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| "Mork Goes Public" | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode #7 (#7) in series (95 episodes) | |
 Mork has a run-in with Clint Mullet (Jeff Altman), a reporter for a tabloid that is offering $25,000 for proof of alien life in "Mork Goes Public" in Season 1 (ep.#7). | |
| "Mork & Mindy" episode | |
| Guest Star(s): | Jeff Altman |
| Network: | ABC-TV |
| Production code: | 107 (1-7) |
| Writer(s) | Neil Lebowitz |
| Director | Harvey Medlinsky |
| Original airdate | October 19, 1978 |
IMDB 
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Mork Goes Public |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Mork's Seduction" | "To Tell the Truth" |
| List of Mork & Mindy seasons/episodes | |
Mork Goes Public was the seventh episode of Season 1 of Mork and Mindy, also the seventh overall series episode. Written by Neil Lebowitz, the episode, directed by Harvey Medlinsky, was shot on September 22, 1978 and premiered on ABC-TV on October 19, 1978.
Synopsis[]
When a reporter offers a reward for proof of alien life, Mork decides to turn himself in to pay back the cash strapped McConnells.
Plot[]
In the Music Store, Mindy & Cora are bored, waiting for Fred to return from lunch, customers scarce on the ground. Their mood is lifted somewhat by Mork coming out from the back of the store playing the harmonica and singing the Orkan Blues. When Cora asks him if he knows the no-sales Blues, Mindy tells them that she feels bad for her Dad, with sales low and a burst pipe at the house flooded the entire living room, which cost him almost $3,000 to cover the repairs and and damage. Heading into the back with her grandmother to get some invoices, Mindy asks Mork to watch the store, and as he does a guy come in who seems more interested in scoping out the place then buying anything. When Mork approaches him and tries to sell him a Marcel Marceau record, the guy appreciates his humor, but pulls out a notebook and asks him if he happens to know a, Mindy McConnell. As Mindy comes out from the back she here's the guy describe her, give her age, 21, and her 1619 Pine Street address. Approaching him and asking him how he knows who she is, he is evasive in the extreme, till he looks to see if they can be overheard. He confesses he's Clint Mullet, ace reporter with the Boulder Evening Sun, but Mindy isn't buying he's a reporter by the way he's acting, and he admits he's actually just a copy boy.
However, he knows that a couple of months ago she was up at Boulder Lake with Bill Mason, though he won't tell her how he knows that. He then asks her if she saw anything strange that night. Warily, she asks him like what, glancing at Mork, and 'laughs' when he says UFO, though Mork really laughs when he says 'flying saucers'. Clint tells Mindy 12 people in the area she was in saw glowing flying objects, it was a dark night so he wants to know why she *didn't*. They're interrupted by Cora who tells Mindy the invoices she found for her are the wrongs ones, reluctant to leave Mork alone with Clint, she escorts him out telling him if she remembers seeing a flying saucer she'll call him, before remarking to Mork that that was a close call. With Cora calling her again, she heads to the back of the store, only for Clint to stick his head in again. Clint is sure that Mindy is hiding something and tries to find out more about her from Mork. Mork tells him he loves SciFi and the two of them hit it off. Clint asks if he talks about this sort of thing with Mindy, and Mork confirms he does. Clint suggests they should get together over lunch, talk about outer space, alien beings...Mindy. Mork, excited at the chance of making another friend is happy to agree. Clint theorizes there's probably an alien right there in Bounder and tells Mork to keep an eye out and heads out.
Mindy returns to pick up where she left off with Mork, only to find out that he's been talking with Clint. Mork assures her that he knows what Clint wants, and is just attempting to hide in plain sight, right under his nose. Mindy is not so sure and is in the midst of asking Mork what if Clint finds out...when Cora comes back out...forcing her to amend it to finds out that Mork doesn't' read the Boulder Evening Sun, trying to be metaphorical, which naturally doesn't' work with Mork, who runs straight out.to get a copy. Cora, laughing, at his behavior confesses that she really loves Mork, but notices that Mindy's a little on edge. Mindy tells her, in general terms about Clint, his search for men for outer space and the fact he thinks she knows something about it. Cora tells her not to worry, if he comes back she'll deal with him, and as they're talking there is the sound of screeching tires and blaring horns from outside, and Mork comes running up the Mall and in babbling in Orkan, with Fred on his heels. Grabbing hold of Mindy, Mork clings to her hiding his face in her shoulder as Mindy tries to find out what happened from her father, who tells them Mork almost got hit by a bus. Mork is massively grateful to Fred, saying he owes him his life.
So grateful that Mork dedicates himself to paying Fred back by putting himself in service to him. At the McConnell House, where Fred and Cora live, Mork follows Fred around, fetching food for him, dusting him, thanking him constantly. Helping him by putting his 100 year old Chippendale chair out of its misery by zapping it with his finger because it's leg was broken. Turning to his trombone to de-stress but Mork tries to clean that while he's playing. Fred tries to get him to stop, telling him anyone would've done what he did, but Mork says not on Ork, there they would've just let it happen because they have no emotions. When the phone rings, it's Mr. Wilson from the High School and Fred hands his trombone off to Mork to hold while he talks to him. Mr. Wilson is offering him the chance to conduct the school orchestra as their band leader is sick. Fred is so involved in the discussion that he doesn't' see Mork come to the conclusion that because the trombone slides it's broken. Nor him put on his sunglasses and uses his finger to weld it tight, 'fixing it'. On hanging up and finding out what he did however, Fred throws him out.
Later at Mindy's Apartment, Clint is breaking in through the window, to look around trying to find out what she's hiding. Mork steps out from Mindy's bedroom behind him and shadows him around the place. Looking in the armoire, Clint sees but entirely dismisses Mork's spacesuit and moves on, at least until he sits on top of Mork. While Mork thinks they're playing a game, Clint thinks that Mork has caught him snooping around, looking for clues of what Mindy's hiding, completely ignoring Mork's helmet sitting right in front of him on Mindy's wicker chest. Instead, to Mork's relief, he goes for a folder underneath it, right as Mindy walks in with her father, stiffening as she sees Clint. She tells her father this is the journalist she was talking about, but Clint tells them he believes he has evidence that Mindy knows an alien, a leader from the planet Ork. But when he shows him the folder with it on it, Mindy scoffs that that is her father's music, it's 'Orch Leader' short for Orchestra Leader. When Mork says he loses and better start again by coming through the window once more, Mindy realizes he broke in and intends to call the police. Picking up the phone she starts to report him only for Clint to finally take note of the space helmet and call it as such. Hanging up quickly Mindy moves back to him, and grabs it from him, telling him its a planter and shoving a plant in it for emphasis passing it quickly back to her father. When he doesn't' believe her Mindy tells him now he's getting on her nerves, she wants him out of her apartment and never wants to see him around there again. Clint comes clean at that point to make them an offer. He's not doing this for the Boulder Evening Sun, another paper, the American Enquirer is offering a 25,000 dollar reward for proof there is an alien being living on Earth. As Mork, standing behind him, starts to graze on a rose, Clint tells them he doesn't want the money, just the exclusive rights to the story. The money is all theirs if they help him find the alien.
Later that night, Fred is enthusing over his chance to conduct the school orchestra, conjecturing hopefully that maybe someone will hear him, and offer to let him conduct some real music. Mindy cross his fingers for him, saying she knows he could use the money. Neither of them notice that Mork has come down from the attic and is listening over by the kitchen as Fred ponders on how he could use the 25,000 dollars, thinking he'd pay off the bills from the house and get the store back on its feet. Mindy admits it would be nice but its pointless to think about it as they can't turn Mork in. Mork ducks to hide as Fred gets up having to head back to help Cora arrange the clarinet parts for the orchestra, Mindy volunteers to go help to get them done sooner, and calls up to Mork she's going to her fathers and will be back later, not realizing he's behind the kitchen counter. A contemplative Mork rises up.
Later as Mindy is finishing up and getting ready to head home, she opens the door to find Mork there, coming in, he tells them he's made a decision, he's going to turn himself in for the money. When Fred asks why he'd want to do a crazy thing like that, and Mork tells him so he can have the money. With it, Mindy can go back to College full time, and Fred can get the music store back on track. As Fred and Mindy try and talk him out of it, warning him what he could expect, the loss of privacy, his life no longer his own, people trailing after him, and that's only the good stuff, they could take him away and they may never see him again. As he tries to weigh up that versus helping his friends, Cora calls out for Fred, another pipe has burst and the house is flooding again. Mork gets up and goes straight to the phone and Mindy tells him to tell the plumber its an emergency only to blink in shock as she hears him talking to Clint, telling him if he wants to see a real live alien being to meet him at Mindys House at noon the next day.
The next day a super excited Clint turns up at Mindy's already dreaming of Presidential honors and prizes only to have the wind taken out of his sails when Mork appears in his uniform with his helmet. Irritated Clint is dismissive of Mork's red suit and silver boots. Mork insists he's part of a superior race and tries to use his finger to lift one of Mindy's plants but drops it, so he goes to the old stand by and uses his finger to drink a vaseful of water. This time Clint is taken aback and asks how he did that, but before Mork can answer the door opens and Mindy steps in, in an alien cat woman outfit and announces her self as Mindy, Catwoman from Mars, there to observe Earth, a moment later Fred enters also in costume as Fredzo from Scherzo. Mork tries to tell Clint they're jiving his socks off and uses his finger to cause water to fountain from another, but Mindy tells them to stand aside, aims a finger at one of her wall hangings and causes it to fall off. But Clint sees the wire Mindy used to do it, and calls the whole thing a set up, which is exactly what she was hoping for. Clint calls them the most unconvincing group of aliens he's ever seen, and names Mork the worst of them. Clint leaves and Fred & Mindy celebrate, but Mork is down as now they won't get the money they need. Fred says they've been down before they'll be fine. Moving to him, Mindy tells him besides all of that, she doesn't want to lose him and that he's more important than any amount of money. Fred adding that you can't buy friendship. So Mork figures even if he'd turned himself in it would've been for nothing? They nod. And Mork asks Fred if he saved him from that, and Fred says yes...only for Mork to start his Thank You mantra again, following him around the room.
The episode finishes with Mork's report to Orson where he tells him his value on the Earth Market is 25,000 dollars or 100 Yen...the equivalent to a measley 0.3 Grebels. Orson notes money seems to be important to Earthlings, which Mork confirms informing him they put it in a place called a Bank. He explains that you bring in your money, it meets other money, mates, and makes more money. Also this money has a rubber like quality, as you can bounce a check or stretch a dollar. However only the rich and those with proper ID can get money *from* the bank, also the bank will only lend you money to buy a bank or a big car, not to buy food, he thinks because food is harder to repossess. Orson tells him they'll store that information even though its from him.
Trivia[]
Orkan 'Facts'[]
- We learn of another Orkan city, New Ork.
- Two Orkan measurements of currency (weighed out in sand or dirt no doubt) are mentioned, Thribits, Mork paying 50 of them for his Spacesuit in New Ork. Grebels are a second, but appear to be a lower amount (even if a 3rd of a Grebbel is still worth 25,000 dollars).
- After Mindy 'Cat Woman from Mars' pulls her trick with the wall hanging, Mork, believing it was real looks accusingly at his finger and asks it 'How do you like those Iggles?' Iggles evidently being the Orkan equivalent of 'Apples'
General[]
- Mindy's age is again confirmed to be 21 at this point, despite an apparent alteration in Season 4
- Mindy's address is again said by Mork as 1619 Pine Street, Boulder Colorado as it was in Mork's Seduction
- This is the first time we see the McConnell Family Home, where Mindy was born, and Fred & Cora live.
- For a moment as Clint seems to have proof that Mindy knows an alien from the Planet Ork, Robin Williams breaks the 4th Wall, with his 'Confusion, Fear, Look of Cold Terror ', line said looking straight into the camera.
- The first half of Fred & Mindy's 'warning' to Mork about what might happen, the loss of privacy, celebrity, being trailed around by people saying Nanu Nanu and Shazbot, dolls, games, demands on his time, pretty much mirror what happened to Robin Williams when the show first came out.
Pop Culture[]
- Mork attempts to 'sell' Clint, Marcel Marceau's Greatest Hits on record. Marcel Marceau of course being the world's foremost Mime.
- Clint calls himself the next 'Lou Grant' the fictional station manager of The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Newspaper Editor in spin off Lou Grant, played by Ed Asner.
- Mork tells Clint, Mindy knows a lot of things, as she watches Rona Barrett the gossip columnist and reporter working for ABC's Good Morning America.
- Fred plays a snatch of 'In the Hall of the Mountain King' by Edvard Grieg on his Trombone trying to de-stress from Mork
- Clint tells Mork he looks like a reject from the O'Jays the R&B group (most famous for Love Train)
- Fred announces his alien self as being Fredzo from Scherzo...a Scherzo is frequently the third movement of a symphony, sonata, or string quartet, and often the piece known as a musical joke due to its lightness.
- Mindy tells Mork she doesn't want to lose him, beside She's grown accustomed to his 'Hahh!!" a play on Professor Henry Higgins (who is also trying to mold someone) song "I've Grown Accustomed to her Face" from My Fair Lady.
Quotes[]
- Clint: But you know I'd like to ask you a couple of questions. Do you know one, Mindy McConnell?
- Mork: I know one, are there more?
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- Clint: Well, actually I'm just Clint Mullet ace copy boy
- Mork: Oh copy boy! A clone!
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- Clint: *about Mindy* Does she ever talk to you about a strange creature from another planet?
- Mork: About one?! No.
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- Mindy: I mean think about it, they'd come out with dolls, games, ohhh it could be awful! It'd be like living in a Zoo.
- Fred: They may stick you in a bottle.
- Mork: A bottle. My grandfather was a bottle, and he died a broken man.
- Mindy: You know there's a chance too that we would never see you again.
- Mork: They make you invisible?
- Mindy: No, but they'll take you away.
- Mork: Ooph...looks like my future is no bed of raisins.
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- Clint: *to Mork* Next time you try and impersonate an alien, why don't you just leave the pajamas home? I refuse to be made a fool of.
- Mork: Too late.
Image Gallery[]
Cast & Crew[]
Starring[]
- Robin Williams as Mork
- Pam Dawber as Mindy
- Conrad Janis as Fred McConnell
- Elizabeth Kerr as Cora Hudson
- Ralph James as Orson