‘Pretty Woman,’ ‘Happy Days’ & ‘The Princess Diaries’ Casts Honor Garry Marshall In New ABC Special
The casts of the hit films Pretty Woman and The Princess Diaries as well as stars of television’s Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley will come together to honor the iconic work of the late Garry Marshall for a new special titled The Happy Days of Garry Marshall. The tribute will air Tuesday, May 12 on ABC. Garry’s family and some of his most famous friends will share their favorite memories of the creative genius behind some of the most memorable TV series and films.
Richard Gere, Hector Elizondo, Julia Roberts, Ron Howard, Don Most, Marion Ross, Anson Williams, Henry Winkler, Cindy Williams, David Lander, Michael McKean, Pam Dawber, Barbara Hershey, Julie Andrews, Anne Hathaway, and Chris Pine are scheduled to appear. The aforementioned actors will share their memories about working for Garry and the positive influence he had in the entertainment industry.
Marshall will be feted by some of the original stars of Happy Days, which made its debut in 1974 and detailed the life of the Cunningham family and their friend Arthur Fonzarelli, also known as The Fonz, in the 1950s. He followed up the success of that series with Laverne & Shirley, a show that showcased the work of his actress and comedienne sister, Penny Marshall. This series focused on the close bond between childhood friends Laverne DeFazio and Shirley Feeney. Stars from that show will also appear to honor the late director.
Garry introduced audiences to Robin Williams, providing the actor with his breakout television role as martian Mork from Ork in the comedy Mork & Mindy. He also brought the most famous roommates in television history to the small screen in the comedy The Odd Couple starring late actors Jack Klugman and Tony Randall.
Film fans will know the famed director’s work from films such as Pretty Woman, Beaches, Runaway Bride, and The Princess Diaries.
“Garry famously said, ‘I never wanted to change the world. I wanted to entertain the world.’ And for more than six decades, his work in television and films made us laugh, touched our hearts, and always left us feeling good,” said John Scheinfeld, executive producer of The Happy Days of Garry Marshall, to ABC.
Also appearing in the special is late-night host Jimmy Kimmel along with actors who were influenced by Garry’s work, including Abigail Breslin, Yvette Nicole Brown, Cary Elwes, Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson, Ashton Kutcher, Rob Lowe, and John Stamos.
“My mother was special, she gave us our humor,” Garry once said to USA Today about his and his sister Penny’s knack for comedy. “I remember her saying, ‘Never be boring. You gotta entertain people.’ And at 16 years old, I didn’t know what boring meant. I said, ‘What is boring, Ma?’ She said, ‘Your father.'”
Garry Marshall died in July 2016 due to complications of pneumonia after suffering a stroke.
