5 best hits from Garry Marshall’s legendary career
The entertainment world lost an icon Tuesday as legendary writer-director Garry Marshall died of complications from pneumonia after suffering a stroke. He was 81.
Marshall, who had an acute sense of pairing up odd couples on television and film, had a comedic common touch that resonated with audiences for more than 50 years.
As we celebrate his fabulous career, here now are five of Marshall's greatest hits – both in television and film – that will withstand the test of time:
The Odd Couple
In 1970, Marshall collaborated with writing partner Jerry Belson and transformed Neil Simon’s Broadway hit, The Odd Couple, into a hit sitcom starring Tony Randall as an uptight photographer Felix Ungar and Jack Klugman as the easygoing sportswriter Oscar Madison. The show, produced by Marshall, ran for five seasons and signaled the start of the legend's TV sitcom empire.
The Happy Days trifecta
Marshall hit the jackpot in the 1970s, co-creating and writing TV comedies such as Happy Days (1974-84), one of TV’s most iconic series of all time which was popularized by the likes of Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) and Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler). How could anyone forget Fonzie's suave attitude (or his ability to fix things with a punch)? Then there were the smash spinoffs: Laverne & Shirley (1976-83) and Mork and Mindy (1978-82). Laverne & Shirley starred his sister, Penny Marshall, and Cindy Williams; while Mork and Mindy is widely credited as making Robin Williams a household name.
Pretty Woman
We all know the song. And, for some of us, it instantly conjures up the image of Julia Roberts, thanks to Marshall. The 1990 romantic comedy starring Roberts and Richard Gere was originally supposed to be a dark tale about drugs and prostitution in Los Angeles. Instead, audiences got the rags-to-riches story about an escort and a businessman who fell in love. It went on to earn more than $463 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing films that year.
Appreciation: Garry Marshall, auteur of odd couples
Runaway Bride
Marshall capitalized on the chemistry between Roberts and Gere, starring them both in the 1999 romantic comedy Runaway Bride. Roberts plays Maggie Carpenter, who has left three men at the altar (four if you count Gere's character Homer Eisenhower "Ike" Graham). Graham, a journalist who gets fired after writing a scathing story about Carpenter with numerous errors, tries to redeem himself by writing an in-depth piece about the runaway bride — only to fall in love with her. It's another unconventional relationship with an unconventional, albeit predictably happy, ending with "I do"'s and all. For Marshall, it was another notch in his belt: the film earned more than $309 million worldwide.
Princess Diaries
Millennials probably know Marshall best through the Princess Diaries, the 21st-century Cinderella story that made Anne Hathaway famous. In it, the dorky schoolgirl Mia Thermopolis (Hathaway) transforms into a graceful royal and, in the process, gets back at the popular kids. But the comedy also had deeper lessons on familial bonds, self-worth and stepping out of your shell. Maybe that's why it made more than $165 million worldwide.
Contributing: Bill Keveney from Los Angeles; Associated Press