Mork Gets Mindy-itis was the seventh episode in season 2 of Mork and Mindy, also the 32nd episode in the series overall.
Written by Tom Tenowich, the episode, directed by Howard Storm, first aired on ABC-TV on October 21, 1979.
After Mindy expresses how close she feels to Mork he starts suffering from uncontrollable fits of laughter (the Orkan equivalent to sneezing) whenever he's around her. Ruling out any change in what she's wearing, it gradually becomes evident that the problem is his proximity to Mindy herself Trying everything he can think of to cure himself, he turns to med student Jeanie and, unwisely, Exidor, complications ensuing when Mork engineers an injection of Mindy's DNA.
Plot[]
Mindy is counting seating in her apartment as an eager Mork enters, a wrapped present in hand for her. Touched he bought her a present, Mork rips it back out of her hands when she's too slow to open it and rips open the wrapping. Smiling, she reaches into the box, and pulls out a black mask, followed by thigh length black heeled boots, and a black bikini, the top of which Mork describes as 'headphones'. Still smiling, if bemused, she asks him why he bought her these things. He confesses he overheard her say she was having an affair and didn't have anything to wear, and while he was taking a cab ride with a driver 'named' Allo, he told him about it, and he took Mork to a "specialty" shop run by a guy called 'Lumpy'. Mindy explains she's hosting a political affair, a very different thing. But Mork says Lumpy assured him that politicians were some of his best customers. Mindy says this one is for cousin Nelson Flavor (Jim Staahl), still in the midst of his run for Boulder City Council, hosting a reception so he can meet some local business leaders. Mork says he's never been to a political affair before, neither has she remarks Mindy which is why she's finding it so hard to get everything sorted. Mork happily offers to help but she can't think of anyway he can. His prior track record involving a surprise party for Remo where everyone was invited bar Remo, and his jokey political themed menu don't help much, and he feels he's not really much help. But Mindy soothes him, saying at least he always gives it a good shot, and is genuine when she says she doesn't know what she would do without him. When she hugs him, he starts to laugh, and looking slightly offended she asks him what's so funny. Nothing, he says in confusion, telling her that was a sneeze, reminding her of what happened when he had a cold (Mork in Wonderland, Part 1), but its odd he thinks as he doesn't have a cold. Looking about he wonders if he's allergic to something.
A knock at the door heralds Nelson's arrival and as Mindy makes a beeline to hide Mork's 'gift', Nelson decides, on Mork's Nanu Nanu and to Mork's enjoyment, that Mork is of Italian background. Mindy asks her cousin what brings him by, and he's been out in the neighborhood looking for support, more agreeing one should never run without support. As Mindy moves back to them, Nelson tells them that he wants the common man to know Nelson Flavor, and that he cares. Upon which Mork laughs uproariously. Mindy poking him in the back gets him to try and hold in his sneezes. Nelson eyes Mork wanting to know if he said something funny? Mindy covers saying that Mork's laughing because he's happy and he's happy because Nelson's running for City Council. Sending him into the kitchen to get some water, Mindy leads Nelson to the couch, who admits that he hasn't lost a contest since he beat out his sister as their mother's favorite. As Mork returns with a jug of water and some glasses for them all he takes a seat beside Mindy to listen to the slogan that Nelson's been working on, giggling a little. Nelson reads his slogan 'Nelson Flavor he'll do it your way." and Mork bursts into laughter. As he continues Nelson starts to get offended and accuses Mork of making fun of him, getting up he leaves telling Mindy he'll see her at the fundraiser, but hopefully not Mork. Mindy, finding Nelson's reaction funny, still figures they're really going to have to do something about Mork's allergies or it could turn into a real problem. But Mork looks unsettled, having just realized something, the closer he gets to her the more sneezes. He demonstrates by stepping close to her, and immediately laughs. Mork suggests maybe its something she's wearing, like perfume, but she's not wearing any. Hairspray? She doesn't use it. And her lip gloss is hypoallergenic. Mork looks crestfallen, but concludes, starting to laugh as he moves closer to her again, that he must be allergic, to her.
At the NY Deli later, Jeanie notices a forlorn looking Mork sitting at the counter nursing a glass of ginger ale, and approaches him, asking him if something's wrong. He tells her he has an allergy, and she immediately advises allergy shots. Explaining to him, that that is when the Doctor gives you small amounts of whatever you're allergic to, gradually getting larger, to try and build up a tolerance. Mork brightens asking if that cures it, and is over the moon when she says there's a real good chance, launching himself at her and kissing her all over as Remo comes back in and tells Mork to quit it. But Mork is already half way out of the place saying he's "Going to get a shot of Mindy with a water back!" On hearing that Jeanie calls him back, when he tells her its Mindy he's allergic to, Jeanie gets more serious saying that changes things and tells him about a couple whose 10 year marriage ended when the husband developed an allergic reaction to his wife, and were forced to split up and never saw each other again. Hit with that blow, Mork heads right back to the counter, Remo handing him back his ginger ale. As he sits, Exidor bursts in struggling past his 'entourage', Mork greets him, and Jeanie has her first encounter with Exidor who asks her for a table for twelve. Jeanie looks around for the other ten bar him and Mork, and Exidor accuses her of being racist discriminating against his entourage because of their color (translucent). Going to a table with Mork, he tells him he's a changed man, that he's living in a boss new pad and wants Mork to come visit him at it. When Jeanie tells him neither Wildebeest or Cricket Lips or on the menu he flounces out, but not before giving Mork his card, the sign he's taken off the building for the Boulder Arms Apartments, then hands him the room number, literally.
Back at the apartment, Mindy is on the phone trying to finalize arrangements for food for the fundraiser the following night, when Mork enters wearing scuba gear to try and combat his allergy. Going to him Mindy tells him she's been worried about him ever since he left, but taking the breather out he tells her it'll be fine, just like it was before he was sick. Mindy jokes that the sound his breather is making, are like a heavy breather call she had the previous night. Following him as he moves through the apartment, she tells him no one wants him to live with her more than she does but he can't spend his life in a scuba outfit. He can he says if he only talks for 3 seconds. Telling him that's ridiculous, they have to find another way, she watches as he takes off the mask and breather and responds he can always hold his breath. Now *that* she says is ridiculous, only to notice that's exactly what he's doing. Remarking that he's going to hurt himself, she sees him starting to turn red, and tells him rapidly they'll find some way to cure him, it might take time but they'll find it. As Mork's eyes start to roll back in his head, she grabs a hold of him trying to get him to stop, and as his arm goes around her he passes out, dragging her to the floor on top of him. As the breather falls from his mouth, he laughs uncontrollably with her lying on him, and she brushes his face, hating to see him suffer like that. She helps him up and Mork runs for the door, saying he has to get out of there, and tells her he'll go to Exidor's. With nothing else to be done she tells him she's going to miss him, and he gives her Exidor's 'card' where she can send his things Asking him to call her, Mindy sits down on the step looking at the 'card' dejected.
Mork arrives at Exidor's new apartment, but isn't wholly welcomed as Exidor tells him he's with a woman 'there's more to life than preaching!' and wonders why he doesn't go home 'to his fox'? When Mork tells her he can't live with her anymore, Exidor gets the wrong idea and thinking she's thrown Mork out tells him he'll put a hex on her tomorrow, and invites him in introducing him to 'Gretchen', who naturally is imaginary. But apparently skimpily dressed, and Exidor shoos her to the bedroom to put on some clothes. Mork comments that it sure beats living alone...then checks the seat he's offered to make sure there's no one invisible sitting there. When Gretchen 'reappears' Exidor coos over her, and snaps at Mork for staring at her. The place he tells him, is Gretchen's, how she can afford it he doesn't know but isn't going to question a good thing. Mork bemoans the fact that he and Mindy had a good thing going, but because of his allergy no more. Exidor queries this, and Mork explains. Sitting forward Exidor tells him that he developed a revolutionary treatment for allergy when he was a doctor, injecting the hair of a Yak into the arm of an Orangutan. Mork asks eagerly if the cure worked, and Exidor asks if he ever hears any sneezing in Jungle movies? Mork gets hopeful that maybe if he injects some of Mindy's hair in him it'll cure him.
The following evening, as Mindy puts the final touches to the apartment for the fund raiser, Mork enters, masked. Massively relieved to see him, Mindy goes to him, telling him it's just not been the same without him, wishing they could be close again. She can't hear anything he's saying with the mask on his mouth and he pulls down the neckerchief mask he's wearing another mask beneath, and a nose clamp beneath that. Nasally, he tells her he thinks he may have found a cure, and it might work. She eagerly agrees to it, willing to try anything. Following him swiftly as he moves around the couch she asks him what it is. He tells her he has to get a Mindy Injection. Once she's figured out what he said, she tells him that that sounds weird. He explains he just needs to take a couple of hairs from her head and inject them into his arm. As she rises to get some scissors, Mork takes the opportunity to pull out some of her hair as she bends over. As she yelps and swats at him, telling him he could've just taken one, he tells her he needs to take a massive dose. As he injects himself, the doorbell goes, the guests arriving for the fundraiser. As she moves to him, Mork still laughs, and clamping a hand over his mouth, she begs him to stay in her bedroom until he's cured.
Mork, acting like Mindy at Nelson's campaign fundraising party
Later, the party in full swing, Nelson is congratulating a busy Mindy, telling her its a great party, that all the biggies are there. Mindy admits that everyone seems to be having a good time, and Nelson feels that soon she'll be able to say she knew him when he was her cousin. As she gets her head around that, a rich potential contributor, Mr. Prendergast approaches them, saying to Nelson that he's won him over, as he's rarely found someone with such compassion for the rich. While Mindy admires Nelson ability to say what people want to hear, her bedroom door opens, and Mork emerges in one of her dresses, his hair pulled back (and up) on either side, and moves to Mr. Prendergast to tickle him, his voice super high. Moving through the room, Mork in exaggerated Mindy mode, teases one guest on his tie, pretends to throw a Rabbi's yarmulke across the room like a frisbee, and tells one woman her veins on her leg are like a map of Utah. As a horrified Mindy watches, she murmurs that he must've taken an overdose of 'her', Nelson actually asks her who 'she' is, pointing at Mork. You don't wanna know, she tells him making a beeline for Mork as he offers 'Mr Eggroll another Wang?'.
Dragging him away she asks Mork what he's doing, and he tells her entirely earnestly that he's Mindy, not Mork, prompting an argument over who the 'real' Mindy is, before Mork sweeps away to Nelson indicating that Mindy is a drunk guest that needs to be removed while 'she' goes to powder his nose. Mindy grabs hold of him again, wanting to know when this is going to wear off, but he pulls away from her as Mr. Prendergast wants to know who 'he' is. When he introduces himself as Mindy, Nelson's cousin and tries to dance with him, Prendergast calls an end to proceedings and leads the guests out rapidly, Nelson and Mindy unable to do anything as Mork escorts them out, then turns to Mindy and Nelson and quoting Bette Davis, warns them to 'Fasten your seatbelts it's going to be a bumpy night!' and heads back to the bedroom, leaving Mindy not knowing what to say and Nelson amidst the ruins of his fundraiser.
Later, Mindy is alone in the kitchen, finishing the clean up, deep in thought, when a sheepish Mork emerges nervously from her bedroom, back in his own clothes, hair normal and approaches her pointing out he took off all of her clothes, though he still has something he'd like unhooked if she has a chance The shot has also worn off he jokes, and he's almost back to abnormal. As Mindy nods silently, Mork observes she's still mad at him. Putting down the dishcloth she tells him she's not mad that he ruined her party, she's not mad because Nelson cried on her shoulder till her dress shrank, what she is upset about is that he can't be himself. As she moves around from the kitchen he backs away, saying he's tried everything...but she's been thinking, he didn't start to get sick until after she held him close and told him how much he meant to her. So? he asks. So...she thinks he's not allergic to her at all, that's actually just afraid of getting too close to him. Mork shakes his head, still holding off his laughs, saying he thinks she's being real silly, but she's presses on asserting that it scares him, that after all it still is a new emotion. Still he shakes his head, and Mindy opens her arms, telling him to come to her. Mork shifting around the table from her, wants to know what she's going to do. 'Take the worry out of being close' she smirks. Mork shakes his head again telling her to keep away from him, but she reiterates that there's nothing in the air, and none of what he tried worked, so now...he's going to try a little of her. Grinning she tells him she's gonna hug him till his eyes pop out.
Mork tries to make a break for it dodging around the table but Mindy cuts him off, grabbing him and hugging him, holding on for dear life, soothing him as he explodes into laughter, rubbing his back until gradually, slowly, his laughter starts to subside, ending up in a low hum as she holds him. Both of them breaking into a smile they draw back to look at one another, his laughter stopped, she thinks his allergy is cured, a grinning Mork agreeing, and finding her treatment a lot better than a trip to the doctor. Thanking her for helping her be more human, she shrugs, saying what's an Earthling for. At which point he pulls up his shirt and tells her her underwear really is kind of comfortable, showing her the camisole of hers he's still wearing.
Mork makes his report to Orson, telling him he has learned 'Beaucoup de chose', but mostly about politics, or as he explains 'the art of fooling most of the people most of the time as often as possible'. It sounds very strange Orson observes, and Mork agrees, stating a politician would do anything to get in office, he'll kiss babies, or mules, but when he gets into office is never in the office. The only politicians that people are proud of are dead, Mork considers, including George Washington who appears on the dollar bill that's only worth 45 cents. Orson asked what did he do, and Mork replies, sleeping here, sleeping there, which he thinks is why many politicians honor him by doing the same thing. Mork laughs when Orson suggests he's learned a lot, more than he knows Mork chuckles, including that an allergy is nothing to be sneezed at. Orson asks if he was sick, Mork says no, but did develop an extreme reaction to being too close to Mindy. Orson warns him he's playing with fire. According to the Orkan general, closeness is the leading cause of disease. Mork scoffs at that as 'voodoo' saying if closeness is so wrong why are they born with arms?
Trivia[]
Orkan 'Facts'[]
Mork tells Jeanie that instead of doctors giving shots on Ork ('where I come from') they have a little man who drills inside your nose with sandpaper and a hose.
The Orkan equivalent of the Surgeon General determines that Closeness is the leading cause of Disease
The plush deep couch in Exidor's invisible 'girlfriend's' apartment will make another appearance in Mork & Mindy's Hotel suite in Season 4's Gotta Run, Part 3.
Pop Culture[]
When Mindy pulls the mask out of the box, Mork quotes the Lone Ranger's 'Hi ho, Silver" whose mask it resembles.
Mork tells Mindy that Lumpy even managed to sell a pair of tight shoes to Earl Butz. Butz was the secretary of Agriculture for U.S. Presidents Nixon & Ford. He was forced to resign immediately as a result of filthy and racist joke he told, with three elements, two of which involved loose shoes and a tight piece of anatomy.
Nelson's political slogan is "Nelson Flavor, He''ll do it your way," which is a take-off of a famous Burger King ad campaign.
Mork responds 'Just got back from Denmark?" when Exidor tells him he's a changed man, a gag based on the first sex change operation involving Christine Jorgensen, carried out in Denmark in 1952
Exidor says he likes his women 'Zaftig', the Yiddish based word for full figured/pleasingly plump.
Mork says, "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night," which is a famous Bette Davis quote from All About Eve. [1].
Mindy tells Mork that she's 'going to take the worry out of being close', which was a euphemism for safe sex based on an family planning book that came out in California in 1971, judging by the audience reaction to the line it seems to be the case! However, this could've also been a gag based around Pam Dawber's former modelling career having done an ad for 'Ban Deodorant' in the early 70s, originating the slogan of 'take the worry outof being close' in 1960.
Mork does his mantra like 'Ohms' during his report to Orson, sliding into Home On The Range.
Quotes[]
Mork: Can I help you maybe huh can I help? Je t'assist?!
Mindy: Oh Gee Mork I'm sorry but I don't know how you could help!
Mork: Well I helped before. Remember that surprise party for Remo when I invited everyone?
Mindy:*nods* Except Remo.
Mork: Boy is he going to be surprised when he finds out!
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Jeanie:*about Exidor* Friend of yours Mork?
Mork: Oh yes we'll be bosom buddies till the day our friendship sags.
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Exidor: Mork! I'm a changed man.
Mork: Ah just got back from Denmark?
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Mindy:*of Mork's breathing apparatus* You sound like a phone call I had last night.
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Mork: Well Mindy and I had a good thing going but because of my allergy, no more.
Exidor: Allergy?
Mork: Well, I...every time I get near her I start laughing.
Exidor: Oh relax it may be nothing more than mental illness!
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Mork: Excuse me? Where do I sleep?
Exidor: Why on the couch of course. *grins* With Lola.
Mork: Lola?
Exidor:*gestures to empty chair behind Mork* Gretchen's twin sister.
Mork: Oh they do look a lot alike.
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Mork: *really nasal thanks to nose clamp* Well I think I finally found a cure. It might work I think.
Mindy: Really!? I'll try anything!! Anything!! *follows him to couch eagerly* What is it?
Mork:*quickly* I hatagetaMindyijection
Mindy: A what?!
Mork:*slowly* I have to get a Mindy Injection.
Mindy: Boy...that sounds...that sounds weird.
Mork: It's worth a shot?!
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Mindy:*rising from couch* Well I'll get some scissors *bends to fetch some, and Mork takes the opportunity to pull out some of her hair* OWW!!! *swats at him* Those aren't potato chips, buddy!! You can just take one!
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Mindy: Y'know Nelson you really amaze me, you really know how to say what people want to hear. .
Nelson: Well there's two sides to every issue, and I always agree with both.
