Fantasy Island is an American fantasy drama television series which aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo, both of whom along with the series itself became a focus for multiple references by Mork through the show.
About Fantasy Island[]
Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke
Fantasy Island was introduced to viewers in 1977 and 1978 through two made-for-television films on ABC. Airing from 1978 to 1984, the original series starred Ricardo Montalbán as Mr. Roarke, the enigmatic overseer of a mysterious island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, where people from all walks of life could come and live out their fantasies, albeit for a price.
Hervé Villechaize as Tattoo
Roarke was known for his white suit and cultured demeanor, and was initially accompanied by an energetic sidekick, Tattoo, played by Hervé Villechaize. Tattoo would run up the main bell tower to ring the bell and shout "De plane! De plane!" to announce the arrival of a new set of guests at the beginning of each episode. This line, shown at the beginning of the series' credits, became an unlikely catchphrase because of Villechaize's spirited delivery and French accent. In later seasons, he would arrive in his personal go-kart, sized for him, and recklessly drive to join Roarke for the visitor reception while the staff scrambled to get out of his way.
From 1981 to 1982, Wendy Schaal joined the cast as a beautiful brown-eyed blonde assistant named Julie; in the season five story "The Case Against Mr. Roarke", Roarke stated that Julie was his god-daughter.
Just prior to the guests alighting from the plane, Mr. Roarke would address his assembling employees with the phrase "Smiles, everyone! Smiles!" As each visitor disembarked, Roarke would describe to Tattoo (or another assistant) the nature of their fantasy, usually with a cryptic comment, suggesting the person's fantasy will not turn out as they expected. Roarke would then welcome his guests by lifting his glass and saying: "My dear guests, I am Mr. Roarke, your host. Welcome to Fantasy Island." This toast was usually followed with a warm smile, but sometimes — depending on the nature of a guest or their fantasy — his eyes would show concern or worry for a guest's safety.
Mr. Roarke's actual age is never made clear. There are hints throughout the series that suggest Roarke may be immortal. In "Elizabeth", a woman from Roarke's past appears, but it is revealed that she died over 300 years ago. Other episodes suggest that he was friends with Helen of Troy and Cleopatra. Roarke is also shown to know many seemingly immortal beings over his time on Earth. In "The Devil and Mandy Breem" and "The Devil and Mr. Roarke", Roarke even faces the devil (played by Roddy McDowall). Roarke had a strong moral code, and he was always merciful. He usually tried to teach his guests important life lessons through the medium of their fantasies, frequently in a manner that exposes the errors of their ways, and on occasions when the island hosted terminally ill guests he would allow them to live out one last wish. Roarke's fantasies were not without peril, but the greatest danger usually came from the guests themselves. In some cases, people were killed due to their own negligence, aggression or arrogance. When necessary, Roarke would directly intervene when the fantasy became dangerous to the guest.
Ricardo Montalbán would claim in interviews that he had a definite opinion in mind regarding the mystery of Mr. Roarke, and how he accomplished his fantasies, but he would never publicly state what it was. Years after the series was off the air, in an interview with the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Montalbán finally revealed that his motivation was imagining Roarke as a fallen angel whose sin was pride and that Fantasy Island was Purgatory.
Mork's Multiple References[]
- A Mommy for Morky - Showing Mindy arround his newly renovated attic room Mork references the show and does a quick impersonation of Hervé Villechaize ' and his iconic "De plane! De plane!" refrain.
- Yes Sir, That's My Baby - On Mindy discovering them, Mork tries to explain the baby clothes away as being for Tattoo, but actually Mr Roark's fantasy outfit.
- Mork in Wonderland, Part 1 - While analyzing the shrinking Mork with a number of oblique questions, Exidor asks if he'd like to be Ricardo Montalban's sidekick, referencing Hervé Villechaize's Tattoo.
- Clerical Error - Jeanie figures Remo's wish to be than a tongue and tuna man are not something she's ever heard on Fantasy Island.