Name: Penny Marshall on Letterman, February 1, 1984
Uploaded: 2018-12-18T19:51:20.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Penny Marshall on Letterman, February 1, 1984' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2018-12-18. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Penny Marshall on Letterman, February 1, 1984' from Don Giller on Comedy Buff. Published 2018-12-18. Transcript available.

Thank you very much, Paul. Welcome back to the show.
My first guest tonight. By the way, can we keep the wind machine?
Can we have it on standby? Bust open some pillows one of these nights and just...
Well, maybe tonight. Maybe a little later we could use the machine.
After all, Peggy is here from Philadelphia.
Alright, most of you will remember my first guest as Laferne DeFazio
on the long-running show Laverne and Shirley. How long was that on, Paul?
It was on for years. It was on for eight years.
That's right. Eight years? Eight seasons.
76 to 83, right? Unbelievable run.
Very few people realize that this same woman originated the role of Tina,
the Indian girl, in the motion picture, The Savage Seven.
She will be guest-starring on NBC's new show this Friday night.
Please welcome Penny Marshall.
How are you?
Okay.
Do you feel all right?
No, how are you?
I'm fine. I feel pretty good.
Good.
Thank you for being here.
Oh, you're welcome. I was just upstairs, so...
Oh!
As if if you weren't upstairs, you wouldn't come to see us?
Not a chance.
Oh! Now, let me ask you, Penny, about Tina, the Indian girl. Do you remember
this?
Yes, I was in The Savage Seven, and I played an Indian.
And what else do you remember about the motion picture?
It was a movie about Indians and a motorcycle gang.
And I was an Indian with a Bronx accent. It was very realistic.
Yeah. All right.
One of the highlights of my career.
How long... This was in the very beginning of your acting?
Yeah, around 1968.
This is a Roger Corman film?
No, it was a Dick Rush film, and...
What else did Dick go on to produce?
Oh, Dick? No, Dick went on to direct The Stuntman.
Oh, yeah. That's a terrific film.
I think it took ten years before he could direct The Stuntman after The Savage
Seven.
Now, you're originally from the Bronx here in the...
Yeah.
Now...
Bless you.
Is this the time and place that the Marshalettes came into business history?
Yes, they did.
My mother was a dancing school teacher in the basement of the building I lived
in in the Bronx.
What kind of dancing?
Precision tap dancing.
Not just regular tap dancing, but precision tap dancing.
No, no. Precision tap dancing.
Like the Rockettes.
Oh, I see. Sure.
We were called the Junior Rockettes, but when we appeared on the Ted Mack Amateur
Hour, RCA owned the Rockettes,
so we became the Marshalettes.
And how did you do on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour Hour?
We were three-time winners, yeah.
No kidding!
And who did you defeat each time?
The Barrett Piper dancers.
Geez, I know they went on to...
They went on to big things.
They were in Dick Resch films and stuff, I think.
And honestly, they needed an opening act for their final award show that Pat Boone
hosted,
so we were like a big dance number and we'd end with kicks and then go like
that.
We didn't have a prayer at winning.
But this is a big deal for a kid.
You must have been just a little tiny girl, huh?
Eleven.
Now, what kind of a thrill was that for an 11-year-old girl suddenly to be on
national television
and Pat Boone and all of that?
We didn't get paid, but we did get out of going to school.
Well, there you go.
That's all that's important.
Yeah.
And we were also on the Jackie Gleason show with the June Taylor bands.
Here in New York or in Florida?
And did you meet Jackie Gleason?
No.
Yeah.
Gogey Grant, I think.
Yeah.
Did you talk to Ted Mack on the contest?
No.
Yeah.
We didn't talk to anyone.
Well, that's all right.
Those were the early days, though.
Yeah.
You didn't have to talk to someone like you.
You just came and they did it and you went home.
Okay.
And now, you mentioned you were upstairs.
Tell the folks what you're doing upstairs.
I'm doing the new show that will be on this Friday night.
Yeah.
And what kind of things are you doing on that?
Well, we were going to juggle oranges and do some string stuff, but I guess I
better tell
them not to do that.
No, no.
They shouldn't.
Right now.
It's up for grabs.
See, we were going to do a thing on Scarface, but it seems that standard's in
practice.
Do you have any problems with that?
Not many problems, but these are the people that tell you for...
Whether you can do things or not.
Yeah.
And since it is a primetime show, we still don't know whether we can do it or
not.
But you only have a few days...
You're taping it tomorrow night.
Yeah.
So when will you know what's going to be on the show?
Tomorrow.
That's cutting it a little close, isn't it?
It is.
Yeah.
You're also...
You're breakdancing up there?
Yeah.
What a dumb thing.
So overall, you're pretty excited about this, aren't you?
No, no.
I am very excited about this show, but can any of you break down?
I know Bill Wendell is a breakdancing fool.
No, I don't think...
It's very hard.
I mean, it sounded like a good idea.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And now when you try to do it, it hurts like a...
It really hurts.
You actually get down on your back and on your shoulders and your head.
You get a spin on your head.
I'm part of all over this.
Could you spin on your head for us tonight?
Look, I did the mime thing.
The least you can do is spin on your head.
There's not enough room here, dear.
This poor woman...
I tell you what, we'll talk it over and we'll go away for a commercial and we'll
come right back.
She doesn't have to.
Welcome back.
Penny Marshall is here.
Edwin Newman is also going to be here.
comedian Joel Hodgson and what do you think?
You're not going to dance, are you?
I don't blame you.
Well, you've already taken the oranges and the string bits, so I do have to
save something for the news.
That's right.
That's right.
But it's very difficult, very painful, and you're very tired, aren't you?
Yeah.
Now, why are you tired?
Just too much work?
Just...
I've been dancing with five little, you know, 16 to 18-year-old boys.
Uh-huh.
And they have a lot of energy.
Yeah.
And I think I'm too old to be doing this.
No, you're not.
Oh, yeah, I am.
No, no.
Yeah, I am.
But you did, I mean, the whole run of Laverne and Shirley, you were doing a lot
of physical activity.
Yeah, that I was far too old to be doing.
Really?
Yeah.
Did you ever injure yourself during the course of the show?
Oh, many times.
Like what?
Well, the last big injury was I was flying in a space suit with Charlie Fleischer,
you know.
Uh-huh.
Sure, Charlie Fleischer.
And I was up around 12 feet, you know, in wires, and I was doing flips, and the
wires broke.
See, that's not supposed to happen.
It was so funny.
Um, and I went splat right to the ground.
Yeah?
On what part did you land?
On my, luckily, not on my, on my side.
Yeah?
Breaking your...
I bounced.
Yeah?
No, luckily I didn't.
Or else would I be in a lawsuit, you know?
Uh, you know, the show was on, what did we decide, eight years?
Eight years.
And it's one of these deals now, it will run long past the time you and I have
left this
earth.
Uh, so you really have contributed to, uh, legendary television.
Worldwide, I'm guessing this is running, isn't it?
It is running in Saudi Arabia.
Really?
And Bangladesh, oddly enough.
They're not eating, but they are watching the birds.
Very strange.
Uh, now what, what does that make you feel like?
At, at some point in the show, you realize that it's going all over the world.
That must change your whole attitude about the project, huh?
No.
Yeah.
You don't even know anything.
Really?
No, they tell you later.
Yeah.
Uh, but you, it doesn't give you the, the, the slightest feeling of
accomplishment or power
that you are now seeing worldwide and will be from now till the end of life as
we know
it on this nasty old wad of earth?
It feels nice.
I don't know.
And, uh, when the show went off the air, you moved to New York, right?
Yeah.
I moved to New York and, uh, sometimes I have to go back to Los Angeles, but I
am trying
to live in New York because, well, I'm from here and I really wanted to be
living here,
but I seem to, well, thank you.
Um, I like to live here.
And, uh, any difficulty adjusting to the city?
No.
I like, I'm not a driver.
I hate to drive.
Yeah.
So I like, you know, hey, taxi and, uh, don't have, in LA, you got 18 cars got
to meet to
go to dinner or something.
Yeah, it's tough.
It's tough.
And I, I don't drive.
Yeah.
Well, nice to have you back in town.
Well, thank you.
Now, let me get the data correct on this.
Uh, this will be the new show, Friday night.
Friday night.
What time?
Um, 10 o'clock with Raul, Julia, and Randy Newman.
Pretty good show.
Yes.
And, uh, cast members, uh, Dave...
Buck Henry, Dave Thomas, and Valerie Brownfield.
Well, nice to see you.
And some of your old writers.
That's right.
And you'll be dancing on your head.
We'll look forward to that.
Penny Marshall, ladies and gentlemen.
Or Vernon Shirley.
Penny, thank you very much.
Uh, we have to do a station identification.
We'll be back with Ed Newman right after this, folks.
Hey, hey, hey, kids.
Ever want a Popsicle, but Mom won't let you have a sugary treat before dinner?
Then how about a snack that's easy and quick?
Like Mr. Larry's toast on a stick.
All the fun of a Popsicle with no muss or fuss.
No drinking chocolate, no drinking fenders, just a few toast crumbs on that
thing.
So go for the snack that won't make you sick.
It's Mr. Larry's toast on a stick.
The preceding announcement was paid for by the American Toast Council.
The preceding announcement was paid for by the American Toast.
The preceding announcement was paid for by the American Toast.
The preceding announcement was paid for by the American Toast.
The preceding announcement was paid for by the American Toast.
The preceding announcement was paid for by the American Toast.
The preceding announcement was paid for by the American Toast.
The preceding announcement was paid for by the American Toast.
The preceding announcement was paid for by the American Toast.