Midas Mork

"Midas Mork"
Season 4, Episode #17 (#90) in series (95 episodes)
Mindy discovers her childhood fairytale fantasy of being able to make gold out of straw isn't all it's cracked up to be when Mork successfully turns polyester to gold.
"Mork & Mindy" episode
Guest Star(s):	Tracy Austin George Pentecost Kathleen McIntyre
Network:	ABC-TV
Production code:	417 (4x17)
Writer(s)	Wendy Kout & George Zateslo
Director	Bob Claver
Original airdate	April 15, 1982
IMDB	Midas Mork
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"Midas Mork" was the 17th episode in Season 4 of Mork & Mindy, also the 90th overall episode in the series. Co-written by Wendy Kout and George Zateslo, the episode, directed by Bob Claver, premiered on ABC-TV on April 15, 1982.

Synopsis

After Mindy reads Mearth a bedtime story about Rumpelstiltskin spun straw into gold, and recalls how that used to be her childhood fantasy, she finds their world turned upside down after Mork successfully turns polyester into gold in an effort to make it come true for her.

Plot

Already dressed for bed, Mindy & Mork head into their bedroom, clambering onto their bed carrying milk and cookies. With Mearth asleep, Mindy happily tells Mork she loves this time of day, when they have a few hours to themselves. Agreeing with her, Mork eyes her coyly something clearly on his mind as she drinks her milk, A moment later he suggestively indicates that there might be something that makes it even better. Catching his meaning, Mindy looks at him in disbelief, exclaiming 'Again?!' When he pleads with her, she gives in, but, as he grins excitedly, reminds him that this will be the third time since the eleven o'clock news.

Moving towards one another on the bed, Mindy reaches around Mork and retrieves the rules of the road from behind him, sitting back to ask him questions with the aim of prepping him for his driving test. Though its not long before she's telling him to be serious as he cracks jokes about Teamsters.

Before they can get back it however, Mearth walks in, telling them he's unable to sleep, in part because of the new neighbors having a domestic. Avoiding some awkward questions about what he overheard, Mindy invites him to lie down next to Mork, but Mearth has spied the cookies and makes his way towards them. Spotting his plan, Mindy makes him an offer, either she'll finish the story they started at nap time and he can go to bed. Or, he can just go to bed. With there only being one real choice he lies down between them as Mindy fetches the storybook, and Mork plans to continue his studying of road rules examining hand signals. As Mindy resumes the story of Rumpelstiltskin however, Mork gets caught up in the tale, at least until Mearth pre-empts her, finishing it by cutting to the chase. Unfortunately for him, his father hasn't had doesn't take kindly to his son spoiling the ending, but Mearth feels that he is outgrowing fairy tales. Mindy tells him she couldn't get enough of fairytales when she was kid, and recounts how she used to dream that she could spin straw into gold, so she could live in a big castle. In the midst of recalling her childhood fantasy she realizes both Mork and Mearth have fallen asleep. Disgruntled at their reaction to the story, and with no real space left to sleep on the bed. Mindy picks up a comforter and, grumbling, heads for the couch.

The next day in the kitchen, Mork has set up an elaborate chemical process, working with Mearth in an attempt to create gold from scratch. In the midst of it, Fred arrives announcing to Mearth that he has nabbed two tickets to the Ice Capades for them, noticing the sophisticated set up, he asks them what they're up to, and they tell him they're making gold for Mindy. Fred points out that they can't make gold, no one can which is why its worth $400 an ounce. Something Mork finds hard to believe of anything other than mustard or sand. But to continue the experiment he asks to borrow Fred's tie, intending to turn the bargain basement fabric into gold. Inserting it into the mixture he counts to five in Orkan...and then pulls it out, looking like it's been dipped in acid. Fred reminding Mork he's never taken a photo with him, son-in-law or not, grabs his grandson and he and Mearth head out to the Ice Capades leaving Mork wondering where he went wrong. On looking at Fred's tie however he notices its' pure silk, when the recipe called for polyester. Looking around he grabs the oven mitt, drops it in and prays, five seconds later pulling out an oven mitt of pure gold.

(**** Cut Scene: 1 Info)

A stretch Mercedes Limo pulls up to a huge mansion, and Mindy clarifies of Mork, in disbelief, that he's bought it. He tells her he made 8 tonnes of gold, they could've bought Zambia. Inside, Mork shows a flabbergasted Mindy around the vast rooms, including the 'downstairs' reading room. Mindy is stunned by the size commenting she's never seen a room with a horizon before. She jokes that they must get the books down from the top shelf with their helicopter and he tells her close, and rings a belly, before yelling for a 'Miss Beasley', his 6' 8* secretary. Asking Mindy if she'd like to see the Zoo now or later, Mindy ducks as a plane shoots low over the house, and she realizes they have a private jet too. Trying to take in how much they now have, she feels guilty about not feeling guilty, but Mork is just pleased that for the first time in their relationship he is now able to provide for her, and fund Public TV. Happy for him, she does point out that the house is really too big for just the three of them, and she has no idea how she's going to keep it up. He tells her that help is just a tinkle away, and rings a bell and then yells for the 'Staff'. Led by Quentin the butler, and Miss Beasley, three maids, a chauffeur, a housekeeper, jockey, private doctor...and court jester line up.

Unsettled by the number, and uneasy at Mork's insistence that she 'inspect' them. Self consciously she moves down the line telling them she's happy to meet them, and looking forward to getting to know them all, though she does pull Mork aside on reaching the court jester, and querying his presence. After the staff leaves, Mindy confesses she's not sure if she's going to be able to get used to all of it, but he assures her they're still the same people they were when they lived in 'that little tiny cracker box apartment', only for Mearth to enter in vintage Tennis gear asking if anyone is up for a game. When Mork asks him where the girl he hired to teach him is, Mearth calls for Tracy, and Mindy jokes about Mork hiring Tracy Austin to teach their son tennis, only for Tracy Austin to walk in. Stunned again, Mork brings Mindy along to the gym telling her he has Arnold Schwarzenegger waiting to give her a massage.

Some time later, Mearth is now playing checkers against Quentin the butler. On a huge board, with the staff as the pieces. He's irritated when Quentin obviously throws the game, Quentin saying he values his job and his future plans to much to jeopardize it. As the staff leaves an incredibly glamorous Mindy enters in full evening gown, gold and diamonds on her wrists and fingers, and immediately notices the disconsolate Mearth, who is bored and misses Mork. Mindy commiserates, missing him too, and promises to speak to him about spending more time together, and Mearth heads out saying he's made an appointment with Mork just in case and hopes he can remember where his office is.

(*** Cut Scene: 2) Quentin announces to Mindy that someone called 'Pops' is there to see them, it taking a second for her to realize her Father is using Mork's name for him, and happily asking for him to be sent in. When Fred enters he does so looking for his 'genius son-in-law' and dressed in a full length fur coat that he presumes Mork meant for him as it was in the back of the Rolls Royce he gave him. Feeling more and more like this has gone too far for them all, she tries to appeal to her father, telling him to take a look at her, Mearth, himself, and especially Mork, and is actively taken aback when Fred of all people admonishes her for putting down Mork. Mork suddenly arrives in his chauffeured personalized monogrammed indoor golf cart, in full Elvis in Vegas jumpsuit and cape, and carrying a gold topped cane. As he greets them, Mindy goes to kiss him, only to get an air kiss from him instead. He does however get her to play the hand game, making her choose a hand and on her choice reveals a pearl necklace for her, as Fred enthuses over what a guy Mork is, Mindy pulls Mork aside telling him they need to talk.

She beseeches him that she doesn't want his presents, she wants him. Buying things isn't the answer, and is changing them, pointing to Mearth playing human checkers, when he tries to call Quentin to make sure he lost to Mearth, Mindy stops him pointing to that being exactly what she's talking about. As Mork's manicurist arrives, Mindy pleads with her father to speak to him, which he does, but only to tell him he should run his household exactly as he wants. Thanking her father sarcastically, she tells Mork they'll have to talk about it more later as she has to get changed to go to work, but as she turns to go, he tells her she doesn't have to. He's resigned her. Shocked, she wants to know about her career, only for him to say if it means that much to her he'll have to buy her N.B.C., just like he bought Fred the New York Philharmonic. Mindy is indignant, saying she wants to work for her career not have it handed to her, and she makes the point that you can't raise a child, like Mearth, in an environment like this. But he has that in hand to, planning to send him away to School next week, in Switzerland. At that she feels he's gone too far. Taking his hands, she tells him honestly she's not happy there, and implores him to move back to their apartment. But Mork insists this is their home. Letting go of his hands she pulls away from him, telling him it may be his but its not hers or Mearths, and walks out intending to go back their 'crackerbox' of an apartment, and handing him back his pearls. Fred assures Mork she'll get over it, but as Fred goes, Mork asks him to reason to her. When Quentin enters, Mork suggests they fly down to Rio to have some fun, but Quentin reminds him this is the day he gets to spend with his family. Left alone in his huge house, Mork ends up playing hopscotch on the checkered carpet.

Back in the apartment Mindy is doing the ironing with Mearth spritzing the clothes for her, suggesting that self-reliance is fine, but he misses being waited on, hand and foot. A dejected Mindy, answers that she misses his father. Mearth says he misses him too, but he misses being waited on even more. Not impressed with her son's selfishness, she heads off to hang an ironed shirt up in the bedroom. While she's in there, Mork slips into the apartment back in his regular clothes, hushing Mearth as he moves to him and hugs him. Coming out of her room, Mindy sees him, and overjoyed moves swiftly to him, telling him she knew he'd come back, that he'd listen to what she said and that love is what makes their world go around. But Mork is not as warm in the reunion as she is, and tells her she's partly right, that he came back to tell her that he's going around the world...with his new love. Walking to the apartment door he opens it to reveal a glamorously dressed Miss Beasley. Stunned, Mindy and Mearth can only watch in dismay as he walks out on them, Mearth starting to cry wanting his Mommy.

On the couch asleep, Mearth saying Mommy, shakes Mindy awake and she jolts up with a start, disorientated. Blinking she realizes she was sleeping, looking down at the couch, and the comforter she took from the bed the night before. Mork, in the kitchen fetching her some juice, tells her she was snoring so loud he had to get Mearth to wake her up before she blew her adenoids across the room. Looking up at him, she reacts with deep relief that he's back...home. Mork gazes at her in confusion and a little concern as she struggles, still half out of it, wanting to know why he shouldn't be there? Sitting back groggily, she tells them she had such a weird dream...telling them about the big mansion, with the butlers, maids, and Tracy Austin, before saying to Mork accusingly that he left them. He wonders how she could ever dream that, she knows he would never leave her. With her his life has meaning, without her he'd just be another alien forced to do his own laundry.

Chuckling and shaking her head, still trying to clear it, she reiterates to herself as much as them it was just a silly dream, and laughing a little tells Mork she dreamt he could turn polyester into gold, which makes him chortle, as that's impossible. No one can make gold. But diamonds are a snap! Jumping up to prove it, he tells Mearth to go to the garage to get the charcoal briquettes, he tells Mindy to warm up the the waffle iron, and he'll go get the Oil of Olay. Jumping up off the couch, Mindy races across the room to bodily block the door and Mearth's exit to the garage, yelling at them to stop, telling Mork as he comes back that she doesn't want diamonds and she doesn't want gold. Slightly nonplussed, Mork nods, and asks her if she wants some French Toast instead?

The episode finishes with Mork's report to Orson, laying down with a sleep mask on to get in the mood to tell him all about the aspect of human life that are dreams, which Orson is enthused about. Mork describes how they come fast and furious inside the mind, and often out of sequence, taking you to wonderful strange places, haunting you, and thrilling you. Orson on hearing this thinks they are in fact another frivolous Earth action, but Mork disagrees, dreams allow you to imagine strange and wonderful things, and the most precious thing about them are the hopes they promise for tomorrow.

Cut Scene 1: Snowball/Snowflake

Between Mork's discovery of how to turn polyester to gold, and their move to the mansion, there appears to have been another scene, undoubtedly cut for time, where Mork probably breaks the news to Mindy about his alchemical gold discovery and presents Mindy with what looks like her fantasy White Stallion Snowball ("or Snowflake or...something like that...something to do with Winter") that she spoke to Mearth and Mork about.

Cut Scene 2: Mindy speaks to the Staff

A second scene appears to be cut from later in the episode where Mindy speaks with Quentin and the Staff alone (without Mork as done initially) and while in the evening gown she wears before leaving to return to the apartment.

Trivia

Orkan 'Facts'

• Mork's 'recipe for gold' includes Orkan ingredients Fazeech, a pinch of Nipkese and one Kosher Salami. However, as it all transpires to be Mindy's Nightmare, these 'ingredients' may not be real (then again they may be something Mindy's memory is drawing on!).

General

• The Episode Title obviously refers to the Greek myth of King Midas who was granted the gift of turning everything he touched into gold by the god Dionysius. A gift which defines be careful what you wish for, as in the Aristotelean version, Midas starved to death, while in later versions he turned his daughter to a gold statue and was unable to touch others he loved, until he learned to give up the gift.
• Mork's hand signals run on into an obvious Williams Ad-Lib, Pam Dawber clearly trying not to laugh, grinning at him and working it back into the take.
• In Mindy's childhood fairytale recollection Ricky Nelson the teen heart throb, actor and singer was her Prince Charming in the neighboring castle to hers. Nelson at his peak was as popular as Elvis. In something of an ironic twist, Nelson was married to (from 1963-1982) and had four children with Kris Harmon, the elder sister of Mark Harmon, Pam Dawber's future husband, meaning she would become an Aunt to Nelson's children.

Pop Culture

• Mearth feels that he has outgrown fairytales and progressed to Joseph Wambaugh a best-selling American writer known for his fictional and nonfictional accounts of police work in the United States.
• As he does in The Honeymoon, Mork invokes the Yiddish word Kaynahara, the equivalent of warding off the evil eye / knocking on wood, during his first attempt at making gold.
• Fred has gotten tickets for the Ice Capades for himself and Mearth, traveling entertainment shows featuring theatrical ice skating performances from retired U.S. and Olympic skaters. A decline in popularity ensued in the 1980s, and the show went out of business around 1995.
• On his way out with Mearth, Fred calls Mork 'Goldfinger' obviously referring to Auric Goldfinger, the gold obsessed enemy of James Bond, from the book (and movie) of the same name.
• Mork tells Mindy the Upstairs reading room of their mansion holds periodicals and books by the Wallace family, referring to Irving Wallace, his wife Sylvia Khan Wallace, and their children David 'Wallechinsky' and Amy Wallace.
• When Mindy questions the presence of a court jester on their staff, Mork tells her he has great references having worked for Marshall Tito, the Communist Dictator/Leader of (now former) Yugolsavia from 1952-1980.
• Tracy Austin still only 19 at the time, had been Women's World Number1 twice by this episode, and was the youngest inductee (29) into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (her sister-in-law is fitness guru Denise Austin). She also received a special City of Hope Victor Award on set, presented to her by the cast.
• Arnold Schwarzenegger, ostensibly there to give Mindy a massage, was, at the time, only just beginning his journey towards superstardom and was still best known as Mr. Universe and a champion body builder. His first lead role as Conan The Barbarian was still a month away from release at the time of this episode, and The Terminator 2 years away.
• According to Mork, Quentin was the Libyan Dictator Muammar Gadafi's food taster before he employed him as butler.
• In buying Fred the NY Philharmonic, Mork smiles saying he knew Bernstein had a price, referring to the world famous composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein, the music director of the NY Philharmonic.
• Mork tells Mindy if she wants to run NBC she won't be coasting she'll have to earn every penny. NBC was at the time the weakest of all the American TV Networks, it's 90s domination some way off yet.
• As Mindy leaves, Mork tries to get her to stay by telling her the American author J.D. Salinger is on his way over to 'Shoot the Bull', which Salinger's protagonist in 'Catcher In The Rye' Holden Caulfield says instead of 'bullshit'
• Mork tells Fred to reason with Mindy, telling him to say that opportunity only knocks once unless you're Neil Sedaka, the American singer/songwriter having gone through an initial burst of fame in the late 1950s, then fading in the 60s and early 70s before returning to prominence in the late 70s with a slew of new hits.
• Mindy telling Mork on his return that love is what makes their world go round is an oblique (and contrary) reference to the phrase and the Cabaret song 'Money makes the World Go Round'
• Mork compares out of sequence dreams to a Frederico Fellini film, the Italian auteur who as his career progressed was in fact heavily influenced by the psychologist Carl Jung and his work with dreams.

Quotes

• Mindy: Y'know, I love this time of the day, when we have a few hours to ourselves.
• Mork: Yeah. *eyes her* You know what'd make it really perfect, little pooter precious?
• Mindy: *eyes him in return* Not again?
• Mork: *pleading* Ohhhh c'mon we came so close last time!
• Mindy: *exhales* Oh alriiiiight
• Mork: Oh yaaaay!
• Mindy: But I want...I want you to know this is the third time since the 11 O'Clock News

__________________________________

• Mork: Okay, hand signals. Lets see we have a right turn, left turn. Ethnic neighborhood. Right on. Fer sure. Totally. Maybe. We Don't Know. Lets see...U turn, not me!

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• Mearth: You know something Mommy, I've heard this story so many times. That's where the maiden remembers Rumpelstiltskin real name and marries the Prince, end of story.
• Mork: *upset* That's not how it ends is it, Mind?
• Mindy: I'm afraid so.
• Mork: *annoyed* Mearth!! You ruined that story for me! Well now, you wanna know something?! You wanna know what I know about Santa Claus?!
• Mindy: Mork!?!?!

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• Fred: Mearth, your Grandpops has done it again! I gotta couple of tickets to the Ice Capades! Of course I had to go to a scalper.
• Mork: Aww you been going to one of those for years haven't you? *indicates Fred's 'scalped' head*

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• Fred: Mork you may be my son-in-law, but think about this. I've never taken a picture with you.

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• Mork: YESS!! *laughs manically* I've done it!! They didn't believe me!! I did it! We're filthy rich! We'll never have to pay taxes again!

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• Mindy: You hired the Number 1 Woman Tennis Player in the World to teach Mearth?!!??
• Mork: Well yes, you see we were getting murdered in Doubles we had to do something. C'mon hon, I've got Arnold Schwarzenegger waiting in the gym to give you a massage.

__________________________________

• Mindy: Is everybody going crazy around here?!
• Fred: Aw now now honey, I know exactly what you're thinking. I know I've always brought you up to appreciate the simple things in life. But honey you have to understand at the time I was poor and stupid.

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• Mindy: *reaching for him in relief* Mork you're back!! *blinks* I mean...you're home. *confused and disorientated* I...mean....
• Mork: *confused* Hon why shouldn't I? I mean my names on the mailbox, my clothes are in the closet, my hair is on the soap.

Image Gallery

Cast

Starring

• Robin Williams as Mork
• Pam Dawber as Mindy McConnell
• Conrad Janis as Fred McConnell
• Jonathan Winters as Mearth McConnell
• Ralph James as Voice of Orson

Guest stars

• Tracy Austin as Herself (Special guest star)
• George Pentecost as Quentin
• Kathleen McIntyre as Miss Beasley

External links

• "Midas Mork" at the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
• "Midas Mork" at TV.com