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)

Life with Penny

Penny and I are the same age more or less. This book took me thru my life as well as hers. I loved movies and TV and seeing behind the scenes was priceless. This book is worth your time and your credit!

great book

loved this book and hearing about all my favorite movies. will miss penny marshall! awesome book

Penny Marshall is amazing, her work and her story.

Where does My Mother Was Nuts rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

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

BossyPants - by Tina Fey - so fun when they read their stories

What does Penny Marshall bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Love that she read the book, was like she was telling you story. She is so likeable and funny.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

laugh laugh laugh.. & applaud her success she worked hard and was so successful in entertaining us all these years.

Laughed out loud

Absolutely loved this book. Made me laugh out loud while I was driving. Also made me cry. Penny Marshall is an amazing woman. Very happy I made this purchase!!!!

A wonderful surprise!!

I am not a Penny Marshall fan, not quite sure why I got this, couldn't stop listening. Wonderful descriptions, felt I was there and soooo funny!

Penny, you are a gem.

Loved hearing about your amazing life, Penny. Your voice is inimitable. And you make it sound like we could’ve been friends.

Great listen!

Loved that Penny Marshall narrated her own story!
Had a lot of laughs! I will be rewatching many of the movies she directed with a different prospective to what was happening at the time with the actors!

Very good well told story

Moves along very well. Straight talking and honest. Seems to have lived a very full life. The world needs more people like her. She is missed

Laverne

I bought the audible book because I was a fave of Laverne and Shirley. Penny made me laugh, cry and reminisce. I loved it and I miss Penny

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.