Best Skits From ‘Laverne & Shirley’ In Reunion Show

Remember the time Shirley tried to give Laverne a living-room driving lesson by substituting a banana, a long-playing record and cans of corn, beans and peaches for the shift handle, steering wheel and clutch, brake and gas pedals?

And remember how Laverne asked, “Shouldn’t we use the beans for gas?”

Yo ho ho, we’re havin’ some fun now. At 8 tonight, ABC’s “The Laverne & Shirley Reunion” celebrates the 20th anniversary of the duo’s first appearance on an episode of “Happy Days.”

Quickly spun off into their own show, Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams endured for 7 1/2 seasons as Laverne De Fazio and Shirley Feeney. Employed at a Milwaukee beer-bottling company, they were madcap, accident-prone Lucys without any Rickys around.

Their Fred and Ethel lived upstairs in the form of two goofballs named Lenny Kosnowski and Andrew “Squiggy” Squiggman.

Four straight seasons in prime time’s Top 5 tells us that a lot of America fell for these virginal, working-class singles who bridged the 1950s and ‘60s. The Emmys always sniffed, but whadda they know?

ABC’s one-hour tribute to one of its most successful comedy series is a largely entertaining collection of clips, reminiscences and bloopers. The two stars, who frequently feuded during the show’s later years, are all smiles in honor of the occasion.

“You’d have fights like families do,” says Marshall, who has had considerable success off-camera as the director of films such as “A League of Their Own.”

“The physical comedy was sublime to do,” says Williams, who hasn’t done all that much since.

“It was good most of the time,” says David L. Lander, in eclipse since his Squiggy days.

Penny’s older brother, “L&S”/ “Happy Days” producer Garry Marshall, recalls the “magic on the screen.” But illusionist David Copperfield would have been hardpressed to summon a natural-looking smile from Marshall during the awkward “Love Boat”-style introductions of the present-day principals. Garry barely manages a faux grin, lets it sag and then tries to reload it. It’s strictly a happy daze.

We’re otherwise treated to a decent selection of “L&S” highlights and another rendition of a stilllistenable theme song that hit No. 25 on the pop charts in 1976. Hit it, Cyndi Grecco: “Nothing’s gonna turn us back now. Straight ahead and on the track now. We’re gonna make our dreams come true - doin’ it our way.”

Laverne and Shirley liked boys and smooched them a lot, but never, ever went as far as the bedroom. In this respect, some of the clips are more than a bit uncomfortable. The audience roars, for instance, when Cindy runs home to tell Laverne that a boy “assaulted my personal being.” “L&S” often put its heroines in the grasps and clutches of young men who treated them as petting zoos. Such scenes were used as sight gags 20 years ago. They’re basically unsightly now.

“Laverne & Shirley” left ABC in May 1983. By that time the characters had relocated to Hollywood, where they tried to become movie stars. In its closing months, the series deteriorated to “Laverne &.” Pregnant in real life, Williams departed to concentrate on offcamera motherhood. The show still managed a 25th-place finish in its farewell season.

Its 20th-anniversary reunion is a pleasant way to say hello/goodbye all over again.