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Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall were ''terrified'' when Laverne & Shirley premiered
"We were certain we were going to go into the toilet."
For such a hilarious show, it might surprise you to learn that there were a lot of nerves that went into the making of Laverne & Shirley, particularly from series leaders Marshall and Cindy Williams.
"We were terrified," said Williams during an interview with the Associated Press. "I mean we were terrified of either direction it might take. We were certain we were going to go into the toilet."
"We gave it thirteen weeks," said Marshall.
While being a series star seems like a dream come true, when faced with it, Williams and Marshall were terrified out of their wits. "The phenomena of that kind of popularity where you're before fifty million people one night each week, it's something you dream about when you have inklings of becoming an actress," said Williams. "And then it happens to you and the dangdest sort of chemical reaction takes place. You love it and at the same time you're frightened of it, scared one day maybe they'll take it away."
Both Laverne and Shirley were known for their simple relatability, two girls who viewers could see themselves in. Still, the two actors were worried that when introduced to audiences, the reception may not be as warm as they had hoped.
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"We didn't know whether they'd like us," said Marshall. "To go into a show for two very insecure girls, and the show does hinge on people liking us, and to say this show will be a hit, first-rate, I mean, I don't feel that. And to be told what makes it is they like you two girls and the girls you are playing..."
Luckily, the series was a hit, and audiences welcomed the two ladies into their living rooms.
