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)

Bronx inside and out.

Wonderful. Very funny and frank, enjoyed it very much. RIP Penny Marshall. Firever funny and firever laverne.

Laugh out loud,....

loved the straight forward honesty....I generally don't like nartions done by the author...but this was amazing

The audio performance should get an award!

Would you listen to My Mother Was Nuts again? Why?

I'd listen to it over and over. Penny Marshall gives a terrific performance with nuances for off-hand comments like "Huh?" or "You know."
You feel like she's talking just with you, not reading a book.
But the part that touched me so greatly was when she talked about the end of her mother's life. You could hear the pain in her voice. So sweet. So real.

What other book might you compare My Mother Was Nuts to and why?

It's an autobiography like most others. Starts when she's young and moves on from there. But with her reading it, it soars to be much more.

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

Never heard any of her other performances, but I'll definitely look them up to get them.

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

I listen to the book on my iPhone using the Audible application. I set it for 3X speed because I don't like to wade through books so slowly.
But for this book I lowered the speed. It's a book I wish wouldn't end.

FUNNY!

Being from NY and having always liked Penny Marshall, I found it easy to like this story. She was absolutely hysterical at parts, sentimental and brutally honest at others. I especially loved hearing her accent (I now live in Texas, and that TRUE NY accent isn't something you hear everyday). I looked forward to turning on the book everyday, just to hear the voice.
Her reflections of her youth are especially honest and touching. That she remembers so much about it and is willing to share it, yeah...it felt like I was right there in her mothers' dance studio too. I also felt like a part of the story, when she'd talk about all the midnight gatherings of fellow artists and friends.
I laughed out loud throughout this book, and even shed a few tears...mostly bc you could HEAR it in her voice just how sincere she was at the hurt she was feeling.
THANK YOU, PENNY, for sharing the story and your voice!! This is one I will KEEP in my library and listen to again!!! I HIGHLY recommend to people who can tolerate that accent...its an acquired (NY) taste!

Hilarious at times with some good life lessons

The book starts off very funny and continues as many memoirs do with parts seeming like you fell into a soap opera and other parts with tremendous life lessons. If you grew up watching Penny as Laverne or many of the other roles she played (director of many great movies) then the behind the scenes will interest you.

Overall, I found the book entertaining but there were times when it seemed to derail. Beware of the 'f' bombs and other 'rough' language throughout the book.

I gave it four stars but it is more like 3.5 stars for me.

The biggest life lesson - Not everything your parents attempt to teach you is wrong. :D

Her mom kept pushing her and her two siblings to entertain people and although Penny pushed back, she ended up in the entertainment world as well as her brother. How ironic.

If you think your family is crazy or dysfunctional, then this is a must read.

Bronx Cheers for Penny

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, because it's in Penny's own voice, Bronx accent and all, giving the best telling of her memories as you're going to get and enjoy!

One of the best

I listened to the audio of this book and it was one of the best celebrity memoirs I’ve read or listened to. Penny Marshall’s life was interesting and her career way more important than I’d realized, but my favorite thing was her unflinching way with herself. She didn’t sugarcoat anything, but told it straight, which is what she’d asked for from the people in her life. As a narrator, she has her own style, which makes me laugh, but when there’s a passage that moves her to remember, you can hear it in her voice, and you are moved, too (or at least I was).

A Warm Familiar Voice.

A comforting, familiar voice. The woman seemed to have no filter. I learned so much.

Penny love

What an amazing life of an amazing woman! Hearing it in her own voice was the best. A must listen to!

Magnificent!!

I enjoyed this book so much that I didn't want it to end. Penny Marshall gives you a vivid tale of her life and she is open and honest as she tells her story. I found it genuinely entertaining.