Garry Marshall created, wrote, or produced some of television's most beloved sitcoms, including Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, and The Odd Couple. He has also directed 17 movies, including Pretty Woman, Beaches, The Princess Diaries, and Valentine's Day. His oldest daughter, Lori, co-wrote his autobiography, Wake Me When It's Funny (Newmarket, 1997). She is also a journalist, a children's playwright, and the mother of twin daughters, age 16 going on 40.
LORI: Did you hear Siena is taking karate?
GARRY: My three-year-old grandchild? Does she wear a little white outfit?
LORI: It's called a gi. She does, and looks quite chic in it, too.
GARRY: Why Kung Fu?
LORI: It looks great on that kindergarten application, and it's never too early to learn self-defense.
GARRY: But who is Siena going to defend herself from? A bossy two-year-old? Just throw a little sand at each other on the playground and call it a day.
LORI: Kids' afterschool activities are all the rage right now. All my friends' children have activities: Luke takes boxing and plays tennis and the saxophone. Rex takes guitar, and plays lacrosse and soccer. Vivi takes musical theater classes and plays volleyball, and Ellie is on the track team and takes an SAT prep class on the weekends. Busy kids.
GARRY: Why do you have to have more than one activity?
LORI: These days, if you just have one you look like a slacker.
GARRY: Crazy. Kids today are too busy. They do too many activities. It's no wonder that by the time they are 16, all they can do is sit on the couch and Twitter and tweet. They are exhausted.
LORI: What activities did you do when you were growing up?
GARRY: We had the seasons: Baseball season. Basketball season. Football season. And then chestnut season.
LORI: Chestnut season?
GARRY: We put little strings through chestnuts and then swung them at each other. The winner was the one whose chestnut didn't break. A cheap sport. We were crafty.
LORI: Did you do any non-sport activities?
GARRY: My friends used to pay me to go down the street and buy them Italian ices. That was the extent of my afterschool activity: I procured ice treats for pals. Martial arts was not an option.
LORI: But when I was growing up, you made us do afterschool activities. First I took ballet, but then I gave it up for wood shop because the tights were too itchy.
GARRY: You loved that hammer and saw. Your mother and I still have your well-made napkin holders. But you needed a sport, too.
LORI: I thought tennis was a good fit for me.
GARRY: Not exactly. You thought Bjorn Borg was cute. That's why you picked up a racquet.
LORI: I played hard. And I had a great two-handed backhand.
GARRY: You liked drinking TAB in the clubhouse afterwards.
LORI: Kathi was a swimmer. I thought that was a cool sport.
GARRY: Your amphibious sister. Don't remind me. Those swim meets lasted longer than a Bergman film. Have you ever been to a swim meet?
LORI: No. What is it like?
GARRY: Your kid does the butterfly for five minutes and then doesn't do the backstroke for another hour. Maybe an hour-and-a-half. I used to bring scripts from Happy Days to read at the meets to help pass the time. One day I sat next to another father and said, "How is this for slow?" He said, "This is nothing. My other daughter is a baton twirler. Imagine watching twirling all day long. Snooze city."
LORI: Scott's kids take cooking, ballet, wood shop, swimming, chess, baseball, and rocket-making. Sometimes the rockets go up and never come down. It's strange.
| Do your grandkids have too many activities? |
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Yes, it's too much too early 55.6%
Yes, but they love them all, so how can you complain? 22.2%
No, it's not too many; they need to keep up with other children 4.2%
No, happily they have plenty of free time to do what they like 18.1%
| |
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GARRY: Your brother's kids are very busy. I think Ethan takes cooking lessons from The Barefoot Contessa on Tuesdays.
LORI: Really?
GARRY: Maybe it's Rachel Ray. Someone like that. A big name. Please tell me: Why does a four-year-old need to know how to make sausage lasagna and carne asada? Who is he entertaining? The neighbor kids? Give 'em all pizza!
LORI: But if the kids don't have afterschool activities, what should they be doing? How do they fill their time?
GARRY: You watched a lot of General Hospital and ate a lot of Doritos.
LORI: Was that better?
GARRY: It didn't lead you to a life of crime. You went to graduate school. I think down time is always good for children. Let them daydream. An hour a day of dreaming is a good activity.
LORI: I think kids should take more practical afterschool classes: Laundry. Ironing. Banking.
GARRY: What's the rush to become an adult? Let them stay young as long as they can. Let them daydream.
LORI: What do you miss most about being in school?
GARRY: Not sports, because I still play. At 76, I am proud to say I still play softball every week. And when I don't, I get very very cranky. Ask your mother.
LORI: So do you miss anything about being young?
GARRY: Going down the street and buying Italian ices! Follow me. I know a great place nearby. Not as good as the Bronx, but pretty good. I'll buy you one.
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