The Surprising Reason Penny Marshall Lost a Starring Role on ‘All in the Family’
What To Know
- Penny Marshall was a strong contender for the role of Gloria Stivic on All in the Family but ultimately lost out to Sally Struthers, partly due to casting chemistry with Carroll O’Connor.
- Marshall later reflected that not getting the role may have benefited her marriage to Rob Reiner, as working together on a high-pressure show could have strained their relationship further.
- Despite missing out on All in the Family, Marshall found major success with her iconic role as Laverne on Laverne & Shirley and built a legendary career in television.
In the minds of TV fans, Penny Marshall will forever be linked to her turn as Laverne DeFazio on eight seasons of Laverne & Shirley. But years before Laverne & Shirley‘s premiere, Marshall almost landed another iconic role: Gloria Stivic on All in the Family. In the end, Marshall lost out on the starring role on that series, which premiered on January 12, 1971. But series creator Norman Lear revealed that his casting decision wasn’t based on any issues with Marshall’s acting abilities; instead, he thought Sally Struthers seemed a bit more like Archie Bunker himself, Carroll O’Connor.
How Penny Marshall began her career
Marshall was born into a showbiz family in New York City in 1943; her father made industrial films for businesses, and her brother, Garry Marshall, who was nine years older, saw almost immediate career success as a writer on The Tonight Show. Penny originally set off for New Mexico, where she married at age 20, worked as a choreographer, and gave birth to her daughter, Tracy. But by 23, she divorced and followed her brother Garry to Los Angeles, where she began to pursue an acting career. In her first-ever role, she appeared in a Head & Shoulders shampoo commercial with Farrah Fawcett; Penny played Farrah’s deadpan roommate.
How Penny Marshall almost became Gloria Stivic
Penny landed a few small roles in the late ’60s, including in her brother Garry’s projects. But in that time, she auditioned for much larger shows and films, including All in the Family. Penny made it quite fair in the audition process for All in the Family — and met Rob Reiner, who would become her second husband in 1971 and adopt her daughter Tracy, at one of the auditions for the show.
Columbia Pictures Television/Everett Collection
Sally Struthers ultimately won the role, but the decision wasn’t about talent alone. In later interviews, Struthers recalled asking Norman Lear why she had been chosen over Marshall. Struthers revealed in an interview, according to Parade, that Lear said to her, “‘Do we want the daughter to be her mother’s daughter, which would have made Penny Marshall the perfect pick, or do we want her to be a daddy’s little girl? We thought we would get more humor out of the relationship between father and daughter. And just we chose you because just like Carroll O’Connor, you have blue eyes and a fat face.'”
Everett Collection
Why Penny Marshall thought it was the right decision
Marshall herself later reflected on the near-miss. In interviews with the Television Academy, she acknowledged that working so closely with Reiner might not have been healthy for their relationship. She and Reiner married in 1971 and divorced a decade later, and Marshall openly admitted that sharing a demanding, high-pressure sitcom set could have strained things even further.
Once the show became a hit, Marshall occasionally attended tapings and rehearsals, supporting Reiner while pursuing her own career. Struthers even admitted that Marshall thought Struthers and Reiner were having an affair because of their great onscreen chemistry. She admitted, “[Rob] did tell me one day at CBS, ‘Penny’s coming to the taping tonight.’ I said, ‘Why are you telling me that. She comes every week for the taping.’ He said, ‘Because I don’t want you to say hi to her.’ ‘Why?’ He says, ‘She thinks you and I are having an affair.'”
Penny still succeeded on TV, of course — in 1971, she took on a recurring role as Myrna the secretary on her brother Garry’s show The Odd Couple. And in 1975, she made her first appearance as Laverne on an episode of her brother’s new show, Happy Days, and truly began her legendary career in front of and behind the camera.
Do you think Marshall should have been cast or do you prefer Struthers’ performance?
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1970s Fall TV
September 2023
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