Hey, Summer Campers!
Get ready to learn about another celebrity who attended summer camp when she was your age! Learning the meaning of ‘doin’ it her way’, Penny Marshall (TV’s Laverne from the 1976 ‘Happy Days’ spinoff, ‘Laverne and Shirley’) enjoyed her summer stays at a number of different summer camps.
Working the northeast coast, she attended Camp Odetah in Connecticut, Camp
Geneva in Lake Como, Pennsylvania, and Camp Edgement in Deposit, New York. She also worked as a cabin leader at Camp Diana-Dalmaqua, located in New York’s infamous Catskill Mountains.
Growing up with her father and sisters in show business, Penny was naturally interested in entering the show business. She started out in a commercial for a beautifying shampoo alongside the renowned Farrah Fawcett. Hired on to play the ‘homely’ girl with stringy, unattractive hair, Penny was saved from the ‘homely’ label by the actress who was hired to play the ‘pretty’ girl (Farrah).
It may not have been the most flattering introduction but, even so, Penny persevered and continued auditioning for acting roles wherever she could find. She got the attention she was after when she landed the recurring guest role of Myrna Turner on ‘The Odd Couple’.
After her talent in comedic timing had been revealed, she was eagerly cast one of the dates (alongside Cindy Williams—Shirley) for Fonzie and Richie in ‘Happy Days’. Thrilled with Penny and Cindy’s performance, the pair reprised their roles in the hit spinoff that was created just for them, ‘Laverne and Shirley’. Audiences fell in love with Penny and she was nominated three times for a Golden Globe award.
Over time she developed a skill for directing as well as acting and she went on to direct such features as ‘Big’ starring Tom Hanks and ‘Bewitched’ with Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1992 for ‘A League of Their Own’.
So, like Penny Marshall, go ahead and make all your dreams come true. And, as always, thanks for reading!
- John