Carter in this instance refers to both President Jimmy Carter, the incumbent President at the time of the start of the show, and his brother Billy Carter whose actions were often cited as being one of the reasons his brother lost the following election to Ronald Reagan. Both brothers, were frequently referenced by Mork throughout the show.
About Jimmy Carter[]
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician, businessman, and philanthropist who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. Raised in Plains, Georgia, Carter graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1946 with a Bachelor of Science degree and joined the United States Navy, where he served on submarines. After the death of his father in 1953, Carter left his naval career and returned home to Georgia to take up the reins of his family's peanut-growing business. His ambition to expand and grow the Carter family's peanut business was fulfilled.
During this period, Carter was motivated to oppose the political climate of racial segregation and support the growing civil rights movement. He became an activist within the Democratic Party. From 1963 to 1967, Carter served in the Georgia State Senate, and in 1970, he was elected as Governor of Georgia, defeating former Governor Carl Sanders in the Democratic primary on an anti-segregation platform advocating affirmative action for ethnic minorities. Carter remained as governor until 1975. Despite being a dark-horse candidate who was little known outside of Georgia at the start of the campaign, Carter won the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination. In the general election, Carter ran as an outsider and narrowly defeated incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford.
About Billy Carter[]
William Alton Carter (March 29, 1937 – September 25, 1988) was an American farmer, businessman, brewer, and politician. The younger brother of U.S. President Jimmy Carter, he promoted Billy Beer and was a candidate for mayor of Plains, Georgia.
In 1977, he endorsed Billy Beer, introduced by the Falls City Brewing Company, who wished to capitalize upon his colorful image as a beer-drinking Southern good ol' boy that developed in the press when his brother ran for President.
Billy Carter's name was occasionally used as a gag answer for a Washington, D.C., trouble-maker on 1970s episodes of Match Game. He was known for his outlandish public behavior; he once urinated on an airport runway in full view of the press and dignitaries.
In late 1978 and early 1979, Billy Carter visited Libya three times with a contingent from Georgia. He eventually registered as a foreign agent of the Libyan government and received a $220,000 loan. (Edwin P. Wilson claimed he had seen a telegram showing that Libya paid Billy Carter $2 million.) This led to a Senate hearing on alleged influence peddling which the press named Billygate, The effect of the hearing in 1980, an election year, was attributed as one of the reasons why Jimmy Carter lost his bid for re-election to Republican Ronald Reagan.
Mork Multiple References[]
- Mork Moves In - Mork takes a swing Jimmy Carter's prominent teeth, saying if he had been there when the Elders had used his microwire report to floss their teeth they would've lost the entire file containing his report.
- Yes Sir, That's My Baby - One of Mork's suggested many money making schemes to get the 10,000 dollars he needed to buy a baby was teaching etiquette to Billy Carter
- Mork's Mixed Emotions - Mork namechecks Jimmy Carter as one of a number of unlikely dates Mindy has for her birthday.
- Dr. Morkenstein - When Chuck garbles Mary Has A Little Lamb, and Mindy looks confused, Mork asks her if she's not into literature, saying that's the Poetry of Billy Carter.
- Dial 'N' for Nelson - When Mindy does an impersonation of Nelson's snoring Mork facetiously guesses it is an impression of Billy Carter,
- Mork vs. The Necrotons, Part 1 - Nelson references what Jimmy probably said of brother Billy 'Why my relative?'
- Hold That Mork - Nelson announces he's going to debate Kennedy & Carter, speaking about Ted Kennedy who was going up against Jimmy Carter, for the DNP election nomination.
- The Exidor Affair - After Exidor is dumped by Ambrosia, Mork tells Mindy she has to help Exidor, she can't discard him like an old Carter Cabinet Member
- Little Orphan Morkie - Mork finishes reading the letter from the Dept of Immigration signing it off 'love Jimmy'
- Putting the Ork Back in Mork, Part 2 - With the Elder getting Mork to smashes his head against the wall, in order to react with 'Shazbot' he says, "I do not know any Libyans and I have not yet cashed the check." referring to Billygate
- Gunfight at the Mork-Kay Corral - Mork mistakes 'Billy the Kid' for President Carter's brother Billy.
- Mork, the Monkey's Uncle - With Jimmy Carter back at work in his Peanut business, Mork suggests they might all have gotten sent peanuts.
- Mork Meets Robin Williams - Mork tells Robin Williams that it's been a bad year for Mindy, betting on Jimmy Carter (vs Reagan)
- Old Muggable Mork - As part of Mork's update on what's been happening, to Cora, he tells her 'Carter lost a job'.