RIP: 1934-2016 Age: 81
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Garry Marshall
Shadow2700 — 9 years ago(July 19, 2016 08:34 PM)
Garry Marshall, Pretty Woman Director and Creator of Happy D111cays, Dies at 81
Garry Marshall, who created some of the 1970s most iconic sitcoms including Happy Days, The Odd Couple, Laverne and Shirley and Mork and Mindy and went on to direct hit movies including Pretty Woman and The Princess Diaries, died Tuesday of complications from pneumonia. He was 81. The news was first reported by Access Hollywood.
Marshall went from being TV writer to creating sitcoms that touched the funny bones of the 1970s generation and directing films that were watched over and over: Happy Days helped start a nostalgia craze that has arguably never abated, while Mork and Mindy had a psychedelically goofy quality that catapulted Robin Williams to fame and made rainbow suspenders an icon of their era. Pretty Woman likewise cemented Julia Roberts stardom, while The Princess Diaries made Anne Hathaway a teen favorite.
Happy Days star Henry Winkler credited him for launching his career, tweeting Thank you for my professional life.
Marshall had one of his first substantial hits when he developed and exec produced an adaptation of Neil Simons play The Odd Couple in 1970 for ABC. The show drew several Emmy nominations for outstanding comedy series and wins for stars Jack Klugman and Tony Randall over the course of its five-season run. (In 2015 Marshall served as a consultant on a CBS remake of the series that starred Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon.)
Marshall penned the 1971 pilot for Happy Days, which was recycled in 1972 as a segment of ABCs comedy anthology series Love, American Style called Love and the Happy Days. George Lucas asked to view the pilot before deciding to cast Ron Howard, who starred in it, in American Graffiti, released in 1973. Happy Days debuted as a series on the network in 1974, riding high on the wave of 1950s nostalgia generated in part by the success of American Graffiti.
During its peak, Happy Days was the No. 1 show on television during the 1976-77 season, No. 2 in 1977-78 and No. 4 the following year, and Winklers the Fonz became a cultural touchstone, with his leather jacket eventually landing in the Smithsonian. Years later Marshall acknowledged being the one behind the idea, for a 1977 episode, of putting Fonzie on water skis an idea so outlandish that it spawned the phrase jumped the shark, said in reference to a show that is clearly past its prime.
Nevertheless, Happy Days spawned Laverne and Shirley, which Marshall created with Lowell Ganz and Mark Rothman, and Mork and Mindy, which Marshall created with Dale McRaven and Joe Glauberg. Both were as successful in the ratings as Happy Days, with Laverne and Shirley No. 1 for two seasons and Mork and Mindy peaking at No. 3. Laverne and Shirley starred Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall, Garrys sister, who would go on to her own successful career as a director of feature films, while Mork and Mindy began the career of star Williams. Garry Marshall shared an Emmy nomination, his fifth, in 1979 as Mork and Mindy drew a mention for comedy series.
His first bigscreen blockbuster was 1990s Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts as an idealized prostitute and Richard Gere as her client-cum-Prince Charming. The romantic comedy grossed $463 million worldwide. Roberts was Oscar nominated for best actress, the film was nominated for a Golden Globe for best comedy/musical and Marshall scored a Cesar nomination as Pretty Woman drew a mention in the French awards foreign-film category.
Marshall told the New York Times that he wanted to make Roberts character somewhat less experienced. I knew if we lowered the age and made her a new girl in the business, then people would say, Oh, please dont do that, honey.'
Marshall also created the ABC sitcom Angie and exec produced other shows including Happy Days spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi, The New Odd Couple, Blanskys Beauties and Whos Watching the Kids.
He made his directorial debut in 1967 on his series Hey, Landlord and also helmed some episodes of The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Mork and111c Mindy and Laverne and Shirley. The first feature Marshall directed was the 1982 comedy Young Doctors in Love, essentially a spoof of General Hospital, starring Sean Young and Michael McKean.
His second feature effort, The Flamingo Kid, which Marshall scripted from a story by Neal Marshall, drew critical raves. Matt Dillon starred in the social comedy as a working-class kid who learns life lessons during a summer spent as a cabana boy.
Nothing in Common (1986) offered good moments from stars Jackie Gleason and Tom Hanks, playing father and son. Another modest success for Marshall came in the form of screwball comedy Overboard, starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell.
Tear-jerking chick flick Beaches (1988), starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey, scored with audiences, if not with critics, racking up a domestic gross of $57 million and a healthy afterlife on video.
Marshall reunited with his Pretty Woman stars Roberts and Gere for the 1999 -
robken0174 — 9 years ago(July 20, 2016 04:37 AM)
"Happy Days? debuted as a series on the network in 1974, riding high on the wave of 1950s nostalgia generated in part by the success of ?American Graffiti.?
But 'American Graffiti' took place in 1962. I guess it's close enough. -
Shadow2700 — 9 years ago(July 20, 2016 07:17 AM)
TV, film legend Garry Marshall dies at 81
The comedy giant died at 5 p.m. PT Tuesday from complications of pneumonia following a stroke at a hospital in Burbank, Calif., his representative Michelle Bega confirmed to USA TODAY.
A beloved figure in show business, Marshall leaves behind a legacy as a hitmaker on television and in films, a comedian with impeccable delivery, and a warm personality to those he encountered.
He was born in the Bronx to a tap dance teacher and an industrial film director. "My mother was special, she gave us our humor," Marshall recalled in an interview with USA TODAY in April. "I remember her saying, 'Never be boring.You gotta entertain people.' And at 16 years old, I didn't know what boring meant. I said, 'What is boring, Ma?' She said, 'Your father,' " he said, chuckling.
Marshall broke into showbiz in the late 1950s as a joke writer, eventually earning his way to becoming a writer on The Tonight Show with Jack Paar. In 1970, Marshall adapted his first TV hit, The Odd Couple, from a play with writing partner Jerry Belson. He went on to create sitcoms Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley (which starred his sister, Penny Marshall) and Mork & Mindy (which introduced the world to Robin Williams).
In the '80s, Marshall turned his talents to feature films, finding his first hit with The Flamingo Kid (1984), followed by Overboard (1987) and Beaches (1989).
The hits kept coming, from 1990's Pretty Woman (which propelled Julia Roberts to stardom), 1999's Runaway Bride and 2001's The Princess Diaries (which made Anne Hathaway a household name).
Then came the celebrity-filled, holiday-themed comedies: 2010s Valentines Day, 2011s New Years Eve and this year, Mother's Day.
He was also a memorable actor, starring in '90s films such as Soapdish and A League of Their Own and serving as micro-managing network president Stan Lansing on TV's Murphy Brown. More recently, he appeared on episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bojack Horseman and Hot in Cleveland.
The spirit on Marshalls set is all about family, he told USA TODAY recently. Longtime friend Hector Elizondo was in 18 films of Marshall's films; in Mother's Day, Marshall's wife of 53 years, Barbara, had a cameo. Roberts starred in four films for her director. Kate Hudson's family was entwined with his not only did she star in Marshall's Raising Helen (2004) but also yelled "Action!" from Marshall's lap as a kid when her mother, Goldie Hawn, starred in Overboard.
"On Mothers Day, I had Kates son (Bingham) on my lap when Kate was acting, Marshall told USA TODAY. Its all circles. I know the family. I see them grow.
He is survived by his wife of 53 years, nurse Barbara Sue Marshall; two sisters, Ronny Hallin and Penny Marshall; three children, Lori, a writer, Kathleen, a theater producer, and Scott, a film and TV director; and six grandchildren.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2016/07/19/garry-marshall-dies-obituary/87325512/ -
gcarras — 9 years ago(July 21, 2016 07:52 AM)
AgreedRIP and NOBODY better saw burn in hell just because of whatever beep opinions that they may have or Mr.Marshall's fun, though admittedly sometimes rather flaws films. RIP to great legend.
All comments=my own opinion not reflecting my voluptous pinup profile girl, Courtney Thorne-Smith