JEANNIE

JEANNIE

(CBS, September 8-December 22, 1973)

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Screen Gems Television

MAIN CAST:

Julie McWhirter – Jeannie

Mark Hamill – Corey Anders

Joe Besser – Babu

Bob Hastings – Henry Glopp

Janet Waldo – Mrs. Anders

John Stephenson – Haji, Master of all Genies

Tommy Cook – S. Melvin Farthinghill

            It was 1964 when ABC had just scored a major success with its supernaturally-themed sitcom, Bewitched. Sidney Sheldon was tasked with coming up with a competing series for NBC to match that success, and was inspired by the movie The Brass Bottle to come up with a show surrounding a beautiful female genie. 

            I Dream of Jeannie followed the adventures of Major Anthony Nelson (Larry Hagman), a NASA astronaut who crashed on a deserted island and found a bottle containing said genie, aptly-named Jeannie (Barbara Eden). Jeannie would activate her power typically by crossing her arms and blinking (although she didn’t always need to do so). Nelson, who had no interest in getting anything magically, ended up spending all of his time trying to keep Jeannie under control and under wraps; particularly from his eternally-suspicious superior, Dr. Bellows (Hayden Rorke). Eventually, Nelson developed feelings for Jeannie and the two were married. 

Major Nelson and Jeannie tie the knot.

            I Dream of Jeannie debuted on September 18, 1965. While most television shows had switched to a color format at the time, Screen Gems executives weren’t convinced the show would be successful and wanted to save money by filming it in black and white. Also, it helped with Jeannie’s special effects, which couldn’t be adequately shown in color at the time. The series did prove successful, and ran for five seasons (with color!). When ratings plummeted after Jeannie and Nelson were married, the network decided to cancel it at the end of the fifth season.

The animated Jeannie.

            When I Dream of Jeannie entered into syndicated reruns, the show performed remarkably well in the ratings. CBS executive Fred Silverman asked  Hanna-Barbera to see if they could capture that newfound popularity with an animated version for the network. Hanna-Barbera had previously been part of Screen Gems when they were founded until being sold to Taft Broadcasting in 1966, and were able to secure the license from the studio. However, Hanna-Barbera’s production of The New Scooby-Doo Movies, which featured numerous guest appearances from various celebrities of the day, caused a tremendous strain on their budget. That meant that Hanna-Barbera had a very little money to work with on their Jeannie spin-off. They couldn’t afford the fees to make the characters look like the sitcom’s stars, or even to cast the stars themselves.

Henry, Corey, Jeannie and Babu.

            As a result, Hanna-Barbera rebuilt the concept from the ground up to where only the fact that an ordinary human found an attractive female genie remained. That human became the teenaged surfer Corey Anders (a play on the Middle Eastern spice coriander, voiced by Mark Hamill in his first animated starring role) who shared the secret with his best friend, Henry Glopp (Bob Hastings). Corey would end up finding Jeannie’s bottle while he was out surfing one day.

Jeannie model sheet showing her walking, zapping and flying.

Jeannie (Julie McWhirter) became a bit younger herself (at least in appearance—she was still technically thousands of years old!) and was made a redhead. To use her powers, she would cross her arms and whip her ponytail instead of blink. When the live Jeannie was in production, there was some controversy over Eden’s bellybutton being seen on camera, resulting in her costume being cut specifically to cover it. The animated Jeannie seemed to suffer no such restrictions as not only was her navel shown, but her pants were made translucent to show off her legs. Jeannie was also given a sidekick for comic relief: a genie-in-training named Babu (Joe Besser), who would get so nervous his magic would constantly go haywire. Babu’s magic would be cast by saying “Yapple Dapple!” The only character carried over from the live show was Hadji, Master of all Genies (John Stephenson). 

Main character model sheet.

            Jeannie debuted on CBS on September 8, 1973. It was written by William Canning, Marion Hargrove, Austin Kalish, Irma Kalish (both of whom wrote for the original series), David Ketchum, Sidney Morse, Bruce Shelly, Arlene Stadd, Leonard Stadd, Frank Waldman, Phyllis White and Robert White, with music by Hoyt Curtin. Like the sitcom, many of the adventures were driven by Jeannie being constantly jealous of girls Corey would hang out with. Meanwhile, Corey was completely oblivious to Jeannie’s feelings for him. Jeannie would either use her magic to interrupt Corey’s “dates” or in a misguided attempt to give him unwanted help. Causing Corey additional trouble was snooty rich kid and bully, S. Melvin Farthinghull (Tommy Cook). Despite the massive changes to the source material leading to critical disdain and only lasting one season, Jeannie performed well in the ratings even against Star Trek: The Animated Series. To help promote the show, Jeannie and Babu guest-starred on an episode of The New Scooby-Doo Movies. Rand McNally published a coloring book (notably using the original series’ title), and Ben Cooper made a costume based on Jeannie (however, the mask’s face looked fairly close to Eden’s).

Jeannie in her Scooby-Doobies vest from Laff-a-Lympics.

            In 1974, Columbia Pictures assumed control of Screen Gems and it became Columbia Pictures Television. Because of that change, plans to use Jeannie and Babu in Laff-A-Lympics fell through as Columbia owned all the rights to the Jeannie character and forbade her use. Babu, however, was owned by Hanna-Barbera and appeared on the show as planned. Jeannie did appear on early promotional art for Laff-A-Lympics. Reruns of the show were featured in their syndicated weekday package series Fred Flintstone and Friends, which was co-produced by Columbia. To date, the only home media appearances of the characters is their episode of The New Scooby-Doo Movies. Years later, Hamill and Hastings would be reunited as recurring characters in Batman: The Animated Series.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Surf’s Up” (9/8/73) – Jeannie gets jealous when Corey partners with Aggie for the surfing contest, but she soon dumps him to enter with Melvin.

“The Decathlon” (9/15/73) – Henry and Corey are convinced their diet is helping for their upcoming athletic competition until Babu reveals Jeannie’s been helping them magically.

“The Great Ski Robbery” (9/22/73) – When Henry and Corey are fired from their ski resort jobs, Jeannie help them capture some crooks so they can get them back.

“Survival Course” (9/29/73) – Jeannie sends Corey and Henry on a survival camp field trip.

“The Power Failure” (10/6/73) – A jealous Jeannie takes Corey and Henry’s motorcycle and goes to a beauty salon where she loses her pony tail—and her powers.

“The Dognappers” (10/13/73) – Corey and Henry are accused of dognapping when a show dog in their care ends up taken.

“The Pigeon” (10/20/73) – Corey and Henry’s racing pigeon lays an egg, leaving them to care for her chicken offspring.

“Helen of Troy” (10/27/73) – Jeannie conjures up Helen of Troy to help Corey with his paper, but regrets it when the two begin getting close.

“The Sailors” (11/3/73) – Jeannie replaces Corey’s female partner in the sailboat race and ends up getting his boat disqualified.

“The Kid Brother” (11/10/73) – Young Billy catches a glimpse of Jeannie and attempts to prove her existence.

“The Blind Date” (11/17/73) – Corey sends Jeannie to her bottle over her latest bout of jealousy, and unfortunately his mother decides to recycle it.

“The Commercial” (11/24/73) – Corey wins a contest and has to appear in a commercial in order to earn a place in a four-year college course, but Jeannie has objections.

“Don Juan” (12/1/73) – Jeannie attempts to help Henry get over his shyness around girls by casting a spell, which earns him a lot of attention from girls and makes Corey miserable.

“The Dog” (12/8/73) – Jeannie is assigned to watch Haji’s dog, but when the dog steals his golden cup, he turns Corey into a dog.

“The Jinx” (12/15/73) – Jeannie and the guys are tasked with bringing Babu back after he runs away thinking he’s a jinx, and to keep him around Jeannie corrects all his mistakes.

“The Wish” (12/22/73) – When Henry feels inadequate after Corey wins a football game, Jeannie grants him a birthday wish that switches his and Corey’s bodies.


Originally posted in 2016. Updated in 2020.

JACK RILEY DEAD AT 80

Actor Jack Riley died on Thursday at age 80. You can read the full story here.

Although most of his career was spent appearing on live-action programs as a guest or recurring character, Riley began a long voice over stint as patriarch Stu Pickles, as well as the occasional minor character, throughout the Rugrats franchise. He also guest-starred in a 1990 episode of Garfield and Friends as Tyrone.

FYVUSH FINKEL DEAD AT 93

Character actor Fyvush Finkel died on Sunday at the age of 93. You can read the full story here.

Finkel made appearances in episodes of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters as Jackie the Schtickman and Jackie Jarr, and in Rugrats as Shlomo.

ALF: THE ANIMATED SERIES

ALF: THE ANIMATED SERIES

(NBC, September 26, 1987-January 7, 1989)

DiC Entertainment, Alien Productions, Lorimar-Telepictures, Saban Entertainment

MAIN CAST:

Paul Fusco – Gordon Shumway/ALF, Rick Fusterman

Thick Wilson – Bob Shumway, Larson Petty

Peggy Mahon – Flo Shumway

Tabitha St. Germain (as Paulina Gillis) – Augie Shumway, Rhonda

Michael Fantini – Curtis Shumway

Len Carlson – Cantfayl, Sargent Staff

Rob Cowan – Skip

Dan Hennessey – Sloop, Eggbert Petty

            Move over, Muppets—the 80s belonged to a new puppet.

             Airing on NBC, ALF was a sitcom following the adventures of Gordon Shumway (Paul Fusco) from the planet Melmac after he crash-landed on Earth following a nuclear explosion on his planet. He was taken in by the Tanner family (not the ones from San Francisco), who protected him from the Alien Task Force while he repaired his ship. Nicknamed Alien Life Form by the family patriarch, Willie (Max Wright), ALF would spend the next four seasons enthralling America and becoming a media darling.

Paul Fusco with ALF.

            A communications major, Fusco worked his way through college by doing magic, puppetry and ventriloquism. He managed to strike a deal with cable network Showtime for a series of specials out of which the ALF character was born. Fusco would use him at parties to entertain family and friends, and even tried him out at a comedy club in New Haven, Connecticut. He formed Alien Productions with Tom Patchett and they secured representation with Jim Henson’s manager, Bernie Brillstein. Brillstein was hesitant to take Fusco on, considering Henson to be the best puppeteer in the business, but was won over by ALF and his merchandising possibilities. Similarly, ALF won over the NBC executives when they pitched the series; with Fusco pulling him out during their meeting when they started to lose interest. The series would make its debut on September 22, 1986, filmed on a stage with trap doors and trenches to allow the puppeteers to operate ALF in each scene (which his live-action co-stars hated with a passion as there was always a danger of falling into one).

Promotional ad for NBC's Saturday line-up.

         ALF was popular with children—it was then-NBC President Brandon Tartikoff’s young daughter who convinced him to keep ALF going beyond the pilot—and they started to become a big portion of the show’s audience. As a result, the content of the show was gradually altered to reflect their new viewers. For instance, ALF was only seen drinking alcohol during the first season, and certain imitable antics—like using electric appliances in the bathtub—were either altered for future broadcasts or toned down in future episodes. Recognizing an opportunity, NBC ordered an animated spin-off of the show for inclusion in their Saturday morning line-up.

The planet Melmac.

             Developed by Fusco and Patchett, ALF: The Animated Series served as a prequel to the regular ALF series. The show followed the adventures of Gordon (“ALF” was never used in the show beyond the title) on the planet Melmac, having freshly graduated high school at the ripe young age of 193. The animated series helped Fusco with his desire to perpetuate the illusion that ALF was an actual being rather than a puppet as the cartoon’s full body could be seen on screen all the time. However, unlike the sitcom, ALF was always adorned in a Hawaiian shirt. The series made full use of its alien setting to generate humor from surrealistic activities being treated as ordinary, such as getting mayonnaise from mines; the names of locations, such as Gordon’s hometown being East Velcro; or from pop culture satire, like an entire episode dedicated to parodying the James Bond franchise. Even the episode names themselves were parodies of movie and song titles, as well as popular sayings. The cartoon also poked fun at itself by featuring a show within a show where an Earthling crashes on planet Melmac and stays with a family of Melmacians.

The Shumways: Bob, Gordon, Flo, Neep, Augie, Curtis and Harry.

Among Melmac’s other residents were Gordon’s family: father Bob (Thick Wilson), mother Flo (Peggy Mahon), sister Augie (Tabitha St. Germain), and brother Curtis (Michael Fantini). The Shumways also had two pets: a bird-like alien (called a “Westfellman Smulk”) named Harry and a dog-like alen (called a “vespa”) named Neep. Gordon’s closest friends included neighbor Rick Fusterman (Fusco) and Skip (Rob Cowan). Gordon also had a girlfriend, Rhonda (Germain). Rhonda, Rick and Skip all made appearances on the live show, establishing that ALF wasn’t the last of his kind. Gordon, Skip and Rick were members of the Melmacian Orbit Guard under the command of Sargent Staff and Colonel Cantfayl (both Len Carlson). The series’ primary villain was Larson Petty (a play on “petty larceny”, voiced by Wilson), who constantly sought to conquer the planet Melmac with his minion Sloop (secretly his long-lost son Eggbert, voiced by Dan Hennessey), but was thwarted by Gordon and his allies. Recurring Melmacians included Madame Pokipsi (a play on the New York city of Poughkeepsie, voiced by Deborah Theaker), a fortune smeller (not a typo), and Stella (Ellen-Ray Hennessy), a waitress at their favorite hangout, Eddie’s Cats-Up Diner (later the Galaxy Café, but still owned by the titular Eddie). The characters were designed by Fil Barlow, Lou Police, Dave Smith, Charles Crawford, Michael Goguen, Brian Hogan, Ed Lee and Kenny Thompkins.

Rhonda and a dinosaur bone.

ALF: The Animated Series debuted on NBC on September 26, 1987 and ran for a total of two seasons. The series was written by Duane Capizzi, Martin Donoff, Richard Raynis (who also produced and directed the series), Alicia Marie Schudt, Dan DiStefano, Steve Roberts, Howard Bendetson (who also wrote for the sitcom), Terrie Collins, Steve Hayes, Mark Jones, Michael Maurer, Bradley Kesden, Mark C. Miller and Skip Shepard, with DiStefano and Schudt serving as story editors, and Capizzi as associate story editor. It was produced by DiC Entertainment, Alien Productions, Lorimar-Telepictures and Saban Entertainment. Haim Saban and Shuki Levy provided the music. Animation duties were handled by KK C&D Asia, Mook DLE and SHAFT. The live ALF made appearances at the beginning and end of the episodes to introduce the story, read fan mail, or provide commentary.  For the second season, ALF was paired with an additional animated series called ALF Tales to form The ALF/ALF Tales Hour. The Hour used the same intro as ALF but featured the new title at the end. When ALF ended its Saturday run, the two shows were split to allow ALF Tales to run its brief second season unaccompanied. With new leadership at the network holding no investment in the franchise, all versions of ALF left the NBC schedule by the fall of 1990. The animated ALF made one additional appearance in the drug-prevention special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, which was broadcast across all the major networks on April 21, 1990 and starred a collection of Saturday morning characters.

ALF on DVD.

CColeco, who made merchandise for the sitcom, produced a set of six figures based on the show; Diamond published a sticker album in 1987; and Checkerboard Press made a series of coloring books between 1987-88. In 1988, three VHS tapes were released in Australia by Roadshow-Lorimar Home Video and in the United Kingdom by The Video Collection featuring two episodes each. In 2006, Lionsgate Home Entertainment released the first nine episodes of the series to DVD in ALF Animated Adventures: 20,000 Years in Driving School and Other Stories. In 2023, Shout! Factory released Alf: The Complete Series Deluxe Edition, which contained the complete original series, spin-off film Project: ALF, and both animated series. The following year, both animated series became part of the debut line-up of retro animation network MeTV Toons. It was also made available to stream on Prime Video, Fubo, Peacock, The Roku Channel, Tubi, and Crackle, and the official ALF YouTube Channel.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“Phantom Pilot” (9/26/87) – Gordon gets some unlikely help in defending Melmac from Larson Petty

 

“Hair Today, Bald Tomorrow” (10/3/87) – After Harry uses Gordon’s hair for his nest, Gordon goes for a baldness cure only to accidentally insult Madame Pokipsi and receive a baldness curse.

 

“Two for the Brig” (10/10/87) – Gordon and Sargent Staff accidentally mistake their ship for a cruise liner and end up in jail.

 

“Gordon Ships Out” (10/24/87) – Gordon, Rick and Skip chip in for a sailing yacht and end up stranded on an island thanks to a termite.

 

“Birdman of Melmac” (10/31/87) – When Harry is declared an extinct species, it becomes a royal pain for the Shumway family.

 

“Pismo and the Orbit Gyro” (11/7/87) – The Orbit Gyro’s regular maintenance leads the robot in charge of it to having a few screws loose.

 

“20,000 Years in Driving School” (11/14/87) – Gordon must re-attend driving school in order to get his license back after losing it in an accident.

 

“Pride of the Shumways” (11/21/87) – Gordon is offered a chance for the major leagues in Bouilliabaseball, but Curtis suspects something is amiss.

 

“Captain Bobaroo” (12/5/87) – When Bob gets hit on the head, he believes he’s a children’s TV show host.

 

“Neep at the Races” (12/12/87) – Gordon enters Neep in a race, but bikers want a cut of his winnings.

 

“Salad Wars” (12/19/87) – Gordon’s family vacation is interrupted by someone’s desire to have a salad seed monopoly.

 

“Tough Shrimp Don’t Dance” (1/2/88) – Gordon helps rescue an alien race of shrimp from Larson Petty.

 

“Home Away from Home” (1/16/88) – When his parents are away, Gordon loses their house to a sleazy real estate agent.

 

Season 2:

“Flodust Memories” (9/10/88) – Flo is entered into and wins a Mom of the Millennium contest, but her celebrity status goes to her head.

 

“Family Feud” (9/17/88) – The Fustermans declare war on the Shumways after losing to them on a game show.

 

“Clams Never Sang for my Father” (9/24/88) – Bob and Frank Fusterman face each other in the traditional Mayonnaise Lodge rite of passage clam-wrestling contest.

 

“A Mid-Goomer Night’s Dream” (10/1/88) – Larson Petty accidentally abducts Bob wearing a Goomer suit, leaving Gordon and Augie to find the real one and save their dad.

 

“The Bone Losers” (10/8/88) – Gordon finds dinosaur bones in his yard which makes a celebrity paleontologist jealous enough to want to steal them away.

 

“Thank Gordon for Little Girls” (10/15/88) – Gordon invents a new device that Augie and her scout troop end up taking credit for.

 

“Hooray for Mellywood” (10/29/88) – Gordon’s life is about to be turned into a movie--maybe.

 

“The Spy from East Velcro” (11/12/88) – When an evil spy mistakes Gordon for agent James Bonzo, Gordon ends up captured by the villain.

 

“He Ain’t Seafood, He’s My Brother” (11/19/88) – Renegade Muklukians kidnap Cutis in a plot to claim their planet’s throne, and Fescue comes to Gordon for help in stopping them.

 

“Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places” (12/3/88) – Gordon tries to help a friend get a girl, but she ends up falling for him instead.

 

“The Slugs of Wrath” (12/10/88) – During a mayonnaise shortage, the Shumways move to a farm to try their hands at raising slugs.

 

“Housesitting for Pokipsi” (12/17/88) – Gordon and his friends housesit for Madame Pokipsi and Gordon gets into trouble using her crystal ball.

 

“Skipper’s Got a Brand New Dad” (1/7/89) – Larson Petty needs to find a son in order to claim an inheritance while Gordon and Rick try to find Skip’s birth parents.

Originally posted in 2016. Updated in 2025.

MORK & MINDY/LAVERNE & SHIRLEY/FONZ HOUR

MORK & MINDY/LAVERNE & SHIRLEY/FONZ HOUR

(ABC, September 25, 1982-March 26, 1983)

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Ruby-Spears Productions, Paramount Network Television

MAIN CAST:

Robin Williams – Mork

Pam Dawber – Mindy McConnell

Conrad Janis – Frederick McConnell

Ralph James – Orson

Frank Welker – Doing, various

Mark L. Taylor – Hamilton DuPont, Jr.

Stan Jones – Principal Caruthers

            Before Robin Williams became a household name, he was a hyperactive alien who sat on his head.

Mork with Richie and Fonzie at Arnold's.

            The retro 1950s sitcom Happy Days was entered into the world of science fiction by having an alien attempt to abduct Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) only to be saved by the show’s most popular character, the Fonz (Henry Winkler). Creator Garry Marshall cast Williams in the role of Mork from Ork almost immediately after Williams sat on his head at the audition (a move that was worked into the character), stating that he was the only alien to audition for the role. The season five episode “My Favorite Orkan” was initially planned to be an elaborate dream sequence, but when the character proved to be popular they re-edited the ending to have Mork wipe the memories of the experience from everyone’s minds. Mork’s creation was inspired by director Jerry Paris’ previous series, The Dick Van Dyke Show. In particular, the episode “It May Look Like a Walnut” which featured a dream with an alien encounter. 

            Mork (and Williams) was given his own show in Mork & Mindy, which was set in present day Boulder, Colorado. Mork was assigned by his unseen and long-suffering superior, Orson (Ralph James), to travel to Earth and study human behavior (as well as get rid of Mork who was a practitioner of humor, which was forbidden on Ork). Mork arrived in an egg-shaped spacecraft and eventually met and befriended Mindy McConnell (Pam Dawber), who allowed him to move into her attic. The series focused on Mork’s attempts to assimilate into and understand human behavior while his own Orkan customs tended to get in the way (thanks in part to the manic and improvisational comedic stylings of Williams). Mork’s greeting of “Na-nu na-nu” and expletive declaration of “shazbot” became popular sayings outside of the show.

Mork, Mindy and their little bundle of aging comedian.

            The sitcom debuted on ABC on September 14, 1978 and eventually outperformed both Happy Days and its other successful spin-off, Laverne & Shirley. The network attempted to use the show’s popularity in a bit of counter-programming against the competition and moved it to a new timeslot. They also attempted to attract a younger demographic by giving the theme song a disco aesthetic, dropping the characters of Mindy’s father, Frederick (Conrad Janis), and his mother-in-law, Cora (Elizabeth Kerr) and replacing them with new ones, and changing the focus to the developing romance between Mork and Mindy. These changes, however, proved detrimental to the series and it suffered a dramatic drop in ratings. For the third season, it was moved back to its original timeslot and Fred and Cora were reinstated in an attempt to bring the show back to basics. When that failed, wilder ideas were pushed in order to make full use of Williams’ talents. ABC reluctantly renewed the show for a final season in which one of Williams’ idols, Jonathan Winters, was added as Mork and Mindy’s adult child, Mearth (Orkans age in reverse), and numerous special guest-stars made appearances. But, the show’s ratings continued to plummet. Even though it ended in 60^th place in the ratings, it certainly helped to launch Williams’ long and varied career.

Fred, Eugene, Caruthers, Doing, Mork, Mindy and Hamilton.

            Encouraged by the show’s earlier success and furthering their attempt for a younger demographic, ABC commissioned an animated version of the show for their Saturday morning line-up. ABC had done so previously with The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang and Laverne & Shirley in the Army. The premise of the animated Mork & Mindy was largely the same as its parent show, except both Mork and Mindy were de-aged to teenagers attending high school run by Principal Caruthers (Stan Jones). Williams, Dawber, Janis and James all returned to voice their respective characters (the first of many voice-over credits for Williams to come), and Eugene, Mork’s child friend from the live show’s first season, returned voiced by Shavar Ross. The snobbish bully Hamilton DuPont, Jr. (Mark L. Taylor) was introduced as a villain-type, trying to win over Mindy when not causing trouble for others. The character of Cora made no appearances. Mork was given a pet to accompany him on his mission: a pink, six-legged dog-like creature named Doing (Frank Welker). Of course, while Mork was still bizarre by Earth standards, his antics were comparatively toned down due to the limitations of animation and lack of room for the improvisation that made the character stand out.

This promotional art for the series was the only time the characters ever met.

            The animated Mork & Mindy was featured on ABC’s Saturday Morning Pac Preview Party hosted by Dick Clark the night before its debut on September 25, 1982; four months after its live counterpart was cancelled. It was aired alongside the second season of Laverne & Shirley in the Army, which was renamed Laverne & Shirley with the Fonz after the characters of Fonzie (Winkler) and Mr. Cool (Welker) were added to the cast upon the cancellation of Happy Days Gang. Both shows were given the blanket title of The Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour, with the introduction largely focused on establishing the Mork cartoon.

Mork is beside himself.

Story direction was handled by Gary Goldstein, Cullen Houghtaling, Alex Lovy, Tom Minton, Dave Russell, Hank Tucker and Sharon Rolnick, with Norman Maurer serving as story editor and Walt Kubiak and Gordon Kent serving as story supervisors. The music was composed by Hoyt Curtin and Paul DeKorte.  The show was jointly produced by Hanna-Barbera and Ruby-Spears Productions, both of which were owned by Taft Broadcasting, in association with Paramount Network Television, who produced the Happy Days franchise of programs. Ultimately, Mork & Mindy didn’t go beyond its single season. With its conclusion and the end of Laverne & Shirley, the Happy Days animated universe came to a close.

EPISODE GUIDE:

“Who’s Minding the Brat?” (9/25/82) – Mork babysits the principal’s daughter, which leads her to accidentally be changed into a Cave Ork.

“The Greatest Shmo on Earth” (10/2/82) – Mork, Mindy and Eugene have to rescue Doing from an evil circus ringmaster.

“To Ork or Not to Ork” (10/9/82) – Mork attempts to learn about love from Eugene while Mindy and Hamilton are cast in the school play: Romeo & Juliet.

“Orkan Without a Cause” (10/16/82) – Feeling lonely and neglected, Mork joins a motorcycle gang and unknowingly aids their crimes.

“Mork Man vs. Ork Man” (10/23/82) – When Mork accidentally breaks the video game Orson sent him for his birthday, Mork uses his powers to fix it and brings the main character to life.

“Which Witch is the Witch’ (10/30/82) – Orson sets Mork up with a witch date who takes a fancy to Hamilton and gives him magical powers.

“Every Doing Has His Day” (11/6/82) – Mork plans to fake a robbery in order to get Mr. McConnell to allow Doing back into the house.

“Beauty or the Beast” (11/13/82) – Mork attempts to use his powers to heal Mindy’s bug bite before her beauty contest, but accidentally turns her into a gorilla.

“Morkel and Hyde” (11/20/82) – Mork splits himself so he can be at two places at once, unfortunately one of the Morks turns out to be evil.

“The Wimp” (11/27/82) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“Ride ‘em, Morkboy” (12/4/82) – The eggs Mork prepared for Orson ends up being eaten by rodeo animals, which causes them to act uncharacteristically.

“Meet Mork’s Mom” (12/11/82) – When Mork’s parents are sent to Earth for a meeting with the principal, they’re abducted by a wealthy man who believes they’ve found the fountain of youth.

“Muddle in a Huddle” (12/18/82) – A rival football team feeds Mork’s team his eggs so that they’ll play poorly.

“The Incredible Shrinking Mork” (12/25/82) – Mork shrinks himself, Mindy and Doing in order to pursue a sewer rat that steals the principal’s watch.

“The Invisible Mork” (1/8/83) – After challenging a bully to a wrestling match for Mindy, Mork drinks a protein shake that activates an allergy that turns him invisible.

“The Fluke Spook” (1/15/83) – A sudden rainstorm interferes with a picnic outing and causes Mork, Mindy and friends to take refuge in a haunted house.

“Mayhem for the Mayor” (1/22/83) – Mork and Mindy continue an injured Fred’s campaign for mayor against the unscrupulous DuPonts.

“Coo Coo Caveboy” (1/29/83) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“A Treasure Ain’t No Pleasure” (2/5/83) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“The Mork with the Midas Touch” (2/12/83) – NO SYNOPSIS AVAILABLE.

“Extra-Terrestrial Toddler” (2/19/83) – Mistaking a movie robot for an Orkan creature, Mork zaps it back to Ork and he and Mindy have to retrieve it.

“Time Slipper Slip-Up” (2/26/83) – Mork uses his diamond slippers to take him and Mindy back to ancient Egypt for their report.

“Super Mork” (3/5/83) – After screwing up on the school paper, Orson grants Mork’s wish to be more like Superguy and sends him a super-powered suit.

“Mork P.I.” (3/12/83) – Mork becomes a private eye to prove he was framed for stealing a test’s answers from the principal’s office.

“Monkey on My Back Pack” (3/19/83) – Mork inadvertently helps foreign spies steal the Army’s new top secret rocket pack.

“On Your Mork, Get Set, Go!” (3/26/83) – When Mork accidentally destroys the prize money for a race, he enters so that he can win and prevent anyone from thinking Mindy stole it.


Originally posted in 2016. Updated in 2020.

BARRY JENNER DEAD AT 75

Actor Barry Jenner died on Tuesday. You can read the full story here.

Perhaps best known for his appearances on various Star Trek programs or his recurring role on Family Matters, his sole Saturday credit was as a traveler in an episode of Aaah!!! Real Monsters. 

IT'S PUNKY BREWSTER

IT’S PUNKY BREWSTER

(NBC, September 14, 1985-December 6, 1986)

Ruby-Spears Productions, NBC Productions

MAIN CAST:

Soleil Moon Frye – Penelope “Punky” Brewster

George Gaynes – Henry Warnimont

Ami Foster – Margaux Kramer

Cherie Johnson – Cherie Johnson

Casey Ellison – Allen Anderson

Frank Welker – Glomer, Brandon

Casey Kasem – NBC Bumper Announcer

            Penelope “Punky” Brewster (Soleil Moon Frye) was a unique young girl whose father walked out on her and mother abandoned her. She took residence in an empty apartment with her dog, Brandon, where she was eventually discovered by the building manager, photographer and curmudgeon Henry Warnimont (George Gaynes). Despite some personality conflicts and the best efforts of social services to put her in a “better” environment, she ended up becoming Henry’s adopted daughter. Punky’s friends included neighbor Cherie Johnson (niece of the series creator who used her own name) and her grandmother, Betty (Susie Garrett, who was actually her grandmother), geeky Allen Anderson (Casey Ellison), and stuck-up rich girl Margaux Kramer (Ami Foster).

            Punky Brewster was created by David W. Duclon with input from NBC’s programming chief Brandon Tartikoff (for whom the dog was named). Tartikoff’s involvement was what led to the lead character’s unique name: taken from a childhood crush named Peyton “Punky” Brewster. NBC secured the rights to use her name for the show and even hired her to do a cameo in an episode (credited as Peyton B. Rutledge, her married name). It was one of the first primetime shows geared towards children, an intended audience that Tartikoff hoped would allow them to compete against CBS’ 60 Minutes on Sunday nights, and one of the few featuring a female lead. It would tackle the world from a kid’s perspective, dealing with issues real kids would face in their everyday lives.

 

Punky with Cherie, Allen, Glomer, Brandon and Margaux.

            The show ran for two seasons on NBC between 1984 and 1986 and seemed to be a hit with kids; with the production receiving up to 10,000 pieces of fan mail a week and a high demand for merchandise. Unfortunately, it didn’t perform as Tartikoff had hoped in the ratings and was cancelled by the end of the second season. The show was quickly revived for syndication by Columbia Pictures Television through their Coca-Cola Telecommunications division and the third season went into production; although it wasn’t broadcast until 1987. The series came to a final end in 1988, just in time for the Writers Guild of America strike. While NBC still had the rights, they sought to spin Punky off into two programs. The first was Fenster Hall, named after the foster home where Punky was placed at the end of the first season, which never took off. The second was It’s Punky Brewster (“It’s” was never seen in the actual title), an animated spin-off airing on Saturday mornings.

Poor Henry was kept in the dark.

            It’s Punky Brewster featured the entire Punky cast reprising their roles with the exception of Garrett and T.K. Carter as Mike Fulton, a resident-turned-administrator at Fenster Hall (and would-be star of the unproduced series). They were joined by a new character: Glomer (Frank Welker). Glomer was a magical being from Chaundoon, a city at the end of the rainbow. Glomer used his powers to transport the kids to various places, gave Brandon the ability to talk (courtesy of Welker), transformed the kids into statues or shrank them, and sometimes just caused general chaos that he’d have to straighten out. Glomer was added as a way to keep kids interested in the show, as well as have the characters perpetually thrown in adventures befitting Saturday mornings. 

Magical shenanigans.

            It’s Punky Brewster debuted on NBC on September 14, 1985 and was produced by Ruby-Spears Productions. Each episode was comprised of two 11-minute segments, and featured music by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy. The cartoon was picked up for a second season, but only the first three episodes contained two original segments. For the rest of the show’s run, a new segment was paired up with a rerun from the previous season. The series was written by Cliff Roberts, Sheryl Scarborough, Gary Greenfield, Diane Dixon, Kayte Kuch, Michael Chain, Jack Enyart, Elana Lesser, Cliff Ruby, Gene Ayres, Ted Field, Matt Uitz, Barbara Chain, Janis Diamond, Herb Engelhardt and Reed Robbins, with Lesser, Kuch, Ruby and Scarborough serving as story editors.

Punky: the doll!

            After NBC cancelled the show, it was used later in 1987 to replace their cancelled pre-teen show, 2 Hip 4 TV. In 1989, the series was included as a rotating feature along with DiC Entertainment’s Beverly Hills Teens to pad out DiC’s Maxie’s World syndication package. Among the collectibles made available for the show was a lunchbox by Thermos, a series of coloring books and a paper doll book by Golden Books, and a read-along book by Tele-Story.

Punky on VHS.

In 1985, various episodes were released on several VHS tapes by Celebrity Home Entertainment. Between 2004 and 2008, Shout! Factory released all four seasons of the live show. Included as special features were episodes of the animated series split between them. “The Shoe Must Go On” was the only episode missing as Shout! ran into rights issues with the licensed song “Axel F” by Harold Faltermeyer. However, in 2021 they released the complete series with the indication that it included all episodes of the cartoon. Cartoon Network’s Robot Chicken parodied the cartoon in two episodes with Frye returning to voice her character. Seth Green took over as Henry while Tom Kane filled in as Glomer.

In the wake of many pop-culture nostalgic revivals, NBCUniversal revisited the idea of Punky Brewster by greenlighting production on a new series in 2019 developed by Steve and Jim Armogida. Rather than a reboot, it was a continuation of the original focusing on an adult Punky (still Frye) who was now a divorced mother of two, Diego (Noah Cottrell) and Daniel (Oliver De Los Santos), working as a photographer (like Henry), and living once again in her childhood apartment, and still marching to the beat of her own drum. Cherie was still her best friend and now working at Fenster. Punky would also take in another abandoned resident of Fenster, Izzy (Quinn Copeland). Foster also reprised her role as Margaux for an episode. The series dropped all 10 episodes on February 25, 2021 on the streaming service Peacock. Unfortunately, the series failed to garner much in the way of ratings or attention compared to other Peacock offerings and was cancelled just a few months later.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“Punky to the Rescue / The Quartrsize Quaterback” (9/14/85) – Punky convinces Henry to take a photography job in a Florida swamp where they think he catches a sea monster. / Glomer gives Allen the skills of a professional football player.

“The Gold Rush / Phar Out Pharaoh” (9/21/85) – Glomer accidentally frees an evil leprechaun. / Glomer takes the kids to ancient Egypt to return a necklace Margaux has and she’s mistaken for a princess.

“Pretty Ugly / Glomer’s Story” (9/28/85) – Glomer changes Margaux’s face just before a party. / Punky recalls the day she met Glomer.

“Brandon the Dialogue Dog / Winning Isn’t Everything” (10/5/85) – Glomer allows Brandon to talk and he catches the attention of a magazine writer. / The kids scheme on how to win a TV in a contest.

“Punky Wise and Pound Foolish / Christmas in July” (10/12/85) – Brandon is locked in a pound after Punky spends his license money. / A trip to Santa’s workshop leads to an accident that causes it to snow around the world.

“Return to Chaundoon / A Small Mistake” (10/19/85) – Glomer takes Pinky to Chaundoon where they discover everyone asleep due to the theft of the town’s clock. / Glomer’s drink causes the kids to shrink.

“Halloween Howlers / The Perils of Punky” (10/26/85) – Glomer changes whoever doesn’t give him candy into a Jack-O-Lantern. / Glomer takes the kids into an adventure movie.

“Glomer Punks Out / Louvre Affair” (11/2/85) – Glomer’s musical act attracts the attention of a crooked record producer. / Glomer turns Henry into a statue of Julius Caesar, and when he’s declared a forgery Punky must save him before he’s destroyed.

“Growing Pain / Double Your Punky” (11/9/85) – Punky discovers that pepperoni pizza makes Glomer grow. / Glomer creates a Punky clone to keep him company and accidentally zaps the original back into the photograph he used.

“Spellbound / The Shoe Must Go On” (11/16/85) – Glomer zaps a bee and it gives people the ability to spell words. / The school diva wants the magical dancing shoes Glomer made Cherie.

“Switchin’ Places / How the Midwest Was Won” (11/23/85) – Allen switches bodies with Glomer to impress a girl. / Glomer takes the kids to 1803 Chicago where a fur poacher tries to prevent the city’s development.

“Any Wish Way You Can / The Bermuda Tangle” (11/30/85) – Glomer’s spell accidentally hits Margaux and she wishes she was a queen with everyone as her servants. / Glomer takes the kids to a tropical island and loses his powers after a coconut hits his head.

“Unidentified Flying Glomer / Fish Story” (12/7/85) – A pet groomer chases after Glomer. / Glomer turns Punky into a mermaid to help her land a part in the school play.

Season 2:

“Little Orphan Puny / Punky’s Millions” (9/13/86) – Punky is taken from home and put into a home where girls are used as slave labor in a candy factory. / Punky has to spend $1 million in a week so she and Henry can win a game show.

“Punky, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves / Punky the Heiress” (9/20/86) – Glomer brings the characters of Snow White to life. / Punky’s aunt and uncle use her in an embezzlement scheme.

“Fair Feathered Friend / Be My Glomley” (9/27/86) – Glomer gets jealous when Punky nurses a bird back to health. / A female glomley may help Glomer get back to Chaundoon.

“All in Henry’s Family” (10/4/86) – Henry takes Punky and Cherie to visit his eccentric sisters.

“Call Me Ms.” (10/11/86) – Glomer turns Punky into an adult.

“Punky P.I.” (10/18/86) – Punky decides to open a detective agency in school.

“Mississippi Mud” (10/25/86) – Glomer takes the kids to an old Mississippi riverboat.

“Punky’s Little Acre” (11/1/86) – Margaux visits Punky’s pen pal’s farm and creates chaos.

“Camp Confusion” (11/8/86) – Camp Tumbleweeds takes on Camp Towering Pines in an athletic competition.

“Bright Eyes” (11/15/86) – Cherie’s deaf friend wants to keep a lost puppy.

“Mother of the Year” (11/22/86) – Glomer creates a mother for Punky.

“Allen Who?” (11/29/86) – Allen wishes he was never born and Glomer grants it.

“Caught in the Act” (12/6/86) – Henry spots Glomer and Glomer gives him amnesia just before an important photography assignment.

Originally posted in 2016. Updated in 2022.