"Naive, trusting, optimistic Shirley Feeney is waiting for Mr. Right to come along and give her the good life--a house in the suburbs with a family and a dog. That vulnerability gets Shirley into more than her fair share of tight spots, prompting her to reveal her tough side on more than one occasion. After leaving Laverne and Shirley, Cindy Williams (Shirley), who had starred in Travels with My Aunt, The Conversation and as Ron Howard's girlfriend in American Graffiti and More American Graffiti, starred in Rude Awakening and coproduced Father of the Bride, starring Steve Martin."
First up is Season Three's "Shirley's Operation," which gets this blurb: "When Shirley is rushed to the hospital for an emergency operation, Laverne, Lenny, and Squiggy accompany her--in costume from an Alice in Wonderland play. But when Shirley learns that she must undergo surgery, she disappears like the Cheshire cat. Note: Joseph Hacker (Dr. Kevin Lawler) played Jim Westmont on Knots Landing. Be on the look out for Lenny and Squiggy as Tweedledee and Tweedledum."
Well, they're kind of hard to miss. And it should read something like, "...Laverne and all their friends accompany her...." Still, I guess the blurber deserves a point for the "Cheshire cat" joke even if it doesn't make any sense. (It's not like her smile was left behind.) My main issue is, much as I enjoy the episode, what does this have to do with Shirley's trusting nature getting her into trouble? It's actually an episode where she doesn't trust, even though she usually has a lot of faith in doctors.
"Shirl and I will be back in a minute, so don't go away" is again the Stay Tuned.
From later in Season Three comes "The Horse Show," described this way: "When Shirley moves a horse named Buttercup into the apartment to save him from the glue factory, the Board of Health gives the girls twenty-four hours to get rid of the animal. Note: Watch for classic scene in which Lenny and Squiggy think they've met Mr. And [sic] Mrs. Ed."
Again, this has nothing to do with Shirley looking for Mr. Right, although I guess it is about her childlike naivete. The Stay Tuned is Shirley's "Don't go away, we'll be right back. Really." Note, I didn't catch it last time, but writer Judy Ervin names Buttercup's old owner Mr. Pioli, as in her then not-yet-husband.
Shirley's troubles continue the next season in "Who's Poppa?": "When Shirley, realizing she looks nothing like her brother and unable to find her birth certificate, suspects that she was adopted, she convinces Laverne to help her sneak into the hospital to find out the truth. Note: Ed Begley, Jr. (Robert Feeney) starred as Dr. Victor Ehrlich on St. Elsewhere. Lindsay Bloom (Nurse Krevsky) starred as Velda on Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. Rance Howard (Doctor) starred as Henry Boomhauer on Gentle Ben. Wendy Cutler (Mrs. Plout) was a regular on People Do the Craziest Things."
This time Shirley's Stay Tuned is the redundant "Don't you move, because there's to come, coming right up." Of more interest is that the DVD leaves out one line of "Barnacle Bill the Sailor." I mean, it's been in the public domain for decades, if not centuries! Was it misguided censorship, even though we don't hear Bobby and Laverne sing the "dirty" parts? Also, now I wonder if Mrs. Plout is an in-law of Alvinia's.
The last trouble with Shirley is on "The Beatnik Show" of Season Five: "When the girls visit the Buttered Cocoon, a beatnik coffeehouse, straightlaced Shirley falls deeply in the groove, prompting Laverne to do the same to make Shirley see the light. Note: Art Garfunkel, half of the musical duo of Simon and Garfunkel, makes a cameo appearance as Krasnow. Paul Kreppel (Raphael) starred as Sonny Mann on It's a Living.
You know who else I think is in this episode, uncredited and lineless? Carol Kane and Teri Garr!!
This volume seems mostly to be Laverne's trouble with Shirley. But, as she realizes on "The Beatnik Show," best friends are worth the trouble.
This isn't the worst possible Shirley comp but HAH I did not notice CK and TG in TBS!
ReplyDeleteI saw them on the DVD version this time and my jaw dropped. Actually, I spotted Carol first, because I'd know that hair and those eyes anywhere. Then I scanned the crowd and I'm 90% sure that's Teri. (The fine features and sort of the hair.) It's totally plausible that they'd do this random cameo, since Teri knew Rob Reiner back in the day, and Carol was on ABC's Taxi around then.
DeleteI don't know what episodes I'd choose for this theme, but yeah, could be worse. How about "Shirley Gets Married" and then throw in some of her "wedding" episodes? (Other than "Shotgun" obviously.) "Honeymoon Hotel," "I Do, I Do," "I Do, I Don't," and of course "Mummy's Bride."
And CK comes on S8, so we know she was friends with Penny. Also WOW I love the idea of that tape.
DeleteLOL, we can assume that almost any actress who guest-stars in Season Eight was doing it as a favor to Penny.
DeleteThanks! I can see the blurb now, "...Note: Eric Idle was in Monty Python and Yellowbeard." And four different wedding gowns, it's a natural. (Plus we would've gotten unedited "IDID" and "MB.")
Penny admitted as much during a foundation interview!
DeleteThe unedited cut of I Do, I Do exists up on Youtube in a very rough copy!
Yeah, I've seen it but it would be nice to have a good copy, even on VHS.
DeleteConfirmed in PM's autobiography, indeed Carol and Teri. (Also, Penny was already dating Art at this point, while I thought their relationship started a year or two later.)
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