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'Laverne and Shirley' Cast Set the Record Straight About Discord on Set

By Denny Directo
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ET's Brooke Anderson caught up with the Laverne and Shirley cast as they shared their memories (good and bad) working on the sitcom, which ran on ABC for 8 seasons from 1976-83. Cindy Williams sets the record straight on whether there was turmoil between her and fellow co-star Penny Marshall.

"It's like an Italian family at a dinner table on Sunday and somebody doesn't pass the celery properly," Cindy joked. "There’s always going to be arguments." Despite any on-set disagreements, Cindy insisted that it didn't hinder the cast and crew's dedication to making people laugh. "It was a show about happiness and in the end that was everyone's goal."


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The gang reunited for The Hollywood Show, a quarterly celebrity autograph and pop culture expo held in Los Angeles. And while Penny, 71, showed up for the fans at the event, she declined our interview. Even so, Cindy, 67, explained that they are still good friends.

"I go to Penny's house I get in bed with her and we watch TV," Cindy revealed. "She's like my sister."

The first time we met Laverne and Shirley was when Penny's brother Garry Marshall cast them on Happy Days.

"Penny and I were writers together at the time," Cindy recalled. "Gary said I've got these two characters on happy days they date Fonzie and Richie and there kind of girls who date the fleet. The rest is sort of show biz history."


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The spin-off went on to be the No. 1 show on TV back in the late ‘70s and was one of the first shows to depict sex and the adventures of women on network television. But above it all, it was a comedy for the ages.

"The happiest time was when you hit a joke perfectly and you heard that audience laugh," Cindy said.

Watch the video above for more from the cast reunion and to find out how much life has changed for co-star David Lander (Squiggy) after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis nearly 30 years ago.


Follow Denny on Twitter: @DDirecto.