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Looney Tunes and Morkie Melodies

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"Looney Tunes and Morkie Melodies"
Season 2, Episode #23
(#48) in series (95 episodes)

Nelson, targeting children for his political campaign, has Mork host a Saturday morning kids' show in "Looney Tunes and Morkie Melodies" in Season 2 (ep.#23).
"Mork & Mindy" episode
Guest Star(s): Amy Tenowich
Peggy Pope
Jeff Cotler
Pamela Sye
Grant Johnson
Cheryl McRaven
Hudson Poston
Jason Poston
Anthony Storm
Casey Storm
Linda Tenowich
Network: ABC-TV
Production code: 223 (2x23)
Writer(s) Tom Tenowich & Ed Scharlach
Director Howard Storm
Original airdate February 14, 1980
IMDB Looney Tunes and Morkie Melodies
Episode chronology
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"Little Orphan Morkie" "Clerical Error"
List of Mork & Mindy seasons/episodes

Looney Tunes and Morkie Melodies was the 23rd episode from season 2 of Mork and Mindy, also the 48th overall series episode. Co-written by Tom Tenowich and Ed Scharlach, the episode, which was directed by Howard Storm, originally aired on ABC-TV on February 14, 1980.

Synopsis[]

Nelson gets himself an hour on Television for his political campaign, but it's at 7am on a Saturday morning, when only kids are watching. At Mork's suggestion, they galvanize his and Mindy's friends to host a Saturday morning kids' show.

Plot[]

Mork returns home to the Apartment, sticking his head in through the door, looking and call for Mindy, emerging from her bedroom where she was filing her nails 'Bet you file them under N!', he tells her he has a surprise for her, heading back to the door before he wheels in a giant boil of tin foil. The collection of the kids at the Day Care Centre. Smiling, Mindy tells him she can't think of a better job for him than a group leader for a bunch of kids. Mork feels he is rather an expert in the field, asking her would she believe some people think he is rather childlike himself, before racing Mindy to the door when there's a knock. He opens it to a buoyant Nelson, who informs them that as part of his city council campaign he's been awarded airtime on a local station.to give a speech. Having worked really hard on it he wants to run it past them, and they move to sit and listen. Mork falling asleep within 30 seconds of the nonsensical rhetorical ramble. Mindy asks how long the speech goes on for? A full hour Nelson informs her. When she's stunned he's been given an entire hour, he explains his opponents were involved in a televised debate, and of the 13 he was the only one left out. So he got equal time from the FCC Mindy reasons.

The only snag Nelson elaborates is that his hour is at 7AM on a Saturday morning, which isn't great for a viewing audience over the age of 12. He's hoping the kids will tell their parents to vote for them, but Mindy points out that a political speech is not exactly what kids want to listen to. He'd have to tell them something they'd want to hear. But he has no idea what kids want to hear. Mork suggests that he could talk to the Morkette's down in the day care center, see what they want to hear besides cartoons. Thanking him, Nelson tells Mindy to never let Mork go, remarking he's a 'special' guy. Said special guy then asks Mindy if she'd like to keep the giant tin foil ball as a knickknack or tchotchke, but she figures her knickknack shelf as a one ton limit, and wants to know how he's going to get it up the stairs into the attic. There wasn't any problem getting it home he recounts...well not no problem, he pauses. Asking if she remembers the taco stand at the bottom of that real steep hill? Her nervous answer of Yes, is followed by Mork's sheepish news that it now has a drive through service.

In the Day Care Centre the next day, Mrs Thompson's class is in full flow, the kids already having picked up some of Mork's sayings. The kids greeting him with a rousing Nanu Nanu on his arrival, Mrs Thompson tells him the kids sure have taken to him. He admits he's taken to them too, and feels good about helping out working Moms as well. Leaving the kids in his care, Mrs Thompson heads off to her office. Almost immediately the kids prevail upon Mork to do his 'magic trick', the kids enjoy seeing him drink with his finger. Mork tells them he needs their help and asks them a few questions about what they might like to hear from a friend of his giving a speech on Saturday Morning. Nothing, they tell him, they get enough speeches at home. So, what would they like to see, he asks? Answers varying from the Dallas Cheerleaders to puppets, jokes, rock and roll to Lola's request for a Dick Cavett interview the Prime Minister of Rhodesia, to where babies come from. Mork wanting in on that info.

Later at the apartment with Mindy and Nelson Mork relates what the kids said, but Nelson bemoans that he can't do anything on that list. Mindy tells Mork Nelson was never what you'd call the 'entertainer' of the family, and Nelson agrees that he should stick to what he's good at, boring speeches. Mork asks him if he has to fill the entire hour by himself, and suggests to Mindy that maybe they can help, they have friends? Mindy agrees saying she knows guys in a band, and Remo can tell jokes, Mork tells him Mindy can sing, and Jeanie dances. But Nelson isn't convinced, feeling it sounds like a nutty idea. Mork encourages him not to give up, and Mindy suggests you don't have to be that professional at 7am in the morning. When he asks her if she thinks people would like him if he put on a kids show, she tells him yeah, maybe, and he decides to go for it.

Later they have de facto auditions in the apartment, with Remo, Jeanie and Mr. Bickley who tries out his juggling, which he learned in the army using hand grenades, dropping a ball he notes "That's how I got out...la la laaaa". When Mindy wryly comments that this could be the start of something small, Mork tells her he thinks the audience will enjoy it, leading her to ask what audience. And Mork informs them he's asked all the kids at the Day Centre along, hoping Nelson doesn't mind. A little morosely Nelson says it's fine, and Mindy coaxes him into telling them what's wrong. Her cousin remarking he can't do anything and everyone else has a talent. But Mork tells him if the show goes well the kids will think he's the next best thing to 'dead bugs'. Nelson thanks Mork for being such a good friend, and everyone discovers that Nelson has asked him to M.C. the event, because Mork knows what kids like. Mork giving them a preview and channeling Fred Rogers.

Mork continues the channeling a few days later, coming out onto the KKGB studio floor in front of the cheering kids, and thanking Remo for his knock knock jokes, and moving over to show the kids his 'neighborhood', "Thank you Mr. Piano Man, for tinkling on the keys!" before calling on Mr. Weasel to come out. Mr. Weasel wants to talk to the kids about Nelson Flavor, Mork sitting down with him to do so, only to crush his model town, "there goes the neighborhood!". Mr. Weasel introduces/kisses Mindy, who gathers the kids around her, and sings Peter Pan's theme song "I Won't Grow Up" with them, then introduces the 2nd movement of the Frog Lake ballet. Jeanie and Mork doing a green flippered frog ballet to Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," Remo returns to ostensibly plug Nelson with the kids own drawings of him, but gets a few plugs in for the New York Deli at the same time. Mork does a skit with Mr. Bickley about a lovelorn schoolboy whose crush likes another boy, which he knows because she throws spitballs at him and calls him a 'neeny brain', before he returns to give the kids a rousing rendition of the 'Shazbot Blues'. Finally Nelson emerges, dressed as a giant chicken, and starts to give his speech, before stopping telling the kids he can't give it. He's had the best morning of his life, the kids helping him to remind him what it's like to be a kid again, and he can't ruin all the fun by reading a speech. At which he gets a rousing standing ovation from the kids. Following which Mork, Mindy, Mr. Bickley, Jeanie and Remo emerging in red white and blue to sing 'Glory Glory Nelson Flavor' finishing on a festive note to the kids applause.

Mork gives his report to Orson initially in a kid's voice, before Orson sharply demands 'just give me your report'. This week, he says, he learned about teamwork, explaining about Nelson's hour of TV that needed to be filled, and he helped him out, Orson wanting to know how? Mork tells him he hosted the hour and the children seemed to enjoy it. Children, Orson enquires, wanting to know what Mork knows about children? Mork answers that some people like to think of them as children, but he prefers to think of them as humans. There's an old earth saying that says Children should be seen and not heard, but if feels if that really happened the silence would be deafening. But children's minds aren't fully developed yet, Orson points out, isn't it best they should be kept in their place? Mork is somewhat startled by that, saying that just because they're children doesn't mean they don't have anything of value to say! Give them a chance, listen to them. If you're only going to talk down to them, how can you expect them to look up to you?

Trivia[]

General[]

  • This the episode where Mork finally gets a job, that sticks, working as a group leader with children at The Pine Tree Day Care Center, which lasted all through the entire third season, till the arrival of Mearth in Season 4.
  • This marks the first appearance of Amy Tenowich, essentially portraying Lola, who would go on to become a regular in season 3.
  • Almost all the children in this episode, were all related to the cast and crew.

Pop Culture[]

  • Mork tells Mindy the tin foil collection looks a bit like 'A meteor from the planet Alcoa'. Alcoa being an American industrial corporation, based in Pittsburgh, and the world's eighth largest producer of aluminum.
  • Mork does a quick impersonation of Porky Pig "Th...tha...that's all folks!"
  • Mork asks Mindy if she'd like to keep the ball of tin foil as a 'tchotchke' a Yiddish word, meaning bric-a-brac or souvenir.
  • 'Lola' tells Mork she'd like to see Dick Cavett interview the Prime Minister of Rhodesia (Ian Smith) the country in a huge tumult at that time, and would become Zimbabwe the following year.
  • Mindy says they sound like an old Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney movie when getting enthused over helping Nelson. Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney starred together in a number of movies (Babes in Arms, Babes on Broadway, Strike up the Band) where they would head up a group of kids who needed to raise money, and would take over an old barn and renovate it into a theater.
  • Mork channels Fred Rogers, famous host of the children's show Mr Rogers Neighborhood.
  • Mr. Weasel sounds just like a Robin Williams favorite, Peter Lorre.
  • Mr. Weasel then channels Lawrence Welk when introducing Mindy to the kids.
  • "I Won't Grow Up" (from the musical Peter Pan) performed by Pam Dawber
  • "Shazbot Blues" performed by Robin Williams
  • 'Glory, Glory Nelson Flavor/ sung to the "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" performed by Robin Williams, Pam Dawber, Jay Thomas, Gina Hecht, Tom Poston and Jim Staahl.
  • Mork gives a short rendition of The Tonight Show theme to Orson.


Quotes[]

  • Mork: *to Mindy* Well maybe we could help, I mean we've got friends?!
  • Mindy: *to Nelson* Yeah, I know some guys in a band. And...and Remo tells jokes
  • Mork: Yeah, and Mindy can sing!
  • Mindy: And Jeanie dances!! *grins* Hey listen to us, we sound like an old Judy Garland Mickey Rooney, movie.
  • Mork: Hey kids, lets put on a show! With a little imagination we could turn that new theatre into an old barn!

____________________________________

  • Nelson: Who'd want to watch a bunch of amateurs put on a show?
  • Mork: Peeping Toms?


Image Gallery[]

Cast[]

Starring[]

Guest stars[]

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