Career Highlights: Splash, Night Shift, City Slickers
First Major Screen Credit: Laverne & Shirley: Cruise, Part 2 (1977)
Biography
Mark "Babaloo" Mandel and his partner Lowell Ganz are responsible for writing some of the most popular comedies in contemporary American cinema. They met in a Hollywood comedy club where Mandel worked as a gag writer. Ganz was also working as a writer on the TV comedy The Odd Couple. They found they had a lot in common: both were from New York, and both idolized Billy Wilder. It was Ganz who suggested they team up to write for popular television sitcoms such as Laverne and Shirley; it was Laverne, actress Penny Marshall, who later directed one of their most popular hits, A League of Their Own (1992). They made their feature film debut with the black comedy Night Shift (1982). The stories they tell, such as the Oscar-nominated Splash (1984), are easily recognizable for their strong narrative structure and full bodied characterizations. Mandel is also notable as being a master of hardhitting punchlines. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Marc "Babaloo" Mandel (born: October 13, 1949 in New York City) is an American writer. His writing credits include the television series Happy Days and the movie Night Shift. He is the long-time writing partner of Lowell Ganz. He has six children, including a set of triplets. [1]
Mandel and Ganz were featured in The Dialogue interview series. In this 90 minute interview with producer Mike DeLuca, Ganz and Mandel discuss their 40 year partnership as it evolved from television to feature films.