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DVD Laverne & Shirley - The Complete First Season
As a spin-off from Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley was an instant hit and one of the most popular sitcoms of the '70s. It's a bit quaint by contemporary standards, and its light-hearted sentiment is strictly old-school, due to the crowd-pleasing influence of producer and cocreator Garry Marshall, a veteran of The Dick Van Dyke Show whose subsequent film career peaked early with Pretty Woman. As working-class roommates in mid-1950s Milwaukee, Laverne De Fazio (Penny Marshall, future director and Garry's sister) and Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams) were a classic case of opposites: Laverne was relatively saucy and cynical, while Shirley was cheerfully naive and eternally optimistic. As bottle-cappers at the Shotz brewery, they regularly associated with colleagues (and eventual neighbors) Lenny (Michael McKean) and Squiggy (David L. Lander), and as an inaugural ratings-booster, Happy Days superstar Henry Winkler (as "Fonzie") appears in the first three episodes including "Bowling for Razzberries," later named by TV Guide as a classic episode. As Shirley's crooning would-be beau, Carmine "The Big Ragoo" Rugusa (Eddie Mekka) provided a touch of romance to Shirley's otherwise lackluster love life.
Despite personal rancor that later erupted between its energetic costars, Laverne & Shirley was always a showcase for polished, professional comedy and effortless chemistry between characters, giving it the same widespread appeal later enjoyed by Friends. A mid-season replacement with a prime time-slot (following Happy Days at 8:30 Tuesdays on ABC) the show placed its good-natured characters in a variety of standard sitcom predicaments, typically set in L&S's apartment, the "Pizza Bowl" diner run by Laverne's father Frank (Phil Foster), or the Shotz brewery, where some of the show's funniest slapstick humor emerged. These 15 episodes are guaranteed to please longtime fans on a stroll down memory lane, but bonus features are nonexistent, and newcomers may not relate to the clean-cut humor of a bygone era. Still, Laverne & Shirley started strong and continued to improve, at least for another season or two, with a variety of popular guest stars. This three-disc set represents the best of times for everyone involved. --Jeff Shannon
Review(s): DVD Laverne & Shirley - The Complete First Season
"We're gonna do it!"
Laverne and Shirley was a spinoff from Happy Days from an episode from the 1975-76 season ("So I told her 'Laverne, you have a mouth like a sewer!' Then she curls up her chubby little fist and goes BAM!"- landing her date Richie on the floor). Although Happy Days star the Fonz (Henry Winkler) guests on the 1st and 2nd episode, it didn't take long for Laverne and Shirley to develop on their own. Like Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley took place in Milwaukee, WI, in the late 1950's. Most of the episodes take place in their apartment, Shotz brewery, or Laverne's father's pizzeria/bowling alley.
Laverne DeFazio (Penny Marshall, who guested on The Odd Couple and Bob Newhart and later director) was the more street-smart one, was sarcastic and irreverent, with a heart of gold behind the rough talk (and of course, had her "L" stitched on most of her clothes). Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams, who co-starred in American Graffitti and later 8 Simple Rules) was her best friend. She was basically the sweetheart next door, hypersensitive and moralistic, whose best intentions didn't always work out. While Shirley dreamed about marrying a Prince Charming, Laverne dreamed more about "vodeeo-dodo." Their shadows and later neighbors are Lenny (Michael McKean, later from Spinal Tap) and Squiggy (David L Lander), 2 lovable greaser-nerds, whom Laverne and Shirley tolerate ("Hallo!"), reminiscent of Dumb and Dumber. Cindy Williams once shared in a reunion show that their characters were so funny she and Penny Marshall sometimes got jealous that Lenny and Squiggy often got the "better lines." Other regulars included Frank DeFazio (Phil Foster), Laverne's gruff but lovable father and Carmine Ragusa, aka the Great Ragoo (Eddie Mekka), whom would bail Laverne and Shirley out whenever their plans fell through and Shirley had a big crush on (he could do it all- a boxer, a dance instructor and a singer "You know I'd go from rags to riches!").
Anyways, you get 15 episodes (this is a 1/2 season, as it was introduced in January of 1976). Sorry, but no extras (except an afterword with the Fonz at the end of the pilot episode), though the Happy Days episode which introduced them would have been a worthy extra. The opening episode features Laverne and Shirley being invited to a high society banquet and Lenny and Squiggy "rent" them dresses for the occasion. The Fonz helps organize a bachelor party which Laverne willingly and Shirley reluctantly agree to help out with. Shirley hosts a high school reunion (Laverne at first doesn't want anything to do with the reunion until a mutual friend, "Nutsy" comes to town). Laverne almost gets married to a sailor whom she only likes but doesn't love (Al Moriano guest stars). Shirley adopts a bird whom flies out the window (she drives Laverne crazy with her high hopes of the bird coming back- "Tweet tweet, Shirl!"). Carmine finds a girlfriend, much to the heartbreak of Shirley. Lenny and Squiggy rent a room in the same apartment complex, much to the chagrin of Laverne and Shirley. Shirley gets a job as beer taster, but Mr Shotz, President of Shotz Brewery has ulterior motives. Laverne is chosen by a policeman she has a crush on to investigate in a stakeout, despite Shirley's objections (the culprit is easily spotted wearing one of Shirley's poodle skirts and one of Laverne's sweaters with the L on it). A German dry cleaning employee loses his job and Laverne and Shirley do their best to help him. Mrs. Feeney, Shirley's mother, comes to visit Laverne and Shirley and still treats her little girl like a kid.
Like with the Happy Days 1st Season, I hope to see Season 2 of Laverne and Shirley out soon!
L & S rulez!!!!!
A lot spin offs cannot masure up to this spin off!!!! Not only is the opening a catchey little tune but the entire show is just funny. At least up until Williams left the show. I see that a lot of reviews want to see the rest of the seasons realeased. I know that I do. I read on (...) that in order to set more seasons of Happy Days they would need to fork over like about 1 million alone for the theme song. Happy Days ruled the airwaves in its run and is a very great show. It went to mention that L&S would receive the same treatment when they can get Happy Days series off the ground. As we can recall Happy Dayts was released around the same time L&S was. I know it I will be collecting the rest of the seires of this show as well as Happy DAys, and others like Bewitched. The site went ot say that series dvd are selling like hot cakes. Paromount is looking heavily into their TV series catalog, and getting such wonderful shows out ASAP. This series is a wonderful starter collection to many more that will come in the future. Hopefully before I am in the rest home, hehe Keep your fingers crossed.....
Funny
I remember watching this in reruns when I was kid and thought it was extremely funny. I haven't purchased it yet because I'm waiting to see if the studio is serious about giving us season sets or if this is going to be another Party of Five.
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