MovieChat Forums > Laverne & Shirley (1976) Discussion > Least Favorite Early Episodes

Least Favorite Early Episodes

posted 10 years ago by richard.fuller1
4 replies | jump to latest

One Flew Over Milwaukee - Shirley sitting at a window with the snow coming in, looking for a canary.

Look Before You Leap - Laverne thinks she might be pregnant.

Falter At The Alter - Shirley doubts Laverne's love for a guy she (Laverne) has only known for two months.

These were always my big three stinkeroos. I mainly didn't care for Falter At The Alter and just didn't understand what was going on. Why was there so much doubt?

This was the '70s, and a woman was led to believe she had to marry a guy because she loved him and not because he would take care of her or own her, caving to old macho idea or arranged marriage.

Sal did return, very successful, but obviously Laverne still didn't marry him. It was beginning to look like, what do these people want?

Also, it seemed 'seriously handled' went down better with Laverne and Lenny for some reason, as opposed to Shirley and Squiggy. Carmine faired rather well in the serious department.

Squiggy had that dreadful sleepwalking episode where he thought he was important, that made no sense.

[–] zwolf 9 years ago

This was the '70s, and a woman was led to believe she had to marry a guy because she loved him and not because he would take care of her or own her, caving to old macho idea or arranged marriage.

But the show was set in the 1950's...

[–] richard.fuller1 9 years ago

zwolf: "But the show was set in the 1950's..."
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Shirley was an early feminist, but actually it was Monday morning quarterbacking, twenty years later.

Same as when Kate Winslett went throughout the entire Titanic movie spouting, there aren't enough lifeboats. No one thought that at the time.

And actually her whole reason for killing herself was of the same mindset as Shirley did; to be a free, independent woman on her own!

I especially got a kick out of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers when Jane Powell was going to 'marry and settle down' and wanted to choose the man of HER liking to raise children and cook and clean for, and not one chosen for her by the local authority. There's your independent woman!

[–] rjrmemorabilia2 9 years ago

The one that you should really take an issue with is Episode 10 - It's In The Water. It's the episode where Shirley wants to learn how to properly taste beer so she can a higher paying job than the one her current one on the assembly line. The first 15 minutes is fine. But the last 15 minutes are horrible, literally horrible.

Shirley gets a call that she's been hired for the beer tasting job and goes to see the higher hope who hired her. The only reason he hired is so that he can get her drunk and have his way with her. I know they didn't have the terms sexual harassment or date rape when the series was set. But they did have rape and that's exactly what the higher up's trying to do - rape Shirley. Laverne finds out that he's behaved in the same kind of manner with several other women at Shotz brewery and goes to warn Shirley in the nick of time. He was bullying, sexually harassing and trying to sexually assault Shirley. The show might've been set in the 1950's, but rapes occurred then just as they do now. It was written in 1976 and the writers should have known better than to create a horrid character like this. Especially Garry Marshall. After Laverne saves Shirley, Carmine comes in and drags the guy outside his office. He NEVER threatens him or beats the hell out of him like he should've. He's not even reported to the main bosses at Shotz! Everybody goes him and it ends.

That second 15 minutes is 100% worse than any of the other early episodes that have been previously mentioned.

[–] richard.fuller1 9 years ago

rjmemorabilia2: "The one that you should really take an issue with is Episode 10 - It's In The Water."
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Yet, I don't. Why is that? The character was never seen again, so it is as if he was taken care of. Fired? Off to jail? We don't know. We can only assume.

Interestingly enough, a Doris Day episode did it as a joke, a virtual 10 second bit, with Doris applying for jobs, and in one interview, we simply see a corner of a desk.

First Doris runs by the desk, telling a Mr. Boss to settle down or something. Don't think we see the boss tho. Can't recall.

Essentially the same subject matter as the L&S episode.

In essence, we are all Lenny and Squiggy; we know this stuff is going on, but we just laugh it off.