| "Time Slipper Slip-Up" | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode #22 (#22) in series (26 episodes) | |
 | |
| "The Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour" episode | |
| Guest Star(s): | Frank Welker Ralph James |
| Network: | ABC-TV |
| Production code: | 1x22 |
| Writer(s) | |
| Director | |
| Original airdate | December 4, 1982 |
IMDB 
|
Time Slipper Slip-Up |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Extra-Terrestial Toddler" | "Super Mork" |
| List of Mork & Mindy seasons/episodes | |
Time Slipper Slip-Up is a Mork and Mindy episode from The Mork & Mindy/Laverne & Shirley/Fonz Hour, also the 22nd overall episode in the series.
Summary[]
To learn more about ancient Egypt for a school project, Mork uses his time-travel slippers to send himself, Mindy and Doing back in time. Unfortunately, a pharaoh imprisons them and steals Mork's slippers.
Plot[]
At Mt. Mount, Mork & Mindy's English Lit class is finishing up, with the assignment facing the class a report on life in Ancient Egypt, their teacher strongly suggesting that they research it properly. Springing up, Mork tells him he's already done that, his Dad having took him back to Ancient Egypt when he was bigger than he was now. Mindy cringing notably at his outburst. Hamilton mocking him, saying his father took him to Ancient Mars, the class laughing at an embarrassed Mork.
As they walk home, Mindy wonders why he made up that story but he asserts to his Little Mama that it's true, grabbing her hand and pulling her after him, saying if she comes home with him now he'll prove it. Up in his attic room in Mindy's House, Mork shows off his flashy red sequined slippers, telling her that every Orkan owns a pair, and all he has to do is wiggle his toes. Doing so, to Mindy's alarm, he vanishes in a sparking puff of smoke. A few seconds later in another similar display of pyrotechnics he appears, dressed in a Pilgrim hat and locked in a pair of stocks, declaring that the Puritans did not like strangers. Unlocking him, Mindy asks him what happened, Mork replying he took a wrong turn at the Alamo. A moment later he tells her he just got a zippy idea. Why don't they zip back to Ancient Egypt to do their research for their school report. Laughing nervously, she tells him it sounds like a great idea but...and no further, as he grabs her hand with one hand, and Doing with the other, asserting 'No, Buts!' and takes them back through the Time Vortex with him to the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes.
A city that is deeply afflicted by drought, where it hasn't rained for 7 years. Not that that stops the Pharaoh and his family from gorging themselves inside their Palace. Though the appearance of Mork, Mindy and Doing on their table manages that feat just fine. Mork greeting the alarmed Pharaoh, apologizing for disturbing their dinner, the Pharaoh angrily pointing out it was their breakfast. His wife even more annoyed at the fact that the new arrivals have spilled their precious water. Pharaoh's son, who looks and sounds remarkably like an Egyptian Hamilton, and is named Hamilkamun, snidely suggests to his father that he have them thrown in the Dungeon. As wasting water is a crime, it's a suggestion Pharaoh readily agrees to. Until his wife catches sight of Mork's shiny slippers. Prevailing on her husband, King Rutfunkamun, King Rut, to give them to her, he orders a guard to do so, taking them off Mork's feet. As they're dragged away, Mindy wonders how they'll ever get home without his slippers. He's not sure, but tells her that the Queen better not wiggle her toes!
Later, a captured Doing is put into Mork & Mindy's dungeon cell, happy to be reunited with his master. Both Doing's arrival and the delivery of their basket meal through the slot in the door giving Mork an idea. Pretending to eat the food while throwing it out, Mork calls out compliments to the Chef Person, while ordering Doing into the basket to hide, then sliding the compressed Hibijonee in a basket back out through the door slot, while calling for seconds. After the guard retrieves the basket and carries it away through the dungeon, Doing slips back out and returns to the door, using his multifunctional tail like a key to open the lock on Mork & Mindy's cell. Compliment Doing, Mork suggests to Mindy it's time to make tracks and get his time slippers back.
Hiding in the bushes outside the Pharaohs thrown room, Mork, Mindy and Doing spy and listen in as the Queen yawns and tells her family goodnight, she's going to her room. Mindy bemoans the fact that she's going to the woman's quarters, and they'll never get past the guards outside that. But Mork is far more optimistic, telling her to never ever, say never ever. And he has a sure fire plan. Up at the Queen's private apartments, the guards on duty are approached by two slave girls carrying jugs of oil. One a lot more attractive than the other. Mork having donned a slave girls dress, and using Doing's head as a red afro like wig. Not that that stops one of the guards from hitting on him, stroking his 'hair', Doing less than appreciative of it, as Mork suggests they can meet under the Pyramids later. After, Mindy reminds them, they deliver the Queen's body oil. Sneaking into her bedroom, the Queen already asleep, they spot the slippers on the step up to her luxurious bed. As Mork bends to pick them up however, Doing's head rolls off of his and lands on the Queen's chest, waking her. Doing grinning and waggling his eyebrows at her, resulting in her sitting up and screaming like a Banshee. Clinging to one another in fright, Mork & Mindy can only stand there as the guards return to grab them both, immediately noticing now that Mork is a man. On hearing both his wife's cry and the discovery of a Man in the woman's quarters, the Pharaoh is infuriated. When Hamilkamun sees who it is, he suggests that his father seal them in the snake chamber of his Pyramid, Rutfunkamun again taking his son's advice.
Out in the desert, among the Pyramids, Mork, Mindy & Doing are pushed into the heart of the snake filled chamber, the guards laughing off Mork's demands to see the Orkan Ambassador, telling them they won't see anyone, ever. They also warn them not to bother trying to escape. If the snakes don't get them, they still won't get out of the pyramid. Every passageway is booby trapped. Retracting the bridge, they leave them in the heart of the pit of cobras. Seeing no way across, Mindy feels they may actually have had it this time. Looking to Doing, Mork tells the Hibijonee that it's up to him, that his super adaptable tail is their only chance. Moving to the edge of the pit, Doing aims his tail for the gap where the bridge was, getting his tail through and around a stone light fitting on the hallway outside, creating a tightrope.
Gingerly navigating their way across, first Mindy then Mork manages to walk over the snakes below them, before Doing unsticks his suction cup like feet and recoils backwards across the pit, Mork catching him on the far side. Starting to run through the corridors in an effort to get back to the palace to retrieve his slippers, they start setting off the booby traps the guard told them about. Segments of the ceiling falling, narrowly missing them. Walls slamming in, just about avoiding crushing them. And a giant boulder rolling after them down a corridor...Mindy yelling that it's closing in on them. Telling her to run, run, run, Mork prays to Zippy the Bold that his finger has had enough time to recharge, before turning to run backwards, swiping at the boulder, chopping it down more and more with each strike of his finger fueled hand, until he runs out of power again. Catching up with Mindy and Doing they all squeeze against the side of the hallway they're in, the rock ball sufficiently reduced in width that it rolls past them, and smashes into the wall at the end of the corridor, breaking through it, and out of the pyramid. Freeing them.
Unfortunately, they still have the desert to negotiate, and despite setting out an eager on the 'triple' run, they are soon all flagging on the hot Egyptian sands. Dehydrated and exhausted, Mindy starts to wobble, before telling Mork she'll never make it to the palace, collapsing into his arms. Encouraging her, he asks her what the Orkan Motto is. Never say never ever, she recalls, Mork nodding and smiling to his 'main earthling' as he points, Mindy looking to see 'Ali Blabbers Used Chariot Lot'.
Carrying the near passed out Mindy in his arms, Mork approaches Mr. Blabber and asks him how much a used chariot would cost them? Blabber walks to the chariots, Mork carrying Mindy walking after him, as the salesman points out the 'bargain of the week' a chariot owned by a little old lady from Suez, only 20 dinar. Mork, not knowing what a dinar is, asks, and Blabber shows him the golden coin, Mork happily replying that's no problem and using his finger to replicate thousands of them. Blabber, half buried in them, tells him that's the exact right amount, 20 Thousand Dinar. Later, Mork pulls the chariot, carrying Mindy and Doing, back within range of the Palace, where his Time Slippers are. As he enthuses about that fact, Mindy and Doing point, alarmed, to the hills around them, a large number of armed men pouring over the crests. The Pharaoh, with his family, orders them captured, the guards swords drawn surrounding them quickly.
As Mork notes they're trapped like rats on a sinking chariot, this time, Pharaoh informs them, they will have no chance to escape, and will spend the rest of their lives as galley slaves, ordering them taken away. Mindy however, finally loses her temper with him, telling him she's had it with his royal nastiness, and informing him that he's messing around with the great God Fromork. Blustering that with one point of his funny finger he can end the drought and bring them tonnes of water. Hoping privately to herself that that is true, Mork beams that his Mind Mind is clever clever, and fires off his finger creating a rain storm over the city, the water pouring down onto the land and the cheering crowd of guards below. Pharaoh immediately declaring him a god and ordering his men to bow down to Mork, and ordering his carvers to create a royal statue of him.
Back in Mt. Mount High, in English Lit. class however, Mork's teacher is far less impressed, angrily decrying Mork's continued time travel stories about observing life in Ancient Egypt. Failing his report and telling a cringing Mork that unless he admits his report about travelling back there is just his imagination he'll have to stay after school. However, as his teacher sits back down to his Egyptian History book on his desk, he turns the page to see a photo of a statue of an unknown Egyptian God, recovered from the tomb of Rutfunkamun, that looks exactly like a royal version of Mork. Deeply flustered, he dismisses the class immediately. Mork included.
School over, Mork and Mindy walk home together hand in hand, Mindy amused at how he managed to do it again. Saving them from Ancient Egypt and getting the teacher to pass him on his report. Mork counters her however, saying that it was actually her that saved them from Ancient Egypt, happily noting what a great team they make.
Goofs[]
- Hamilton references his father taking him to Ancient Mars, and Mindy of Mork why he had to make up 'that silly story' about his father taking him to Ancient Egypt. But Mork never mentions his father when he talks about having travelled back in time to Egypt.
- The Beggar in Ancient Egypt pleads for Water 'For the Love of Allah', but Ancient Egypt was a Polytheistic society worshipping multiple, anthropomorphized Gods. There was no 'Allah'.
Trivia[]
Orkan 'Facts'[]
- Zippy the Bold, Squellman's father, gets yet another mention. This time, in relation to being prayed to that Mork's finger has had enough time to recharge.
General[]
- The story writer is unaccredited.
- The slippers are a near identical allusion to the ruby red loafers that Mork dons multiple times in the 4th season of the series proper (Long Before We Met / Gotta Run, Part 3) the ruby time-travel slippers that he wore several times in season 4 of the live-action series. There they were loafers where Mork had to click his heels to activate them, ala Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, here they are bedroom slippers where he wiggles his toes.
- Mindy in her angry tirade, refers to Mork as the great god 'Fromork', the 'surname' that is mistakenly ascribed to Mork when he accidentally joins the U.S. Airforce, as Lt. Fromork in Season 2's 'The Mork Syndrome'
Pop Culture[]
- Mork declares 'Back! Back! And Away!' as he and Mindy fly back and time through the Vortex to Ancient Egypt. Paraphrasing Superman's traditional 'Up! Up! And Away!' when he takes flight.
- While trying to escape the pyramid Mork encourages Mindy and Doing to hurry up using the Italian 'Avanti!'
- The boulder chasing Mork & Mindy down the corridor is an homage to Raiders of the Lost Ark which only came out in cinemas the year before the animated series aired.
- 'Ali Blabber' is obviously a play on Ali Baba, and the fact that Used Car Salesman mouth off rapidly and at length in their sales pitches.
- His pitch about the used chariot being owned by a 'Little Old Lady from Suez' is a play on the Beach Boys Hit, Little Old Lady from Pasadena and her Thunderbird. Suez had become famous in the late 50's after a stand off between Israel, Britain, France and Egypt around Suez Canal, after the latter nationalized it as part of their countries territory.
Gallery[]
Cast[]
- Robin Williams as Mork
- Pam Dawber as Mindy
- Frank Welker as Doing
- Ralph James as Orson