"Antonio the Amazing"

It's an episode with lots of beefcake.

"Antonio the Amazing"
April 1, 1980
B-

Cindy Begel and Lesa Kite's first of three times as a writing team for L & S has Ed Marinaro as the title character, Laverne's cousin from Italy.  Obviously, there's cognitive dissonance here, considering that Marinaro would show up as Laverne's boyfriend in California the following season.  On its own though, it shows that Marinaro works well with the regular cast, including Lenny and "Squidgy," who amuse him and show him how to be American, Lenny of course demonstrating how to bite your hand as an expression of joy.

Note that initially both Laverne and Shirley lust after Antonio, with Laverne clearly disappointed to find out that they're related, and Shirley needing to be reminded that she has Carmine (I cracked up at the way Cindy W. said "Edna"), but then they just seem fond of him, Laverne wanting him to be her honorary big brother.  Also, this is the second episode in a row where Shirley assumes that Laverne is still a virgin, admittedly a dirty-minded virgin.  And yet, Shirley is eager for Laverne to share what she overhears at Confession.  Oh, and the episode has a live bear.

"Who's Papa?"

"Who's Papa?"
January 16, 1979
C+

I thought at first that this episode would be the one where Shirley's brother (played by Ed Begley, Jr., Cindy Williams's long-time friend who would later write the introduction to Shirley, I Jest) turns out to have a drinking problem, but Bobby doesn't do much other than show up and inadvertently lead to Shirley's crazy fear that she's adopted.  Luckily, that other "Bobby" episode came along later in '79.

In this one, written by Aidekman and Zoey Wilson (her only IMDB credit), Bobby is visiting for the first time in two years.  We find out that he's 14 months older than Shirley and their mother used to dress them like (male) twins.  They have three older brothers-- Michael, Timothy, and Christopher-- so presumably one of them is the one who recently graduated from heavy equipment school.  And nearly everyone is the family is very tall and blonde, while Shirley more resembles Squiggy, who becomes convinced that Shirley is his long-lost sister.* 

Squiggy, continuing Season Four's trend of twisted sexuality, feels unclean for his dreams about Shirley, and then when he finds out that they're not related, he's relieved that their children won't be morons.  Laverne says, "Don't count on it."

And, yes, Lenny & Laverne sit on a cot together, but she later kisses 2000 sailors goodbye!  And, yes, a sexy female nurse flirts with "Dr. Feeney" when Shirley is in drag.

Maurice Bar-David would direct one more episode.  Wendy Cutler is Mrs. Plout here and would be Viviana in the final season, while Reception Nurse Dee Marcus would be Esmerelda that season.  Ron Howard's father Rance plays the sympathetic but nameless Doctor.  And Carmine is absent again.


*We already know that Squiggy has a married sister he used to live with.  Lenny claims not to have a sister, but I thought he did.  We'll see if that's retconned later.