Monday, December 07, 2020

Remembering David L. Lander of Laverne & Shirley; Maureen McCormick Headlines New Discovery+ Streaming Series

David L. Lander

Actor, comedian, musician, and baseball scout David L. Lander, who was best known for his role as Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman in Laverne & Shirley, has died. He died of complications from multiple sclerosis at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, on December 4. Mr. Lander was 73.

Lander's first Hollywood credit was as the voice of Jerry Lewis in the 1970-1971 ABC Filmation animated series Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down. He was the voice of Bob in the 1972 Love, American Style episode "Love and the Old-Fashioned Father", which was the pilot episode of the animated series Wait Till Your Father Gets Home. Some of his early sitcom guest appearances included The Bob Newhart Show, Rhoda, Barney Miller and Viva Valdez.

Laverne & Shirley

He co-starred as Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman in the 1976-1983 ABC sitcom Laverne & Shirley. Squiggy and his best friend and roommate Leonard "Lenny" Kosnowski (Michael McKean) were Laverne and Shirley's (Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams) screwball neighbors who lived upstairs from the girls' apartment. They worked as truck drivers at the Shotz Brewery planet. Squiggy made nearly every entrance with his trademark "Hello" said in a comically dopey voice. Lander appeared in 156 of the 178 episodes of the series. He also was one of the writers of the episodes "Hi Neighbor" and "Hi Neighbor, Book 2." The cast also included Eddie Mekka, Phil Foster, Betty Garrett (1976-1981), Carole Ita White (1976-1977), Ed Marinaro (1980-1981) and Leslie Easterbrook (1980-1983).

Lenny and the Squigtones

McKean and Lander created the characters of Lenny and Squiggy while both were theater students at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Lander also appeared as Squiggy in the 1979 Happy Days episode "Fonzie's Funeral: Part 2." In 1979, McKean and Lander released the album Lenny and the Squigtones in which they performed in character. He appeared in The Laverne & Shirley Reunion special, which aired in 1995. Lander provided the voice of Squiggy in a 2002 episode of The Simpsons.

On the Air

Lander starred as Valdja Gochktch in the short-lived 1992 ABC sitcom On the Air. Valdja Gochktch was the director of the variety show called The Lester Guy Show that aired on the fictional 1950s TV network Zoblotnick Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC). The David Lynch and Mark Frost created and produced series also starred Ian Buchanan, Nancye Ferguson, Gary Grossman, Marla Jeanette Rubinoff, Mavin Kaplan, Mel Johnson Jr., Tracey Walter, Miguel Ferrer and Kim McGuire.

Some of his other sitcom guest appearances included The Love Boat, Married with Children, Knight & Daye, Head of the Class, Family Album, Getting By, Family Matters, Dream On, The Nanny, Homeboys in Outer Space, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Mad About You and Arli$$.

He had a recurring role as Elvis Kryzcewski in 14 episodes of the USA Network police drama Pacific Blue from 1996 to 1997. Some of his other television guest appearances included Highway to Heaven, Matlock, Simon & Simon, Father Dowling Mysteries, Monsters, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Freddy's Nightmares, Twin Peaks, L.A. Heat, Nash Bridges, Diagnosis: Murder, Black Scorpion and Raising the Bar.

Lander had an extensive list of voice acting credits. Some of his voice acting roles included Galaxy High, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone, Tom & Jerry Kids, Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills, Jungle Cubs and 101 Dalmatians: The Series. Lander and McKean voiced the characters of the penguin cousins Henry and Louie in 2001-2003 animated series Oswald.

David L. Lander in A League of Their Own

He played a baseball league radio announcer in the 1992 film A League of Their Own, which was directed by Penny Marshall. Some of his other film credits included 1941, Wholly Moses!, Used Cars, The Man with One Red Shoe, Funland, Scary Movie and Christmas with the Kranks. His voice film credits included The Big Bang, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Tom and Jerry: The Movie, A Bug's Life, Titan A.E. and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

Lander was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis on May 15, 1984. He served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and regularly spoke at related conventions. In 2002, his autobiography was published, titled Fall Down Laughing: How Squiggy Caught Multiple Sclerosis and Didn't Tell Nobody, written with Lee Montgomery.

He was an avid fan of baseball, especially the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was once a minority owner of the Portland Beavers minor league baseball team. He worked as a baseball talent scout for the Anaheim Angels starting in 1997. He later worked for the Seattle Mariners.

Survivors include his wife, Kathy, and their daughter, Natalie.

Mr. Lander was very funny and memorable in his role as Squiggy. McKean and Lander made a great comedic duo as Lenny and Squiggy. We thank him for the many laughs and hours of entertainment he brought us during his career. He fought a brave battle with multiple sclerosis. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our Laverne & Shirley message board. View photos in our galleries.


Maureen McCormick and Dan Vickery - Frozen in Time

Fans nostalgic for decades past can travel back in time with the new home renovation series Frozen in Time, streaming on discovery+, Discovery Inc.'s new subscription streaming service, beginning Monday, Jan. 4. Starring Maureen McCormick of The Brady Bunch fame, a collector and nostalgia enthusiast, along with interior designer Dan Vickery, the series will follow the duo as they overhaul Southern California homes that are stuck in a design time warp. Dan will bring the structures up-to-date, while Maureen will source beautiful decade-specific pieces that give the tired homes a refreshed look. Each stunning design will preserve the best of the past with a wink to the original era, providing families with the stylish, functional spaces they need.

During the series, Dan and Maureen will take on a 1961 property in Laguna Beach that acts as a time capsule with its period furnishings, decades old appliances and original shag carpet. Inspired by the home's hilltop location, the duo will rearrange the main floor's layout to capitalize on the gorgeous ocean views. Modern elements with vintage flair, including retro-look appliances, a funky tile backsplash and iconic period light fixtures, round out the breathtaking design. Throughout the season, Maureen and Dan will tackle pastel tiled bathrooms, wood paneled walls and laminate countertops to help families bring their homes into this century.

Fans are invited to connect with the series across the discovery+ digital platforms at discoveryplus.com and via @discoveryplus and #FrozeninTime on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Fans also can connect with Dan and Maureen on Instagram at @dan_vickery and @momccormick7.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Friday, May 9

none scheduled

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 5)

Friday, May 9

  • Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Watch Paul on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Matt Bomer (Mid-Century Modern) - Matt appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Asif Ali (Deli Boys) and Saagar Shaikh (Deli Boys) - Asif and Saagar are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
  • Busy Philipps (Girls5eva/Vice Principals/Cougar Town/Love, Inc.) - Busy chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
  • Christine Baranski (The Big Bang Theory/Happy Family/Welcome to New York/Cybill) - Christine talks about Nine Perfect Strangers on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
  • Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love/Like Family/Love, Inc.) - Holly swings by for a chat about her new film Hats Off to Love on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
  • Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Crazy Ones) and Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother/Free Spirit) - NBC's Today catches up with Sarah and Alyson in the 9am hour.
  • Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - In this a little bit extra episode Drew shares more of her conversation with Brooke at the news desk on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
  • Rebel Wilson (Super Fun Night) - Rebel joins Sherri to talk about starring in the new film Juliet & Romeo, so check your local listings.
  • Terri J. Vaughn (She the People/Mann & Wife/Meet the Browns/All of Us/The Steve Harvey Show) - Terri talks about starring in the new Netflix series She the People on Sherri, so check your local listings.
  • Julia Sweeney (Shrill/Work in Progress/Maybe It's Me/George and Leo) and Marsha Mason (Grace and Frankie/The Middle/Sibs) - Julia and Marsha talk about My First Ex-Husband on PIX11 Morinng News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.


New on DVD and Blu-ray

The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series Frasier (2023) - Season Two Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered) Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

01/28 - Wait Till Your Father Gets Home - The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
02/04 - The Wayans Bros. - The Complete Series
03/11 - Frasier (2023) - Season Two
04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
06/17 - Looney Tunes - Collector's Vault - Volume 1 (Blu-ray)
07/08 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)

More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD and Blu-ray Releases / TV Shows on DVD, Blu-ray and Prime Video / DVD Reviews Archive


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