As dated as Mork's signature rainbow suspenders, Mork & Mindy nevertheless achieves pop culture immortality as the show that put Robin Williams on the map. While much of this series' sitcom trappings are lame, it is a giddy delight to watch a cosmically funny Williams at his most spontaneous and out-of-this-world. A Happy Days spin-off, Mork & Mindy was a tailor-made star vehicle for the brilliant young comic, whose role of extraterrestrial Mork from Ork gave free reign to Williams' stream-of-consciousness riffing as Mork observed life on Earth and reported back to his leader, Orson, on all that he learned about friendship, family, love, and emotions (take it from someone who attended a Mork & Mindy taping: Williams departed from the script at every opportunity). Co-star Pam Dawber, as the down-to-earth Boulder, Colorado girl who takes the stranded alien under her roof, must have felt like she really was dealing with someone from another planet. The most memorable of the 24 episodes collected here from the inaugural year (and the one that no doubt secured Williams' Golden Globe Award) is “Mork's Mixed Emotions,” a tour-de-force ranked by TV Guide as one of the top 100 TV episodes of all time. Henry Winkler and Penny Marshall, as the Fonz and Laverne, helped to assimilate Mork into primetime in the series pilot, and that's David Letterman as an abusive EST-like guru in “Mork Goes Erp.” Will a new generation of children once again make “na-nu, na-nu” a national catchphrase? Boasting a decent DVD transfer, this four-disc boxed set is recommended, but "shazbot," there's no extras. (D. Liebenson)
Mork & Mindy: The Complete First Season
Paramount, 4 discs, 635 min., not rated, DVD: $38.99 Volume 19, Issue 6
Mork & Mindy: The Complete First Season
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