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"It's like we say in St. Olaf, Christmas without fruitcake is like St. Sigmund's Day without the headless boy." This article is incomplete. You can help the Golden Girls Wiki by expanding it. |
Laverne Todd-Kane (née Higby) is a central character in the 1988 NBC sitcom Empty Nest and a minor character in its sister series, Nurses and The Golden Girls. She is the nurse working for pediatrician Harry Weston in the community medical center in Miami.
Laverne appeared in all seven seasons of Empty Nest and in three episodes of its spin-off, Nurses. She also guest-starred in its parent series, The Golden Girls. She is portrayed by Park Overall.
Personality and Characteristics[]
Laverne is hard-edged and hard-opinionated and never hesitates to speak her mind. She’s stubborn, bossy, and must be in complete control of every aspect of her life. Her “always right” attitude is a constant source of irritation to Harry, who despite being Laverne’s boss is never really the one in charge at the office. Laverne runs everything around the office, from organizing the books to signing her own paychecks. According to Harry, it’s like it’s her office, and she lets him stop by and practice a little medicine. She may be tough as nails, but Laverne is without a doubt a dedicated nurse who’ll do anything to make sure that her employer is happy.
Here and there, a soft side of Laverne does break through, such as when she is afraid to leave her house after getting mugged. But she always bounces back as strong as ever.
Born and raised in the small town of Hickory, Arkansas, Laverne possesses a sly Southern wit, as well as a thick Southern accent. Much to the chagrin of those around her, Laverne often tells off-the-wall stories about the eccentric folks of Hickory, everyone from Tater Norton to the Horseless Headman. Despite their strangeness, her anecdotes almost always contain some profound life lesson.
Biography[]
Childhood[]
Laverne was born to a Mr. Higby and his wife Scarlett in the small town of Hickory, Arkansas.
Laverne married Nick Todd, a minor league baseball player.
Community Medical Center[]
Five years before the start of the series, Laverne applied for a job at the Community Medical Center.
In 1986, Laverne was involved in an incident at an airport.
Family[]
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Friends[]
One of her friends is Sandy Miller, a nurse in the local Community Medical Center in department Three West.
Romances[]
At the start of the series, Laverne is happily married to minor league baseball player Nick Todd. As is normal in a sitcom, the relationship does have its ups and downs but remains usually solid. That is until Nick is traded to a Japanese team, where he meets another woman and leaves Laverne. This is another instance in which her vulnerable side takes over. It takes her a little time to adjust to being a single woman, but before long she’s back in the dating game. During the last season, Laverne begins a relationship with her childhood friend, Matt Kane, a successful doctor in her hometown. The couple marry in the series finale and move back to Hickory, with Laverne planning to work with Matt as his nurse.
Career[]
To be added.
Quotes[]
The Golden Girls (1985-1992)[]
- “Give me that. That's not his, he had Buddy Kline do it for him. ... He'll do it in his own bed, but there's something about doing it in a public place.”
- — Laverne taking back a proxy urine sample from Harry; Sick and Tired, Part 2 (1989)
Empty Nest (1988-1992)[]
- “Yeah. You got twenty-five phone calls to return. The waiting room's so backed up, we're out of toys. Plus, the Play-Doh's gone hard. I'm not working through my lunch again, so you get a move on, or you'll be doing this without a nurse.”
- — Laverne's first line; Pilot (1988)
Appearances[]
The Golden Girls (1985-1992)[]
Season 5
| |||||
| 1. "Sick and Tired, Part 1": | Absent | 14. "Mary Has a Little Lamb": | Absent | ||
| 2. "Sick and Tired, Part 2": | Appears | 15. "Triple Play": | Absent | ||
| 3. "The Accurate Conception": | Absent | 16."Clinton Avenue Memoirs": | Absent | ||
| 4. "Rose Fights Back": | Absent | 17. "Like the Beep Beep Beep of the Tom-Tom": | Absent | ||
| 5. "Love Under the Big Top": | Absent | 18. "An Illegitimate Concern": | Absent | ||
| 6. "Dancing in the Dark": | Absent | 19. "72 Hours": | Absent | ||
| 7. "Not Another Monday": | Absent | 20. "Twice In a Lifetime": | Absent | ||
| 8. "That Old Feeling": | Absent | 21. "Sisters and Other Strangers": | Absent | ||
| 9. "Comedy of Errors": | Absent | 22. "Cheaters": | Absent | ||
| 10. "All That Jazz": | Absent | 23. "The Mangiacavallo Curse Makes a Lousy Wedding Present": | Absent | ||
| 11. "Ebb Tide": | Absent | 24. "All Bets Are Off": | Absent | ||
| 12. "Have Yourself a Very Little Christmas": | Absent | 25/26. "The President's Coming! The President's Coming!, Part 1": | Absent | ||
| 13. "Blind Date": | Absent | 26. "The President's Coming! The President's Coming!, Part 2": | Absent | ||
Empty Nest (1988-1992)[]
| Season 1 | |||||
| 1. "Pilot": | Absent | 12. "Full Nest": | Absent | ||
| 2. "The Check Isn't in The Mail": | Absent | 13. "Here's A Howdy-Do": | Absent | ||
| 3. "Barbara Gets A Shot": | Absent | 14."Strange Bedfellows": | Absent | ||
| 4. "Fatal Attraction": | Absent | 15. "Tears of a Clown": | Absent | ||
| 5. "Father of the Bride": | Absent | 16. "Blame It on the Moon": | Absent | ||
| 6. "Harry's Vacation": | Absent | 17. "Dumped": | Absent | ||
| 7. "Tinker to Evers to Tucson": | Absent | 18. "The More Things Change": | Absent | ||
| 8. "What's a Father to Do?": | Absent | 19. "Man of the Year": | Absent | ||
| 9. "Harry's Friend": | Absent | 20. "Cyrano de Weston": | Absent | ||
| 10. "Libby's Gift": | Absent | 21. "My Sister, My Friend": | Absent | ||
| 11. "The First Time, Again": | Absent | 22. "A Life in the Day": | Absent | ||
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Nurses (1991-1993)[]
Template:NursesSeason1Appearances
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Casting and Development[]
In 1987, Park Overall starred in the pilot for the Witt-Thomas-Harris production The Line, but the pilot was turned down. Overall was then cast as Laverne Todd on Empty Nest.[1]
Trivia[]
- Although Sandy is a good friend of Laverne, Sandy never guest starred on Empty Nest. In the 1992 Nurses episode "In My New Country" it is mentioned by Sandy that Laverne beat her "in all those swim races at camp" of which can be assumed that the two already knew each other in their youth.
- During Empty Nest's fifth season, a second spinoff series titled The Laverne Todd Show began development, but eventually fell through and never materialized. The show would’ve had Laverne getting remarried and moving to her husband’s small town, where she butted heads with his children and his ex-wife.
[]
| V - E - H Empty Nest characters
| |
|---|---|
| Main Cast | Barbara Weston • Carol Weston • Charley Dietz • Dreyfuss Harry Weston • Laverne Todd • Maxine Douglas • Sophia Petrillo |
| Recurring Cast | Ben Braxton • Doris • Emily Weston • Fred Dietz • Jeffrey Millstein • Kevin Millen • Lurlene Moss • Matt Kane • Miss Bingham • Mr. Garrison • Nick Todd • Patrick Arcola • Scotty Weston • Ursula Dietz |
References[]
- ↑ Farrell, Mary H.J. "This Belle Raises Hell!" People Magazine, December 23 1991. Archived by emptynesttv.com. (https://emptynesttv.com/home/show-info/articles-and-interviews/this-belle-raises-hell/)