Schlemiel, Schlemazal

I recently stumbled across this webpage from the Wisconsin Historical Society profiling an original Schotz brewery smock from the Laverne and Shirley show, a 70’s sitcom hit set in Milwaukee. For those who don’t recall, the show revolved around two bottle-cappers from the fictional Shotz brewery, Laverne and Shirley, and their two foils, Lenny and “Squiggy.” Lenny and Squiggy are also employed by the brewery, as truck drivers.

My beerSmarts triva cards state that the Milwaukee brewery Blatz was the inspiration for the brewery, whereas the Wikipedia entry on Laverne and Shirley (more credibly, in my mind) suggests that it was Schlitz, noting that the women lived on a real street in Milwaukee not far from the Schlitz brewery. Of course, for all I know that’s actually close to the Blatz brewery as well.

The funny thing is, given the way our sense of morals has swung of late, I’m not sure the American public would accept such a beer-centric family program today. Instead, beer is typically the object of satire, as is the case with the Simpsons Duff beer or Drew Carey’s Buzz.

I don’t watch all that much TV any more, so tell me if I’m wrong, please.

image courtesy of Wikipedia, © 2006 Sulfur