Synopses & Reviews
Most people know Penny Marshall as the director of
Big and
A League of Their Own. What they don’t know is her trailblazing career was a happy accident. In this funny and intimate memoir, Penny takes us from the stage of The
Jackie Gleason Show in 1955 to Hollywood’s star-studded sets, offering up some hilarious detours along the way.
My Mother Was Nuts is an intimate backstage pass to Penny’s personal life, her breakout role on The Odd Couple, her exploits with Cindy Williams and John Belushi, and her travels across Europe with Art Garfunkel on the back of a motorcycle. We see Penny get married. And divorced. And married again (the second time to Rob Reiner). We meet a young Carrie Fisher, whose close friendship with Penny has spanned decades. And we see Penny at work with Tom Hanks, Mark Wahlberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert De Niro, and Whitney Houston.
Throughout it all, from her childhood spent tap dancing in the Bronx, to her rise as the star of Laverne & Shirley, Penny lived by simple rules: “try hard, help your friends, don’t get too crazy, and have fun.” With humor and heart, My Mother Was Nuts reveals there’s no one else quite like Penny Marshall.
Review
“Theres as much practical, hard-won advice here as there is Hollywood gossip, and Marshall's boundless energy and no-nonsense attitude make for a fun read.” -
Publishers Weekly“Bold and irrepressibly sassy.” - Kirkus Reviews
“Marshalls matter-of-fact memoir is a must-read for one reason - its hilarious.” - Marie Claire
“According to her revealing new memoir, budding actress Penny Marshall braved the cruelties of a business obsessed with perky, girl-next-door pretty. Of course, that was before Marshall starred in the juggernaut sitcom Laverne & Shirley, then directed movies like A League of Their Own and Big - the first Hollywood film with a woman at the helm to gross over $100 million, vaulting her into the elite ranks of Hollywood power players. Beautiful.” - O Magazine
“Penny Marshall charmed America in Laverne & Shirley and gave her comedic and directors touch to films such as Big and A League of Their Own. Now she tells all with memoir My Mother Was Nuts. The brutally honest, heartbreaking tale includes her recent struggle with (and victory over) cancer. Above all, the book is funny.” - USA Weekend
“This breezy and charming memoir also has many serious things to say about motherhood, the Hollywood pecking order, taking advantage when luck comes ones way, growing up with distant and weird parents, and marrying too young.” - Publishers Marketplace
“Penny Marshalls My Mother Was Nuts is absolutely hilarious and dead serious… its Pennys raspy, punchline packed voice all the way through. You cannot put My Mother Was Nuts down. Just try.” -ShowBiz411.com
“Hollywood aficionados will get a kick out of Marshalls anecdotes about her circle of friends, including Albert Brooks, John Belushi, and Carrie Fisher, all told in a funny, down-to-earth manner.” - Booklist
“Penny Marshall is a fascinating woman who has lived a life few of us could survive. Did you know she gave me two of the best jobs Ive ever had? Of course not, because when she talks she is barely comprehensible. Read her memoir and youll come to love her as much as I do.” - Tom Hanks
“If I hadnt known Penny for the past 35 years, reading this book would make me want to. Also, I'm so glad she wrote it because it helps me remember things I forgot, which is a lot.” - Carrie Fisher
“My sister Penny is one of the funniest people I know. Im not saying that because shes my sister, although I am partial to nepotism. She made everyone laugh at our family dinner table, and she made everyone laugh on the set of Laverne and Shirley. The fact that she went on to become the first woman director in the history of film, to make not one, but two movies that made over $100 million is no surprise to me. Read this book and you will know why.” - Garry Marshall
“A very funny book by a very funny lady. I wouldn't have a career without her!” - Mark Wahlberg
Synopsis
From her humble roots in the Bronx to Laverne and Shirley and her unlikely ascent in Hollywood, the beloved actor and director tells the story of her incredible life.
Synopsis
At the age of twenty-six, Penny Marshall was a divorced mother of one living in the Bronx. One year later she starred in a Head & Shoulders commercial (she was the one with the dandruff) with Farah Fawcett. So began the unlikely career of one of Hollywoods most accomplished directors.
My Mother Was Nuts tells the story of Marshalls incredible life, from her starring role on the classic sitcom Laverne and Shirley to her trailblazing moment as the first woman to direct a movie grossing more than $100 million at the box office.
The book is a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood life, exploring her friendships with John Belushi, Lorne Michaels, Art Garfunkel, and Carrie Fisher, her marriage and eventual divorce from Rob Reiner, and her experiences working with Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Geena Davis, Denzel Washington, and Drew Barrymore.
This is a book about Hollywood, womanhood, and the power of Spanx.
About the Author
Penny Marshall is an actress, producer, and director. From 1976 until 1983, she starred as Laverne DeFazio in the classic TV sitcom Laverne and Shirley. She went on to direct films such as Big (1988), the first movie directed by a woman to gross in excess of $100 million at the U.S. box office, Awakenings (1990), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture, and A League of Their Own (1992), which also made over $100 million in the U.S. More recently, she has directed episodes of United States of Tara (2009) and guest-starred on Portlandia (2011).
Table of Contents
Introduction xiFive More Minutes 1
What Were You Expecting—Hedy Lemarr? 8
The Grand Concourse 14
Dinnertime 20
Strictly Ballroom 24
Dear Mom & Dad 32
The Marshall Plan 39
Mucho Grath-e-ath 46
The Facts of Life 52
Mrs. Henry 57
Forget the Gas, I Want the Jell-O 64
Take Everything 70
A Work in Progress 75
Thank God My Brother Had a Job 81
The Manson Murders 87
I Made Him Sick 92
All in the Family 98
Funny Business 106
Out with a Laugh 111
Live from New York 114
Ready for Prime Time 118
Chick Fight 125
From Suds to Stardom 131
Live from New Orleans 135
Wheres Mom? 141
The Remodel 146
Tripping 154
Dirty Laundry 162
Taking Direction 170
Old Friends 176
Good-bye Shirl 182
In the Event of My Death 188
Peggy Sue Blues 193
Jumpin Jack Flash 202
Keeping Things in Perspective 209
Getting Street Cred 213
Heart and Soul 219
A Medical Mystery Tour 231
Batter Up 247
Adding Wood 259
The Gospel 269
The Last Bull Run 280
Riding in Cars 290
Make It Funny, Honey 301
Get Me Some White Castles 306
Five More Minutes 317
Acknowledgments 323