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My Happy Days in Hollywood: A Memoir by…
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My Happy Days in Hollywood: A Memoir (edition 2012)

by Garry Marshall (Author)

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907297,736 (3.62)1
Biography & Autobiography. Performing Arts. Nonfiction. HTML:With the television hits The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy, and movies like The Flamingo Kid, Beaches, Pretty Woman, and The Princess Diaries under his belt, Garry Marshall was among the most successful writers, directors, and producers in America for more than five decades. His work on the small and big screen delighted audiences for decades and has withstood the test of time.
In My Happy Days in Hollywood, Marshall takes us on a journey from his stickball-playing days in the Bronx to his time at the helm of some of the most popular television series and movies of all time, sharing the joys and challenges of working with the Fonz and the young Julia Roberts, the "street performer" Robin Williams, and the young Anne Hathaway, among many others. This honest, vibrant, and often hilarious memoir reveals a man whose career was defined by his drive to make people laugh and whose personal philosophyâ??despite his tremendous achievementsâ??was always that life is more important than show business.
From the Hardcover edition
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Member:MHanover10
Title:My Happy Days in Hollywood: A Memoir
Authors:Garry Marshall (Author)
Info:Random House Audio (2012), Edition: Unabridged, 9 pages
Collections:Your library, Currently reading, Wishlist, To read, Read but unowned, Favorites
Rating:****
Tags:audiobooks, nonfiction-read

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My Happy Days in Hollywood: A Memoir by Garry Marshall

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Showing 1-5 of 7 (next | show all)
I love Garry Marshall movies and have always like him and his sister Penny. This is a great behind-the-scenes book about his different movies and TV shows. I really enjoyed hearing about what happened and why things were done the way they were done. I also enjoyed the audio book which had Garry reading it himself. If you like Hollywood then read this one. ( )
  MHanover10 | Jul 10, 2016 |
Review: My Happy Days in Hollywood by Garry Marshall.

This book was a real entertainer for those who watch shows, sitcoms, and movies from the late fifties to the late nineties and re-runs over the years. Garry Marshall grew up in the Bronx and describes himself as a sickly child who loved baseball and being introduced to show business by his mother through her dance school. After going to college at Northwestern and enlisting in the military and sent of to Korea for a couple of years Garry Marshall ended up in Hollywood where he set out to be a comedy writer and then moved on to television. Marshall is funny and honest; sharing anecdotes and reflections about his films and the actors he worked with.

In this enlightening and enjoyable memoir, Garry emphasizes the family feel and leadership style that he writes in length about and how even as it showcases his ability to accurately gauge a personality without feeling a need to judge. Garry Marshall is proof that nice people can succeed and do in fact finish on top. His views, outlook and values are qualities that many in Hollywood should strive for. He is a unique person, down to earth, has lived in his same average house for years, with his wife for many, many years and took on directing, filming productions that sometimes were a flop, but he kept on trying. There were also times, when he was much older he encountered cancer and a hip replacement but he never gave up.

Garry began his professional writing career with Joey Bishop and worked with people like Danny Thomas, Sheldon Leonard, and Lucille Ball. During this time in his life he worked with both difficult and easy people and took it all in as part of the job. I t was interesting to read how the mix of people got along and what shows were headaches and what shows brought a lot of fun to the set. I was impressed with his work ethics of trying to make things go smoothly for everyone without a hitch. In show biz it was hard for Garry to keep everyone in an up-beat attitude and yes, he did not always have good days.

Garry created iconic programs like “The Odd Couple”, “Happy Days”, “Lavern and Shirley” (staring his sister Penny Marshall), and another audience favorite “Mork and Mindy”. He also did some film work followed with a mix of hits and misses as, “Beaches”, “Pretty Woman”, “Overboard”, “Runaway Bride”, and “Princess Diaries”. Garry Marshall had a magic touch when it came to comedy, pairing characters, combining many characters to work together, and mastering everyone’s schedules. The vast array of talent he worked with was intelligence and had very few quirks. I will say after reading some of the jokes, and funny acts from the past…why did I think they were hilarious back then and now some things sound like dry humor……?
( )
  Juan-banjo | May 31, 2016 |
I normally don't read biographies or particularly like them but there is something about Garry Marshall's book that really resonates with me. He's a good guy and has a unique perspective on entertaining. His childhood reminds me of where I grew up, even though it was Bronx not Brooklyn and he seems so well balanced and creative that I truly admire him. ( )
  phyllis2779 | Nov 1, 2014 |
Garry Marshall’s autobiography is a delight – from his stories of growing up as sickly child in the Bronx to his desires to be a writer, his college days at Northwestern, and his Army service. And you can’t leave out his tap-dancing mom, his business travelling dad, and sisters Ronny and Penny. He began his professional writing career with Joey Bishop and worked with folks like Danny Thomas, Sheldon Leonard, and Lucille Ball. During this time he worked with both difficult and easy to work with people and I think, found that being easy to work with is the way to go. Based on advice from Sheldon Leonard, he worked his way into producing/directing The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, and Mork and Mindy, among others. It was interesting to read how the mix of people got along and what shows were headaches and what shows made going to work fun. (I won’t give it away). He then turned to directing films with hits and not-so-hits like The Flamingo Kid, Nothing in Common, Beaches, Pretty Women, Runaway Bride, The Princess Diaries, and so on. Again, his work ethic of trying to make things pleasant for everyone impressed me. It is a difficult business but if you can make it fun, it’s a plus, for everyone involved. It’s too bad not everyone has this up-beat attitude. And yes, Marshall did not always have good days. He encountered cancer and hip replacement surgery later in life but is still looking forward to each and every day. I could not believe folks saying they were irritated by his references to being a dad or that people grow up and away from Happy Days. I think if we had more people writing/directing/producing films of the family quality of Garry Marshall, we as a society would be in better shape today. I really enjoyed this book and some of the antidotes are hilarious. ( )
  knahs | Jul 8, 2014 |
Garry Marshall has an impressive career writing, directing and producing TV and movies (along with some theater and acting). He's been involved in many classics, and I've enjoyed his work. In his memoir, he comes across as a genial nice guy with interesting stories to tell. ( )
  ennie | Jan 30, 2014 |
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Biography & Autobiography. Performing Arts. Nonfiction. HTML:With the television hits The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy, and movies like The Flamingo Kid, Beaches, Pretty Woman, and The Princess Diaries under his belt, Garry Marshall was among the most successful writers, directors, and producers in America for more than five decades. His work on the small and big screen delighted audiences for decades and has withstood the test of time.
In My Happy Days in Hollywood, Marshall takes us on a journey from his stickball-playing days in the Bronx to his time at the helm of some of the most popular television series and movies of all time, sharing the joys and challenges of working with the Fonz and the young Julia Roberts, the "street performer" Robin Williams, and the young Anne Hathaway, among many others. This honest, vibrant, and often hilarious memoir reveals a man whose career was defined by his drive to make people laugh and whose personal philosophyâ??despite his tremendous achievementsâ??was always that life is more important than show business.
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