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)

Such a wonderful book.

If you enjoy tv and the movies—get it. If you’re a fan of Penny Marshall’s—definitely get it. I also enjoyed Gary Marshall’s book immensely. Penny is a wonderful story teller, she’s funny and in quite a few places very moving. Loved it.

Expected a more lively narration

As an admirer of Ms. Marshall's comedic talents, and judging from the title of the book, I expected a very funny and expressive narration. However, she reads the book in almost a monotone, with the humor understated and mostly ironic or sarcastic. She enjoys listing off all the big time celebrities who were her friends and lovers, and clearly she moved in star- studded circles. She goes into great detail about the movies she directed, which was not that interesting to me. I would not choose to listen to it again.

I love Penny!

This made me love Penny Marshall even more! Thank you for sharing your amazing life ❤️

Do Laverne a favor and listen to this book.

Penny Marshall wrote and narrates this fun book about her upbringing, her relationship with her equally famous brother and her eventual celebrity. The Laverne and Shirley portions of this book are fantastic. Listening to Penny talk about her professional relationship with Cindy Williams and the rest of the cast, you are taken back to this magical show. This was a fun listen.

Great Memoir - Penny Marshall is awesome!

Wow - what an amazing lady and an amazing life! Penny Marshall broke boundaries and found success without really knowing what she was doing - her incredible talent and intelligence drove her through it all. She is honest, humble, and above all, hilarious - plus her narration skills are superb (she has the vocabulary of a trucker - not offensive to me at all but you probably don't want your 6 year old to listen with you unless you want them to learn the proper usage of the f-word in all of its glory). I really enjoyed hearing about her antics with her Hollywood pals and the inside info on how movies and television shows are made. I wish all memoirs were like this - Penny should teach a class.

I was so surprised!

I loved this autobiography! Penny Marshall is very entertaining and drew great mental pictures of her upbringing in the Bronx. It was fun learning about the depth of her career and all the other kids from her neighborhood who made it big in entertainment. Penny's voice is, well, Penny's voice but the naturalness of her accent is part of the charm of her story. This book is filled with fun anecdotes and self-effacing introspection (more of the former.) I zipped through it.

movie making details

What made the experience of listening to My Mother Was Nuts the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed hearing Penny herself tell the story.

Did Penny Marshall do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

yes, she claims not to be a good impersonator but I thought she did a good job.

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

The beginning was kind of sad and I needed a little break but by a few hours into it; I wanted more.

Any additional comments?

Would recommend this book.

Great listen, Great performance

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

This is one of my favorite audiobooks. Of the recent autobiographies it is just behind Tina Fey's Bossypants and probably tied with William Shatner's Shatner Rules.

What did you like best about this story?

The best thing is that as Penny Marshall is reading her book, it is like she is not reading. Rather it feels like she is telling us something she just thought of.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Near the end of the book Penny is giving acknowledgements. Even though she told us about some of her lovers you wonder how many are left out. But then Penny, "oh, and there were a few other guys I slept with, thanks to them too". That was a piece of honesty that is missing from most autobiographies.

Any additional comments?

It was great to be reminded of some of Penny's hits including A League of Their Own.

She tells it like it is.

What did you love best about My Mother Was Nuts?

Penny Marshall is just realistic and witty. It was thought provoking , funny, and overall enjoyable to listen and read.

What was one of the most memorable moments of My Mother Was Nuts?

When she sang her mother's song after releasing her ashes.

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

No but I will now.

It all Depends on whether or not you are a fan

This is an interesting memoir if you grew up in the generation that watched Laverne and Shirley avidly, and followed Penny Marshall‘s career as a director. If you didn’t appreciate her idiosyncrasies and rough edges, then this biography may not be for you.

Penny Marshall is tremendously accomplished and has had an extraordinary life. Her wealth of unique experiences of celebrity and financial success has allowed a woman from ordinary beginnings, with a lot of hard work, grit and the right connections to have a remarkable career and entertain families and individuals with timeless heartwarming stories that can be enjoyed regardless of age or time.