My Mother Was Nuts

A Memoir

By: Penny Marshall

Narrated by: Penny Marshall

Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Most people know Penny Marshall as the director of Big and A League of Their Own. What they don’t know is her trailblazing career was a happy accident. In this funny and intimate memoir, Penny takes us from the stage of The Jackie Gleason Show in 1955 to Hollywood’s star-studded sets, offering up some hilarious detours along the way.

My Mother Was Nuts is an intimate backstage pass to Penny’s personal life, her breakout role on The Odd Couple, her exploits with Cindy Williams and John Belushi, and her travels across Europe with Art Garfunkel on the back of a motorcycle. We see Penny get married. And divorced. And married again (the second time to Rob Reiner). We meet a young Carrie Fisher, whose close friendship with Penny has spanned decades. And we see Penny at work with Tom Hanks, Mark Wahlberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Robert De Niro, and Whitney Houston.

Throughout it all, from her childhood spent tap dancing in the Bronx, to her rise as the star of Laverne & Shirley, Penny lived by simple rules: “try hard, help your friends, don’t get too crazy, and have fun.” With humor and heart, My Mother Was Nuts reveals there’s no one else quite like Penny Marshall.

©2012 Penny Marshall (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“There's as much practical, hard-won advice here as there is Hollywood gossip, and Marshall's boundless energy and no-nonsense attitude make for a fun read.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Hollywood aficionados will get a kick out of Marshall’s anecdotes about her circle of friends, including Albert Brooks, John Belushi, and Carrie Fisher, all told in a funny, down-to-earth manner.” (Booklist)

“Penny Marshall is a fascinating woman who has lived a life few of us could survive. Did you know she gave me two of the best jobs I’ve ever had? Of course not, because when she talks she is barely comprehensible. Read her memoir and you’ll come to love her as much as I do.” (Tom Hanks)

A Charming Journey

This was a great book to read this summer. I didn't know what to expect, and that was one of the nicest things about the reading experience . Penny Marshall is a unique, sincere, and intricate individual. She really isn't like anybody else.

read this book

A great read. I'm so glad that I stopped debating and bought it. Penny is an amazing person. She is dry and so damn funny. She tells it like it is and makes no excuses.

Sorry when it was finished

I like Penny Marshall's sensibilities- I can relate...and I loved that she read the book herself, it would have been wrong to listen to it any other way. She's very cool and real. Loved the inside "scoop" on movies and relationships :)

Entertaining

Lots of celeb names... A look into film making... Entertaining... I believe it is the kind of storytelling that people want without feeling like she is calling out other people's dirty laundry

Penny Marshall cracks me up!

What did you love best about My Mother Was Nuts?

Her narration is hilarious because her accent and her voice are so unique. But also, whenever an actor narrates their OWN story there are elements that come to life that just aren't there when somebody else tells it. Her description of her parents and siblings are really great and insightful, and her childhood and experiences through college and in Hollywood of course are all really interesting to hear about. She's known so many famous people over the years, you can't help but love hearing about her interactions with them all and her perspective on everyone.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The book is about her, so of course I like her the best.

Have you listened to any of Penny Marshall’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Typically I look for longer books since I have a long commute to work and need something to pass the time.

Any additional comments?

If you don't know who Penny Marshall is, this probably is not the book for you.

Down to Earth

This book was awesome! It was entertaining, it made me both laugh and cry. Through her words one can tell that she had heart and stayed loyal to friends and family alike. She thanked so many people at the end. You can tell how deeply she lived and cared for others. I’m so thankful I read it. What an incredible woman both professionally and personally.

A revealing look into Penny Marshall's life

After reading this book I feel I have a pretty good idea who Penny Marshall was. She was funny and brilliant and generous. She also had some bad habits and made mistakes. In other words, she was human. Her reading revealed as much of the truth as what she was reading. In some places you could hear her thinking..."please let this be over, I'm bored" but in other places her voice was full of fun; in others you could hear regret and sometimes you could hear her pain and tears. This book was real. I never thought much about Penny Marshall but I now have a new found repect and affection for her. She did not paint herself as brilliant or extraordinary but as a human being, with warts, doing the best she can. Her reading makes this book a must listen.

love Penny Marshall!!

great book, great narrator, was able to get through my 14 mile run without it feeling like a chore!

I love this book

Lots of amazing stories. Penny Marshal keeps it real and entertains. Maybe she can give my son his break in screen writing.

Bronx family does good

I enjoyed her quirky ways and her matter of fact delivery of the story. I also liked going back in time and remembering old customs and habits from the 60s and 70s. Nice audible book for a long drive, it had more than a few laugh out loud moments.