Fantasy Island (1977) (TV)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Richard Lang

Writer:

Gene Levitt (writer)

Release Date:

14 January 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A mysterious man and his dwarf assistant own an island where they charge wealthy people $50,000 a piece to live out their fantasies. |

Plot Keywords:

Island | Most Dangerous Game | TV Series Pilot | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Ricardo Montalban	...	Mr. Roarke
Bill Bixby	...	Arnold Greenwood
Sandra Dee	...	Francesca Hamilton
Peter Lawford	...	Grant Baines
Carol Lynley	...	Elizabeth 'Liz' Hollander
Hugh O'Brian	...	Paul Henley
Eleanor Parker	...	Eunice Hollander Baines
Victoria Principal	...	Michelle
Dick Sargent	...	Charles Hollander
Tina Sinatra	...	Connie Raymond (as Christina Sinatra)
Hervé Villechaize	...	Tattoo (as Herve Villechaize)
Peter MacLean	...	Hunter #3, Alex Davidson
Nancy Cameron	...	Angel Shermin 'Most Beautiful Girl in the World'
Cedric Scott	...	Hunter #2
John McKinney	...	Hugh Addams Hunter #1
Karin de la Penha	...	Barmaid (as Elizabeth Dartmoor)
Ian Abercrombie	...	Bartender
Patrick O'Hara	...	Air Raid Warden
Dick Ryal	...	Dart Player (as Richard Ryal)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joan Roberts	...	Linda Larson
Freddy Weller	...	Himself
Toby Holguin	...	Island kid (uncredited)
Herb Mendelsohn	...	Hollandar Ghoast (uncredited)

Directed by
Richard Lang

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gene Levitt		writer

Produced by
Leonard Goldberg	....	producer
Aaron Spelling	....	producer

Original Music by
Laurence Rosenthal

Cinematography by
Archie R. Dalzell
Sherman Kunkel

Film Editing by
John Farrell
John Woodcock		(as John M. Woodcock)

Art Direction by
Paul Sylos

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kalai Strode	....	second assistant director
Candace Suerstedt	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jeffrey Bellamy	....	property master
Allan Gordon	....	property master
Kirk S. Heinlen	....	assistant property master
John Sweeney	....	set dresser

Sound Department
David A. Whittaker	....	supervising sound editor (Fall 1982)

Stunts
Marneen Fields	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Allan Gornick Jr.	....	underwater cinematographer

Music Department
Kenneth Hall	....	music editor
Lonnie Sill	....	music coordinator

Other crew
Rita Lundin	....	wrangler
Lee Sollenberger	....	animal trainer

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Television
• Spelling-Goldberg Productions

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1977) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Columbia TriStar Domestic Television
• Prism Pictures (video)
• Sony Pictures Television (2002-)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Arcadia, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Television

Movie Connections:

Followed by Return to Fantasy Island (1978) (TV)

The Dark Side of the Island

The previous comments seem to relate to the TV series rather than to the pilot. I haven't seen this in 25 years, but I remember it being far darker than the series. I remember people getting their fantasies with horrific consequences, much like the classic "Monkey's Paw" horror story, or the tale of the genie who grants wishes with literal precision only to have them go horribly awry. Mr. Roarke seemed malicious if not downright evil, and Tattoo was a scary little imp who made you uneasy because of his ability to appear and disappear unseen. I know they had to tone it down to make it a weekly series, but it wasn't too many seasons before it turned into another "Love Boat" where every episode ended with Barbi Benton falling in love with Don Knotts.

Am I the only one who remembers the original made-for-TV movie as a horror movie? I used to tell people that you would never see the pilot on TV again for this reason, but I think it's been long enough. They could show it, if the demand were there. I see Amazon wants $50 for the video; that's too much for my pocketbook. Maybe I'll find a used copy somewhere and answer my own question.