Yes, yes, I know: the theoretically Republican House was unable to muster up a measly $5 billion for the border wall but coughs up nearly $11 billion for “aid” to Central America and Mexico. And the left’s continuing efforts to deplatform Tucker Carlson because the only free speech they approve of is that which they don’t find offensive. Then there’s the weirding of the Flynn sentencing. I’m too numb to do anything other than acknowledge all of the above and move along at this point. So I’m just going to focus on the passing of Penny Marshall who gave us one of the most endearing characters of the 20th century in the form of working girl Laverne DeFasio, constantly broke and perpetually seeking romance.
Sclemeel, schlimazel, hasenfeffer incorporated!
It’s a bit disconcerting to realize that we now have legislators like the Occasional Cortez who were not even born at the time this true bit of Americana completed its 8 season run (1976-83). Set in the mid-60’s the only thing AOC had in common with the characters of Laverne and Shirley is the fact that they were all broke – albeit Alexandria after having spent $280,000 on an economics degree from Boston University, so you decide who is the dumb one. Oh, plus all three of them worked in establishments that moved a lot of beer.
But while Laverne and Shirley knew how to have fun, AOC found her job to be underpaid, repressive, and indicative of everything that is wrong with America. That seems to be the only thing she learned in college.
So I choose to ignore everything else today and just celebrate the joy Penny Marshall brought into the world through her movies (Big, A League of Their Own, Awakenings) and TV characters, especially Laverne. Let’s celebrate the season, Laverne and Shirley style, and call it a day.
“Almost everyone had a theory about why ‘Laverne & Shirley’ took off,” Marshall wrote in her 2012 memoir “My Mother Was Nuts.” ”I thought it was simply because Laverne and Shirley were poor and there were no poor people on TV, but there were plenty of them sitting at home and watching TV.”
I think it was just because it was fun.
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