40 Rare Facts About Laverne & Shirley That Are Taking Fans Right Back To Shotz Brewery
Cindy Williams, the star of Laverne & Shirley, died at the age of 75 on January 25, 2023. “Knowing and loving her has been our joy and privilege,” her children said in a statement. And we’ve shared that privilege while watching Williams as Shirley Feeney, one-half of everybody’s favorite sitcom friends, alongside Penny Marshall as Laverne DeFazio. But as tributes for Williams have poured in, we’ve got to know exactly what went on behind the scenes of Laverne & Shirley. It seems friendships, careers, and sanity were all put through the wringer when the cameras were turned off.
1. Cindy Williams quit because of the producers’ reaction to her pregnancy
Cindy Williams became pregnant in March 1982 and, naturally, expected the show to work around her pregnancy. They didn’t. In fact, they even scheduled her to work on the very day her baby was due. So she quit and later filed a $20 million lawsuit. It was settled out of court, and the show inexplicably continued on without one of its leads.
2. The cast didn’t appreciate moving from Milwaukee
In 2009 Cindy Williams revealed a behind-the-scenes disagreement. She explained, “Penny and I fought against them moving the show from Milwaukee to Hollywood, but there were certain producers who felt that it was the best thing to do.” She didn’t name them, but she did say, “Both Penny and I were disappointed.”
3. Little Richard blessed the actors
Before Laverne & Shirley started, Williams and Marshall had a spiritual encounter with famous musician Little Richard. Williams told the Reel Life With Jane blog in 2012, “He blessed us and said a prayer over us. And Penny and I often say that the success of Laverne & Shirley was due to Little Richard’s blessing.”
4. Williams and Marshall worked together before the show
In 1995 Williams talked to the Los Angeles Times about how she and Marshall first met. They had pals in common prior to being hired by the Zoetrope company, which was owned by revered director Francis Ford Coppola. “They wanted two women,” Williams recalled. “We would be assigned a certain aspect of the history of America and write a spoof… It was like never say die. We never thought there wasn’t anything we couldn’t do.”
