| "Dial "N" for Nelson" | |
|---|---|
| Season 2, Episode #10 (#35) in series (95 episodes) | |
 After Nelson receives threatening phone calls due to his campaign crusade against strip joins, Mork and Mindy both decide to investigate a shady club in "Dial "N" for Nelson" in Season 2 (ep.#10). | |
| "Mork & Mindy" episode | |
| Guest Star(s): | Franceen Cornfield Timothy Blake Dick Yarmy David Wall John Miranda Roger Simpson-Harris |
| Network: | ABC-TV |
| Production code: | 210 (2x10) |
| Writer(s) | David Misch & April Kelly |
| Director | Howard Storm |
| Original airdate | November 11, 1979 |
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Dial "N" for Nelson |
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| List of Mork & Mindy seasons/episodes | |
Dial "N" For Nelson was the 10th episode from the second season of Mork & Mindy, also the 35th overall episode of the series. Co-written by David Misch and April Kelly, the episode, which was directed by Howard Storm, premiered on ABC-TV on November 11, 1979.
Synopsis[]
When Nelson receives death threats over his crusade against local strip clubs, Mork and Mindy infiltrate The Bare Facts club trying to find the culprit.
Plot[]
Remo is in the Deli searching the ad listings for a second hand car, as his and Jeanie's is on its last legs, when Mork emerges triumphant from the kitchen, having successfully made two types of cookies, and sliding into full Greek mode to celebrate, including the smashing of plates. As Jeanie snatches the tray of cookies from him, Nelson enters ignoring them all and checking the kitchens and bathrooms. Coming back to them he tells them he's been getting threatening calls from a woman telling him to drop out of the City Council race or start praying. Despite Remo trying to make light of the fact they are coming from a woman, the others take it seriously enough to discuss could have prompted them. Discounting old girlfriends, Remo suggests maybe it's another candidate. Mindy agrees it would have to be someone ambitious and conniving, someone who'd stop at nothing to get their way, but Mork wonders why Nelson would call himself.
Later that night in Mindy's apartment, Mindy & Mork are on the couch together, reading, with Mork using his powers to convey each page of his book to memory with a slight twist of his ear, making a scanner noise each time, till Mindy asks him to stop. A knock on the door reveals Nelson dressed in black, with a bag and some of his belongings, having received another phone call from the same woman. With him not heading heading to a hotel, or out of town, Mindy realizes with some irritation that he means to stay with her, a fact confirmed when he takes off his overcoat to reveal he's already in his pajamas and beds down on Mindy's couch.
The next morning Mindy emerges from her bedroom to watch in amusement as Mork attempts to imitate the movement of the 'lava' in Nelson's lava lamp. She admits it's pretty good, before getting him to guess what she's impersonating, snorting and snoring loudly, Nelson's snorting having kept her awake all-night. Mork heads to answer the phone, someone wanting to leave a message for Nelson, and sends Mindy running around looking for paper before she rolls her eyes and just takes the phone off him, before hanging up quickly. The same woman having rung to threaten them both as well, and she knows where they live. Mork goes into immediate panic mode trying to barricade the doors, and when Nelson comes out, he dives on him dragging him to the ground. As they cower on the ground Mindy tells them both the worst thing is she knows where they live, and they need to figure this out. The realization they could be shot thorugh the window sends Mindy low on to the couch with them, and the fall of one of the barstools Mork put against the door sends them all panicking to the ground. While there, Nelsons confesses to an aggravated Mindy that, as he still has his business to run, he left her number with his answering service, which is how they contacted them. Mindy trying to calm them all reckons they are over-reacting these things very rarely spiraling into violence and convinces them to relax, that they shouldn't give into fear and get paranoid, and they all sit back up on the couch again. Just as they start to relax, something his thrown through the window, Mindy shooting up indignantly until Mork points out it's just a smoking cannister. Realizing its a bomb Mindy dives down to the couch as Nelson yells at Mork to toss it, and as he does it goes off, sending debris everywhere.
With the police there, it transpires it was a powerful stink bomb and the damage was minimal but the smell is strong. The police however aren't much further help, and Nelson starts to feel he should start making his will. But Mindy says what they have to do is figure out why someone is after him. She then has to listen as the pair of them go back and forth on wild theories, before interjecting by asking if it's possible that Nelson offended someone during his campaign. Grabbing a pad she quizzes him on his recent speeches, but as usual Nelson has managed to make no hard on fast stand on anything...except pornography, saying if he was elected he'd close down every strip joint in Boulder. All one of them. Mindy figures that has to be it, one of the strippers has to be threatening him. The phone goes again and they all jump, but Mindy grabs her tape recorder with the aim of recording her. Nelson answers it, and Mindy plays it back after she's hung up, the caller telling Nelson that if he doesn't get out of town, the next bomb will be real and they will be splattered all over Boulder. Nelson is sure it has to be one of the strippers at the Bare Facts club, and Mork says to Mindy as Nelson can't go without being recognized its up to him and her to go, but she has no intention of going into a strip joint. At least until Nelson prevails on her, saying he has faith she can crack the case.
At The Bare Facts strip club, various strippers are sitting around preparing to audition to be hired, when Mork in a hideously clashing outfit, fedora and massive cigar enters with gum chewing, skin tight, thigh slit, sequin covered gown and feather boa-ed wearing Mindy nervously behind him, seriously embarrassed. Mork introduces himself as Sid Morkenstein, from the William Morkis Agency, with Mindy his client, Miss Mindy Rose Lee, the Boulder Bombshell. Working their way through the strippers checking their voices, Mindy doing her best mobster's moll accent, and not having any luck, Mindy gets increasingly nervous as Mork starts to talk about the auditions and seeing what Mindy can do. Dragging him aside she warns him to knock off that talk as there's no way she's getting on the stage. Wondering about the girls there, they're convinced none of them could be the caller, and Mindy points out one of the strippers said they could get work anywhere so why would they care if the club was shut down. Mork has a brainwave, the owner of the club must be a woman.
Before they can pursue it further, Ron, the club manager comes out to begin the auditions saying only the best girl will get to audition and therefore meet the owner of the club. Mindy watches in increasing horror as the girls start to strut their stuff, Ron calling a quick halt to them Mindy gets Mork to try and get them backstage as she reiterates she is not getting on the stage. Mork tries his best to convince Ron that Mindy is worthy of an audition with the owner as she's obviously more attractive and talented then the others there, but he tells him they have to wait their turn. Which comes up fast, and Mindy's faced with having to get on the stage. Once up there in the spotlight, all she can do is look at Mork helplessly, and burst out laughing, until Ron calls a halt, and Mindy flees for the curtains wrapping herself in one. Mork gets on the stage and tells Ron to tell his boss that Sid Morkenstein demands to see him, but Ron is firm that no one demands to see the boss. So Mork decides to audition himself, and with Mindy watching somewhere between bemusement, amusement and horror, he proceeds to do a striptease himself. Which is at least showy and stylish enough to get Ron to think maybe the boss might be interested in it and calls for the boss. Who is definitely not a woman, but rather a burly black middle aged dude...backing off, their hunch wrong, Mork & Mindy try and make their excuses, until the club owner asks Ron what's going on, and his voice turns out to be incredibly high pitched. Eyeing each other, having got their man, they sneak away.
In the Deli, Mork, Mindy, Nelson, Jeanie & Remo are all gathered, Nelson thanking Mindy & Mork for what they did for him, Mork 'waving it off' as them just be a couple of courageous kids. Jeanie is fascinated by what it was like inside the club, wanting to know if Mindy wasn't scared, but she dismisses it in her mobster's moll accent, and admits she looked pretty good in her Bombshell outfit, something Mork backs her up on, adding she even got a ride home in a big white cadillac from a guy in a wide brimmed hat Nelson has come to a conclusion from it all, he is never going to make a stand on anything again, which Mork thinks will make him a perfect Vice President. But Nelson is adamant he's going to be more careful now that people are out to get him. Remo tells him not to be paranoid and as Jeanie serves them up their lunch, says he'll be saying his food is poisoned next, and takes offence when Nelson eyes his sandwich nervously. Mork volunteers to taste his sandwich for him, takes a bite and shrugs, before going into convulsions, startling everyone. Grabbing at him in alarm, Mindy asks what's wrong, and he tells her too much mustard.
The episode finishes with Morks report to Orson who decides rather than tell Orson he's going to show him what he learned this week, and as the music for the auditions in the strip club starts up again, starts to do his striptease. Orson demands to know what he's doing? Mork tells him he wouldn't believe it, but some humans pay to watch other humans take off their clothes. He also learned that some humans will use threats of physical violence to get their own way, and that makes other humans afraid to voice their own opinion. Orson thought that human's valued their freedom of speech very highly, and Mork replies that they do but only a few are willing to pay the price to keep it.
Trivia[]
Orkan 'Facts'[]
- Mork has the ability to scan/memorize pages of text with a small twist of his ear lobe
General[]
- The title of the episode is a nod to the 1954 Hitchcock movie Dial "M" for Murder.
- This is the second of actor Dick Yarmy's three different appearances in the show, having appeared in the Pilot as Dr. Litney, the psychiatrist trying to have Mork committed. He will appear again as Sid in S3s Mork in Never Never Land
- The high pitched voice of the threatening Club Owner is done by David Wall who had previously appeared in the show as the timid Julius, Mindy's college friend who Mr. Bickley chased away in S1's In Mork We Trust.
Pop Culture[]
- Remo's ad for a 63 corvette with only 15 miles on it, slightly damaged, 'call Evel' is a comic allusion to the stunt driver Evel Knievel
- Mork's Greek jag includes calling Mindy My little Zorbette, an allusion to the 1964 movie Zorba the Greek, before he goes into a paraphrased version of the Oscar winning, Never On A Sunday from the 1960 movie of the same name.
- Mindy refers to Mork in this mode, as 'The Greek Typhoon', a hurricane play on the 1978 Movie The Greek Tycoon, starring Anthony Quinn as Aristotle Onassis.
- Jeanie refers to Lizzie Borden (the never convicted, alleged) axe murderer; Mata Hari, the WW1 spy; Ma Barker the supposed leader of the Barker-Karpis gang. Mork throwing in 'Ma Bell' which is another name for the companies under the Bell Telephone Company in the U.S.
- Mork is reading the 1955 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov the allusion to crayons a reminder the title character is a 12 year old girl.
- Mork facetiously guesses Mindy's snorting impression is Billy Carter, President Jimmy Carter's brother, whose name at the time became synonymous with troublemaker and foolish. He also suggests its the Vienna Hogs Choir, a gag based around the famous Vienna Boys Choir.
- When they don't get much help from police Mork comments maybe that's why Joseph Wambaugh left the force, Wambaugh becoming a best selling novelist with many of his novels set around police work.
- During Mork & Nelsons wild theorizing about why someone might be after him, Mindy interjects them calling them The Hardy Boys, the TV show based on the books, and featuring the sleuth brothers currently on the air on the same network.
- Nelson compares Mindy to Sam Spade, Dashiell Hammett's hardboiled detective from The Maltese Falcon. Mork making a Spade / Speyed gag.
- Mork introduces himself in the Bare Facts club as Sid Morkenstein from the William Morkis Agency, playing on the William Morris Agency, one of the first and foremost talent agencies in New York and Hollywood.
- Mindy is intro-ed as Miss Mindy Rose-Lee, a play on Gypsy Rose Lee, the burlesque star who the musical Gypsy! was based on.
- Mork compliments Ron's cigar, saying it's too bad about Castro. The trade embargo between Cuba & The U.S. after Castro and his Communist Party came to power, meant that Cuban cigars were illegal in the U.S. at the time.
- Mork thanks Ron and calls him C.B., another reference to Cecil B. DeMille the legendary movie Director.
Quotes/Excerpts[]
- Mork: *to Mindy* Come my little Zorbette! Sip on some Ouzo and nibble my cookies!
______________________________
- Nelson: Some member of the lunatic fringe has been calling and saying if I don't drop out of the City Council Race, I better start praying
- Mork: That'll be trouble, because Mindy said you didn't have a prayer. *winces as Mindy kicks him under the table*
______________________________
- Mindy: Yeah Nelson's right it doesn't matter if it's a man or a woman, crank calls can really be scary.
- Mork: Yeah bird calls can be scary too *screeches like an Eagle, winces as Mindy kicks him under the table again*
______________________________
- Mindy: Are you on your way to a hotel?
- Nelson: No.
- Mindy: Are you going out of town?
- Nelson: No
- Mindy: *realizes* You're staying here.
- Nelson: Oh thank you, Mindy!
______________________________
- Mork: *switches on lights* What's wrong?
- Nelson: I...i can't sleep with the lights out!
- Mork: Oh. Maybe I better read you a story that might help
- Nelson: Oh that's a good idea
- Mork: *opens a book* The moon highlighted her golden hair, and she could hear the soft twittering of a nightingale as she plunged the dagger again and again into Derek's back.
______________________________
- Mindy: *hangs up phone rapidly* Mork she says she's going to get us too! And she knows where we live!
- Mork: Oh no! Death, despair, doom!! Come on Mind we gotta board the windows up and we gotta barricade the door! *grabs chairs to barricade door*
- Mindy: Mork!
- Mork: Order some pizzas, Mind! Make them frozen pizzas, that way we can suck on them they'll last longer.
______________________________
- Mindy: The worst thing is she knows where we live! Now we gotta figure this thing out!
- Mork: Why don't you just come down here and cower with us, Miss Brave!
- Mindy: *rolls her eyes* Not on the floor! On the sofa! *watches as they crawl to the couch and laughs* What's the matter you guys think she's gonna shoot us through the window?! *thinks about it and sinks down onto the couch rapidly*
______________________________
- Mindy: C'mon you guys I think we're over reacting to this whole thing. I mean there's not going to be any violence. I read that people who make phone threats, very rarely cut you up into little pieces.
- Nelson: How rarely?
- Mork: Well never more than once.
______________________________
- Nelson: She's gotta be one of the strippers at the Bare Facts club!
- Mork: Well you can't go. They'll recognize you 'cuz of your eyes. Well, it's up to you and I, Mind.
- Mindy: I'm not goin' in to any strip joint!!
- Mork: Aww come on now Mind, sometimes it's your moral duty to be sleazy. So get your pasties let's go.
- Nelson: I've got faith in you, Mind! Well you can crack this case just like Sam Spade.
- Mork: Aww what a great detective, too bad he couldn't have puppies.
______________________________
- Mindy: *hisses* Mork this is so embarrassing! Would you look at me?! Do you know what my grandmother would say if she saw me dressed like this?!
- Mork: *admiring and grinning* Take it off!
- Mindy: As a matter of fact she would!
______________________________
- Ron: What do you want?
- Mork: Well basically I want your boss to see the young woman there. *points to Mindy* Look at that there! Cant you tell? Even blind people go there's something interesting around here we know that.
Promo[]
'Mork & Mindy'-'Love For Rent' Promo (1979)
Sunday, November 1979 Promo for Dial N for Nelson (followed by re-run of S1's Mork & The Immigrant and episode of Love for Rent)
Image Gallery[]
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Robin Williams as Mork
- Pam Dawber as Mindy
- Conrad Janis as Fred McConnell
- Jay Thomas as Remo DaVinci
- Gina Hecht as Jean DaVinci
- Jim Staahl as Nelson Flavor
- Tom Poston as Mr. Bickley (credit only)
- Ralph James as Voice of Orson
Guest starring[]
- Franceen Cornfield as Cherry
- Timothy Blake as Madge
- Dick Yarmy as Ron
- David Wall as Club Owner (voice)
- John Miranda as The Cop
- Roger Simpson-Harris as Club Owner