for Francis Ford Coppola when they were cast as Laverne & Shirley.

5.  The show debuted January 27, 1976 and was the #1 TV show for that week.  The #1 TV show that year  was "All in the Family" starring Penny Marshall's then husband, Rob Reiner.

6.  The show was an immediate hit and the duo were asked to record an album "Laverne & Shirley Sing" in 1976.  One person tried to turn them into a girl group called "The Rosebuds."

7.  Michael McKean and David Lander, aka Lenny and Squiggy, also released an album called "Lenny & Squiggy Present Lenny and the Squigtones" singing in character.  They even performed the song "King of the Cars" on American Bandstand.

Hello!!  --DaCootSquig

25 Things You Didn't Know About 'Laverne & Shirley'-- Part 1

From the June 16, 2015, Yahoo! TV  "Schlemiel, Schimazel: 25 Things You Never Knew About 'Lavern & Shirley'" by Kimberly Potts.

The sitcom ran from 1976-1983 and was a favorite of mine.

1.  It was a "Happy Days" spinoff.  Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams were guests on the Season 3 of it as Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeny.  The episode was "A Date With Fonzie."  They had a double date with Fonzie and Richie.  It was popular with viewers.  Cindy Williams briefly dated Henry Winkler but on the episode, Laverne was Fonzie's date.

2.  They appeared to be having fun on the episode, but off camera there was a lot of cursing going on during "Lavern & Shirley."

3.  There was almost a war going on between the writers and actors during Laverne & Shirley."

Heeeyyyyyy!   --CootFonz