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| 1947-2023 |
Actor Cindy Williams was best known as one half of that wacky female TV duo...
Um...Wrong wacky female TV duo.
Of course, I'm talking about Laverne and Shirley. In the following clip, Cindy (Shirley) and Penny Marshall (Laverne) talk about the time Paramount Pictures sent them to plug their series at, of all places, the Cannes Film Festival:
They seem to have been a wacky female duo in real life as well as on TV, huh? Speaking of TV, I was in a dither as to what clip to show from their popular 1950s-in-the-1970s sitcom, before I finally decided that...
...sex sells. So without further ado...
I hope nobody got the clap watching that.
Cindy Williams did have one high-profile role before taking on the even higher-profile role of Shirley Feeney. In the top half of the Mort Drucker-drawn poster above, you can see an illustrated version of Cindy in the arms of an equally illustrated Ron Howard. In the following clip, Cindy talks about almost turning down the part of Laurie Henderson:
Francis Ford Coppola! American Graffiti came out in 1973. Had Coppola shown an interest in Williams a year earlier, she may have ended up in this movie:
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I mean, look at Diane Keaton's hair. It wasn't too different from Cindy's:
Well, I guess she may have had a couple more curls than Diane. Anyway, Cindy was much more memorable as a lovestruck teenager than she would have been as mobster's spouse. See for yourself:
Oh, my, I feel like we're intruding on a private conversation. Blame the subtitles.
Hi, Kirk!
ReplyDeleteThe Reaper's on a rampage this year! It's still January and he's taken more than his fair share of boomer icons. I feel very badly about the death of Cindy Williams, first learning about it here and now from you, my friend. I didn't watch Laverne & Shirley, and therefore I will always remember Cindy as teenage Laurie Henderson. Opie's (Steve's) girlfriend in American Graffiti, a movie I have watched at least half a dozen times over the years.
Those scenes in the high school gymnasium were extremely well done, really brought back my own high school experiences. I enjoyed hearing Cindy tell the story of how she was cast in Graffiti. She was a much better fit for the role she landed than the one she was seeking, that of Debbie Dunham. I liked Cindy a lot, and the interviews you posted here did not change my high opinion of her. It's quite a coincidence, I would say, that both Cindy and Penny died at age 75. That's too young, cries this 73 year old!
Thanks for paying tribute to Cindy Williams. I wish she would have been around another 25 years or more.
I'd also like to mention the death of the original Wednesday on the TV series The Addams Family, Lisa Loring. Following her stint as Wednesday, Lisa had a colorful life. She married pornstar Jerry Butler, having met him on the set of a 1987 sex film about underage porn actress Traci Lords' legal battle. Lisa was makeup artist and uncredited writer on that movie. She also appeared in three late 80s slasher films. Lisa Loring was only 64 when she died this past weekend.
I shudder to think what the Reaper has up his sleeve for February and the rest of 2023. Take care and enjoy the rest of your week, good buddy Kirk!
Shady, I've always found it odd the way George Lucas turned his back on cinematic realism following the success of American Graffiti, opting instead for the fantasylands of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies. Graffiti is Lucas' Road Not Taken. Maybe he felt he couldn't top himself when it came to screen naturalism.
DeleteAs for Lisa Loring:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3jnymeJof4
That Wednesday Dance seems inspired by the athletic moves of James Brown and white R&B artist Roy Head. Lisa did a fine job with it. Her performance in that scene is mentioned by Jenna Ortega, the actress currently playing "Wednesday," as the inspiration for her own Wednesday Dance in the new series.
DeletePoor Ted Cassidy had a short life as well. He suffered from acromegaly and died at age 46 following complications from an operation to remove a benign tumor from his heart.
I loved her in "Laverne and Shirley" back in the day! RIP
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Laverne and Shirley for a number of years. I wanted to be one of the Schotz bottle cappers (not really). What I really wanted to do was sing the opening song.
ReplyDeleteMitchell, did you ever the scene the Wayne's World movie that has Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Garvey) on the Paramount lot re-enacting that Laverne and Shirley opening? It's hilarious.
DeleteHere it is, Mitchell:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdulIKhCC3Y
I watched the 3 times... and it reminded me I haven't looked at my stamp collection in quite a while.
ReplyDeleteJust don't put those stamps on scarlet letters, Mike.
DeleteIt is hard to believe they are both dead. They felt like my contemporaries. I liked her more in Happy Days. Laverne and Shirley was ok but not must see viewing.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, my all-time favorite Happy Days episode is the one where Richie Cunningham is introduced to Laverne and Shirley:
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgvBMdQjquw
Wow...when I heard the news, I was suddenly flooded with that catchy theme song and also my desire for bowling ally pizza.
ReplyDeleteOh and for some reason, I had a huge crush on Carmine.
ReplyDeleteHate to tell you this, JM, but Eddie Mekka, aka, Carmine Ragusa, died in 2021, age 69.
DeleteOh that is so sad. I don't remember reading about it or whatever became of him. I will have to let Google fill me in.
Delete