While season eight is officially the last season of Laverne & Shirley, the seventh was the final real season of the show. This would be the last time the key stars would be in all the episodes. The move to California had been good for the series as it allowed Laverne (Penny Marshall) and Shirley (Cindy Williams) to pursue bigger dreams. Plus it cut back on episodes dealing with snowstorms. Instead they had to worry about earthquakes and outbreaks of Beatlemania. Laverne & Shirley: The Seventh Season might be the penultimate season, but it’s really the final episodes of their relationship.
“The Most Important Day Ever” turns Lenny (Michael McKean) and Squiggy (David Lander) into massive talent agents. They have to stash their latest act in the girls’ apartment. Can the girls resist the foreign performers? “I Wonder What Became of Sal?” is Laverne’s worst nightmare. Her ex-lover shows up and he’s now rich. “Teenage Lust” lets the girls know they’re no longer young enough to hang with the college boys. “Night at the Awards” brings the joy that is Joey Heatherton. Lenny and Squiggy get up close to her when the sneak into a glitzy trophy ceremony. “Moving In” might feature Laverne shacking up with her new boyfriend. This would have been so scandalous in 1966. Charles Grodin plays himself in “Friendly Persuasion.” He breaks down all the characters and leaves them messes.
“I Do, I Don’t” ponders if Shirley would marry Carmine (Eddie Mekka) for a free wedding reception. How bad does she want a party? Lenny pulls a girl out of a prehistoric mess in “Life Is the Tar Pits.” They fall in Love, but can Squiggy handle his friend being that happy? “Watch the Fur Fly” allows Cindy to date a guy who deals in furs. She’s not happy, but can she resist Jeff Goldblum? “Star Peepers” is the star dazzled episode. Harry Dean Stanton is a drunk pop star who upsets Laverne and Shirley. They rush off to a sleazy tabloid run by Harry Shearer (The Simpsons) to sell their story. Harry Shearer thinks it’s “probable” that him and McKean were working on This Is Spinal Tap during the taping. “An Affair to Forget” might have been forgettable if it wasn’t for Oscar winner Angelica Huston’s guest star part. “Whatever Happened to the Class of ’56?” has them make old classmates think they’re big time movie stars. “Ski Show” drops the white stuff on the soundstage. They travel to the slopes to meet guys in the cold. Can they survive going downhill? “That’s Entertainment” has Laverne’s dad argue with Carmine as to whose generation’s music is better. Naturally they are both wrong since Justin Bieber hadn’t been born yet. The ominous “Perfidy in Blue” wraps up the season with Shirley having a nightmare that Laverne will kill her. This would be funny except Shirley vanishes from the show early in the final season.
Laverne & Shirley: The Seventh Season features what people loved about the show. The girls are constantly getting themselves in trouble. The Hollywood location allows them to now hook up with the rich and famous. The guest roles are rather golden. Harry Dean Stanton is hilarious. Why wouldn’t the girls fall madly in love with Charles Grodin? It’s strange to think that the next season is pretty much solo Laverne action. Enjoy your Cindy while you can.
The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers let you see the Beatles poster on the wall. The audio is Dolby Digital Mono. You’ll hear all of their shrieks when a famous face appears on the screen. The episodes are subtitled.
Gag Reel (2:19) are the bloopers from the season. There seems to be a lot of laughter when they screw up.
Promos (0:30) are from when the show ran in syndication. You can insert your channel’s logo at the end.
Laverne & Shirley: The Seventh Season brings to an end the duo’s final full run together. The episodes are still funny and punchy. Hollywood hasn’t completely changed them.
CBS DVD presents Laverne & Shirley: The Seventh Season. Starring: Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, Michael McKean, David L. Lander & Eddie Mekka. Boxset Contents: 22 episodes on 3 DVDs. Released: February 4, 2014.
