Penny Marshall in conversation with Garry Marshall at Live Talks Los Angeles

we're all excited you came I'm Penny's brother I don't need a big introduction she's Italian she's from the Bronx she went to school she became a talented young lady and she did struggles around and she did a hard couple as Myrna Turner that's her credit and then suddenly she became Laverne and Laverne and Shirley yeah yeah and then she did a million movies but she is the best the most important thing you this women I see she was the first woman here before penny no woman director had ever directed no woman director ever directed a picture that made a hundred million dollars but penny decided to do two so she did league of their own and big both made on a the first one to ever do that so let me say two of my most exciting words in show business Penny Marshall [Applause] bringing my purse always with her the person nobody make a move okay I'm guarding so here we are what should we tell them your real name is Carol was written small and penny big and I'm Marshall I said what did you expect Hedy Lamarr that was the birth in it and but they never told me my name was Carol we were a secretive family and I was named to have to Carroll on board so it's Carroll with an E close my mother loved her and so they never told me my name was penny and the reason they said my name is penny was close my brother and sister wanted a horse they were planned by the way my brother and sister were planned on being born yes I was not a plan a surprise I was a mistake but they had to tell you right they didn't want you we didn't want you yet you were born and you or miscarriage in six months when you're so stubborn you held on that was the first triumph be held on didn't know what they were talking about till seven oh but they never told me my name was Carol so they called me penny cuz they were saving up for horse so they saved their pennies so that's why I was named penny we preferred the horse but we had to say okay she turned out great this is in the Bronx we're gonna photo horse and hang up 64 apartment building but so when I went to the kindergarten yeah I am my teacher mrs. good black it said sent there's something wrong with your child she doesn't respond to her name cuz they J Carol and so they called my mother to school and they said she doesn't know you gotta call her penny she does not respond to the name Carol which he wrote till I graduated high school every year she had a right to the teachers why did they make me carry that's just one of the tricks I had to that's what she had to grow up with one of the many with the parents and then we had a meeting early when you were growing up well this was yeah we also lived you know it was like the economy is now by the way I'm like with my blind grandmother who accused me of making her blind it's another story you read it she tripped over my bike yeah she had gone home but she wouldn't call the doctor okay that's another story and my grandfather who we liked we liked him oh I gotta talk into this breast I got it I could hear myself but my grandfather had one kidney I don't know where he lost the other one then they moved him across the hall delivered two of the ladies I don't know and but Dave I read the whole thing everyone in the building had grandparents live with them and three kids mother father grandparents I nobody liked each other much so when my brother and sister who were much older than me yeah when you're eight seven eight that age difference is quite different than it is now and so my brother called us together that's two girls in me you tell him you said it no no I could notice then I was like 17 I noticed our parents were not leading us very well they were they were okay my father is always working and my mother was down in the cellar of the apartment building teaching dancing so I remember calling penny and my sister Ronnie and say listen we're not getting much help here I think it's shaky so I suggest that the three of us stay together our strength is in the three of us together and that's what we should do when we held hands and that was it except the problem was I was eight and they both went away they went to Northwestern my sister Maggie ESPYs so she skipped a year my brother won first and my sister and then my brother went in the army so there I'm an only child I was in Korea she was told that we yeah I entered northwestern and she my sister got married stayed there my brother went came home a little bit when he wrote for comics and stuff with his laundry in an attache case and so they were gone I wanted a brother or sister and they said you have them and I had the blind grandmother and grew up alone pretty much so I played outside that's what we did we played we play out in front of the building there was always some lady hanging out the window or on a bridge tear watching and reporting to my mother in the cellar in the dancing school pennies in the goddess she's hanging on the fire escape she's on the roof so that was that was your youth but dude took a little dancing and I took a lot of dancing I had to they would make kick lines and penny would unzip the other kids leotards a lot and and my mother would get mad I was the drummer because I couldn't dance so I played drums for penny see you didn't know that but I belong to the Musicians Union but what I was going to say is even then when you were growing up you you were quick you always smart and I was fast fast fast and quick but you didn't like people who were not I didn't like anyone who was stupid or in that I don't care if you're ignorant about something they don't understand this things I don't know stuff about but stupid you can't fix can you fix for the nose job breasts anything you're stupid you're stupid and inept I just have no tolerance for ya that's a different thing they just don't know yeah oh then you can educate them about even tonight you will well because they booked me here on Yom Kippur that was the first booking and I I'm not Jewish we could pay us can't we and I said I don't you look at a calendar folks yeah it's some Kippur it's the highest of Jewish holy days so now they do it on the night of the first presidential debate perfect right they solved it they solved it I was in New Jersey I'm Marcy Shona yeah in New York yeah and I'm going like this I'll Jews in New Jersey please so I don't like that that's to me in essence but but anything to do a college New Mexico right well it went from the Bronx all the schools yours do you would sorry I'm when they're talking to my breasts again DeWitt Clinton he went to an all-boys high school I went to Walt in high school which was all girls my sister lied about her address and went to the coed school Evander childs all schools who are at risk now all our schools and we came from a very working-class Jewish Italian neighborhood and my father knew died where he was Italian and we were sent to a kosher camp you're not big with religion but you had a moment there well Italian Protestant but did you but you're not the same Protestant I am your Lutheran I'm Congregationalist Oh what do you um Presbyterian she's Lutheran where is Ronnie stand up a minute Ronnie this is our other sister later Roy wait I don't know what you're you can't both be Episcopalian oh no no confirm respite because mom like religion know if they had a building next to it that she could put her dance recitals on - that's what we will confirm but she sent us to coast camp cause one of my godparents she was covering all bases because she was an only child and my father disowned his family and so she said they had better food and to one eat spam eat fish every Friday so we went to Koscheck camp so we are not religious my brother goes to the little church he goes to pray I pray sometimes I come for work or two or I go to like the candles I could look bless the bread bless the wine and um but you did get to New Mexico I went from the Bronx from Wilton High School to New Mexico because they took a they took anyone from out of town and then your public school system was great at that time you had to take state Regents exams which were harder than any test you'll take in college four years of history on one test and they said why did the Roman Empire for I said carelessness Ivy she had good answers but they didn't give her name what's an SI I don't so my father wanted us all to go to out-of-town college to lose on Bronx accents look how good it worked so he came up with the University of New Mexico which my mother I thought would complain but she thought it was weird near New York New Jersey and New Hampshire all the news were together no we were so she had no idea where I was going which was fine by me so I went to Albuquerque go Lobos beat the Aggies I just heard from the University they want me to come to a basketball game I didn't graduate because I got married to a football player I had my daughter Tracy and I have no grandmother of three Hey three great-grandchildren when your grandson I don't believe that's my two little girls six and seven yeah but that kind of changed your life after there you had then I came out I got to work I taught the insane clothes well I didn't like getting up in the morning I'm not a morning person okay I told him to take a nap today but I am like talking to the bus but you did try other things you were well I went I saw dancing school because you didn't have to get up early and then the Albuquerque light up for came and said you want to choreograph a show I said no do you want to be in it don't have to audition no okay those were the people who stayed up at night I like people stayed up at night so that's where I first started doing a little theater like Oklahoma South Pacific those kind of show so when what Mickey bless him he's a great guy the football player Tracy's father I taught her Tracy's father he um we separated got divorced I decided I'm not going back to the brown my crazy parents who really hated each other by now and reporting and now making it known they were before they didn't say no she wouldn't it was like in my teens my mother at once said okay we're getting divorced decide who you want to live with they should but anyway you did sing they got me a dog every so often and then every after a year the dog would disappear always in the country he's much happy in the country so two dogs went to the country this is her childhood notes and open the window and all right in the shower and see if I got any reaction at running away to Arizona it was always ours oh no thanks I'm sorry and so New Mexico I know where it was yes and but they they got nervous which they never did I got a one of the parakeets out to fly around but I remember you came I came to see him the Bronx I came to Los Angeles remember my parents were in New York my sister was in Chicago I was in New Mexico he was in California all in different time zones so you could see it wasn't so close and in for any as far as we could get from our parents and so I went out to visit see my brother who already was writing and had a career and who I wouldn't have a career if I didn't have a brother like him but you came to figure it out I remember I remember you said I you see you gotta find you I said to just figure out what it is you love tell me what you love nothing that was around I said well I can't help maybe you should go figure out what you maybe like the little and she said something about I like people stay up at night oh good so it wasn't a person who went to a bar to find a date I didn't drink I had to find people who stayed up at night but she finally said she liked a little entertainment and she tried but then she would come to me and say I'd say hey you're doing great and you'd say something about they don't want your type well I wasn't perky I'm not a perky person who's Karen Valentine and Sally Field why not it was perky I'm not too perky they were perky not yeah they'd say okay let's go for it go holgie and a Coke or something and I want to know how far the walk is so I wasn't one of those perky people so my brother said you're not gonna work till you're 30 I said all right so I typed I could type look I'm dating myself see I tell the girl a mail you I got paid to do that job if you took jobs I never would say I didn't know from unemployment that we had no money in New Mexico but I mean unemployment mmm that was a nice and so budget you know Hollywood it's a way of life so you learn that oh I said who won that girl and I got more than I did a week of typing she got little stuff but she helped I did a show called The Odd Couple and she helped me you're castin I did like you met I was trying to cast it and you met no I had got a job that I wasn't related to anyone on a show called then came Bronson Wow long time ago you heard me it was with Michael parks on a motorcycle would that old J hats and he said whose it I had to go to Jackson Hole Wyoming and he said whose guesting and I said Jack Klugman decayed mark Lester from Oliver and some blonde girls and so he said ask Jack if he wants to do a series on the Odd Couple I didn't know Jackson Hole Sitwell Jack I said you want to do a series based on the Odd Couple I said who are you so I said penny why are you asking me this I said my brother Gary is gonna do a show based on the Odd Couple and he had Tony Randall I think yeah we got it and so then Jack who ended up playing Oscar Madison yes and it was a one camera show the first year then when they went to multi camera which is in front of an audience like real humans like you what and they needed more character so they needed an Oscar need a secretary okay so I think it was Jack who said why don't you use your sisters he's the one who got me into this so I became Jack Klugman secretary Myrna turn that's it Tony Randel Jack Klugman taught her a lot and she was delightful Jack was helpful he pushed me on to marks I don't know some stuff if there was a mistake Jack would say my fault my fault it's a great guy he is a great guy he still is son is a good writer my daughter told me actually where's Adam I've been very good writer and his uh he has a nephew rights of some of the big shows but anyway through that you went along and they didn't pay you well because I was what they called recurring then seven out of thirteen I don't know what they call it now they wouldn't give me $100 raise or something so if everybody else but uh so he says you'll get even I told it because I believe someday we did but then if they're not I went to Paul sand and friends and lovers for Jim Brooks at em Jim which didn't last that long and I played the his sister-in-law who hated him which they never explained that exactly to me it's not a clear plotted show when I was fun no they kissed a girl as his girlfriend and then she got a nose job and they find her to listen to that you're not as funny at beginning without wouldn't you know you get that you don't eat it your insecurities sometimes is what makes it fun I don't like my posture I don't like my teeth I'm a little fat now yeah but very healthy what well I did that then you went into writing a minute I started writing zoetrope on because it was going to be the anniversary yeah what the Bicentennial so she William so I know cuz she dated a friend of my brother we were in the room writing exterior Europe day yeah what they wrote together Harvin Cindy a team and so my brother called and said what do you do we both talk like that and so he says you want to do happy days yeah well Cindy wants to do it she could play opposite Ron Howard because they were good merican graffiti if not tidy the part Freddy Silverman was a head of ABC went to Gary thing I said I got two girls everybody likes all the girls on TV with fancy nobody like worked in a factory they went and they did the learn and Shirley and DOE he had to become virgin so the girls who put out now didn't put out they were we used to say they were pure as snow but they drifted we had they would know we had a insinuate well we weren't allowed to say did you do it we couldn't say the word it so that's where we came did you vote yo dodo she made the whole deal I did that folio dodo you vote no it became a bigger thing than saying did you do it No you know but that was family our back then at least anything I told ya no matter what our but you didn't vote yo dough but you voted oh they do rodeo we didn't know what that meant but it passed that's month you know we would put things in scripts and say things so that we'd like to hear what the census is just on purpose but the show one of the few sitcoms ever Laverne and Shirley debuted number one in the ratings thank you the first show ever and they work in the factory but out of that came success now somewhere you must have known I mean when you do a show you never read the papers the business oh but some way you knew you were a hit somewhere we didn't know nothing yeah except we were working hard because we don't read the trades and stuff like that but we had done any we did a album Laverne and Shirley sings which Laverne doesn't by the way we went into a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade so we went into New York this is the first season was done we had like a couple of weeks off before it was time to do the next season so we were in New York and I was making signs I was married to Rob Brian or at the time from all the family again are so not to so a number one spot but that was a great show all in the family and he thought it would only last so we put on for winning because he sort of would last 13 weeks and that was it but it lasted a lot longer and then he left the show because he was support but at this time Tracy and Rob were at home and so I was making signs Happy Thanksgiving you know to hold up in this call with our music coming out and we go going down what it's not fifth it was CPW there's barricades and cops hold the crowd back the cops were holding the car back they came to the cops and the crowd came to quit they signed that big cops and firemen very big as you should be always call your firemen first by the way they will come to prevent where as cops something has to happen so anyway I'm just telling you you know your local fireman that's the truth they work very hard and that's when you knew that you yeah then we going on here yeah and then we kept doing the show and my brother always said if the ratings lift if you're not number one it's not that you're not good it's just somebody else's turn you all get turns that's true yeah but that they've during their turn they had like 45 rate share 4550 share now you get annoying you're in it but there were three channels until Barry Diller made Fox now there's eight million thousand Channel and a lot of realities on people I have no idea who they are I don't know who they are or what they did but they're there but there but then the check the show went off yeah I went away I got divorced at some point for mom who's a good guy and I called him I said look I want you to talk because he's got a wife and three kids and my grandson went to school with two of his boys and I said I'm just telling you tell your wife you fix us in the Balkan do you know so called wedding pictures it was 1971 out of our I know and so but he said did you tell the story about when did you tell the story about one and I said some of it I add and so anyway I was there if it's a lovely wedding everybody was there was my putting on the book all of corals to guess yes they didn't say yours by the way and the divorce the questioning um I'm became friends with Carrie Fisher an epic Terry fish Oh writes a lot of books and gets a lot of bipolar rewards because I can't I gotta get another bipolar reward well deserved well deserve and she's very funny and we were good best friends and so she was going with Paul Simon and she introduced me to art garfunkel so we double-dated for like five years disappearing I don't know about well I was in New York a lot and so I did wasn't hanging out in LA it was in New York I go to New York on my weeks off from the bird enjoyed hanging out with the Saturday Night Live people because I knew to John and Chevy and all them and Gilda before John Belushi Saturday Night Live this looks like we went on a lot of trips Carrie and I got along fine I didn't know Paul and Hardy hated each other no I had no I did they did the concert and spent in Central Park which we were at because I asked someone know could you sing something I didn't know they didn't get along so they sang and it was thrilling it was one of the most early nights in my life when they sang in the apartment then they did the concert in Central Park and so they didn't look at each other if you look at the video they never look at each other they're looking at way the other ones looking at work but I went on tour with them to Australia New Zealand Port Paul and Carrie would fight a lot and so she didn't go but I'd go and I go shopping with Paul and I was with Artie he'd like to walk he walks you know he'd go out for the papb in New Jersey why do you doing in New Jersey I took a walk but he was a terrific oi eccentric but he taught me to travel cuz Rob didn't travel he went to Hawaii that was it and so I went all over on a motorcycle so Europe with him I had to fix the motorcycle which I didn't know I could do he couldn't but I figured it out and I fixed the BMW and we went all over came back for us for me she came back she's we're always there for each other I was doing a play in Boston called the roast listen to this applause it was a it was a it's a trivia question what was the play at the Winter Garden before cats and was called the roast I wrote it it lasted three nights cats lasted 18 years so but she came to help me with we give each other notes on our rough cuts of movies or whatever and I came in where Artie we snuck into Boston because just like in Avignon okay so game and divorce and now directing it is my ex-father-in-law call Roy restoring it is my ex-husband Rob Reiner and my brother and his partner Jerry Belson wrote it so I'm like hiding from him yeah rob was a little depressed about someone sitting in a swan in front of the rich school and but she had a hard you know an upset I don't went to rented a hotel room gave them notes and then we left and went you actually met up with Paul and Kerry in Washington DC we met Star Wars she helped me and just the roaster head usher in Ostend at the time the only good thing the head usher was Jason Alexander and we've been friends ever since that's what always something good comes out but then you were yeah I was back on the bike Avignon and so we went back to we went to England and we went to back to we went to Portugal which was fogged in and it was supposed to be some celebration but they lied about that but that you love anything so we'd stay in 5-star hotels to pensions it didn't matter and we took backwards and it was ice it's something I should have done at 19 but I was a mother at 19 so Rd was good with that and we had friends in South of France kinda Eric Idle and his gold ever dis again to move I did that then we went into Italy and then my daughter and my daughter my daughter my sisters youngest daughter Wendy medicine Geneva Switzerland pick them up I rented a car so they learn and then one would pack on the back of the bike and I would the other one would learn how to drive so they learned how to drive on the back roads of France not a bad place better than support but and so um I went that was a great trip then you know what was going well then I came back then it was like wow what do I do and then you know I was in New York because I had rooms in Lorne Michaels apartment Paul Simon's apartment or do you want me up so I figured about time I'm getting older I should get my own place so I bought an apartment what's it now doing construction on finally to get rid of the bottom apartment that I bought for my daughter when she had her baby Spencer you're in New York so I ran into a Debra Winger was doing legal eagles what we was doing jumpin Jackfish I met will be he was a birthday we went to dinner and some we went to no-tell room well someone saw us and I came back to LA for winter clothes and then I got a phone call we went to Mexico wait yo enough one camera movies you know I knew multi-camera she directed on the furniture yeah but everyone did anyone know anyone want to direct this we did I try to tell her that's how I kept them awake I let him but they but the Joel Silver was called you also friend Larry Gordon produces big producer Larry was they had a fox at the time it was the executive Disher there but every week that's how the person was in charge and it's too many lunches in my opinion I don't want to have lunch for this new person they won't be there that long not the head head arendelle was a head head of Fox and he created Fox Network so that became the fourth network of the hundred and thousand right now but he had a fourth network and so they said they do this and they say don't Kalyan they screamed it was like say could I read it but but the shooting already yeah there were ten days into shooting but they didn't like the way it was going so somebody you must have said well no they saw me with loopy said they get a long a new me from paramount they know I was reliable I came to work and fun yeah and so I called my brother I said what should I do he says it's a strange business they pay you to learn so and you said just get good shoes and finish it don't fall down so I said all right I have a good phone book a very good friends went through it because they only write for two people talking heads it's not my idea of fun so it was a big office so I called in John loved it so they'd Phil Hartman I'm a Reese to it Carol came Jim Belushi my brother my daughter anyone around want to be Tracey Ullman I'm pregnant that doesn't matter Chi Minh you'll be at the ball no michael mccann you know guy put everyone in who I knew could make up stuff and won't be like fun I won't be like to proceed but color purple came out in the middle of shooting the last thing to go on to be doing this getting up at 5:00 in the morning but jumpin Jack flash yeah so which I totally understood but let's finish this sucker now and get it over with and yeah I didn't understand they could see kept writing Whoopie saves the world that wasn't her name I don't understand your campaign a lot of things they did we were learning you should go along but that wasn't a smash but now don't stop you know Dan Jim Brooks put big on my desk and said this is your next movie not knowing that the world had turned it down already every director had turned it down because with two of the movies like father like son and vice versa with the same premise big and so everywhere dice you know everyone has that the Lord when I'm big I'm going on yeah so why should I write and I went to Tom said no one to everyone said no but you had a good idea with would you go well I said let me go another way totally another way I'm rich one penny said one way they is you're just too young well and so I would I said let me go with a got man man you know instead of a boy man so I said call Bob De Niro who I knew I'm going up yell in New York hanging out and so he wanted to do a commercial film now I'd still pay to see him dance on the piano and he's a behavioral actor and he was very smart about a lot of things he says his first instinct would be to look like this when talking to his friend not down there because it was the same age and kids don't walk in a straight line they walk up steps they're in the car they're up enough you know so Bob's very observant about that but they wouldn't pay him because an article came out about how much money Chevie was making on this and Ron candy and all these people and Bob was up for him and a doctor at the time and so then one day he said okay when we had to take this picture for the 75 years of paramount whoever worked at Paramount and then after that he said I can't penny I'll be upset and she Brooks it all from your salary still learning what would I want you to sell away for we're in it together yeah I'll take Jim's salary yeah and that was a bit much bigger salary than mine by the way and um then once he wanted to do it he gave me a great deal of validity how's it director cuz he was one of our best actors and who's in every comedy now folks but Ben Stiller yeah but I Bobby was funny in a different way you know he had a different behavior funny but who talked into talk well no one's mom said yes and everyone wanted to do it so Tom came back from big you became a director yes went on and did well I got a deal at Fox from between big because even jumping jack flash a sock so is big but what was the second after big then I develop legally wrong there was a picture I saw a documentary and that's a as much as I hate stupidity at ineptness if you're ignorant of something like I didn't know about this league so I think if I don't know somebody else doesn't know you know so I figure well it's worth knowing about and so no women writers wanting to write it so I went to Logan's who had developed Laverne and Shirley TV guys Davey guys and babalu and they wrote the script and while they were writing I read the script awakenings which Fred's like a medical mystery to me and my mother bless her had Alzheimer's at this point not a pleasant disease let me tell you first she was a little funny with it yeah she was she would get lost on the bus and she kept but his wife would be called to jail she was regaling hookers with her dancing school snorting she was happy as can be but later on it's not let's get to my wife said nurse she was good allergic to the world by the way picanha yes yeah I did awakenings because League wasn't ready you know and that's something they didn't expect a exactly jump attack birthday expect a big but awakenings was my friends even did not expect that kind of movie from me and I put some humor in it so no and I went to Bob because I owed him from giving me validity and then I had a counter I'm so into Robin who are you done Mork & Mindy with yes well when she was Oliver walking she and then we talk tomorrow tell them how it is to be a star of a TV show yeah I get every two but somebody's I did taxi and they always to play yourself like I have a range I don't have a bigger range this is the way I talk it's the way I act I'm not doing Shakespeare in the Park anytime soon and so this is how I am you know I'll be yourself oh right whatever so I knew everyone on the lot it was like a campus back then you know so that was neat and we have you run into each other but they all became directors and so I did awakenings and then they were the heart wanted a different director to do legally wrong no but wicked he's was she should have got a prize in my opinion the way that they were too because he held the movie together by the way but I so I had a non nominees party that might have all those people who weren't nominated came to my house and those who laughter they finished would come over Carrie Fisher and I had these joint birthday parties birthdays a six days apart many years apart but six days so we knew a lot of the same people so we had joint birthday parties and we knew everybody and so we had this party and so as we're watching the show I said there's going to be a lot of depressed Italians come and cuz Goodfellas except for Pesci who was living at my house for three years by the way a lot of people stay with her she's better than I would they come out for a couple of doctors yeah no money yeah but Joe straight for three years can I do one awakening story all right in the middle of awakenings I got some comedy one she was shooting they called and she's I'll send the tape so I'm at the awards and comes a tape with penny and Robin and they're shooting and awakenings took place at a mental mental and she said Gary congratulations I'm standing here and she was wanting to say in a mental institution but she said I'm standing here in a menstrual institution and without hesitation Robin said it's a period piece which it was it was it was it brought down the house what tape was the funniest thing at my walk took place then but then it came out it got nominee Bob nominated the writers and the producers and not me so Morty squish I see you had lost four good fellows came over and said look first of all you're Italian forget about second of all you're a woman forget about it doubly you don't got a chance in hell and so I said all right it didn't matter to me I was everyone was at my house eating that chicken and macaroni and cheese Streisand came over after yo they all knew the food we serve you know we weren't fancy would eat and so then did League which I wasn't sure working with that many women but because we used to work on guys and so 13 women yeah well 12 on each team you know there were other people and other teams and um at a lowly lowly was on the other team Danny Jones was on the other team when she felt that coming but she's a great athlete it's women who can really play well they had to pay us out dato may rest in peace us she's baseball coach she they'd all had a test so they could really play it's not like a football movie where you could cover them up a hockey if these were in skirts and you saw their faces so ya gotta have people comply so I wouldn't read you if you couldn't play and she didn't let him wear batting gloves so they all got blisters oh no they oh but I didn't know they didn't have them I thought you meant it with the old practice just throwing is the hardest for the girls it's a different body structure when they finally got to playing there's no webbing in period glove and Ramsey ball went right first baseman left sorry left you all right went right through a broken nose and yet the moment Rome's oh yes well because the girl dropped out her pilot went for telecine that's when they do it so and then network network sees whether you want to pick it up so like Western my dance it all the way mate so I went to mo Madonna cuz I just too long a name for me to say and said I read she one being sick want to be in movies I said she was heard you want to see if I could pitch I said no I said I wanted I need to dance and I got to see if he could play so she went to st. John's and tried out at st. John's in New York on a way to can would true city so I made Rosie a Madonna best friends she was too good a player and too good an actress I even though she would look choppy so I said you keep food out of her mouth and help herself and said her hair and you teach her how to play better and so they became best friends as the Lord to this very good friend those girls worked their butts off they worked injured Lori petti quartered foot on home plate she lucky they had high socks the way I cover the cast yeah Rose he had broken fingers he all had broken something but again we always do finish she created Friday and said get on a plane I lost an actor you're acting right I wanted Christopher Walken but so I went to my brother my daughter played Betty spaghetti Thank You Tracy and um and I think Amy's here Amy are you here Amy lambish she said she was coming she called me she soy me see I'm waving okay Amy started out as my assistant she was on on awakening she said I think can you help jumping jack flash and big she did alone with me then on league she said I think I need some help so I hired Bonnie who lives in New York they both of the same birthdays they both met their husbands on awakenings and they both have two kitties Amy as two girl's body is two boys and Amy is now a head of the California Film Commission pretty quality and Kristin who came in Eclipse as like older Kristin came in she works at Sony lluvia Chris Kristen here somewhere hey Vic I gave the picture did good hexa which believe me I went from Fox who I said to Barry do you want to make seven million dollars because that's what they were in for were sex and paying more people and so I said yes and so I went its own equals awakenings went to Sony cuz Fox didn't want to do it it was a dead project so really we let you do that girls movie yeah they thought all their girlfriends would be in it and so um I had real players they were good players they could played and they we've got to the Baseball Hall of Fame yes and all the real ladies who I did the movie for were in the Lessing and president when they went to the Hall of Fame like 60 70 years old sliding into home plate and actually this year there's a 20th anniversary of the movie the 40th anniversary of when they gotten ahold of team and the 60th anniversary of the league so I was in New York doing books stuff and they said could you go to Sony Khan can you go to Syracuse not I'm not in Syracuse I don't have time they had you booked like this and I was going to go to Milwaukee which I did I met for Obama very nice man we talked about smoking I'm sorry I spoke and so he says he uses the gum and I don't like the gum Gmail and I mean that's the third president I met I met Korra we went because all the family Chia was retired and so we went there yeah and and so I've met - what do you say yo bro I said you look tired you need I said you treat everyone the same I don't care if the president or their cop or the firemen I did you know the garbage man who loved me in New York they'll give me a ride any time where you going panting we've talked about the good done red health issue we got whacked once yeah whacked I got whacked in 2000 knowing actually I was and I went to the doctor he says you got a little spot on your lung we gotta watch that never watched it eight months later I'm in New York I the Giants game the Giants had one do you before I got my leg coupling on but that's another story but I'm at the giant game my friend works for the Giants doing and out comes this big wooden thing a replica of the trophy and inside is Michael Strahan who jumps out yeah yeah I never once you heard and all that stuff and so I was with Otis Anderson and Harry Carson I think so then we had both older giants and then I went to and you had to go all around the cement and go down here lucky I'm been in most every arena for basketball I love basketball so does my brother I am Lakers I am clipper tickets I've like her tickets I've been to almost every arena in New York I go to Knicks Nets now I haven't been to Brooklyn yet what that's about but I used to go to New Jersey because no one else would and so anyway I went home and my friend said you walking funny don't think so and I must have the masseuse up who will come in any hour of the day or night not that she's great but she does come and so I must have taken my xanax or something and just so Ronald Perelman a dear friend of mine not the actor the Revlon million billion here she directed commercials ever since Revlon commercials and after big Barry Diller turned me on to him and so I said he had a call waiting downstairs I went to the hospital and they said you have a brain tumor in lung cancer they just say I'm very calm in terrible situations so I said [ __ ] live Estonia I said you send it to can you send him to White Castle and since I said this on a couple of shows White Castle semi blankets each a department so no y'all but you can't get the frozen ones you gotta get the real ones I had one driver who made him drive all over the place because I wouldn't go to a White Castle that wasn't shaped like a castle and so anyway I'm in the house with Ronald taking care of me got doctors and he called my brother sister and me and my daughter in and I flew in just before Ronnie myself I was not pleasant I'm not a good I'm not a good patient I'm not pleasant to the nurses who I find a little dumb and and and the doctor he got was getting a quick divorce and you wanted to leave because I was going fishing and hunting in Florida so they don't read the 80 million forms you fill out and I'm allergic to opiates so is my brother we're both allergic well here's a lot more allergies but I'm allergic to latex rubber opiate so you write this down big letters penicillin big letters and yeah doc I went out to the beyond ease oh by the way let me just say this all waiters what be on ease the pain yes well I'm saying you hear about system that what you really hear about penny a charity she does a lot of charity stuff that they don't say on each channel they want to know what spending Britney Spears a person I don't even know but you see the girls in trouble you think hitting her every day is gonna help you know I just think that's not good do you think which I left the hospital to do before the brain surgery it's called beyond ease it's a brain institute Association for New York State friend of ours was in a kick Lorraine Bracco you hear the ring she is she's gonna be there brain damage and we got involved with this brain institute Association for New York State so we had that thing that Wednesday night so I said I'm going I'm Ronald said you're not going I said I bow to seeing us the next to me if I fall ill catch me is a big guy and but because the vets coming home we all their soldiers coming home with a brain injuries and any of you here by the way if you have charities that you're involved in whatever they are I'll sign a book get a book I'll sign it then you could put it up for auction yeah to donate you gotta give back get back in any way you can it's a little way but you do it in Lorraine and I go and so I left cuz I had a hydrogen car I was going to arrive in which at least works if you have the right station you could fill it up with but I had that they donated that for the evening and we went and we did that and during you should 911 she was one of the great helps of that's what if if I didn't police department of all New York City loved she was at every event after I had a movie they moved up riding in cars with boys because it wasn't violent so it came out a month or not October 19th and because who are violent I called Lauren said Lauren I need a Saturday Night Live date for Drew Barrymore and she said she got it then she didn't show up any yes it's Lauren yeah she's not here okay let me find her yeah where are you why aren't you a lot of scared get on the plane yeah it's not about the movie just you represent a generation say it's safe to be in New York yes that's what's needed that's why wasn't I don't care what the movie said what can I do you know as this president saying don't go to moles you know I didn't think it was going to be a big hit and so when I went in coach Gary and I weren't a party so I went in and they wouldn't have a premiere and I wanted to know okay Teresa let me know people I wanted to have make him make a dollar and but you were there but knew that I stayed I stayed in New York I always said everything that happened any fireman Denis Leary did an amazing amount of work because he's a fireman was great giving back Patty Smyth and I gave blankets and deceits tomorrow local pension 74 it's a tall local firehouse and whenever we could I know it was at those baseball games the World Series against the tea packs which the Yankee said no right to win any game they won those three games in New York which helped the city so much just in spirit that matter they lost this year that three games in New York they want and god bless them for that and was at the basketball game what do you say Knicks but I still do know whatever charity I got it a kid I helped take care was in a wheelchair he goes to college he's a good kid but the only people I don't wanna chocolate there's some street gangs in LA when it a few who gets involved with I'm big in the inner-city okay I don't know if it's because we were poor run the burnish early so they could identify with us more than the Cosmi family that war war war because they direct a preacher's wife yeah what's the first black Christmas yes yeah which they put on a little late for me on Christmas Day but it was Denzel and with Whitney and you Courtney Vance and just up Whitney was a good wait he was great I don't care I'm it's very sad I was very sad when she died it was not Bobby's fault Bobby was already remarried with a kid no it was Whitney I never saw her that way she was fine she always knew her lines she was there she was funniest [ __ ] by the way very funny she had a strange cousin who one night we were sitting there and she what he was trying to convince us they are talking about the Bible that yeah when Geppetto lived in the whale and I'm looking at Whitney and what you know I'd die and try not to laugh I said I don't believe it was Geppetto I think it was Jonah Geppetto is Pinocchio's father ya know and Whitney and I were just on the floor laughing yeah but she had a great sense of humor she knew her lines and she saw in that guy say I'm gonna block it for you staged it for you yeah thank you she never didn't know her lines sometimes she would be late but the earth people called dat and she didn't hold the movie together you know so you could switch to suit this scene first but that was when you know Bobby was in that land or a son Bobby drank more than anything no and so he wasn't even in town he came to visit twice Bobby De Niro I just didn't know but she was a great girl and I'm just sorry that you know I think some people she was involved with not Bobby or Cissy says he was in the movie to my mom and some other people and her family are not the best people to be around well feeding the wrong things give in to her because that's what happened with people who are big stars yeah they have the celebrity doctors and said that um they get their way and that's not good for people whoever you are and if you're nobody you're better off they keep saying in the rag papers pray for her she's doing with liver liver cancer I don't think never has been the operation I smoked because I had a thing yeah I smoked folks enjoy it with him and at maths test aside whatever the word is to hear and so didn't hurt nothing hurts it didn't hurt yes and I never heard all I did is most people get sick and waste away I gained 60 pounds I got 660 pounds that I got hard nails something I had soft snails I didn't find him go play with them and they leave like mushy now I got hard nails that was my experience and thanks knock wood I'm okay but I named a block let me just say in the book on tape tis also my sister when my mother did die yes we did have some deaths yes we dealt with my grandmother doing thank the Lord my mother dying d92 my father my grandfather died I was in camp they didn't tell me we didn't want to upset you that's what they thought and but Gary was in Hawaii I was in New York when my mom died so my sister was left with my mother and the death of my mother so she does in the book on tape book on tape usually one person does it she goes she got that she did a little bit wasn't there but she didn't get a receipt for the body I know that we didn't know where she was and it was a Sunday don't die on a Sunday not good not good a lot of problems Christmas during Christmas on a Sunday don't not it's like all psychiatrists go away in August I turned that after all was said I got a DIN fluence on funny woods oh yeah we had to be funnier or you would have killed us up she wasn't a pleasantest you didn't know what sarcasm was this is the fake one yes it's fake it's not real smoke comes out but don't worry it's not I not make them crazy at the games anyone complained plastic with saddles with the book you get a free motion I caught more from the fake cigarette I do most of them I can't smoke but this green one is pretty good it's called green something some of your other hobbies you should mention is a lot of people don't know that penny is like I am NOT good it's a wizard puzzles and games she's just so good and you can't play with her cause she's so quick when you play a board game you roll the dice and you go to counter it moves it moves all the peace nobody does that to want to come up for a sec run if you've got not yet my sister Rani I wish the sickly child he was the healthy one seven one and I was the bad seed why would you want to say she's not just hanging a Ronnie produced or TV shows under a different name there were too many marshal so she was very joy guy named Helen so that's why you're my honey elegy with Mary I changed my name back after I got divorced the first time because I was married to Michael Henry so penny so I knew before it was fan fashion take your old name back but she you know don't kept a married name yeah well I had three names between Rob and myself and Tracey with the last name pick a name do all the shows you want to ask any questions of Rhonda your penny for a second we can have a one a sit and go to bed room dancing around is there any but any questions you'd like to say that we have i only for money any cap dancing you saw on the furniture we came from my mother well because it's more fun than exercising but now that i've got somebody that other than shopping and chinese korean guy but everybody was like oh they were dancing circles around but but they were both under June Taylor dancer wasn't I was hit G was it I was those days she was in college she was and that married was happy has three kids both up three kids I got what I got anyway other questions did you guys ever get the chance to find out how proud your mother was of you no no I did why did why does she why does your brother make a stress so stupid but she was getting sick by that yeah it's a bad disease but even before that she wasn't too thrilled with us she asked me she said change your name I told him yeah my mommy said I should change my name I said why she said she doesn't want me to embarrass the family yeah he says yeah she's crazy don't listen to her but she told me at the time we run the WOM you show at northwestern dance partners even and I thought she's gonna be so proud he couldn't make it out because it was her dance recital so she never did see that and when she moved out to LA my mother told her don't coca-c penny she knows Charles Manson [Laughter] hey what could I say - no chose me but that's the kind of thing she said I learned I had an imagination is that what you asked me yes directing wife Wendy when did you recognize me as a talent I wouldn't be in the Olympics I was fast runner but that wasn't encouragement I was a good athlete but when I did was that okay I imagined that I had a loving family too I imagined a lot of things cuz you'll go nuts but I just imagination wasn't it it was whether you could get through it I was scared fear and fear and uh and security make it two weird things you know so I'd I'd say things you know because I was scared and they'd laugh at them leave it on the odd couple no it said learner says this and she laughs I didn't know how to live but she made one up so I was trying to indicate to the writers that I knew I was supposed to laugh Cindy taught me how to laugh years later so I and they left so that became murders laughs yeah but that's just my accident and I wanted to tell them I know what they wanted but I Cindy taught me much later you breathe out but but here's a first on odd couple cheap with murder Turner I was warned a Turner and you were burnt attorney and we came and we did the laugh all the ones once more I recently saw a great movie called more than friends exactly and I was wondering if you could tell us if any of that storyline paralleled your own life probably did I mean we didn't know each other growing up he lived across the street from me in the Bronx but the green concourse is a big Street and he moved to New Rochelle when he was seven so I didn't know him and he went to a different public school I went to eight I went to 80 but he said I was the first Jewish girl he ever liked some of it made it Mayo's later more I think I'm the one he directed that normal wrote which was a sub with Billy Crystal and Mike Ryan when Harry Met Sally a lot of pieces cause that table I bought it across there them okay and I don't what what what Dondo Beach swap meet Oh so with pieces of that I recognize yeah but it was very fun my niece her oldest took a picture in Chicago misery which Rob directed was with awakenings on a double bill so he took a picture so I just saw where we were in our life but life goes on I'm very challenging guy yo and very funny well why would I not be who I wouldn't be with someone that one that was my mother said don't marry dull boring the worst robbers not possible still boring any future plans to direct to direct I got some scripts but then they always want to know that I hope they feel I'm not dying I mean the whole MBA was praying for me let me tell you when I came back after I had this thing done I came back to LA and I must say yeah I love the MBA and they all came up as that was true I did have a brain tumor and it's fine and they all came we would hope and yell and praying in your [ __ ] big Sixpence None guy it's great yeah sweaty or not and they were terrific to me as for the people at the Staples Center but I have some scripture to keep running and say well if we put your name on it like that we'll get it made I don't know so much yeah there are a couple of scripts I like but they know there's the money to make them that's what the Bravo is independent now I just said one last question cuz I'm sure a lot of people you know you go to her life things go wrong and I know penny has gone through ups and downs illness and healthiest one sitting up straight the bunny yeah she was good eating well but I was just funded could you say what I mean you can work you give up I'll give it you never gave up whatever happened you came back and is there any reason you came back where you're just sitting back from weird you know when things were bad well what else are you gonna do shoot around you could just do so many courseware puzzle and jigsaw puzzle no I'm we told my books I mean you gotta keep doing you know just stay alive you got to keep functioning and whatever level in whatever area if you all secure enough to function whether it's giving back whether it's doing charity whether it's you know keep work whatever it is you want to do and as far as you know they kept trying to sell you I was a trailblazer because I was a woman director there were women directors before me it just said now a hundred millions nothing yeah back then it was something but I didn't think because I didn't ask for the job I think a lot has to do with luck and I think having to be in the right place and know the right people I don't dislike a lot of people yeah it's of course me don't but life's too short to keep harboring [ __ ] you know let it go and you just don't hang around those people but as far as you got to keep doing something that you get enjoyment out of yeah whatever it is I'd like to see men in light oil not a lot of clothes run around [Applause] you

Channel: LiveTalksLA

Views: 26,665

Keywords: Penny Marshall, Garry Marshall, Laverne and Shirley, A League of their own, Big, TED, Ted Talks, interview, Live Talks LA

Id: 86Kp_icv4ng

Length: 71min 57sec (4317 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 05 2020