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MORK & MINDY – THE COMPLETE SERIES (ABC 1978-1982) BROADCAST QUALITY!!! Robin Williams, Pam Dawber, Ralph James, Jonathan Winters, Conrad Janis, Elizabeth Hudson, Robert Donner, Jay Thomas, Gina Hecht, Tom Poston
Blast off into the hilariously zany world of Mork & Mindy, the classic 70s sitcom that launched Robin Williams to stardom and charmed audiences worldwide! This complete series collection brings together all four seasons of out-of-this-world comedy, featuring every laugh, every life lesson, and every unforgettable moment.
It all started after one of the more unusual episodes of the sitcom Happy Days called “My Favorite Orkan”, which aired on February 28, 1978. In the episode, Richie (Ron Howard) is visited by Mork, an alien from outer space who wants to kidnap him. Mork was portrayed by Robin Williams, then just a little-known comedian with a gift for offbeat, manic improvisation. That gift translated into a unique performance and audiences loved it. ABC decided to give Mork his own spin-off, which began airing in September 1978.
Mork & Mindy starts as Mork is sent bleems and bleems from his planet to Earth as a punishment for drawing a moustache on a picture of the Solar Leader. He lands in Boulder, Colorado – in a giant egg – with a mission to study Earthlings, and report back his findings to His Immenseness, the Orkan leader Orson (voiced by Ralph James).
Each week, Mork navigates life on Earth with his new friend Mindy (Pam Dawber). Since Orkan customs were the direct opposite of Earth customs (sitting on one’s head instead of one’s bottom, for example), Mork’s behavior tended to make most Earthlings think he was as nutty as a Snickers bar, but his bizarre antics and childlike innocence lead to endless comedic situations, much to the bemusement and affection of Mindy, who takes him under her wing and allows him to live in her attic loft.
Mork’s friends included Mindy’s father Fred (Conrad Janis) and grandmother Cora (Elizabeth Hudson), Mindy’s cousin Nelson Flavor (Jim Staahl), neighbor Mr. Bickley (Tom Poston), brother and sister deli owners Remo and Jeanie DaVinci (Jay Thomas, Gina Hecht) and the oddly eccentric Exidor (Robert Donner).
At the start of the fourth and final season Mork proposed and married Mindy, and the two honeymooned on Mork’s planet Ork. Once back on earth Mork discovers he was pregnant (the male half of the couple has the babies on Ork) and gave birth to a child named Mearth (Jonathan Winters). Since all Orkans age in reverse (from elderly to infancy), young Mearth was born into a full-grown body.
Notable guest stars include Henry Winkler as Fonzie (Happy Days), Penny Marshall as Laverne (Laverne & Shirley), Robert Donner as Exidor, Morgan Fairchild, Jeff Altman, Barry Van Dyke, David Letterman, Ruta Lee, Linda Henning, Dinah Manoff, Roddy McDowall, John Houseman, Raquel Welch, Georgia Engel, Shelley Fabares, Ross Martin, Foster Brooks, Lyle Waggoner, Tom Sullivan, Paul Reubens, Richard Moll, John Larroquette, Barbara Billingsley and Joe Regalbuto.
After the show ended, it was resurrected in a cartoon format as part of a Saturday morning series called The Mork & Mindy/Laverne and Shirley/Fonz Hour. All the voices for this cartoon were provided by the members of the Mork & Mindy cast, keeping the shazbots coming for at least one more season of rainbow-suspendered wackiness. (The Mork & Mindy cartoon series, along with the two other shows, Laverne and Shirley in the Army and The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang, are also available from Rewatch Classic TV.)
Whether you're a longtime fan or discovering the series for the first time, relive the magic of Mork & Mindy and take a trip back to a simpler, sillier time. Na-Nu Na-Nu!