'' was a
Sci-fi -based
Sitcom broadcast from
1978 until
1982 on the
American Broadcasting Company The series starred
Robin Williams as Mork, an alien who had come to
Earth in a giant
Egg from the planet Ork, and
Pam Dawber as Mindy McConnell, his human
Comedic Foil .
After discovering Mork, Mindy promised to keep his true identity a secret and allowed him to be her
Roommate . The show's
Supporting Character s were Fred, Mindy's father; Cora, Mindy's grandmother; and Eugene, an
African-American kid who worked in Fred's record store. Mindy and Cora also worked at the store. Episodes were usually based on Mork's attempts to understand
Human Behavior and
American Culture as Mindy helps him to adjust to life on Earth. At the end of every show Mork would
Telepathically report to his boss, Orson, the Orkan leader who was never seen, but did reply to Mork's comments. Mork's
Greeting was
"Na-Nu Na-nu" along with a
Hand Gesture similar to
Mr. Spock 's
Vulcan Salute from ''
Star Trek ''. It became a popular
Catchphrase at the time.
This series was Robin Williams's first major acting break. Though the show was a
Spinoff of ''
Happy Days '', which was set in
1950s Milwaukee , ''Mork and Mindy'' was set in
1970s Boulder, Colorado . The series became famous for Williams' use of his manic
Improvisational comedic talent. Williams would make up so many jokes during filming, the scripts eventually had specific gaps where Williams was allowed to perform freely. In many scenes, Pam Dawber had to bite her lip to avoid laughing and ruining the filming.
The series was hugely popular in its first season. The
Nielsen Rating s were very high, ranking at #3 just behind ''Happy Days'' and ''
Laverne & Shirley ''. However, the network brass sought to "improve" the show in several ways. This was done in conjunction with the use of "counter-programming", a technique in which a successful show is moved opposite a ratings hit on another network. The show was moved from Thursdays, where it soundly beat
CBS ' ''
The Waltons '', to Sundays where it aired against
NBC 's highly-rated
Anthology series ''The Big Event'' and
CBS ' ''
Archie Bunker's Place '', a new retooled version of ''
All In The Family ''.
The second season saw an attempt to seek the younger viewers. The characters of Fred, Cora and Eugene were dropped. It was explained on the show that Fred was sent off to tour as a
Conductor with an
Orchestra , and he took Cora with him on the road. Eugene was never mentioned again. New cast members and a
Disco -like theme song were added. The new
Supporting Character s included Remo and Jean DaVinci, a brother and sister from
New York City who owned a new neighborhood
Deli where Mork and Mindy now spent a lot of time. Also added were Nelson Flavor, Mindy's snooty cousin; and Mr. Bickley, their grumpy neighbor. The show's main focus was no longer on Mork's
Slapstick attempts to adjust to the new world he was in, but began to focus on the relationship between Mork and Mindy on a romantic level. The network execs also are rumored to have tried to get Pam Dawber to add "jiggle" by wearing padded bras and more revealing clothes. She refused, and Robin Williams supported her decision.
The changes proved to be fatal to the series. The show's ratings fell tremendously. It was quickly moved back to its previous timeslot but the ratings never fully recovered. Several efforts were made to get back to the core of the series. Mindy's father and grandmother were brought back. The new characters, except Mr. Bickley, were dropped.
When this failed to help ratings, many wilder ideas were tried to try and capitalize on Williams' comedic talents. In the fourth season, Mork and Mindy were married.
Jonathan Winters , one of Williams' idols, was brought in as their child, Mearth. Due to the different Orkan
Physiology , Mork laid an egg, which grew and hatched into the much older Winters. Orkans apparently aged "backwards" explaining Mearth's appearance. Other attempts included the use of special guest stars. In a two-part episode,
Raquel Welch appeared as Captain Nirvana of the Necrotons, an alien species that were enemies of the Orkans. None of these ploys could fix the problems that resulted when the studio brass "fixed" what had been working in the beginning. ''Mork and Mindy'' crashed and burned in its fourth season, and was cancelled.
The house from the show is located at 1619 Pine Street, just a few blocks away from the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder. To this day, it is still a popular
Tourist Attraction in Boulder.
) arranges a date for Mork with Laverne (
Penny Marshall )]]
The character of Mork was introduced in an episode of ''Happy Days''. Richie tells everyone he has seen a s. Mork contacts Orson and explains that he decided to let Fonzie go, and was going to travel to the year 1978 to continue his mission.
Fonzie and Laverne of ''
Laverne & Shirley '' appeared in the first episode of the show. In one segment, Mork returns to 1950's Milwaukee where Fonzie sets Mork up on a date with Laverne.
Mork returned to ''Happy Days'' in an episode in 1979. Mork tells Richie that he enjoys coming to the
1950's because life is simpler and more "humdrum" than in the 70's. The episode is mostly a
Retrospective in which clips are shown as Richie tries to explain the concepts of
Love and
Friendship to Mork.
Exidor (actor Robert Donner), a
Mentally Ill man who thought of himself as a
Prophet . He knew that Mork was an alien but no one believed him. He was the leader of a
Cult called The Friends of
Venus , of which he was the only member.
Mr. Sternhagen (
Foster Brooks ), Mindy's boss when she got a job at a local TV station.
Show
Producer Crissy Comstock played a wacky friend named after herself.
Todd Norman Taylor aka TNT (
Bill Kirchenbauer ), an obnoxious unattractive man who fancied himself as a
Swinger .
- After the show finished, an Saturday Morning Cartoon titled ''The Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley with the Fonz Show'' ran on ABC from 1982-1983.
