Howard Stern Says Garry Marshall Helped Him Write ‘Private Parts’

Garry Marshall asked: do you need help? (photo, cropped, by Louise Palanker [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons)

Howard Stern’s life, like the lives of most Americans, was touched by the prolific comedy work of Garry Marshall. But the comedy pioneer who died this week at 81 affected Stern’s life more than most. Marshall, who directed Pretty Woman and created Happy Days among scores of other hits, was a fan of the Howard Stern Show and a guest. And Marshall was there for Howard personally when called on, such as when Stern was struggling with his autobiographical movie, Private Parts. 

Stern recounted on his show: “One of the things personally [Garry] did for me — when I was struggling with putting together Private Parts occasionally I would call him or he would call me at home and he would answer my questions because I was kind of lost.” Stern said he had at least twenty drafts before Marshall gave him sage advice that helped him finish. When it was done, Marshall sent Stern a leather binder to memorialize the final, finished script. Stern still has it.