60 Fun Facts About Laverne & Shirley

On which network did Laverne & Shirley run for its eight seasons?

It debuted in the Tuesday slot right after its parent show and became the most-watched program in America by its third season.

Laverne & Shirley was a spin-off of which sitcom?

The two women were first introduced as acquaintances of Fonzie, and characters guest-starred across both series for years.

What was the name of the fictitious brewery where Laverne and Shirley worked?

Matchbox even sold a toy delivery van in the brewery's livery during the show's merchandising boom.

In which city was the show set for its first five seasons?

The city was executive producer Thomas L. Miller's home town.

Which actress played Laverne DeFazio?

She went on to direct Big and A League of Their Own, and her brother co-created the series.

Which actress played Shirley Feeney?

She had initially refused the spin-off, and the role was briefly recast with an unrelated actress named Liberty Williams before she was talked into it.

What job did the two women do at the brewery?

They lost those jobs in season six when the brewery installed automated capping machinery, prompting the move west.

Michael McKean and David Lander created Lenny and Squiggy while students at which university?

They kept performing the characters in live comedy routines after graduating, before joining the cast.

With which single word, said in a dopey voice, does Squiggy make almost every entrance?

The running gag is that he and Lenny walk in just as the women are describing something unpleasant.

What is the name of Shirley's beloved stuffed cat?

The name came out when the actress forgot a line in rehearsal; it was also the name of her mother's real cat.

What is Laverne's favourite drink?

The combination became so associated with the character that fans still mix it as a novelty.

What was Carmine Ragusa's nickname?

He was a part-time boxer, former Golden Gloves champion and dance-studio owner forever chasing a showbiz break.

Which actor played Carmine?

He was a trained singer and dancer, which the writers used whenever the character performed at brewery talent shows.

Before the move west, Laverne's father Frank ran which local hangout?

He was Laverne's only parent for years and became a surrogate father to Shirley, whose family lived far away.

Who played Edna Babish, the landlady who married Laverne's father?

Edna was five-times divorced before Frank; the actress had already committed to another project when the show was extended, so Edna was written out.

To which California city did the gang move for the sixth season?

From that point the show's timeline jumped to the mid-1960s, and the new opening even shows the women kissing a 1964 Beatles poster.

At which department store did Laverne and Shirley work as gift wrappers in California?

Their boss there was Mr. Hildebrand, played by Norman Bartold.

What is the title of the show's theme song?

Released as a single, it became a top-30 American hit in 1976.

Which singer performed the theme song?

The single was lifted from her LP of the same name and became a radio favourite.

The opening hopscotch chant runs "Schlemiel! Schlimazel!" and then which two-word phrase?

The chant is a Yiddish-American hopscotch rhyme from Laverne's actress's own childhood; schoolchildren recite it in the final season.

How many episodes of Laverne & Shirley were made?

Laverne is the only character to appear in every one of them.

Which television producer created the series along with Lowell Ganz and Mark Rothman?

He was also behind the parent show and Mork & Mindy, and cast his sister as one of the leads.

During which season did the women join the Army Reserve?

The brief stint was enough to inspire an entire Saturday-morning cartoon set in the Army.

What was the nickname of Sgt. Alvinia T. Plout, the drill sergeant played by Vicki Lawrence?

She returned in season six having gone AWOL after a four-star general jilted her.

In the animated spin-off, what kind of animal was the drill sergeant Squealy?

He constantly threatened to report the pair to Sgt. Turnbuckle, voiced by Kenneth Mars.

Which Welcome Back, Kotter actor voiced Sgt. Squealy in the cartoon?

He was best known as Arnold Horshack, the class clown with the wheezing laugh.

Michael McKean's role was cut back in the final season because he was filming which film?

He appeared in only five episodes that year and was credited as a guest star.

What was the title of the 1979 in-character album released by McKean and Lander?

They promoted it on American Bandstand, performing the single "King of the Cars" in character.

Which future rock-mockumentary character, played by Christopher Guest, first appeared on the Squigtones album?

The album came out on Casablanca Records five years before the band's film.

For how much did the actress who played Shirley sue Paramount when she left in 1982?

She was pregnant and the studio had demanded she work on her scheduled due date; the case settled out of court.

In the final season, Laverne took a job in which industry?

The new job explained how she could afford to live alone once her roommate was gone; the title of the show never changed.

What was the name of the Texas barbecue restaurant Frank and Edna ran in California?

Meanwhile Carmine delivered singing telegrams while trying to break into acting.

What did Lenny and Squiggy call the business they set up in California to represent performers?

The name mashes together their two surnames, Squiggman and Kosnowski.

Ed Marinaro, who played landlord Sonny St. Jacques, left the show to star in which series?

Sonny was intended as a love interest for Laverne but was written out after a few episodes and rarely mentioned again.

Who played Rhonda Lee, the aspiring-actress neighbour who spoke in the third person?

She later became a familiar face as Sgt. Callahan in the Police Academy films.

What was Frank DeFazio's pet name for his daughter?

For all his temper, the character was written with a heart of gold and had raised Laverne alone after her mother died.

What was Squiggy's name when Lander and McKean first created the character?

Producers changed it to a German-sounding name because they felt the show already had too many Italians.

In the final episode, Carmine heads to Broadway to star in which musical?

The show's timeline had advanced one year per season since the move west, ending in 1967.

Which script letter is monogrammed on Laverne's shirts and sweaters?

The idea came from a vintage sweater in the wardrobe department, adopted so viewers would always know which roommate she was.

During its final season, Laverne & Shirley struggled against which NBC series in the ratings?

Even so, it finished the season ranked number 25 and was considered for a ninth year.

In which year did Laverne & Shirley air its last episode?

Its star agreed to a ninth season only if production moved to New York City, and the network balked at the cost.

Where did Laverne grow up before her family moved to the Midwest?

Her Italian immigrant parents relocated the family, and her mother died after the move.

Shirley becomes a devoted fan of which teen idol?

Her overbearing mother Lily, played by Pat Carroll, expected far more of her than fan-club membership.

What was the name of Squiggy's lookalike sister introduced in the final season?

She arrived in the same season that Michael McKean was largely absent, appearing in only five episodes.

Childhood nemesis Rosie Greenbaum married a rich doctor of which speciality, amusing the women?

Rosie needled Laverne by calling her a "bimbo" and returned in the season-seven reunion episode "Class of '56".

Which Paramount executive hid the first screen-test reel so producers saw only the pairing that became the show?

He told the screening room the first reel had been lost; he later ran Disney for two decades.

How did Laverne and Shirley communicate with Lenny and Squiggy in their first apartment building?

The women lived in the basement apartment and the boys directly above.

How many Golden Globe nominations did the series receive?

It also earned a single Emmy nomination despite topping the Nielsen ratings for two seasons.

Which Italian singer recorded a separate English-Italian theme when the show launched in Italy in 1980?

Half of the duo Al Bano and Romina Power, she released it as a single but it failed to chart.

Which 1976 album did the two stars record in character, featuring the single "Sixteen Reasons"?

Released on Atlantic Records, it mixed originals with 1950s and 60s standards, and the single reached number 72 in Canada.

Which toy company released Laverne and Shirley dolls at the height of the show's popularity?

The same firm made a Lenny and Squiggy set, and other merchandise ran from a board game to a video slot machine.

On Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley were first introduced as acquaintances of which character?

The show's original working title was Laverne DeFazio & Shirley Feeney.

Milwaukee was chosen as the setting because it was the home town of which executive producer?

The show later moved to Burbank once automated capping machines cost the girls their brewery jobs.

What was the first name of the unrelated actress screen-tested as Shirley when Cindy first refused?

Cindy Williams was talked round the same day and re-shot the scene that night with Penny Marshall.

Lenny thinks his surname, Kosnowski, is Polish for what?

He worked as a truck driver at the Shotz brewery.

How does Shirley try to hold back a laugh?

Her overbearing mother Lily was played by Pat Carroll.

Why did the producers change Squiggy's surname from the original Squiggliano?

The name was made German instead.

How many times had landlady Edna Babish been divorced before marrying Frank DeFazio?

Betty Garrett's Edna was later written out as having left Frank when the actress had another commitment.

Against which CBS drama was the show scheduled when ABC moved it to Thursdays in 1979?

Ratings fell sharply and it briefly went to Mondays before returning to its Tuesday slot in 1980.

Which toy company made a Shotz Brewery delivery van?

The merchandise franchise also included a board game, Halloween costumes and a video slot machine.