• My Mother Was Nuts

  • A Memoir
  • By: Penny Marshall
  • Narrated by: Penny Marshall
  • Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (3,466 ratings)

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My Mother Was Nuts  By  cover art

My Mother Was Nuts

By: Penny Marshall
Narrated by: Penny Marshall
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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)

What listeners say about My Mother Was Nuts

Average customer ratings
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Enjoyable

I didn’t know much about Penny Marshall other than she played Laverne, and was a director and producer. Her memoir was very interesting and fun to listen to.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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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

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Interesting

Makes me wonder what she left out. Full life, lived well A true one if a kind personality

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Raw, Real, Lovable Laughter

This book would never be the same by reading it as opposed to listening to Penny narrating the book like no one else could. What a wonderful spirit and lovable, refreshingly down to earth person, and funny lady she was.

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Very funny!

Penny kept us in stitches the entire book! My wife and I were amazed by how many celebrities she knew. She will be missed.

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You made it funny!

Yes there was a lot of name dropping throughout the book but it is worth listening to. Each name influenced her in one way or another. That is the reason why it was worth mentioning to Penny. I loved hearing her voice and her honesty. It warmed my heart. She wasn’t perfect and she never claimed to be. But damn she’s so funny.

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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

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Enjoyed it very entertaining

I’m gonna listen to this one again. I enjoyed it that much. Thank you Penny

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Poor narration, Name dropping, not entertaining

You would think Penny Marshall would be able to narrate her own book, but she read it like she'd never seen it before, It sounded like someone reading a letter aloud, as if they don't know the material and don't know what's coming next.

Additionally, there was more name dropping than entertaining stories. Long lists of names of who was in attendance here or there or involved in a certain project, but no follow-up about most of the names. It got monotonous listening to these lists of names, especially once you realized there would be no background or anecdote about most of them.

I kept waiting for the funny bits. There were very few. It read more like a laundry list of things she did -- very dry -- with very little 'color commentary' about them. Not that there were no anecdotes, but just not enough to make the book entertaining.

Not worth the listen.

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Good Read. Miss Penny Marshall

With the passing of Cindy Williams, I listened to this book to get hear memories from one of my favorite shows, Laverne & Shirley.

Penny Marshall was a great physical comedian & talented director. She was very honest and funny in her reading of this book. Good read for her fans and those who like humor mixed in with celeb bio readings.

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