Caryl and Marilyn didn't start out as the Real Friends you came to know on TV. They started out in the late '80s as curious new neighbors on a cul-de-sac in Petaluma California, and became acquainted when Marilyn spied Caryl entertaining her sons in the garage with Solid Gold Dance imitations. The two started spending time together with their kids, and noticed their senses of humor really seemed to mesh. They came to believe that they weren't the only ones that would think they were funny, and decided to put together a live comedy show. Their's was a unique presentation, replete with zany costumes, musical parodies and comic characterizations. When they approached comedy clubs for a tryout, they hardly resembled the standard successful stand-up acts of the time. The kind-hearted club owners who agreed the give the "nice little housewives" a try turned out to be lucky club owners in this scenario. Word of the hilarious "Comedy Camp for Mommies" spread through the neighborhoods faster than good gossip, and Caryl and Marilyn were soon dubbed in the press "the darlings of the minivan set". The show was a phenomena--dates were selling out months in advance everywhere it was booked, and it was soon booked across the entire country. The show soon moved to the small theater, where larger audiences laughed so hard they didn't have to do sit-ups for a week. After barely 2 years, two national TV networks were vying to sign the women up. Marilyn and Caryl went with NBC, and delighted their fans with two seasons of their sitcom, "The Mommies".