Product Description

A spin-off from the hit show "Happy Days," MORK & MINDY stars Robin Williams as the lovable alien from the planet Ork. Sent to Earth by his fellow Orkans who see him as a misfit, Mork is assigned to observe the customs of the crazy Earthlings. Landing in a giant eggshell in Boulder, Colorado, Mork is soon befriended by Mindy McConnell (Dawber) a music store clerk, and allowed to stay in the attic of her apartment.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4050 in DVD
• Brand: PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2004-09-07
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Dimensions: .70 pounds
• Running time: 635 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Children who love Robin Williams as the voice of Aladdin or as Mrs. Doubtfire will get a blast out of the show that blasted him into the stratosphere, and made "Nanoo, Nanoo" a national catch-phrase. Mork & Mindy, a spin-off of a season 5 Happy Days episode, was a tailor-made star vehicle for Williams, who won a Golden Globe for this inaugural 1978 season. The role of extraterrestrial Mork from Ork gave free reign to Williams's stream-of-consciousness riffing as Mork observed life on Earth and reported back to his leader, Orson, on all that he learned about friendship, love, family, and emotions. As Mindy, the down-to-Earth Boulder, Colorado, girl who takes the stranded alien under her roof, fresh-faced Pam Dawber does her best to keep up. When Williams is really in the (Twilight?) zone, it's not acting: she does seem like she's dealing with someone from another planet.

The highlight of this first season is "Mork's Mixed Emotions," a tour-de-force that TV Guide ranked among the top 100 TV episodes of all time (#94, to be exact). Mork believes that emotions are bad, and tries to lock them inside himself, but they are unleashed in a lusty, happy, weepy, angry, envious torrent. Helping to launch Williams as a primetime player in the series pilot are Henry Winkler and Penny Marshall in their iconic roles as the Fonz and Laverne. Another notable guest star in season 1 is David Letterman as an abusive EST-like guru in "Mork Goes Erk." Mork & Mindy rapidly jumped the shark, and much of the '70s sitcom trappings have not aged well, but this first season is a giddy time capsule record of Williams at his most spontaneous and out of this world. Shazbot--the set contains no extras. --Donald Liebenson.

Customer Reviews

Robin Williams: the only real alien who applied!
Based on his son's request for an alien on Happy Days, Garry Marshall planned an episode where the Fonz is abducted by aliens. At the audition when Marshall asked Robin to sit down, he sat on his head. Marshall said he was the only real alien who applied. Two appearances on Happy Days were so successful that Mork & Mindy became its own show.

A generous first season of 25 episodes. Robin Williams in his first TV series is a standout. This first season is generally considered to be the best. I'm a Robin Williams fan, and this show is a perfect venue for his particular brand of humor complete with funny faces, goofy noises, and acrobatics. A brief episode guide of the first season:

1. Pilot (1) gs: Penny Marshall (Laverne), Henry Winkler (Fonzie). Mork, on assignment to study planet Earth, meets Mindy McConnell. She discovers that he is an alien.
2. Pilot (2) Penny Marshall (Laverne) Henry Winkler (Fonzie) Mindy's father finds out that Mork is living with Mindy and wants him to move out.
3. Mork Moves In: Mork agrees to move out but becomes drunk on ginger ale.
4. Mork Runs Away: Mork decides to move out because Mindy is having problems dating because of him.
5. Mork in Love: Mindy tells Mork that he has to experience love to understand humanity, so he falls in love.
6. Mork's Seduction gs: Morgan Fairchild. An old rival of Mindy's decides to go after Mork in revenge.
7. Mork Goes Public gs: Jeff Altman. Mork decides to reveal his origins to a reporter offering big bucks for proof of alien life.
8. To Tell the Truth: Mindy tells Mork that he should never lie.
9. Mork the Gullible: Mork helps an escaped convict after hearing his story about his sick mother.
10. A Mommy For Mork: Mork wonders what it would be like to have had a mother.
11. Mork's Greatest Hits: Mork puts a bully in his place.
12. Old Fears: Mindy's grandmother is depressed over the death of a friend.
13. Mork's First Christmas: gs: David Ketchum. Mork is overwhelmed by the Christmas rush.
14. Mork and the Immigrant: Mork contacts the Immigration Bureau after hearing that immigrants are required to register.
15. Mork the Tolerant: Mork invites a complaining neighbor to dinner.
16. Young Love: When Eugene and his girlfriend want to get married, Mork performs the ceremony.
17. Snowflakes Keep Dancing On My Head: Mork and Mindy go to a mountain cabin offered by a new friend, only to find out that it has no roof.
18. Mork Goes Erk: gs: Morgan Fairchild, David Letterman. Mork is ordered to leave Earth.
19. Yes Sir, That's My Baby: Mork decides that he wants to buy a baby.
20. Mork's Mixed Emotions: Mork has a surprise reaction to being kissed by Mindy.
21. Mork's Night Out: Mork goes out with a friend when Mindy is away.
22. In Mork We Trust: A friend steals Mork's age machine.
23. Mork Runs Down: Mork suffers from a potentially fatal condition: his birthday!
24. It's a Wonderful Mork: Mork decides to return to Mork after costing Mindy the opportunity for a new job.
25. Mork's Best Friend: Mork has a pet caterpillar.

Thank you Paramount
Hats off to the fine folks at Paramount for releasing this jewel of a DVD set. The color is great, as is the sound. I also love the fact that the cases are slim, not bulky like most DVD sets. Robin Williams and Pam Dawber play off of each other so well, even while he was in his spontaneous hyper-excited adlib mode. The guy is an absolute comic genius, with a heart of gold. I was 20 years old when this show first aired, and I am suprised watching it today at how much of the subtle humor I missed as Williams attacked the shallow culture of the times. I love the lesson at the end of each episode in the guise of "reporting to Orson." I don't think a show like this could survive today, with our sophisticated diet of special effects and reality show selfishness. I wonder if anyone who wasn't around in the 70's would fully understand the humor, as I have watched it with some younger friends and I had to explain some of it. In any event, there is more than enough humor to keep you rolling on the floor. Worth buying, and at a decent price too. Good job Paramount. Can't wait for Season 2 !!!

Absolutely wonderful TV show
I first saw Mork and Mindy when I was about five and thought it was the funniest thing on earth. I would even sit on my head like Mork did and I had some of the Mork toys too.

So it's obvious I would grab this DVD box set as soon as it came out. And is Mork and Mindy as good today as it was back then? Of course! In fact it might be even better coz when you compare it to modern sitcoms M&M has more integrity as Robin Williams and Pam Dawber seem to be performing to a much rawer audience with more theatrical performances.

Robin Williams is just completely crazy as Mork (from Ork), an alien sent to Earth to investigate our strange customs and report back telepathically to Orson, his boss. Mindy is the girl he meets who gives him a home in her attic, much to the annoyance of her cynical dad. And, trust me, you can clearly see that Robin Williams often gives up the script to manically ad-lib his own madness while Pam Dawber runs after him, desperately trying to keep the show under control. It's so cool in certain moments when they're close together during a manic moment and she's looking into his eyes in amazement, petrified at what he's about to do next. He would also go crazy off-stage in an effort to distract Dawber when she had a scene on her own.

Supporting characters are also cool. Mr Bickley, Mindy's dad and grandma, Eugene and the outrageous Exidor all grab as much attention as they can whenever Williams isn't going mental. David Letterman, Dana Hill, Tammy Lauren, Morgan Fairchild, Penny Marshall and Geoffrey Lewis show up in cameos too. Plus Fonzie is the first episode (a flashback to Mork's first ever appearance in Happy Days).

There are NO FEATURES AT ALL on the DVDs. Which is annoying seeing as how this time I would have liked to have seen stuff. But I'm just glad to have it. Hey, Paramount, give us Season 2 NOW!!!

The show is presented in 1.33:1 full frame, as originally shot. And for a 27 year old show it looks great with very little in the way of print damage or grain. The sound is plain old mono but it's fine for what it is.

You MUST buy.