(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Last night The Hollywood Reporter announced that Gary Marshall died on July 19th at 5pm, “due to complications of pneumonia following a stroke at a hospital in Burbank (California)”.
The average viewer of film and television might not always think about the creators of what we watch on-screen. In the cult of celebrity it is the actors that have the most visibility. The people who pull it all together, not as much. It has to be someone pretty extraordinary for the average person to remember the creator’s name. Gary Marshall is one of those names.
His body of work is extraordinary in its scope, encompassing acting, writing, directing and producing. He was a child actor and even with all the TV writing and film directing he grew up to do, he never dropped acting. You can see him guest-starring in any number of television shows over the decades. The most recent include Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
As an adult he became a comedy writer for television shows such as The Dick Van Dyke in the 1960’s. Marshall then moved on to helped define the modern television sitcom in the 1970’s. Not only did he bring The Odd Couple to television, but Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley and Mork & Mindy are all his creations.
All of these shows gave us new stars. Happy Days’s gave us Henry Winkler as “The Fonz.” Laverne and Shirley starred his sister Penny Marshall. ( She also acts and directs.) Mork and Mindy was the vehicle that showed the world the genius of actor & comedian, Robin Williams. (You can see a clip of them working together on Happy Days here.)
Just as his television shows would become iconic parts of history, his movies would do so as well. For instance, what Mork and Mindy did for Robin Williams, the movie Pretty Woman did for Julia Roberts. Roberts had done two successful films prior to Pretty Woman: Mystic Pizza and Steel Magnolias. The latter got her a supporting actress nomination, but it’s Pretty Woman that made her box office gold and sent her to the top of Hollywood’s A-list of stars.
My personal favorite Gary Marshall film is the 1988 movie Beaches. Actually, it’s one of my favorites in general. It starred Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey as best friends who met at the beach in childhood it follows their lives through 30 years. It’s not all smooth sailing.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhrUp9pM0rE]
Actress Mayim Bialik played the child version of Midler’s character, “CeCe Bloom.” It set the actress up for the TV show Blossom.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFWgxOHN9JQ]
As an adult Bialik became a neuroscientist – and then went back to acting. (Are you noticing the pattern of Marshall being able to find and showcase extraordinary talent?)
The movie gave the world the song “Wind Beneath My Wings” – sung by Milder. The context of how it’s used will make you cry. There’s a lot about the dynamics of female friendship and loyalty – plus a tear-jerker ending. Perhaps that’s why critics weren’t fond of it, but moviegoers loved it (RottenTomatoes.com).
In 1988 not many in Hollywood would risk such a female heavy storyline – nor are there many who would now. Marshall is one of a handful of directors who would. The story that unfolds manages to be funny, poignant and honest – and often all at the same time.
If there’s one thing you take away from Marshall’s body of work is that you can see that he valued a woman’s story as much as a man’s. Whether it be in things like Laverne and Shirley, rom-coms like Pretty Woman, or the 2001 hit movie, The Princess Diaries, Marshall always worked to include the woman’s perspective. This did not go unnoticed.
In 1996, Marshall was awarded the Women in Film Lucy Award in recognition of excellence and innovation in creative works that have enhanced the perception of women through the medium of television.[25]
Nano, Nano, Mr. Marshall. Say hi to Robin for us. You will be missed.
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