The Sitcom Smash Hit Was Simply Out Of This World
Kooky alien Mork first nanu-nanu-ed his way onto television in the cult comedy series Happy Days.
The spaceman, played by a then unknown Robin Williams, tries to take Richie Cunningham back to his home planet of Ork but is foiled by The Fonz. The character was so popular that a spin-off series, Mork & Mindy, was created.
Producer Garry Marshall wryly observed that Robin was the “only alien” to audition for Mork and “it was immediately obvious that he was exactly right for the role: anarchic and a little bit crazy, you could easily believe he was actually an alien”, he tells.
Even crazier was the fact that Pam Dawber (67), who played Mindy, didn’t even know she had been cast in the show and found out after reading about it in industry magazine Variety.
It turns out, she had caught the eye of ABC executives and was part of a development deal where they paid to keep her under contract until they found a project for her. She did one pilot for them called Sister Terri that flopped. However, the scenes she filmed for it were later spliced with scenes of Robin’s from his appearance on Happy Days. The cobbled-together video did the trick and Mork & Mindy was picked up without so much as a pilot episode.
“I hadn’t auditioned, I hadn’t met anyone, and I knew nothing about it,” Pam recalls. “I remember going, ‘And who in the hell is Robin Williams?’”
Bu hikaye New Zealand Woman's Weekly dergisinin May 27 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye New Zealand Woman's Weekly dergisinin May 27 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
The perfect GETAWAY
From lengthy airport clinches to party ghosting, Michéle examines goodbyes
Message in a BOTTLE
Kevin makes a discovery in his shed that piques his detective skills
Empowered & thriving! PERFECT AT ANY AGE
Weekly editor Marilynn bravely shares her bold new approach to living her best life at 50 and beyond
Nature goals FIND YOUR GREEN SPACE
From stressed to refreshed! Lifestyle medicine practitioner Dr Jenny Brockis shares the simple steps you should adopt to give your wellbeing a boost
Nature & the city KELLY & MARLEY'S WILD PROJECT
The podcaster’s eyes have been opened to a new way of life
TikTok star Paris 'I'M BRINGING OUR KAI TO THE WORLD
After a tough start to motherhood, the foodie tells how she reclaimed her life
Love and the city! WENDYL'S CHANGE OF HEART
After a decade in the country, she’s given up the good life to return home
New TV star Andy 'I THOUGHT BEIN AN ALL BLACK WAS TOUGH!' Кро
It was a big shift channelling his talent into the hit show Moving Houses, but the sporting legend is a natural
Babies and beyond! INES HEALS BRAD'S HEART
The actor is embracing life with his zero-drama’ partner
Spreading the joy SIR ASHLEY'S KINDNESS CLUB
The Kiwi health legend is taking a jab at teaching kids important life skills