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Mork's Night Out

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""Mork's Night Out""
Season 1, Episode #21
(#21) in series (95 episodes)

While Mindy's out of town, a concerned Mork drags a lonely Mr. Bickley out to a singles bar in "Mork's Night Out" in Season 1 of Mork & Mindy (ep.#21).
"Mork & Mindy" episode
Guest Star(s): Ruta Lee
Robin Eisenman
Linda Ewen
Network: ABC-TV
Production code: 121 (1x21)
Writer(s) Dale McRaven
Bruce Johnson
Director Howard Storm
Original airdate March 8, 1979
IMDB "Mork's Night Out"
Episode chronology
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"Mork's Mixed Emotions" "In Mork We Trust"
List of Mork & Mindy seasons/episodes

"Mork's Night Out" is the 21st episode of the first season of Mork & Mindy, also the 21st series episode. Co-Written by Dale McRaven and Bruce Johnson, the episode, which was directed by Howard Storm, first aired on ABC-TV on March 8, 1979.

Synopsis[]

While Mindy's out of town with Fred & Cora on an family intervention, a terminally bored Mork drags Mr. Bickley out on the town. Neither of them really knowing what they're doing, they end up at a pick up joint, where they meet a nefarious mother and daughter.

Plot[]

With a knock at the door of Mindy's Apartment, Fred sticks his head calling 'Honey are you dressed?' only for Mork to answer from up in the attic that he's just in his Jockey shorts. As Fred and Cora enter, Mindy comes out to meet them carrying a travel bag, and informs them that she is not looking forward to this weekend. Cora agrees feeling she'd rather have her nose pierced. Fred doesn't disagree but feels it's an obligation. For Mindy however, there's another issue, as she hasn't even told Mork yet because she feels so bad about heading off and leaving him for the entire weekend. As she does though Mork descends in shorts a Hawaiian Shirt, pork pie hat and sunglasses, with his Instamatic Glove around his neck, fully dressed as a tourist and ready to travel, he uses his finger to call down his luggage, all set to hit the road.

Fred informs Mork that they're heading to Durango which is a long unpleasant drive, and he really doesn't want to go with them, but Mork counters, singing Durango is my kind of town. Cora tries to put him off by telling him its a 'windy, twisty, car-sicky' kind of trip and he wouldn't like it. But Mork is all keyed up for what would be his first car trip on Earth, and pleads with Mindy and her family to let him go, excited about it after overhearing Mindy talking about it on the phone with her family the night before. He made plans, went out to buy his silly clothes and he even has a map that is both 'topographical and scratch and smell!'. Showing her his unorthodox route to Durango, which takes in the Grand Canyon, New York, Paris and Iran, Mindy, though she doesn't want to, bursts his bubble telling him he can't go.

Fred tells him that it's a family matter, that his Uncle Jack is 'sick', mimicking a drinking problem. Mindy agrees telling Mork he really doesn't want to go, Uncle Jack is 'a little strange'. Cora agrees saying she never liked him since he spit on her, recounting a tale of how she nearly strangled him with his own necktie, when he was drunk years before. Mindy tells him Jack is an alcoholic and has booked himself into a hospital to try and recover, his wife asking them to come down to lend him a little moral support. But when Mindy asks if he understands now why he can't go, he merely suggests they cut out the Grand Canyon from his route and they'll be there by 'happy hour'. But Mindy is firm that he can't go, it's a family matter, and he'd be embarrassed to have a perfect stranger see him like he is. Mork, putting a not very good face on it, walks away to the couch saying he understands, he's not some Venusian Paramecium who evolved the day before. Feeling bad, Mindy follows him sitting on the couch, asking him if he'll be okay in the apartment by himself. Adamant, but emotional, he insists he will, why wouldn't he? Because he hasn't been alone for any length of time since he arrived, she points out. He insists he is his own best entertainment, if she is never bored with him why would he bored by himself? Especially for such a short amount of time as two days. Ushering them out, all good humor, Mindy tells him she'll see him Sunday night, and he assures her he has thousands of things to do. Waving her off, and closing the door, smiling he looks around and declares himself 'So Stinking Bored!'

The next day, alone in the Apartment, seated on one of the bar stools, Mork flicks cards towards a hat on the floor that's surrounded by a massive pile of cards, while he gets to the last 'bottle of beer on the wall' as he sings to himself, only to revert back to 'one million bottles of beer', tor the tenth time. Cracking under the ennui he declares he can't sing the song anymore 'I almost know it by heart!'. Getting up he goes to check his points from the cards in a hat, only scoring two again, before sitting on the couch between Mindy's upside down teddy bear and Moose, he frets that Mindy's only been gone 24 hours and he's going crazy, berating her bear for 'looking at him like that' saying at least it can do Yoga. Trying to think what he can do, he recounts that Bickley is out of town, and Susan Taylor is visiting the Broncos. A flash of inspiration sends him running for the phone and the phone book. Randomly picking a name out of the book he has a chat with Bob Lipschitz like they're old friends, until he confesses to a confused Bob that his name is Mork and he doesn't know him. Bob promptly hanging up on him, Mork ascribing it to a 'bad connection'. Sitting there alone, Mork starts to fidget and twitch, realizing that he's actually a 'people junkie' and he needs a conversation fix. Starting to argue with himself, he starts to jones to talk to someone and flies towards the window pulling it open and yelling out into Pine Street to anyone who is out there. Seeing a man with a tattooed face working on a Semi, Mork asks him if he wants to be his friend, before rapidly dodging out of the way as the guy fires a rock through the window. Picking it up, Mork compliments him on his throw, to Mork's surprise Bickley's voice comes up from below wanting to know what all the noise is about. Bickley tells them both to shut up, only for the guy to fire a stone through Bickley's window as well. When Bickley yells up to Mork that he wants to talk to him, Mork cheerfully agrees and tosses the tattooed guy back his rock, hitting him in the head with it, and telling him to have a nice nap.

Downstairs in Bickley's Apartment an angry, Bickley is pacing, wanting to know what Mork was thinking talking to that 'walking tree trunk'. When Mork confesses he just wanted someone to talk to, Bickley telling him that he's 'such a babe in the woods', warns him there are certain things you should never do in the world if you want to stay in the world, Mork taking out his pads to take notes. Mork asks him if there was ever a time Bickley was bored and lonely, Bickley replying apart from a coma after being hit by lightning he can't think of a time he wasn't bored. He jokes that when he was getting divorced, his wife got all their friends. Mork suggests they go out, and paint the town pink! And do what, Bickley wants to know, turning to his liquor collection. A movie? Mork suggests picking up the paper, but Bickley won't go anywhere his feet stick to the floor. Self improvement courses, Mork suggesting a speed reading course at the University from 8.00 to 8.05. or an E.S.P. course...that doesn't give the address. But Bickley nixes any 'crummy meetings'. Not even a topless, bottomless, frontless, backless restaurant, 'Doesn't sound like they give you very much to eat', can tempt Bickley out. Mork still trying, says there's another place a bar called 'Mother Bell's', but Bickley shakes his head until Mork tells him the first drink is free, Bickley telling to meet him here at 7.30pm.

Around 8pm that night, Mother Bells, is in full swing. The place an obviously pick up joint where customers sit at tables with phones, and put through calls to a switchboard to those they fancy. By the time Bickley and Mork enter however, they've already had some action, Mork having seen a chipmunk in the road, causing Bickley to swerve his car and take the door off another parked car. The Sherriff in it still trying to roll up the window of the car as it headed off to Cheyenne. All while he was trying to escort the Governor's limo...the one they crashed into, which stopped Bickley's car from going over a cliff...but sent the Governors limo over it instead. Approached by one of the Cocktail waitresses, she explains how things work, giving them their free drinks, which are too fruity for Bickley's taste, wanting a Bourbon and water, hold the water, before asks her about the phones at the table. She tells them to call people, they can call anyone in the room, telling them it's a very 'friendly' place with a smirk. While Mork smiles to himself at his friendly choice, a wide eyed Bickley calls him a 'bubble head' having realized its a pick up joint, Mork not having a clue what that is, but when their phone goes off, assumes its 'pick up the phone!'. Picking up the phone, Mork tells the caller he's not sure he has 'one of those', but he'd have to be eight foot tall for what they're suggesting to be true. Grabbing the phone out of his hand Bickley hangs it up and tells him that this is a bar for swingers and that that tears it, he's going home.

Trying to stop him, Mork reminds him that he came there because he was lonely and bored, and there are all these people here. But Bickley tells him he's never felt comfortable meeting people, he never could do it, he's very uncomfortable and wants to go home. As he says that, a very attractive older woman, greets him and asks him if he and Mork would mind if she and her equally attractive daughter join them. Suddenly 'remembering' he never got his Bourbon, Bickley sits himself at the bar beside her. She introduces herself as Lisa, and her daughter as Penny. Mork is at ease and loquacious as usual, cracking jokes about Penny's name, but Bickley can hardly get a complete sentence out without stammering over it. When Mork innocently suggests that the family that plays together stays together, Penny picks it up wrong, and immediately tells him that it's 'not like that at all!' telling them that her mother only just got into town, and they came here not realizing that it was a swingers bar, and two heavy looking cowboy types that 'look like the history of leather', have been eyeing them. She hopes, that he and Bickley would pretend to be their dates to help them avoid them. Mork is happy to, and introduces himself and Bickley, Bickley even happier to help but unable to get the words out.

Lisa asks them if they come to the bar often, Mork telling them its their first time, they're just bored and lonely guys lookign for some meaning in this existence and suggesting they've given them some meaning, before he asks Bickley if this is 'what Earth is all about?', Bickley answering No...No...his brain however still stuck back on their question as whether they come to the bar often. Penny asks Mork what his sign is, making her and Lisa laugh with his answer of 'Nefarious with Egg Rising'. When Lisa asks where they live, Mork answers Boulder and Bickley says 'Libra, I'm a Libra'. Leaning into Mork, Bickley happily tells him he can't believe it's happening, Lisa saying the same to Penny, though in the girls case they are deeply unsettled by Bickley, who pounds the bar top, and can't seem to keep his voice down when telling Mork how great he thinks things are going. Lisa points out their two mashers are staring at them again, and Penny suggests that they go somewhere else and they will buy Mork and Bickley a drink. Mork thinks that's fantastic, anything not to be bored and lonely again. He gets up and heads out with the women, Bickley's brain firing again calling the waitress back as she brings him his bourbon, asking for drinks for the two girls, telling the waitress she wouldn't believe what they have fallen into, only to finally notice that Mork, Penny and Lisa are all gone. Sourly assuming that Mork has run off with his 'mother and daughter', Bickley pours a bowl full of peanuts into his sweater as a consolation only to be surprised when Mork returns wondering what's keeping him? Telling him that he's not going to believe it, Penny & Lisa want to take them to a house. Bickley's House. Ecstatic, Bickley lets go of his sweater the avalanche of peanuts hitting the floor.

Back at the House, Bickley lets them all into his apartment, the two women very impressed with his place. Mork explains to them that Bickley's not used to having people over, he's kind of a grouch and they're trying to help him work through it. As Bickley starts to relax, Mork suggests they all get down to a good game of Parcheesi, but the ladies excuse themselves to go powder their noses. Showing them the way to it through his bedroom, once they're gone Bickley starts to get cocky about how easy it is to pick up girls, that all it requires is a little self assertion and if you got it, you got it. He has it, Lisa and Penny say on their return, and they want it, they tell him, carrying pillow cases stuffed with his things, and a gun. It's a stick up, Lisa tells them, as Penny shoves Bickley's candlesticks into their makeshift sack. Holding them with their hands up at gunpoint, Lisa warns them not to move, or she'll scatter them all around the room and gets them to empty their pockets. Bickley thanks Mork sarcastically for his 'matchmaking' efforts, Mork saying at least they're not bored anymore, before informing Penny he thinks her mother is teaching her bad habits. A car horn outside indicates the women's partner, Mark, with the getaway car. Making their way to the door, yanking the phone out of the wall to slow them down, the women tell them its been a pleasure robbing them and thanking them for the date, laughing as they leave.

Back upstairs, the police leave, Mork & Bickley having reported the incident. Mork returns to a depressed, and drinking Bickley, and tries to cheer him up, saying that the women robbed three other men in the same bar, and the police are going to have a 'cook out'. Stake out, Bickley corrects him, saying he doesn't mind talking to the cops for an hour, but he resents them giggling while he's doing it.

At that Mindy returns coming in to put her bag down, Mork asking her how her Uncle Jack is. He'll be fine she thinks joking that he just had a cork stuck in his throat, before asking him how his weekend was, Mork tensing and wondering why she's asking. Opening her jacket, she admits that she thought he might be bored without her. Mork scoffs at the idea of 'good time Morky' being bored, and tells Bickley to tell her about their adventures, if he has any strength left. Bickley backing him up telling her he didn't left up all weekend. Mork saying that in fact their company just left. What Company, Mindy asks, stunned. Bickley telling her that he and Mork met a couple of girls. Mork nodding saying they went to a wonderful gymnastics bar, and he can take her and she can make friends too! Her eyes narrowing she asks Mork just how friendly were these 'friends'. Bickley haughtily asks if they look like the kind of guys who would kiss and tell? Before he collapses and starts to spout about how how beautiful the mother was! Mother is more than enough for Mindy, saying she's not sure she wants to hear anymore. When Mork asks her if she wants to hear about the daughter instead, she says she *knows* she doesn't want to hear anymore and heads for her bedroom, Mork following her. Telling him she's tired and thinks she'll head to bed, she informs him she'll talk to him about all this tomorrow, saying goodnight to Mr. Bickley, eyeing Mork and saying 'Goodnight, Mr. Goodbar'.

Trying to keep her around he yells after her about their running into the Governor, but she stays inside and thinking about it, as he walks back to Bickley he thinks that as they were going through it, it was kind of terrifying, but telling Mindy it sounded like a really good night. Bickley agrees saying from a distance they can appreciate it all more. One way or another they have a heck of a story to tell their grandkids he says to Mork as he heads out, but pauses by the door saying he was thinking....Saturday night? Says Mork? 7.30 Bickley agrees.

Making his report to Orson, he tells him that he's had a very interesting week, having met thieves. Thieves, Orson enquires? There are different types Mork tells him, Jewel thieves, who steal precious gems, Cat burglars who steal pets, and the Pittsburgh Steelers who steal entire cities. Did Boulder get taken, Orson asks? No, Mork says sheepishly, just him and Mr. Bickley, having gotten robbed by two lady thieves they never should've trusted, Bickley said. But Orson thought that Earthlings believed in trust, even the dollar bill Mork sent him has 'In God We Trust' on it. Yes, Mork points out, but it also says its worth a dollar, so you can't believe everything you read. Mork says they were pretty and soft, but, only soft on the outside, kinda hard on the inside. So on Earth your friends will rob you, Orson asks? Well if they do, Mork tells him they're not really your friends. Mindy is his friend, Orson asserts, how do you know that one day she won't rob him? Mork tells him he doesn't think she's that kind of friend. And even if she was, she would have to rob him thousands of times just to get back half of what she's given him.

Signing off Mork gets Orson to give him an N...an A...another N...and an O! And asks him what does that spell?! Nanu, Orson says, WRONG, Mork laughs, that spells NanO...Orsoooon....heading off scoffing at him spelling Nanu...Na-no.

Trivia[]

Orkan 'Facts'[]

  • The Orkan word for Leg, is Kribbitz. As in 'You must be pulling my Kribbitz'.
  • Mork's tells Penny his sign is 'Nefarious with Egg Rising', something he confirms with Judge Baker in S2's Little Orphan Morkie. This appears to translate to a 'Libra' in Earth terms, later telling Mindy he can't help the way he is, as he's a Libra (Mork the Prankster)

General[]

  • On March 6, 1979, two nights before this episode first aired, Robin Williams made his second appearance as Mork on Happy Days in a crossover episode titled "Mork Returns"
  • Uncle Jack is the first of Mindy's Extended Family (beyond her mother) mentioned in the Show. In this case it appears as if Uncle Jack is Fred's Uncle and Mindy's Great Uncle, who Cora knows and doesn't like. Details were always pretty vague about Mindy's relatives, which side they belonged to and how exactly they were related. Cora never talks about any other children bar Elizabeth, Mindy's mother, and it transpires that Fred only has one brother Dave. With Nelson's appearance as Mindy's cousin, and with the surname Flavor, the son of Mindy's crazy rich aunt, and with both Mindy & Nelson sharing a grandmother, it means Cora must have had a second daughter, who evidently married well.
  • Fred is correct in his negative summation of the trip to Durango, as the drive from Boulder is a 6 and half hour 'non stop', trip.
  • Mork says this would be his first Car Trip on Earth, so Mindy's driving to New Mexico with him for their break at The Lazy Hacienda Dude Ranch, (Mork's Vacation) must occur relatively shortly after this. As Mindy undertook it, in part to help them recover from their trip to Exidor's cabin (Skyflakes Keep Falling on My Head).
  • This will be the last time that Susan Taylor is mentioned in the show, appropriately still Man Mad 'visiting' the Denver Broncos.
  • This episode makes it fairly explicit from Mork's scoffing at Orson at the end that Nanu Nanu, should be spelled with U's not O's...

Pop Culture[]

  • Mork comes down singing it's A Long Way to Alpha Centurii, to the tune of It's A Long Way to Tipperary.
  • Mork uses his finger to call down his luggage from the attic to him, and calls himself the 'Doug Henning of the Skycaps'. Henning being probably the most famous Magician of the 1970s and a Skycap is a porter employed at a U.S. airport who handles luggage, .
  • Eager to get underway Mork sings a bar or two of Hit the Road Jack, a hit for Ray Charles in 1961.
  • He bursts into song again when Fred tells him he really doesn't want to go to Durango with them, singing 'Durango is my kind of town', to the tune of Sammy Kahn and Jimmy Van Heusen's 'My Kind of Town (Chicago)', made famous by Frank Sinatra in 1964.
  • Mork apologizes to Mindy for eavesdropping on her conversation about going to Durango the night before but says since Watergate everything's free. Another nod to the scandal that brought down Nixon.
  • Mork also references The Iranian Revolution talking about going to Iran to spend time on their road trip to watch the 'government's change'
  • Mork tells Mindy he can hold interesting conversations, even with Tom Snyder, the NBC talk show host, who the show will parody in Season 4's Gotta Run, Part 3.
  • Mork cites the unlikely double feature of Born Free (the 1966 movie about raising Lions in Africa) and Women in Chains (the 1972 Women's prison movie)
  • Given a drink with a little paper umbrella in it, Mork exclaims he didn't know they were in Little Tokyo, singing there's Noh Theatre like Noh Theatre...mixing up Japanese Noh Theatre with the Irving Berlin song There's No Business like Show Business.
  • Mork suggests that they should all play the board game Parcheesi when they reach Bickley's Apartment.
  • Mork tells him that silly cops is part of a 'new wave' and asks him hasn't he watched CHiPs? Poking fun at the NBC program.
  • Mindy calls Mork 'Mr Goodbar' referencing 'Looking for Mr Goodbar' the 1977 movie based on a true story (albeit one about a murder) involving a double life cruising single bars.
  • Mork alone at the end opines there are Millions of stories on this planet this has just been one of them Playing with the tagline for the old TV Show 'Naked City' "There are eight million stories in the naked city. This has been one of them."

Quotes[]

  • Mork: Look! I have my Instamatic Glove and I have a whole thumb load full of film.

__________________________________

  • Mork: I bought these silly clothes! I even made a map! Wait! It's topographical and scratch and smell! *opens it for Mindy* There's L.A.*sniffs* Whew! Bad News! *lays out the map* Settle here...look at this! *traces with his finger* We'll start out in Boulder, then we'll go a little bit out of the way to the Grand Canyon...canyon...canyon ....canyon. *zips finger across map* We'll go over here to New York, we'll spend Autumn in New York. Then we'll drive over to Paris. Spend spring in Paris and watch the leaves change then we'll go to Iran and watch the Government's change.

__________________________________

  • Mindy: No believe me, you don't want to go. Uncle Jack is a...a little strange.
  • Cora: No, I've never liked him since he spit on me.
  • Mork: Why did he do that?!
  • Cora: Well it was years ago, I had his tie.
  • Mork: What were you doing with his tie?
  • Cora: Well I was pulling it, tighter and tighter. I um...I had him a lovely shade of purple.
  • Fred: He had it coming, he was drunk.

____________________________________

  • Mork: Hey Mindy, let me lay out some cold hard facts. I'm the type of guy who is my own best friend. I'm interesting. I'm amazing. I can hold conversations even with Tom Snyder. Are you ever bored when you're alone with me?
  • Mindy: *bemused* Well...no...but that's not....
  • Mork: *cuts across her* Well neither am I!! Same guy! Same amazing personality!

____________________________________

  • Mindy: *at door* Well then, I'll see you Sunday night?
  • Mork: Ciao, have a fantastic time and don't worry about me because I have thousands of things to do. I'm going to build that nuclear reactor for the hot tub you've been wanting for a long time.
  • Mindy: *laughs* Okay! *heads out*
  • Mork: Take care!
  • Mindy: Alright, bye.
  • Mork: Bye! *closes door, smiles, sighs and looks around* I'M SO STINKING BORED!!

____________________________________

  • Bickley: Mork there are certain things you should never do in this world if you want to stay in this world. Never gargle with Crazy glue....
  • Mork: *scribbling* Crazy glue...
  • Bickley: Never tap-dance in a mine field
  • Mork: Alright...no tea for two or *mimics explosion*
  • Bickley: And never chide a man with a tattoo on his face! Even if he's dead!

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