"Once Upon a Rumor"

"Once Upon a Rumor"

"In your dreams, Fella!" seems to be what she's thinking.

March 16, 1976

B-

Holly Mascott's only L & S script, the first written by a woman, is an uneasy balance between '50s and '70s in relation to the double standard, although of course the idea that a "reputation" for a guy is good while a girl having a reputation makes her a "bimbo" sadly hasn't disappeared, even if the terminology has changed.  Shirley becomes popular for the wrong reason when a proto-Three's-Company misunderstanding leads Lenny to believe that she fooled around in the break room with Squiggy, which Squiggy doesn't deny.  I might've gone with a B, but Laverne scoffing at Shirley's story of being attacked (not raped but "jumped" and I guess fighting the unseen-by-us guy off) doesn't sit well, even allowing for the times.  The argument here is that because Shirley is saving herself for her wedding night, she shouldn't be gossiped about, but what if she weren't a virgin?  Still, that this is even brought up, from the female perspective, is something you probably wouldn't have got on Happy Days.

The shipping notes get a little more complicated this episode.  It was apparent in earlier episodes that Squiggy felt a mild lust for Shirley and he here does ask her on a date as a reward for fixing her zipper, but of course she is Carmine's "Angel Face," and Carmine threatens Squiggy for not telling the truth.  The surprise is Lenny assumes that Shirley only puts out for Squiggy because she's in love with Squiggy, a pairing that Laverne finds nauseating.  Breaking this down a little more, is Lenny a romantic, or does he put Shirley on a slightly higher pedestal because of her virginal image?  Or is it that, as will be made clearer later, he thinks Squiggy is a ladies' man and so he doesn't see any reason why Shirley wouldn't be in love with him?

There's not much Lavenny shipping in contrast, although the second picture I've chosen would suggest otherwise.  (The happily-married-to-other-people Marshall and McKean do have a chemistry that comes through even when it's not supposed to, more so over time, but I'll discuss that as we go along.)

Charles Frank would return later that year as cute upstairs neighbor Jerry Callihan.  Shearer is given more to do as the Public Address Announcer this time, which leads to a payoff with him doing voiceovers with Squiggy, including Squiggy singing "Still of the Night," and Lenny (onscreen) doing backup, a slight hint of their later musical endeavors, as well as a Credibility Gap reunion.  Howard Storm would direct seven more episodes, although I associate him more with his 59 for Mork & Mindy.