Remembering Garry Marshall
It happened this past week ... the loss of Hollywood's master of humor and romance.
Writer and director Garry Marshall died Tuesday in Burbank, Calif., of complications from pneumonia following a stroke.
A child of the Bronx, Marshall became a television comedy writer in the 1960s ... and had his first big hit in 1970 with the TV adaptation of Neil Simon's play "The Odd Couple."
A succession of hit TV series followed: "Happy Days," with Ron Howard and Henry Winkler; "Laverne and Shirley," with his sister Penny as one of the leads; and "Mork and Mindy," which launched an unknown Robin Williams into stardom.
There were movies as well . . . "Pretty Woman," with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.
"The Princess Diaries," with Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway.
And many others ... all of them playing to his strength, as he told our Rita Braver back in 2010:
"The type of work I do, is, you know, it's called sentimental, it's called Pollyanna. Whatever it's called, at least they call me!"
Garry Marshall was 81.