To Which I Say, "Everybody's Mother Was Nuts, Honey!"

"My Mother Was Nuts, A Memoir" by Penny Marshall   New Harvest   326 pages   $26

Penny Marshall is a talented actress, comedien, producer and director.  If you were old enough to watch TV from 1976 to 1983, you've probably seen "Laverne & Shirley."  In 1988, she directed the movie "Big" which was the first female-directed film to gross more than $100 million. 

She ran with an interesting group of people - John Belushi, Tom Hanks, Mark Wahlberg, Whoopie Goldberg, Robert DeNitro.  Art Garfunkle put her on the back of his motorcycle and they toured Europe.  She and Carrie Fisher celebrated their birthdays with a huge party and a very long guest list for years.  She and Rob Reiner married, divorced and remain good friends.

She was good company in a cast of talented writers, comics, actors and directors.  Her book is well-written, has copious photos and is interesting.  A worrisome note was the fact that in 2009, she was diagnosed as having brain and lung cancer.  Surgery, radiation and chemo, she says, have put her in remission.  I wish her well.