"Mork & Mindy": Season One | |
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![]() "Mork and Mindy" Season 1 DVD cover. | |
Season Information | |
Episodes | 25 aired |
Network/Air Dates | ABC-TV, September 14, 1978 - May 10, 1979 |
Season Guide | |
Previous | None - First season |
Next | Season 2 |
Season One Promotional Interviews[]
Link above to a series of Season One Promotional Interviews with Robin Williams & Pam Dawber prior to the launch of the show in the summer of 1978..

"Mork and Mindy"' | |
TV season guide |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Also see: Animated Series |
Season one of Mork and Mindy began airing on September 14, 1978 on ABC. The first season concluded after 25 episodes on May 10, 1979.
Main Characters[]
- Robin Williams as Mork
- Pam Dawber as Mindy McConnell
- Elizabeth Kerr as Cora Hudson
- Conrad Janis as Fred McConnell
- Ralph James as Orson
Recurring Guest Stars[]
- Robert Donner as Exidor (Various episodes)
- Morgan Fairchild as Susan Taylor (various episodes)
- Jeffrey Jacquet as Eugene (various episodes)
- Tom Poston as Mr. Bickley (various episodes)
Notable Guest Stars[]
- Henry Winkler as Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli - Pilot
- Penny Marshall as Laverne De Fazio (Pilot episode)
- Jeff Altman as Clint Mullet - Mork Goes Public
- David Letterman as Ellsworth in Mork Goes Erk
Season 1 (1978-1979)[]
Season 1 episodes | ||||||
No. in series | No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
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1
2 |
1
2 |
"The Mork & Mindy Special" (Parts 1 & 2) | Howard Storm | Dale McRaven | September 14, 1978 | 101 (1x1) 102 (1x2) |
Misfit Orkan Mork is assigned to observe the planet Earth by his Elders. Landing near Boulder Lake Colorado, he meets Mindy McConnell stranded there by her lecherous date who took her jeep, and walks with her into town. At Mindy's apartment, she discovers Mork is an alien, and offers to help him study Earth. Something he clearly needs recounting to her a story about a previous visit to Earth when Arthur Fonzarelli arranged a date for him with Laverne De Fazio. However, when Mindy's overprotective, and prudish father, Fred, discovers that Mindy has spent the night with Mork, a guy he considers a deadbeat, and he's staying in her apartment, Fred's friend Deputy Tilwick offers to scare Mork off. But on meeting him Tilwick believes Mork is insane and tries to have him committed.
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3 | 3 | "Mork Moves In" | Howard Storm | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | September 21, 1978 | 103 (1x3) |
Orson contacts Mork stating that the elders have lost Mork's last report causing Mork to replay his report to Orson. After Mindy is constantly hounding by Fred, to get Mork out of her apartment, Mork makes the decision to leave rather than cause trouble between her and her father, despite her not wanting him to leave. But Mork's plans are complicated when he becomes drunk ("bezurb") on the ginger ale Mindy offers him.
Note: Fred discovers Mork is an Alien | ||||||
4 | 4 | "Mork Runs Away" | Joel Zwick | April Kelly | September 28, 1978 | 104 (1x4) |
After unintentionally losing Mindy a date, an upset Mindy cites Mork's presence as a reason for the decline of her love life since he moved in. Taking it to heart, not wanting her upset, and without telling her, Mork decides to move out. While looking for a flop house, he stumbles upon Exidor, the delusional leader (and only tangible member) of "The Friends of Venus".
Note: The first appearance of crazed street preacher, Exidor. | ||||||
5 | 5 | "Mork In Love" | Harvey Medlinsky | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | October 5, 1978 | 105 (1x5) |
When Mork expresses interest in love and mating, Mindy tells Mork that he has to experience love in order to understand the human experience. Taking her advice to heart, he goes straight out and 'falls in love' with Dolly, a mannequin.
Note: Mork & Mindy kiss for the first time. | ||||||
6 | 6 | "Mork's Seduction" | Harvey Medlinsky | Neil Lebowitz | October 12, 1978 | 106 (1x6) |
A new customer at the music store turns out to be a High School 'friend' of Mindy's, Susan Taylor (played by Morgan Fairchild). Susan who has blossomed since her High School days, sets her sights on Mork, as revenge for Mindy "stealing" her boyfriend back in high school, and Mindy, though trying to deny it, finds herself jealous.
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7 | 7 | "Mork Goes Public" | Joel Zwick | David Misch & April Kelly | October 19, 1978 | 107 (1x7) |
At the music store, Mork has a run-in with Clint Mullet, a reporter for a tabloid that is offering $25,000 for proof of alien life. After Fred saves Mork's life, Mork decides to turn himself in to pay for Fred's plumbing bills, and Mindy's college tuition.
Guest Star: Jeff Altman as Clint Mullet | ||||||
8 | 8 | "To Tell the Truth" | Joel Zwick | April Kelly | November 2, 1978 | 108 (1x8) |
When Mork tricks Mindy into believing that he can predict the weather, Mindy tells him that he should never lie ("splinking"). The music store's despicable landlord Arnold Wanker dies while trying to evict Fred from the music store. Mork, hearing the family try to comfort his widow, assumes that Wanker is their friend, and brings him back from the dead. | ||||||
9 | 9 | "Mork the Gullible" | Howard Storm | Neil Lebowitz | November 9, 1978 | 109 (1x9) |
Mork learns something about gullibility when he ends up arrested for falling for a criminal's sob story enough to set him free. Mork soon ends up getting Exidor as a cellmate where Exidor is now worshiping O.J. Simpson | ||||||
10 | 10 | "A Mommy for Morky" | Howard Storm | Tom Tenowich | November 16, 1978 | 110 (1x10) |
When Mindy is reunited with her ex-fiancé, Dan (Barry Van Dyke), who has done a 180 and is keen to both marry, and more pertinently, immediately start a family with her, leaving her under pressure and wondering what she would be like as a mother, while Mork wonders what it would have been like to have had a mother. Mork kills two birds with one stone by using his Orkan Age Machine to regress himself to 3 years old and in Mindy's care, resulting in complications all around.
Note: The first appearance of Mork's Age Machine | ||||||
11 | 11 | "Mork's Greatest Hit" | Howard Storm | David Misch | November 23, 1978 | 111 (1x11) |
When Mindy's accosted by George, (Brion James), at a restaurant, Mork sits by as she's manhandled. Though he gets her out of it by unintentionally embarrassing the guy, the pacifist Orkan finds himself facing a fight on two fronts. Firstly in trying to get Mindy to understand the distinction between his non-violent Orkan philosophy and cowardice, and in dealing with a vengeful George stalking his every move | ||||||
12 | 12 | "Old Fears" | Howard Storm | April Kelly | November 30, 1978 | 112 (1x12) |
When a friend of Cora's passes away, she goes into a funk. When Mork hears she needs more friends her age, he decides to become one by using his Orkan Age Machine, only to find himself in trouble with Mindy & Fred when they discover what he's doing.
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13 | 13 | "Mork's First Christmas" | Jeff Chambers | Dale McRaven & Bruce Johnson | December 14, 1978 | 113 (1x13) |
Mork learns about the meaning of Christmas, and helps remind everyone else about it when he invites the obnoxious Susan Taylor to spend Christmas with the McConnell's because she's got no one to celebrate with.
Note: No report to Orson is made this episode | ||||||
14 | 14 | "Mork and the Immigrant" | Howard Storm | David O'Malley & April Kelly | January 11, 1979 | 114 (1x14) |
Mork has difficulty knowing when and where democratic principles are applied, and uses them to 'vote' a Russian immigrant Sergei Krushnev, into Mindy's apartment to live with them without discussing it with her, thinking Sergei is an alien like him. Further trouble ensues when Sergei tells Mork that 'aliens' need to be registered and he goes with him to the Immigration Office. | ||||||
15 | 15 | "Mork the Tolerant" | Howard Storm | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | January 18, 1979 | 115 (1x15) |
Mork attempts to show Mindy the value of tolerance towards others, both in the store and especially at home, where she is being increasingly irritated by her grouchy new downstairs neighbor Franklin Bickley. Despite her thinking it next to impossible to get through to Bickley, Mork is determined to be friends with him.
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16 | 16 | "Young Love" | Howard Storm | Tom Tenowich | January 25, 1979 | 116 (1x16) |
Mork misconstrues Eugene and his 'girlfriend' Holly's complaints about their parents rules as actual 'oppression', and on hearing how Eugene's older brother is 'free' having gotten married, performs a wedding ceremony on the 11 year olds. | ||||||
17 | 17 | "Skyflakes Keep Falling on My Head" | Howard Storm | Dale McRaven & Bruce Johnson | February 1, 1979 | 117 (1x17) |
Exidor tells Mork he is heading out of town on his newest quest, to become Emperor of Earth, and asks him to do a few errands while he's gone. In return Mork asks for the use of the summer home, Exidor says he has, so Mindy, who has been tired lately can get some R&R. But neither the journey there, or the summer home itself are as expected, and soon Mork & Mindy are facing into a potentially dangerous night, and some confessions.
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18 | 18 | "Mork Goes Erk" | Howard Storm | Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell | February 8, 1979 | 118 (1x18) |
Mindy is upset when Mork tells her Orson is transferring him to another planet permanently. It gets worse for her when she discovers he has the choice to stay but has chosen not to after seeing how upset she got and wants to protect her from getting more attached to him. Seeing how depressed those around her are, Susan Taylor gets him, Mindy, and Mr. Bickley to attend a seminar of ERK (short for Ellsworth Revitalization Konditioning) to help them cope. But the evening sees the tyrannical con artist Ellsworth meet his match in his alien patient, and a few home truths about his choice to leave coming home to roost for Mork.
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19 | 19 | "Yes Sir, That's My Baby" | Jeff Chambers | April Kelly | February 15, 1979 | 119 (1x19) |
Sally returns with her newborn son, and Mork loves him so much he wants a baby of his own. He ends up buying a baby from a shady character named Chuck Wilson for $10,000, unaware that Chuck Wilson is wanted by the FBI for various baby abductions. | ||||||
20 | 20 | "Mork's Mixed Emotions" | Jeff Chambers | Tom Tenowich & Ed Scharlach | February 22, 1979 | 120 (1x20) |
As her birthday approaches Mindy is planning to have a special celebratory evening with Mork alone. But, Mork, becomes disturbed after having an intimate and intense dream involving himself and Mindy full of jealousy, lust, and anger as he competed with himself for her affections. When she is unable to convince him that it was just a dream and having emotions is a good thing and not dangerous, he shuts his emotions off. Upset at the automaton he has turned himself into, Mindy tries various methods of breaking through to him, finally turning to what fueled his dream, coming on to and kissing him. Only for it to work too well, his long repressed emotions explosively released, but now the Orkan cannot control them, resulting in embarrassing shifts from moment to moment.
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21 | 21 | "Mork's Night Out" | Howard Storm | Dale McRaven & Bruce Johnson | March 8, 1979 | 121 (1x21) |
When Mindy goes away for the weekend for a family intervention that she cannot bring Mork along on, left alone for the first time he falls into an immediate extreme boredom. When his attempts to reach out to anyone to speak to, bring him into contact with Mr. Bickley, the two of them go to a bar for the night, not realizing it's a pick up joint. To Mr. Bickley's delight, they are targeted by an attractive mother and daughter, but they are not quite what they seem.
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22 | 22 | "In Mork We Trust" | Howard Storm | Michael Endler | March 15, 1979 | 122 (1x22) |
Things start disappearing from Mindy's apartment, putting Mork into detective mode, his accusatory investigation style causing problems with her friends. When they figure out that the common denominator for the disappearances appear to be Mr. Bickley's visits upstairs, the problem gets more serious when they discover Mork's age machine is missing, and Bickley, not knowing what it does, has started to mess with it., | ||||||
23 | 23 | "Mork Runs Down" | Howard Storm | Ben Starr | April 12, 1979 | 123 (1x23) |
Mork's attempt to find a new job is complicated by Orson informing him of his impending first "birthday". An event which on Ork is a condition that occurs every so often in an Orkan Life Cycle, that in effect the draining of his energy/life force, causing problems with his memory, the speed of his actions, and speech, and could be potentially fatal unless he recharges himself on the day with his egg-like "gleek".
Guest Starring: Susan Elliot as Rainbow | ||||||
24 | 24 | "It's a Wonderful Mork" | Howard Storm | Ed Scharlach & Tom Tenowich | May 3, 1979 | 124 (1x24) |
Mork wrecks Cora's chance of a new music student, then at one stroke inadvertently costs Fred a new relationship and Mindy a potential job. In the face of Mindy's anger, and the upset he's caused Mork informs Orson he wishes he had never come to Earth and asks to be recalled. In order for Mork to be sure of his decision to leave, Orson shows him what would have happened to Mindy and the others had he never been there.
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25 | 25 | "Mork's Best Friend" | Howard Storm | Simon Muntner | May 10, 1979 | 125 (1x25) |
Mork adopts a female pet caterpillar which he names Bob, building her a small house and car, and making Mindy 'the other woman'. Something she is far happier with then Exidor showing up, now believing in reincarnation, and announcing he is the reincarnation of Julius Caesar and she of Cleopatra. Still, however, not the strangest experience she has to deal with when, after Mork finds Bob lifeless, she and Mr. Bickley have to attend and speak at the memorial service the grieving Orkan arranges. |
References[]
See Also[]
- My Favorite Orkan - Happy Days pilot
- Mork Returns - 2nd Happy Days appearance
- Mork & Mindy: First Bleam - Extended, Uncensored Blooper Reel
- 1979 People's Choice Awards