Twelve Angry Appliances

"Twelve Angry Appliances"
Season 3, Episode #12 (#63) in series (95 episodes)
Mindy's run in with obnoxious money obsessed repairman Mr. Strand over his refusal to properly fix her record player without charging her repeatedly, ends up with Mork taking matters into his own Orkan hands.
"Mork & Mindy" episode
Guest Star(s):	Richard Libertini Jonathan Ian Stephanie Kayano Amy Tenowich Bebo
Network:	ABC-TV
Production code:	312 (3x12)
Writer(s)	Jeff Reno & Ron Osborn
Director	Howard Storm
Original airdate	February 5, 1981
IMDB	Twelve Angry Appliances
Episode chronology
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"Mindy Gets Her Job"	"There's a New Mork in Town"
List of Mork & Mindy seasons/episodes

Twelve Angry Appliances was the 12th episode from season 3 of Mork and Mindy; also the 63rd overall episode in the series. Co-Written by Jeff Reno and Ron Osborn, the episode, which was directed by Howard Storm, shot on January 16, 1981 and premiered on ABC-TV on February 5, 1981.

Synopsis

Augustus Strand the local repairman fails to fix Mindy's record player, then refuses point blank to work on it again without charging her for it, again. Mindy gets increasingly irate and frustrated, especially when she finds out that its not just her he pulls this scam on. So Mork decides to use his Orkan powers to teach him a lesson.

Plot

At the Daycare Center with the kids, Mork is about to embark on 'Record Hour', having borrowed Mindy's portable record player to help tell the kids stories, with War Of The Worlds first up. But it breaks down after a couple of seconds. After giving the kids a seriously synopsized version of the story, he sends them out to Mrs Fowler to play while he frets over blowing it in front of the kids, and, what he's going to tell Mindy about her busted record player. While he's fretting Mindy comes in behind him, and when he tells her is not annoyed at him, but rather at the repairman who she had the player with the week previous who was supposed to have fixed it but obviously didn't. Mork is confused as he thought that everyone took pride in their work, and points out there are warranty's on all good work through the universe, even on him from the lab he came out of.

In her Apartment, Mindy is on to Strand's Repair Shop, for the second time that day, trying to convince him of his obligation to repair the record player, when she points out she's already paid for the job that he didn't do, at which point he gets rude, and then puts her on hold, managing the rare feat of making Mindy McConnell ratty, when she snaps at whoever is knocking at her door, before catching herself. Still, a rather wary Glenda Faye & Nelson enter, noting it's rare to see the 'dark side' of Mindy. They are about to take a drive up into the snow to build snow women and were wondering if she and Mork would like to come along. She thanks them but Mork isn't there and she's too ticked off to go, explaining to them what's happening with Mr Strand and the player. Glenda explains her plan for dealing with that kind of thing, buy a new one, thrashing the old one for extra satisfaction. She and Nelson partake in a bit of flirty badinage before Mork comes in excitedly a number of books under his arm, and an old fashioned pair of glasses on his nose, telling Mindy she doesn't have to worry about the record player situation anymore, they're going to sue Strands pants off. Apart from the fact that Mork shouldn't have taken the books as he doesn't have a library card, Nelson tells him that law suits take years. Mindy is not inclined to wait and grabbing the player is intent on going down there to get him to fix the player, or give him a piece of her mind, and Mork volunteers to go with her.

When they get to Strand's shop on the Pearl Street Mall, Mindy tells him she hopes she can hold her temper. When Strand comes out, Mork thinks he looks nice enough, but the moment he greets him, Strand barks at him and Mork scuttles behind Mindy. When she speaks to him about the player, Strand is willing enough to fix it...for his usual price, which sets Mindy off, confronting him and wanting it done for free. He tells her if she wants it done to free go to Taiwan and the manufacturer. She warns him she works for KTNS and thinks a lot of people will be interested in how he does business, but he tells her to fire ahead. Mindy is so fired up, she tells Mork she'd pop Strand one if she wasn't a lady. Mork tries to stand up to him, but is sent rushing back to Mindy again when Strand calls his bluff. Strand tells them to get out, and Mindy agrees to go but warns him he's not heard the last of her.

Back at the apartment Mork tells Mindy he's gone right to the top on this and has written a letter to the Pope, in Latin. When there's a knock at the door, Mork opens it expecting John Paul II only for Fred to enter, Mindy telling him not to try and figure it out when Mork expresses his disappointment. He's come by to have a go at fixing her record player. Mr. Bickley comes in to lend Mork the screwdriver he got for his graduation gift, but in the hope it doesn't work as he's tired of hearing Mork's sound effects records, like Ferrets in Love. Fred offers to pay for the repair himself, but Mindy insists its the principle that matters, that too many people are taken advantage of like this every year, and there has to be someway of getting Justice. As soon as she says that, Mork's inner wheels start spinning, and he tells her he has a better idea...but won't tell her or Fred what it is, just that justice moves in strange ways, before dancing out.

In Strand's shop, he is closing up having thrown another customer out, and is happily counting his money, when the lights in his shop start to flicker and go out entirely. When they come back on, Mork is there in a robe and wig, a radio dial on his chest as Tommy Kilowatt, the Ghost of Appliances past, and Strand is being put on trial by The Supremes Court for his mistreatment of appliances and their owners. Strand tells him they're closed and tries to leave but a washing machine moves across the door blocking him, Mork telling him Justice doesn't close. Pointing to a TV in the shop, it switches on and another 'sober judge' version of Mork appears on the screen, the honorable Oliver T. Wendell Tube presiding. When the 'judge' calls for the defendant to be seated by the bailiff the vacuum cleaner moves forward to shepherd Strand into place.

The first witness is a simple blender, brought in for a loose plug four times, which Mork describes as 'shocking'. The next witness is a Japanese stereo system, whose testimony Mork translates from Japanese to, "this man would sell his mother to his father!" Strand insists he's done nothing wrong. Mork says 'au contraire' calling on more witnesses, including a recording of Strand giving his usual spiel of 'it was fine when it left the shop, you want it fixed take it back to the manufacturer'. Harry P. Driver causes him animal, abused by Strand. Mork calls on the jury of appliances to see if they believe his denials and they all go off. Strand claims it's a stitch up and wants to know when he gets the chance to speak for himself, and Mork tells him not to worry he's his defense lawyer too, twisting his dial and taking on a New York Shyster. He calls on an old Juke box, which has been in the store for 40 years, taking on the persona of an old man in relaying testimony but burns out before it can say anything relevant. The judge asks the jury has it reached a verdict which it has making a vast amount of noise, Strand pleading that he can change, but prosecutor Mork says he has broken his word too many times to be believed, and the verdict is Guilty. The lights go out again, plunging the shop into darkness, and when it comes on everything is quiet again, Strand trying to convince himself he imagined it all till a hot plate tells him 'no way sucker'.

The next morning a very pleased with himself Mork, talks to the record player, and 'feigns nonchalance' when Mindy comes out of her room. He makes the suggestion that today would be a wonderful day to take the record player back to the shop. But she's given up, feeling it's a wonderful day to go to work to make money to buy a new one. He tries to subtly suggest he has a 'strange feeling' if she goes she might get a different response. Eyeing him, she asks him if he happened to the repair shop the previous night, he replies 'could be', and when she asks if he spoke to Mr Strand 'could be, part 2'. Worried to find out about 'could be, part 3', she goes to answer the door when there's a knock, and is seriously surprised to find Strand outside. She's positively bewildered when he says he came by to apologize to her and to come and collect her record player, taking care of all his dissatisfied customers personally. He tells her he'll have her player back to her early Monday morning, all fixed free of charge. She thinks its great but wonders about his change of heart. Mork swivels his head away rapidly as Strand looks in his direction, explaining that he had a nightmare the previous night that made him realize he should have more pride in his work.

Picking up the player, he heads out with a smile, and a mystified Mindy looks at Mork, commenting that he's like a completely different man and wondering what on earth could have gotten into him. Mork smirking, suggests it was nothing on earth. With a suspicious smile she asks him if he used his finger on anything when he went to the repair shop, but Mork just says she was using the wrong hand. Her suspicions confirmed, but her smile wider, she tells him he really shouldn't go around zapping things all the time, but, this time he did good. He lights up like a bulb at her praise, and suggests its the second time this week. Curious she asks what was the first time, and he reminds her of when she told him, in regards to her job, that anyone who was really famous in television has their name known all over town, telling her that she is going to have her name up in lights...known... a success. Grinning she waits to see how, and he tells her that he went all over Boulder and wrote her name in every phone booth in town, writing 'For a Perky time, call Mindy'. Her smile dissolves, and her eyes widen as the phone starts to ring. Dancing away leaving it for her, she moves with a disturbed, then vaguely nauseated look on her face she approaches the phone and lifts the receiver.

The episode ends with Mork's report to Orson, only his head is detached from his body, Mork asking Bebo has he been chewing on the cables again. Orson tells him to pull himself together and after a moment of interference, Mork gets his head back in place. He tells Orson he must be suffering from shoddy workmanship, one of the main symptoms of which is feeling like you've been ripped off. The causes, he tells Orson are apathy, lack of pride in one's work, greed. Orson wants to know what happened to responsibility? Mork tells him its in the shop and will be ready Tuesday. Most Earthlings consider a job just a way of making money. Orson wants to know isn't there a saying 'Money talks? And Mork says yes, but nothing speaks as eloquently as a job well done.

Trivia

Orkan 'Facts'

• Mork tells Mindy that Orkans are issued 'under warranty' with parts replaceable, bar one or two cases. He himself having his rear end attached after cornering too quickly while going at the speed of light...judging by Mindy's face she is dubious on that last part.

General

• The episode references the 1957 classic Jury Room drama 12 Angry Men. but also makes a serious nod in terms of plot to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• Richard Libertini who played Mr. Strand in this episode had appeared with Robin Williams the previous year as Geezil in the Popeye Movie.

Pop Culture

• Mork is about to play the Orson Welles version of War of the Worlds, the radio play from 1938, based on H.G. Wells novel, which was delivered with such modern day realism that apocryphal stories have it causing widespread panic at the time. The radio play was adapted for the radio and produced by Robin Williams acting mentor John Houseman.
• When the record starts to malfunction and fails to play, Mork tells the kids they bought it from Nixon's Secretary. Nixon's Private Secretary Rose Mary Woods was fiercely loyal to Nixon and tried to take the blame for 18 1/2 minutes that had been erased from the Watergate Tapes in 1974, in what was known as the Rose Mary Stretch (due to the alleged physical impossibility of what she was claiming)
• Mork tells the kids 'As the Egyptians say, Tut Tut a problem', jokily referring to Tutankhamun 'King Tut'.
• Mork reckons he's killed Mindy's record player (committing stereo-cide) and is going to Dolby Hell, meaning Dolby Labs whose audio noise/ sound compression had become increasingly ubiquitous in theaters and electronics in the 70s.
• Mork is super confident they can win a legal battle with Strand, or his name isn't 'F.Lee Mork' playing on prominent defense attorney F.Lee Bailey who had helped acquit Sam Shepherd (the inspiration for the Fugitive), represented Patty Hearst in the 70s and would later go on to represent - and help to acquit - O.J. Simpson of the murder of his wife Nicole.
• When Mindy threatens Strand with exposure on TV he tells her that the mixer he has belongs to Ralph Nader, by being way of unconcerned. Ralph Nader was heading up and responsible for several pieces of consumer protection and advocacy at the time.
• In standing up to him Mork puts a battery on his shoulder and dares Strand to knock it off, mimicking the Eveready ads in the 70s starring Robert Conrad
• In reading out his letter in Latin to the Pope, Mork says 'Gloria Gloria...G.L.O.R.I.A. Gloria...' a reference to the 1064 song Gloria by Irish singer Van Morrison (and THEM)
• Mork tells Strand he is being put on trial by The Supremes court (as opposed to The Supreme Court) doing a quick rendition of their hit 'You Can't Hurry Love'
• Geraldo Rivera a journalist on 20/20 and Nightline on ABC at the time, takes a hit from Mork for never 'stop talking'
• Oliver T. Wendell Tube, Mork's presiding judge is a nod to Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr
• Mork calls on Mr. Ozzie. T. Rizer the blender as his first witness for the prosecution with the Osterizer brand being one of the first of the mainstream blender brands.
• Mork switches from prosecution to the defense lawyer, describing himself as AC/DC, which is a gag around Alternating and Direct Currents...but also a euphemism for bisexual at the time.
• Mork 'takes the record players temperature' reading it as 33 1/3, which was the standard album speed.
• Mork pokes fun at the tightness of 15 year old Brooke Shields jeans, claiming they're begging for air.
  

Quotes/Excerpts

• Mork: Now basically the story ends like this. Allllll these aliens landed in Hollywood, they were put on hold and died a horrible death.

_______________________________

• Mork: What am I going to tell Mindy about her record player? Okay....everybody with a working record player take one step forward, NOT so fast McConnell!!
• Mindy: *comes in behind him* Hi!
• Mork: *jumps* Oh! What makes you think there's something wrong with your record player?!

_______________________________

• Mork: That's strange Mind, throughout the Universe all work is guaranteed. Even I have a warranty from the laboratory I was made in.
• Mindy: For what?!
• Mork: Well...ankle blow outs, rusted skin, coughing up frogs.
• Mindy: *suspicious* Wait a minute. They guarantee Orkans?
• Mork: Yeah. I was the only Orkan ever to be recalled.
• Mindy: What?!? Wait a minute, don't tell me you coughed up a frog?
• Mork: Oh no no no, I was jogging at the speed of sound and I turned a corner real fast, and my rear end fell off. But they fixed it, Mind! No ifs and or buts.

_______________________________

• Nelson: My my, it is often we see the dark side of Mindy Poppins

_______________________________

• Glenda: You know I have a system that works for me when something breaks down maybe it'll work for you.
• Mindy: What's that?
• Glenda; I throw it away!
• Mindy: Glenda you' d throw away a perfectly good stereo?
• Glenda: Well I'd take the records off first
• Nelson: Isn't that a little bit wasteful?
• Glenda: No, not really. I do it to relieve stress. You see I don't just throw things away, I give them a sound thrashing first.
• Nelson: Glenda you're so...esoteric. That's what I like about you.
• Glenda: And that's what I like about you, that you like that about me.
• Nelson: You know Glenda, I feel the stirrings of something special between us, don't you?
• Glenda: *smiling* No.
• Nelson: *forlornly to Mindy* Maybe if I got her drunk?

_______________________________

• Glenda: What's the little jelly bean chattering about now?
• Mork: Oh I'm not chattering at all. Boy after I read these law books I got from the library...look at this Mind! Disney vs Duck!
• Mindy: When did you get a library card?!
• Mork: Card?
• Mindy: You can't take books out of the library without a card.
• Mork: Ohhhhhhh....no wonder that old lady hurdled over the desk and chased me down the street. She would've caught me too if her cane hadn't snapped.

_______________________________

• Mindy: Well I just can't let him get away with this. *packs up record player and heads for door and her coat* I'm going down there and I'm going to make him fix this thing. And if he won't do it at least I'll have the satisfaction of giving him a piece of my mind.
• Mork: Maybe I should go with you Mind in case you give him too much of your mind you might need someone to show you the way home. *helps her on with her coat*

_______________________________

• Mork: *as Strand comes at him with a mixer* What are you Jack the Whipper?

_______________________________

• Fred: Remember when I put that front wheel back on your tricycle and it worked fine.

• Mindy: Yeah until the night I rode down Feldman's Hill.
• Fred: But you said the sparks were pretty.

Image Gallery

Cast

Starring

• Robin Williams as Mork
• Pam Dawber as Mindy McConnell
• Conrad Janis as Fred McConnell
• Crissy Wilzak as Glenda Faye Comstock
• Jim Staahl as Nelson Flavor
• Tom Poston as Mr. Bickley
• Ralph James as Voice of Orson
• Jay Thomas as Remo DaVinci
• Gina Hecht as Jeanie DaVinci

Guest stars/Recurring cast

• Richard Libertini as Augustus J. Strand
• Jonathan Ian as Jonathan
• Stephanie Kayano as Stephanie
• Amy Tenowich as Lola
• Gregg Berger (Voice) as Bebo