Mork In Love

"Mork In Love"
Season 1, Episode #5 (#5) in series (95 episodes)
Mork "falls in love" with Dolly, a mannequin from the music store in "Mork in Love" in Season 1 (ep.#5).
"Mork & Mindy" episode
Guest Star(s):	None
Network:	ABC-TV
Production code:	105 (1-5)
Writer(s)	Lloyd Turner & Gordon Mitchell
Director	Harvey Medlinsky
Original airdate	October 5, 1978
IMDB	Mork In Love
Episode chronology
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"Mork Runs Away"	"Mork's Seduction"
List of Mork & Mindy seasons/episodes

Mork in Love is the fifth episode of Season 1 of Mork and Mindy, also the fifth overall series episode. Co-written by Lloyd Turner and Gordon Mitchell, the episode, which was directed by Harvey Medlinsky, first aired on ABC-TV on October 5, 1978.

Synopsis

Answering Mork's curiosity about love, Mindy tells him he won't ever really know what it is to be human unless he experiences it for himself. With typical haste Mork goes straight out and does just that, his choice of lady love weird even by his standards. Meanwhile as Mindy struggles with her return to college plans, Fred intends to arrive at his Class Reunion in style in a new luxury car.

Plot

In Mindy's apartment, with Mork out, heading out of her bedroom Mindy finds his spacesuit hanging from one of her plants. Trying to put it away however, proves somewhat problematic, as, rather disconcertingly it keeps making noises and quivering whenever she approaches it. When Mork returns she watches in wonder as he and the suit appear to have a conversation. He explains that the suit is actually a living organism made up of billions of tiny cells. After he tells her his observation of rush hour traffic didn't go so well, and that he went to a movie called 'Here Comes The Fleet' instead. When she proclaims she's both seen and loves that movie, he has a few questions for her. Then queries her about the motivations' of characters 'Biff & Margie' who had a huge fight when they first met and yet ended up going on a date in the next scene. That, she says, is because they were falling in love. Which leads to Mork's next casual line of enquiry. What is love? Having heard of it as an emotion but that is all. Mindy informs him that if he wants to be an Earthling he will just have to experience love. As he considers this, he makes a connection and following her asks her if love leaves to mating? Knowing she is on dangerous ground, she replies honestly that it does, then finds the ground pulled right from under her when he announces he's been wanting to try that and when can they start? She is further flustered when Mork tells her he wants to send a report on the mating back to Orson, complete with slides and video, but is rescued from the situation when Mork's suit starts kvetching in the Armoire.

Outside the Music Store, Fred is trying to make his way past a group of Hare Krishna dancing and chanting outside, while inside Cora is dusting down the new window display, a female mannequin with a harp. Cora is not particularly impressed at the display which is attracting nothing but dust and flies as far as she is concerned. But Fred is in too good a mood to be brought down. After years of scrimping and saving he has managed to get 2,300 dollars enough to be able to buy his dream car, a brand new Cadillac, and just in time to take it to his High School Reunion. Cora is perplexed he's even going, as she thought he hated high school, but Fred corrects her, saying it wasn't high school he hated, but Forest Collins, a big bully who made his life a misery in High School, and told him he wouldn't amount to anything, something her daughter, Elizabeth, Fred's late wife and Mindy's mother, had never told Cora. That, Fred says, was because he never told Elizabeth, but that's all behind him because he's going to that reunion in his new car, and his mood cannot be spoiled. That is until Mork arrives looking for Mindy. Cora tells him she's out on an errand but should be back soon. So he takes the opportunity to ask Cora about Love, and how you know you've met the person you will fall in love with. Cora promises him that he'll know when he's met the right one, though she confuses matters somewhat for him, when he asks her did she know the moment she met Mr Hudson her late husband, telling him yes, it took fifteen years for them to know it was love at first sight.

Back at the apartment Mindy is anxiously going through her mail, looking for, finding and being disappointed by a response she's received. Her downbeat mood is immediately apparent to Mork, who, when she says she's disappointed in the mail, misunderstands and riffs on how females are universally disappointed by males. After explaining it's the other 'mail' she tells him that she never finished college because she didn't know what she wanted to do, but now she knows that she wants to go back and get her degree in journalism and she'd applied for a scholarship....as she's telling him this though, Mork has started to flutter back and forth excitedly between the couch and the door till she gives up and asks him what he's doing. To which he tells her, making a fool out of himself, which he says he understands is common given the circumstances. When she asks him what he means he tells her that he took her advice and went out and 'fell in love.

Mindy is understandably exceptionally dubious, despite Mork's hyper reaction, telling him he can't be madly in love with someone he's just met, that love takes time! But Mork says she wont' say that once she's met Dolly and tells her she's out in the hallway. Mindy tells him to bring her in, that he shouldn't have left her out there alone, but understands immediately why Dolly's not upset when he opens the door to Fred's shop window mannequin.

A little later Mindy watches in mild exasperation as Mork tangos with Dolly in front of her, before she turns off the music and approaches him, saying she needs to have a talk with him. She tells him straight out he can't have a meaningful relationship with a mannequin, but he doesn't understand why. She answers that you can't love an inanimate object, but he argues that she says loves books and movies, which she says is different. When he asks isn't his love for Dolly different too, she points out it's way too different. With it not really impacting on him, and her day kind of sucking, Mindy decides to head out leaving Mork to sweettalk Dolly.

Back at the music store Fred is mystified why anyone would steal his mannequin, but is picking up his Cadillac later and isn't going to let it upset him. A downbeat Mindy enters, both Fred and Cora noticing immediately and asking her what's wrong. Mindy tells him she'd be hoping to surprise him, by going back to college, which he reacts to with delight, but she tells him her plans have collapsed because the scholarship she was trying for didn't come through and she can't afford the tuition. When Fred asks her if it had been a dream of hers, Mindy smiles ruefully and says it was. He asks her how much she needs, and she tells him the scholarship was for around 2000 dollars. Fred waits a moment and then tells her it's her lucky day, that he's been putting aside money for her since she was a little girl, and he presents her with his bank book with his 2,300 for his car in it. Mindy is overjoyed, hugging her father, telling him it's incredible, which an onlooking Cora seconds. Floating on air, Mindy rushes out to head to the campus to sign up, leaving a hacked off Cora to approach Fred, miffed that he's ruined her perspective of him as an absolute wiener by doing something so nice.

Back at the apartment Cora spills the beans to Mindy and Mork about what the money was actually for, and what Fred really did for her. Mindy is amazed by her father, and Cora admits that despite how he sometimes come across Fred is a good man. Mork watches in slight confusion as, when Mindy says she'll return the money, Cora tells Mindy adamantly that she must not give Fred the money back, that her reaction when he gave her the money made Fred happier and prouder than a new car ever could. She also tells Mindy if she wants to make her happy not to ever tell Fred that she was the one who told her. When Mindy asks her why, Cora tells her that she knows way down that Fred really loves her and she doesn't want to do anything to ruin their rotten relationship.

Mork's confusion is voiced after Cora goes, and he asks Mindy about Cora & Fred's relationship, how they act towards one another, yet despite Fred calling her names/avoiding her, he still loves her. Mindy explains that Fred & Cora need each other, and that is what love is all about. Mork smiles and suggests that's just like him and Dolly. Rolling her eyes, Mindy tells him that whatever about the rest of the universe on Earth there is a big difference between a living woman and a mannequin. After a second she tells him to go get her, she wants to show him something. Fetching Dolly from the Armoire he sets her on the couch, with Mork sitting between her and Dolly. She tells him to hold Dolly's hand, which he does, finding it pleasant, then she tells him to hold her hand...which he finds even nicer, and the fingers separate. She tells him to hug Dolly, which he does, finding it 'not bad'...then Mindy tells him she wants him to give her a hug, which he does, to his great enjoyment, commenting that it's very very nice.

Pulling back she tells him that finally, she wants him to give Dolly a kiss. Querying whether it should be just like the movies, she gives him the go ahead, and he plants a full on passionate screen kiss on the mannequin, before immediately swinging back to Mindy and checking eagerly if it's her turn with no prompting. Laughing and nodding, she waits for him to slide over and after a moment the lean in to kiss for the first time. As he pulls back she asks him if he sees the difference, but gets no answer as he stands up quivering and quaking excitedly, starting to shake all over...genetic memory, and primitive stirrings, taking hold. Getting a hold of himself after a few moments, he looks between Dolly and Mindy and tells her that he thinks he understands, that love for a real human being is much better than for a plaster replica. Asking her if he and Dolly can be alone for a moment, a still rather bemused Mindy heads out to the grocery store so he can 'break up' with Dolly.

The Episode ends with a perplexed Orson taking in a silent Mork standing there sniffing a white carnation. When he asks Mork what's wrong with him, Mork replies nothing, maybe he's just in love. When Orson queries as to whether that is an emotion, Mork rambles about what love is, quoting songs. When Orson tells him his report isn't making sense, Mork tells him that Earthlings will tell you that love doesn't make sense. Orson asks him if there is anything similar to it on Earth, and Mork says no but describes the symptoms, hot and sweaty, can't eat, can't sleep, and feel dizzy all the time, which to Orson sounds like the bout of Venusians Revenge Mork picked up on Venus. Orson decides Orkans made the right decision to give up emotions, Mork isn't so sure, remarking that even though he's more advanced than humans, sometimes he feels so primitive. Orson tells him he doesn't understand, and Mork tells him neither does he. But he's not afraid.

Trivia

Orkan 'Facts'

• Mork reveals that his spacesuit is a living organism. (However this seems to have been forgotten in later episodes)
• Orkans abolished emotions a billion bleams ago after a vote.
• The first mention of the Orkan 'Hibijonee' species, which like Earth dogs, appear to have different breeds. In this case the extinct 'Wingless Hibijonee'.

General

• Mork and Mindy kiss for the First time
• Fred's middle initial is C. Frederick C. McConnell
• This is the first time Mindy's mother is mentioned, her name revealed by Cora to have been Elizabeth. Fred & Elizabeth evidently having been high school sweethearts, as Fred never told her he was being bullied by Forest while it was happening.
• When Mork breaks into a cheerleading routine, he says "F" followed by "U." This was one of their ways of sneaking risqué material past the network censors.
• The Lolita gag, was a Robin Williams' ad lib, which caught Pam Dawber unawares, as they had rehearsed several other joke responses through the week, all of which she was prepared for, only for him to throw that one in during filming, so her reaction and laugh is entirely genuine.

Pop Culture

• Mork greets Mindy by saying, "Babalú," a famous song and word popularized by Desi Arnaz on "I Love Lucy."
• Mork says he saw the movie "Here Comes the Fleet." From the title and description, it seems to be an amalgam of the 1934 James Cagney film Here Comes the Navy.and Fred Astaire & Ginger Roger's 1936 classic Follow The Fleet with a character name taken from first, but the fight between the lovers coming from the second.
• Mork dances with Dolly to the famous tango "La cumparsita." He and Captain Nirvana would later dance to the same song in Mork vs. The Necrotons as part of their duel.
• Cora refers to Fred as a BB Stacker naval slang for a crazy person (who stacks bombs on top of each other).
• Mork references Lolita Vladimir Nabokov's infamous 1955 novel, when Mindy tries to talk about a Father's love for his Daughter, definitely not the kind of love she meant.
• Just as he starts to 'break up' with Dolly, Mork hums a bar of (Where Do I Begin?) Love Story the Theme from the 1970 movie Love Story starring Ali McGraw & Ryan O'Neal, which will be referenced again in Season 4s Three the Hard Way
• During the 'break up' he also references Linda Blair comparing the way Dolly's ankles turn around backwards to her, in allusion to her starring role in 1973s The Exorcist
• In his report, Mork refers to love as being a 'Many Splendored Thing' a reference to the 1955 movie Love is a Many Splendored Thing starring William Holden and Jennifer Jones, and it's theme song the song Love is a Many Splendored Thing by Sammy Fain & Paul Francis Webster which was also used over the opening shots of the movie Grease in 1978,
• In the same report, he also references Love Is All You Need a line from the 1967 Beatles song All You Need Is Love the Beatles and 1975s Love Will Keep Us Together by the Captain & Tenille.

Quotes

• Mindy: Mork, you talk to your spacesuit?
  Mork: Of course. It spoke first, I'd be rude not to reply.

______________________

• Mindy: How'd your observation of traffic go today?
  Mork: Oh, not very well. Why do they call it "rush hour" when nothing moves?

______________________

• Mindy: Well Mork, if you wanna be an earthling, you're just gonna have to experience love.
  Mork: Oh. Ah! Does this love lead to mating?
  Mindy: Yes.
  Mork: Oh good, because I've been wanting to try that. When can we start?
• Mindy?: When can we start?
• Mork: Oh wow! Deja vu!

______________________

• Fred: *about Hare Krishnas* I'd give them money if they'd just learn another song!

______________________

• Cora: Now, why do you need a car three blocks long when you only live a block-and-a-half away?

______________________

• Fred: But look, I've saved my money and I'm getting my Cadillac and there's nothing that anyone can say that can stand in the way of my happiness.
• Mork: *enters* Hello Daddy!
• Fred: Except that.

______________________

• Mork: What seems to be the matter?
  Mindy: Oh, I'm just disappointed in the mail.
  Mork: Ah, then let me teach you something. You see, it's common throughout the universe for the female of the species to be disappointed in the male. The nimnul factor's omnipresent, and they can be such beasts sometimes.

______________________

• Mindy: Mork, you can't love an inanimate object.
  Mork: Why not? You say you love your book.
  Mindy: That's different.
  Mork: And you said you loved Here Comes the Fleet.
  Mindy: That's different too!
  Mork: Isn't my love for Dolly different?
  Mindy: That's too different!

Promo

Mork & Mindy - Mork In Love - Episode Promo

ABC Promo for Mork In Love (Followed by promos for What's Happening!!, Barney Miller, and Soap)

Image Gallery

Cast

Starring:

• Robin Williams as Mork
• Pam Dawber as Mindy
• Conrad Janis as Fred McConnell
• Elizabeth Kerr as Cora Hudson
• Ralph James as Orson