Wake Me When It's Funny: How to Break Into Show Business and Stay There

Marshall was king of TV sitcoms in the 1970s with Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy and The Odd Couple, then turned to film, directing Pretty Woman and Beaches. He claims he has not been hurt by critics who blasted him for targeting society's lowest common denominator; rather, he glories in that assessment, for his aim was to be ``the Norman Rockwell of television.'' This autobiography, written with his daughter, shows how he reached his goal. The book is a sort of how-to guide, for he explains the processes of writing, directing and producing TV comedy and directing movies in a way that should prove helpful for anyone aspiring to break into either medium. He takes readers from his youth in the Bronx to freelancing for famous comics and thence to Hollywood, with entertaining anecdotes about showbiz types from Danny Thomas to Robin Williams. Photos. (Sept.)