Mork & Mindy (1978–1982)

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

Creators:

Joe Glauberg, Garry Marshall, Dale McRaven

Stars:

Robin Williams, Pam Dawber, Conrad Janis

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Robin Williams	...	Mork (94 episodes, 1978-1982)
Pam Dawber	...	Mindy McConnell (94 episodes, 1978-1982)
Conrad Janis	...	Frederick McConnell (69 episodes, 1978-1982)
Ralph James	...	Orson (52 episodes, 1978-1982)

Storyline

Bizarre television comedy with Robin Williams as Mork from Ork, who is an alien sent to Earth in an egg, to investigate Earth and report back to his superiors. As an outsider, Mork is unfamiliar with human customs and often questions some of the strange traditions that we take for granted. Much of the humor relies on Williams' unique comic voices and mannerisms. The show was perhaps most famous for Mork's greeting, 'Nano Nano.'

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Plot Keywords:

Alien | Alien Contact | Miniaturization | Improvisation | Farce | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mork y Mindy

Filming Locations:

1619 Pine St, Boulder, Colorado, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Henderson Productions, Miller-Milkis Productions, Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (95 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Garry Marshall is said to have gotten the idea for the series after his eight year old son had seen Star Wars and was inspired to suggest a TV show about an Alien. The Mork character was actually a creation of Happy Days Director Jerry Paris, who got the idea from an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show.

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Quotes

Mork: [Eugene has just said that he needs to tell him something important] Well, come on, I'm waiting here with a worm on my tongue.
Eugene: Huh?
Mork: Baited breath.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits of season 2, 3 and 4, the "o" in the word "Mork" is the shape of an egg, a reference to the eggs in which Orkans travel through space.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Steve Martin/Van Morrison (1978)
Lisa Loopner calles Todd 'Mork'

User Reviews

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.