'Laverne & Shirley' a difficult set?

HOLLYWOOD, May 12 (UPI) -- Hollywood writer and director Garry Marshall wrote in his new memoir the set for "Laverne & Shirley" was perhaps the most difficult to work on.

"With 'Laverne and Shirley,' what can I say? It was the '70s. Everybody was drinking. There were drugs," Marshall said.

He said the series was among his proudest accomplishments, but most days were filled with quarrels and fits with his sister Penny Marshall, co-star Cindy Williams and other crewmembers, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday.

"Penny and Cindy were not out of touch with reality. They knew they were mean to the writers and they knew they were driving me crazy. But with most of the cast getting stoned and drinking too much, it was hard to make heads or tails out of anything," he wrote in "Happy Days in Hollywood."

Still, he called Penny a "comedic genius" and Cindy one of the funniest comedians he's ever written for.

Marshall, who was also responsible for "The Odd Couple," "Happy Days" and "Mork & Mindy," said the key to his success was making sure his sets were happy places to work.

"At the end of the day, everyone hugged everyone," Marshall told the newspaper. "I can't work with people I don't like or people who can't smile or laugh."