"Mork & Mindy" (1978) TV series 1978-1982

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Creators:

Joe Glauberg
Garry Marshall
Dale McRaven

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

14 September 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A wacky alien comes to Earth to study its residents, and the life of the human woman he boards with is never the same.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Music Store | Space | Miniature People | Happy Days Spin Off

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Robin Williams	...	Mork (94 episodes, 1978-1982)
Pam Dawber	...	Mindy McConnell (94 episodes, 1978-1982)
Conrad Janis	...	Fred 'Fredzo' McConnell (69 episodes, 1978-1982)
Ralph James	...	Orson (46 episodes, 1978-1982)

Runtime:

30 min (95 episodes) | Argentina:30 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-G | Australia:G | Finland:S | Australia:PG (some episodes) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

1619 Pine St, Boulder, Colorado, USA

Company:

Henderson Productions

Trivia:

Jonathan Winters' first appearance on the show was as Dave McConnell (one of Mindy's relatives) in "Mork and the Family Reunion". Winters went on to join the cast full-time as Mearth in the following season.

Quotes:

Mindy McConnell: [Mork has proposed, and after chatting with Fred and Cora, she decides to not marry Mork] I guess what I'm really trying to say is... I can't marry you
Mork: Mind', That's a joke right, like the volunteer army? Ha ha ha… R R R!... R R Rrrr.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003)

Fond childhood memories.

This show is my earliest TV memory---my father loved this show and we watched it a lot together when I was very small. I recently discovered Seasons 1 and 2 by chance at my local Fred Meyer, picked them up and enjoyed them immensely. I was reminded again of how funny Williams really is.

Robin is at his manic best, and it's obvious that he often forsakes the script and happily heads off into improv la-la-land. Some of it is of course dated now, but it is still very funny. People sometimes disparage Pam Dawber, but she did exactly what she was supposed to do---be the straight man (or woman). Williams is SO manic that he needed an EXTREMELY normal, average straight man to contrast with, and that's exactly what she is. She's cute and perky, the quintessential girl next door. When she explains basic human nature to a confused Mork (which she does constantly) she seems totally believable, like having an older sister explain something about people you didn't understand before.

Watching it as an adult, I did notice a few things I didn't realize as a child: Pam Dawber spends many scenes trying desperately to not laugh and break character at William's improvisations. You can see it in her face; to me, it makes it even more entertaining. Also, the live audience contributed a lot to the general air of cheerful hilarity on the show. When Mork or Exidor show up for the first time in each episode, the audience literally screams in delight.

All in all, watching the first two seasons again I was greatly entertained, laughing throughout, and it brought back great childhood memories. If you're into checking out past decades of pop culture, you need to see this show.