"Penny Marshall & Cindy Williams" book, introduction

My copy is in better shape than this but worn.

This 1977 book was sort of the inspiration for this blog.  Originally sold for $1.25 and falling into my hands for free (while selling online for $10 or more), I knew it wouldn't contain anything too shocking, but it was comfort reading months after Penny Marshall's death.  And it made me decide to buy the series on DVD and blog about it.  It seems a good time to revisit the book, a chapter at a time, but first a little more background.

The cover says, "BEHIND THE SCENES OF TV'S MOST POPULAR SERIES," which suggests it's a more general approach to the show.  But the "girls" are in the title, and the cover promises "AN INTIMATE LOOK AT THEIR LIFE STORIES AND THE FAMOUS MEN WHO LOVE THEM!"  Click-bait in print form.

The back cover mentions Penny "marrying the boy across-the-street," while "Cindy, on the other hand,...is more of a free spirit and doesn't think she'll ever marry."  Again, we are promised "an exciting, intimate portrayal of two young actresses -- their lives, their loves, their hopes and dreams."  The book is 154 pages, so how intimate could it be?

The cover photo is interesting, comical and yet almost romantic, as the girls look like they're dancing, their expressions (Cindy's especially) mischievous.  Unlike the black-and-white photos inside, they are not in their own modern clothes but in the costumes of their characters, Laverne's L on a recognizable blouse, Shirley in pearls, their hairstyles '50s.

There is no author information here about Connie Berman, although a Google search shows she also wrote about Dolly Parton, Shaun Cassidy, and other celebrities.