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Laverne & Shirley: Season 2

Laverne & Shirley

Laverne & Shirley: Season 2 – The Second Season

Paramount (1976)
DVD
NR (Not Rated)
097360698749
TV Series | Comedy
USA | English | Color | 09:27

After its first half-season as a 1976 mid-season replacement, Laverne & Shirley entered its first complete season with a well-deserved place at the top of the ratings. The show's connection to Happy Days remained essential to its success, and after its first two episodes, the second season boosted its profile with back-to-back episodes ("Bachelor Mothers" and "Excuse Me, May I Cut In?") featuring appearances by Happy Days stars Henry Winkler ("Fonzie"), Ron Howard ("Richie Cunningham") and Anson Williams ("Potsie"). After that, Laverne (Penny Marshall) and Shirley (Cindy Williams) were on their own, and the best friends and Shotz Brewery bottle-cappers settled into a popular season of sitcom highlights. As these 23 episodes make abundantly clear, L&S was steeped in the primarily Jewish traditions of Vaudeville humor, by way of I Love Lucy and other vintage sitcoms, and much of the show's charm comes from the unspoken fact that Laverne and Shirley are virginally pure, eager for fun but clearly saving themselves for the elusive men of their dreams. Sex--which is to say, dating--is a common theme in these episodes, but most of them deal with the girls protecting their virtue, as in the hilarious "Good Time Girls" (from November 30, 1976), in which L&S cope with would-be suitors who found the girls' phone number etched on the wall of a men's public restroom. Like several other episodes this season, it's a prime showcase for slapstick humor, with Marshall and Williams clearly taking their cue from the legacy of Lucille Ball, and matching Lucy's lunacy with truly inspired bits of their own.

Season 2 is also highlighted by the regular appearances of Laverne and Shirley's underachieving neighbors Lenny (Michael McKean) and Squiggy (David L. Lander) who continue to make priceless, well-timed entrances, with Squiggy's trademark "Hello!" as one of the series' most crowd-pleasing running gags. The show's supporting cast members are all given moments to shine, and this season is further enriched by the hilarious rivalry between Laverne and her social-climbing nemesis Rosie Greenbaum (Carol Ita White) who appears in four episodes to taunt the girls with belittling insults. Fun-loving music is also a common factor here, and the season finale "Citizen Krane" takes its cue from Orson Welles' classic Citizen Kane, with the girls making their dubious show-biz debut as a singing duo, promoted by a Milwaukee impresario named "Charles Pfister Krane" (played with ham 'n' relish by character actor Severn Darden) who dubs them "The Rosebuds." It's a good example of the season's consistently high quality, owing mostly to the charms of its stars. And for those looking for a bit of pop-cultural perspective, consider this: Six weeks after Laverne & Shirley's second-season finale, Star Wars made its theatrical debut, and the world of entertainment would never be the same. (Note: There are no bonus features in this 4-disc set, and for legal and licensing reasons, some song performances and/or background music have been edited out or changed from the original TV broadcasts.) --Jeff Shannon


Episodes View details

1 Drive! She Said 30 min | Sep 28, 1976

Shirley wants to buy a car but needs half of Laverne's money to afford it. Laverne refuses to help buy the car and Shirley reveals Laverne's secret fear: she's scared to drive.

2 Angels of Mercy 30 min | Oct 05, 1976

Shirley talks Laverne into volunteering with her at the hospital.

3 Bachelor Mothers 30 min | Oct 19, 1976

One Saturday night when the girls have no dates, Fonzie drops by and asks them to babysit his godson and they agree. But when a date opportunity materializes, they play odds-and-evens to see who stays with the baby, and Shirley--who usually wins--loses. After she leaves, the guy calls to say he can't keep the date after all, so Shirley asks Lenny and Squiggy to go catch Laverne, but they refuse. Shirley goes and asks them to watch the baby. When she returns to find the baby gone, the guys say someone came, said he was the father, and took the baby. Then the mother shows up.

4 Excuse Me, May I Cut In? 30 min | Oct 26, 1976

The girls get Richie and Potsie as partners for a dance contest.

5 The Bridal Shower 30 min | Nov 09, 1976

The girls have trouble fitting in at a bridal shower.

6 Look Before You Leap 30 min | Nov 16, 1976

Laverne tries to remember the events of a wild night when she wakes up with morning sickness and fears she may be pregnant.

7 Dear Future Model 30 min | Nov 23, 1976

The girls decide to start a new career in modeling.

8 Good Time Girls 30 min | Nov 30, 1976

The girls end up getting phone calls after Hector scribbles their number in a men's room.

9 Two of Our Weirdos Are Missing 30 min | Dec 07, 1976

Lenny and Squiggy vanish without a trace.

10 Oh Hear the Angels' Voices 30 min | Dec 21, 1976

Carmine talks the girls into singing at a Christmas show.

11 Guilty Until Proven Not Innocent 30 min | Jan 04, 1977

Laverne gets arrested for stealing.

12 Anniversary Show 30 min | Jan 10, 1977

The girls remember experiences from the past year.

13 Playing Hooky 30 min | Jan 11, 1977

Laverne and Shirley call in sick to take a day off of work and have fun; they go on a bike ride, go to the park and meet two men who they have a great time with, until they're arrested for solicitation.

14 Guinea Pigs 30 min | Jan 18, 1977

In order to raise the money to go to a cocktail party, the girls sign up to be paid volunteers for scientific experiments.

15 Call Me a Taxi 30 min | Feb 01, 1977

A temporary layoff at work forces the girls to take jobs as taxi dancers. They earn money by dancing with men for ten cents a dance.

16 Steppin' Out 30 min | Feb 08, 1977

As the girls rush to get ready for a big date, they face wardrobe and hair problems, as well as complications from a house fire raging across the street.

17 Buddy Can You Spare a Father? 30 min | Feb 15, 1977

Shirley goes looking for her missing down-and-out father at a sleazy bar on the waterfront.

18 Honeymoon Hotel 30 min | Feb 22, 1977

Shirley wins a honeymoon vacation in a fancy hotel and she and Laverne decide to take advantage of it. Carmine poses as Shirley's husband and they sneak Laverne in, but after Carmine leaves, the girls quickly find out the hotel is intent on getting as many publicity photos of the married couple as possible throughout the vacation.

19 Hi Neighbor, Book 2 30 min | Mar 01, 1977

When Lenny and Squiggy get stood up, Laverne and Shirley take pity on them.

20 Frank's Fling 30 min | Mar 08, 1977

The girls conspire to get rid of Frank's girlfriend.

21 Haunted House 30 min | Mar 22, 1977

Laverne and Shirley want to buy a new couch and find out about a furniture sale in a house Shirley says is haunted. When they and Lenny and Squiggy go to buy the couch, they find out she may be right.

22 Lonely at the Middle 30 min | Mar 29, 1977

Shirley gets promoted to head of the bottle-labelers division at the brewery.

23 Citizen Krane 30 min | Apr 05, 1977

The girls are headlined in a musical extravaganza by an impresario who promises them fame and fortune.

Cast View all

Penny Marshall Laverne DeFazio
Cindy Williams Shirley Feeney
Michael McKean Lenny Kosnowski
David L. Lander Andrew 'Squiggy' Squiggman
Eddie Mekka Carmine 'The Big Ragoo' Ragusa
Phil Foster Frank DeFazio
Betty Garrett Edna Babish
Carole White Rosie Greenbaum
Bo Kaprall Officer Norman Hughes
Sandy Wirth Lucille
Michael Mann Lackey
Jack Perkins Patient
Fred Willard Man in Bathroom
Harry Shearer Harold
Geoffrey Lewis Mr. Gunther
Larry Hankin Tall Dancer
Henry Winkler Arthur 'Fonzie' Fonzarelli
Lynne Marie Stewart Barbara Tedesco
Howard Hesseman Dr. Grayson
Stephanie Faracy Debra Lee
Gino Conforti Waiter
Archie Hahn III Bob
Garry Marshall Drummer
Ron Howard Richie Cunningham
Paddi Edwards Receptionist

Edition details

Packaging Keep Case
Nr Discs 4
Screen Ratios 1.33:1
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Mono [CC]
Distributor Paramount
Layers Single side, Dual layer
Edition Release Date Apr 17, 2007
Regions Region 1

Personal

Purchased For $ 29.99
Index 2212
Added Date Dec 12, 2012 01:15:26
Modified Date Nov 14, 2019 01:49:41