Duos of equal importance on TV such as Kate McArdle and Allie Lowell ( Kate & Allie ), Oscar Madison and Felix Unger ( The Odd Couple ), Bret Maverick and Bart Maverick ( Maverick ), Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue ( Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons ), or Laverne De Fazio and Shirley Feeney ( Laverne & Shirley ), are sometimes both called sidekicks to each other, although the usual sense of the term denotes inequality.

Laverne & Shirley ( credited as Laverne De Fazio & Shirley Feeney in the first season ) is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from January 26, 1976 to May 10, 1983.

It starred Penny Marshall as Laverne De Fazio and Cindy Williams as Shirley Feeney, roommates who worked in a fictitious Milwaukee brewery called " Shotz Brewery.

In the first season, the main title showed the full names of the characters ( i. e., " Laverne De Fazio & Shirley Feeney "), but in subsequent seasons this was reduced to just their first names ( i. e., " Laverne & Shirley ").

* The most successful of these spin-offs, Laverne & Shirley ( starring Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, respectively ), also took place in early / mid 1960s Milwaukee.

Ganz and Mandel went on to write several other films, four directed by Howard and one by Laverne and Shirley alum Penny Marshall.

* Penny Marshall – Laverne & Shirley as Laverne DeFazio

* Penny Marshall – Laverne & Shirley as Laverne DeFazio

* Penny Marshall – Laverne & Shirley as Laverne DeFazio

Wilma Flintstone, Marcia Brady, Alice Kramden, Gladys Kravitz, Laverne and Shirley, Jeannie, Morticia Addams, Aunt Esther, Sweet Polly Purebred, Natasha, Mrs. MacGillicuddy, Ginger, Mary Anne, Mrs. Howell, Samantha Stevens, Lieutentant Uhura, Judy Jetson, Olive Oyl, Ethel Mertz, Edith Bunker, Marilyn Munster, Rhoda, Penny Robinson, Chrissy Snow, Catwoman, Creepela, Weezie Jefferson, Betty Rubble, Little Cindy Who, Penelope Pitstop, Lois Lane, Vanna White, Wonder Woman, Elly May, Maude, Witchiepoo

* Penny Marshall ( Class of 1960 ) Actress, " Laverne " of Laverne and Shirley ; director, A League of Their Own

The show featured the voices of Marshall and Williams playing Laverne and Shirley in the Army ( much like they had been during their 1979 – 1980 season ) with a talking piglet Drill Sergeant named " Squealy " ( voiced by Welcome Back Kotter alum Ron Palillo ).

* Garry Marshall: The Odd Couple ( 1970-1975 ), Happy Days ( 1974-1984 ), Laverne and Shirley ( 1976-1983 )

* Leonard " Lenny " Kosnowski ( Michael McKean )— A lovable goof who pesters Laverne and Shirley along with his best friend and roommate Squiggy ( who both live upstairs from Laverne and Shirley's basement apartment ).

* Sonny St. Jacques ( Ed Marinaro )— A stuntman and Laverne and Shirley's landlord in Burbank.

Michael John McKean ( born October 17, 1947 ) is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard " Lenny " Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne & Shirley ; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films, particularly as David St. Hubbins of Spinal Tap.

He is best known for his portrayal of Squiggy on the sitcom Laverne & Shirley.

* David Lander, actor, best known for playing " Squiggy " in Laverne & Shirley

* Jane Anne Jayroe, Miss America, 1967, former news anchor at KOCO ( Oklahoma City ) and KXAS ( Dallas ), for whom a major street in Laverne was renamed.

It has been featured as a plot device in numerous TV shows, including The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Skins, Hall Pass, Grounded for Life, (" Henry's Working for the Drug Squad "), Arrested Development (" Afternoon Delight "), Taxi, Laverne & Shirley, Barney Miller, Frasier, Family Guy, American Dad !, How I Met Your Mother, Desperate Housewives, One Tree Hill, Glee, Gilmore Girls, The Young And The Restless, Weeds, The L Word, Degrassi: The Next Generation, My Name is Earl, I Love Keith Allen, 90210, Swingtown, The Big Bang Theory and Frasier (" High Holidays "), as well as in movies such as Love and Other Disasters, EuroTrip, Next Friday, Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, Never Been Kissed, Adventureland, Grandma's Boy, Can't Hardly Wait, Life as We Know It, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and Empire Records.

## how the song was released: Cyndi Grecco, Pratt & McClain, Joey Scarbury, David Naughton, and MFSB, for instance, were all technically one-hit wonders, but their hits were solely popularized by their use as themes to television shows ( Laverne & Shirley, Happy Days, The Greatest American Hero, Makin ' It, and Soul Train respectively ), although Naughton's hit did also appear on the soundtrack to the film, Meatballs, from the same year the song was released ( 1979 ).

During its syndicated run, the series was retitled Laverne & Shirley & Company from 1981 to 1983 due to the series still airing on ABC at the time ( at the time, distributors would sometimes change the name of a show for syndication if it was still producing new episodes on a network — such as was the case with Happy Days, when it was retitled Happy Days Again in syndication ).

Laverne works alongside best friend and roommate Shirley and is known for being the cynic of the pair.

She also tends to be meek, while Laverne is more outspoken and athletic ; this doesn't mean that Shirley is a wimp or a pushover, as she is quite capable of standing up for herself when necessary — she just isn't quite as aggressive about it as her friend.

He loved Laverne very much, having been her only parent for years.

When the show moved to California, two new members joined the cast: Ed Marinaro as Sonny St. Jacques, a stunt man, landlord of the Burbank apartment building, and love interest for Laverne, as well as Leslie Easterbrook as Rhonda Lee, the girls ' neighbor and an aspiring actress.

As for Laverne & Shirley, the character of Shirley had quickly fallen in love and married Army medic Walter Meany-making her Shirley Feeney-Meany.

But with the show losing one of its top stars, the eighth season would prove to be the last for Laverne & Shirley and it was canceled after the 1982-1983 season.

Laverne & Shirley kept the top spot for two seasons and was successful for several other seasons.

He appeared on the very first episode of Laverne & Shirley as Tad Schotz, but is most noted for playing Ferris Bueller's father in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

** Laverne Baker for " Saved "

Some live sitcoms, such as Laverne and Shirley also began choosing Pratt over Douglass for the sweetening process.

The guest presenter would usually be the lead singer for this segment ( e. g. Lauren Laverne and Ricky Wilson ).

Although ex-Cheers co-star Shelley Long played Fred's wife Mary Ellen in " The Doyle Wedding, for Ratzenberger's other episodes, Laverne and Shirleys Cindy Williams played Mary Ellen.

In August 2005, Klass was signed as a presenter for the ITV music show CD: UK alongside Lauren Laverne and Johny P, with her first appearance shown on 17 September 2005.

The episode was so popular that it led to Happy Days ' second series spin-off ( the first being Laverne and Shirley ) called Mork & Mindy.

In her previous career as a musician, Laverne was best known for being lead singer and sometime guitarist in pop band Kenickie, although her greatest chart success came when she performed vocals on Mint Royale's " Don't Falter " single.

It lasted only 17 episodes before being cancelled because of low ratings, due to being scheduled against ABC's Top 30 hits Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley.

The band were formed in 1994 and consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Lauren Laverne ( b. Lauren Gofton ), drummer Johnny X ( real name Pete Gofton, Lauren's brother ), lead guitarist and occasional vocalist Marie du Santiago ( b. Marie Nixon ) and bass guitarist Emmy-Kate Montrose ( b. Emma Jackson ).

During her time at college, Laverne, Nixon and Jackson formed a teen punk band called Kenickie with Laverne's brother Peter, taking the stage names Lauren Laverne, Marie du Santiago, Emmy-Kate Montrose and Johnny X.

Their partnership grew after graduation as part of the comedy group The Credibility Gap with Harry Shearer in Los Angeles, but McKean's breakthrough came in 1976 when he joined the cast of Laverne and Shirley.

As their popularity grew, Laverne had to alternate between studying for A-levels and touring with the band.