"The Beatnik Show"

"The Beatnik Show"
January 21, 1980
B-

Al Aidekman wrote this story where Shirley dabbles in the beat lifestyle, well, to the extent of performing at a coffeehouse and reading books on philosophy.  Laverne feels left out and she decides to confide in Lenny, perhaps because she's by now learned that he can be surprisingly insightful about people.  While Squiggy sits at the other end of the couch, unable to read a comic book and listen at the same time, Lenny recalls a time when Squiggy had new friends and Lenny felt left out.  He reassures Laverne about her friendship with Shirley, and says that, although he wouldn't admit this if Squiggy was there, he "loves that little guy," and he knows she feels the same about Shirley.  It's a sweet little Lavenny scene and of course Marshall and McKean play it well, with Lander interjecting about the comic book to keep it from getting too sentimental.  In fact, this is one of those episodes that is good enough that I wish it was better, but I'm just not sure how well it all gels.

Carmine is absent, although it would've been interesting to get his take on Shirley's personality change.  Shelly Lipkin is a nameless Poet here and would later be the Dead Man.  Doug Cox, here the Birthday Boy, would be Zwick.  Paul Kreppel, who plays Rafael, would spend much of the '80s as Sonny Mann on the sitcom It's a Living/ Making a Living.  And, yep, that's Art Garfunkel as the Mighty Oak (a few years before his romance with Penny).