# Garry Marshall dies age 81 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 20, 2016, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393 "2016-07-20T04:13:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/1 "2016-07-20T04:13:24Z")
His shows entertained me for at least 15 years. Happy Days, Laverne Shirley, Mork and Mindy so many great shows. I recall his acting appearances on Murphy Brown. Thank you Garry for so many pleasant years watching TV. > **[Film and TV Director Garry Marshall Dead at 81](https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/hollywood-producer-director-garry-marshall-dead-81/story?id=40721756)** ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/2 "2016-07-20T04:15:43Z")
Awwwwwwww… RIP Mr. Marshall; thanks for everything! You done good! ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/3 "2016-07-20T04:18:18Z")
How could I forget Garry’s best show? The Odd Couple ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/4 "2016-07-20T05:02:06Z")
Garry Marshall, who introduced “jumping the shark” into the lexicon. Just kidding. His shows entertained me for a long time. They are classics and are still rerun on TV. His sister Penny is no slouch, either. A popular sitcom actress as Oscar’s secretary, Myrna, on the _Odd Couple_, then as Laverne DeFazio, and also a Hollywood director. It must be in the genes. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/5 "2016-07-20T05:24:27Z")
RIP Garry. We go to his theater often. The Falcon Theater in Burbank is a neat little venue, and right across the street from the same Bob’s Big Boy the Beatles ate at. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/6 "2016-07-20T07:05:13Z")
In remembrance, here’s [his scene playing a casino manager with Albert Brooks in **Lost in America**.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eh8lDJpwZc) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/7 "2016-07-20T08:47:19Z")
Dang. Sorry to hear that. ☹ Condolences to sister Penny (Laverne). ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/8 "2016-07-20T10:05:23Z")
Such a cultural icon. Up there with Norman Lear being kind of a Norman Rockwell of 70’s America. Thank you, Garry. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/9 "2016-07-20T10:08:12Z")
I’m mostly saddened for Gillian Jacobs. She always called him Garry. He seemed like a jovial guy, and created iconic TV. A Hall-Of-Famer for sure. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/10 "2016-07-20T15:17:54Z")
He made some classic movies, too. My (guilty pleasure) favorite of his was “Overboard” with Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/11 "2016-07-20T15:35:18Z")
He was hysterical as a comic actor. I particularly loved him as the overly demanding and half-sane network head in _Murphy Brown_. In one episode he was screaming at his executives over his network being the only one without a cute black orphan kid in the 80s and over the sitcom they had greenlighted starring Jack Albertson as a feisty grandpa: “Jack Albertson is _DEAD_! Thanks to you morons I offered a million dollar contract to a _CORPSE_!” His delivery was what made it hilarious. I thought it was a great tribute that when they mentioned his death on _Today_ today they recalled the _Pretty Woman_ cast reunion they did a couple of years ago and they said that to a person the first question everybody asked that day was “Is Garry here yet?” They all loved him and couldn’t wait to see him. Trivia: He considered Hector Elizondo his good luck charm and cast him in every movie he made. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/12 "2016-07-20T16:04:15Z")
Enjoyed many of his shows in their day and “The Odd Couple” was a truly great show. But I loved his occasional acting even more. His few scenes in “League of their Own” were great. I was just watching a Dick Van Dyke Show episode this week and was surprised to see him, then I remembered he cut his teeth writing for the show. > [@GuanoLad](#): > > I’m mostly saddened for Gillian Jacobs. She always called him Garry. Can you explain this? As a fan of Community I found it interesting and don’t know the back story. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/13 "2016-07-20T16:06:39Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Garry Marshall, who introduced “jumping the shark” into the lexicon. > > . It’s sad his final years as a director turned into just churning out those weird, dull “Day” movies. Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Day, and Mother’s Day. Kind of like his own jumping the shark. He was a great director before. Beaches was a classic. And he was a very funny guy. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/14 "2016-07-20T16:42:47Z")
Ahh Garry, thank you for the entertainment you gave us. R.I.P., Garry, and I loved your many works but right now Mr. Harvey in _A League of Their Own_ comes fondly to mind. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/15 "2016-07-20T17:13:19Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > He was hysterical as a comic actor. I particularly loved him as the overly demanding and half-sane network head in _Murphy Brown_. In one episode he was screaming at his executives over his network being the only one without a cute black orphan kid in the 80s and over the sitcom they had greenlighted starring Jack Albertson as a feisty grandpa: “Jack Albertson is _DEAD_! Thanks to you morons I offered a million dollar contract to a _CORPSE_!” His delivery was what made it hilarious. He had a nothing part on an episode of MONK, and still played it for everything it was worth: he wasn’t a suspect, he wasn’t really even a witness; he was basically just an enthusiastic fellow passenger on the plane, the kind of guy who’ll talk your ear off _regardless,_ but danged if he isn’t genuinely impressed watching a real-life detective pulling off fancy deductions like in a mystery novel or something! ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/16 "2016-07-20T17:24:43Z")
There was a Happy Days reunion a few years back. The whole cast was there (even Chuck) except for Erin Moran and Al Molinaro. Garry was the breakout star of the reunion. Scott Baio was sitting to the side not participating and Garry told him “Would you get the hell over here and talk with us? This is the _Happy Days_ reunion, you’re over there in the _Charles in Charge_ reunion. Come here!” It was funny. And to think Chachi is now… ah well. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/17 "2016-07-20T18:42:51Z")
The opening sentence of the New York Times obituary expressed my thoughts best: > [@](#): > > If one were to count up the number of times any American — or maybe anyone anywhere — laughed in the last half-century, the person responsible for more of those laughs than anyone else might well be Garry Marshall, who died on Tuesday in Burbank, Calif. He truly made the world a happier place by helping us to forget our troubles for a little while. And I genuinely enjoyed _Valentine’s Day_. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/18 "2016-07-20T19:05:23Z")
He was apparently as much a father figure to Penny as he was a brother. She said in an interview once that both times she became pregnant (once when she was 19, the second time when she was in her 40s) she called him before she called the respective fathers to ask for advice. (She had the first baby, had an abortion the second time.) Her big break was nepotism of course, but she earned her keep. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/19 "2016-07-20T20:28:06Z")
He directed the underrated **Young Doctors in Love**. I loved him in **A League of Their Own**. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393/20 "2016-07-20T21:03:32Z")
I loved _The Princess Bride…_ in the interviews, apparently when you made a Garry Marshall movie, you learn how to do a Garry Marshall accent. Chris Pine, Anne Hathaway, even a little kid all started talking like him in the middle of their interviews. Awesome. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garry-marshall-dies-age-81/760393.md?page=2)