Comments
Altruistic_Echidna_6 t1_j5zzech wrote
Shazbot
malepitt t1_j5zzu8z wrote
In his prime (1960s-80s) Byner was a real live wire in his own right: mercurial, improvisational, mimic, jokester. Importantly though, always "in on the joke." I think he would have nailed the role, filmed before a live audience, but it might have been "Byner, playing Mork." Williams was a whole new alien species of funny, he *was* Mork
Jjagger63 t1_j5zzuj1 wrote
Do you mean Mork n Mindy?
Badgerfest t1_j600c1s wrote
To be fair to him, the premise was ridiculous.
jxj24 t1_j600evr wrote
Mork was a character in a "Happy Days" episode before being spun out into a new series.
[deleted] t1_j600juc wrote
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Boondala t1_j600le5 wrote
QuisnamSum t1_j6013v5 wrote
TIL that "Mork and Mindy" was a spin-off from "Happy days"
LoneRangersBand OP t1_j6015q4 wrote
And they had to re-shoot a new ending for his original Happy Days episode for reruns, since the original ended with it all being Richie's dream. The new one added a scene where Mork erased the experience from all the Happy Days characters' minds.
LoneRangersBand OP t1_j601ah9 wrote
I'm pretty sure every 70s sitcom was a spinoff of either Happy Days or All in the Family. Or in rare cases, both.
Toy_Guy_in_MO t1_j602tig wrote
Wild. I just happened to see Byner on an old episode of The Carol Burnett Show last night and was wondering else he'd done since he was way before my time. I hadn't looked him up so this was a great coincidence. Thank you, Lone Ranger(sband)!
BobknobSA t1_j6039px wrote
Was Mork before or after the shark jump?
Chasingtheimprobable t1_j604p0w wrote
Laverne & Shirley, Morn N Mindy, and I think Joanie loves Chachi all spun off from Happy Days.
Unrelated, but Fraiser is also a spinoff of Cheers
PM_ME_FUNFAX t1_j604qd6 wrote
I enjoy most shows from the 70s but I just couldn't ever get into Mork, as a character and a series.
Mulchpuppy t1_j606gxf wrote
After. Same season, but separated by about four months.
CurrentAir585 t1_j606qrr wrote
John was a great comic in his own right, but Robin was the right guy for Mork. Without Robin, that show dies a quick death instead of being the smash hit he made it.
bczt99 t1_j606tp6 wrote
How Bizarre.
[deleted] t1_j607v99 wrote
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togocann49 t1_j608cpo wrote
Good one!
Throwaway7219017 t1_j608hc5 wrote
That’s bizarre!
togocann49 t1_j608k6d wrote
He had his own sketch show called bizarre (also with Bob “super Dave” Einstein)
Toy_Guy_in_MO t1_j608wjr wrote
I saw that looking at the title link. That's pretty neat. And I probably saw him on TV when I was a little kid, since I watched some of the game shows and stuff he was on, just didn't remember him.
Plug_5 t1_j6094gr wrote
Me too and I grew up watching those shows.
BartholomewBandy t1_j60b0lz wrote
Jeffersons on Ice.
Toy_Guy_in_MO t1_j60bgsz wrote
I was partial to The Maude Squad.
Mitthrawnuruo t1_j60bscz wrote
Completely.
[deleted] t1_j60hfyb wrote
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series_hybrid t1_j60ksmx wrote
I agree. Byner was good, but I don't think this was the role for him.
[deleted] t1_j60lznj wrote
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chriswaco t1_j60m7wc wrote
and Happy Days has two parents, sort of:
- Love and the Happy Days on Love American Style
- American Graffiti (the similarities are many, including Ron Howard and Cindy Williams)
rilian4 t1_j60n9s5 wrote
Mork calling Orson. Come in Orson...
rilian4 t1_j60ntvw wrote
There were a few more little known spinoffs (I had to look it up) also...
[edit] >Unrelated, but Fraiser is also a spinoff of Cheers
Indeed. Spinoffs in more recent times would be all the CSI shows after the original, NCIS is a spinoff of JAG and has several of its own spinoffs. Law & Order has a few, etc.
rilian4 t1_j60re2g wrote
All in the family had so many that they had spinoffs from the spinoffs. That show still holds the record for most spinoffs from one show.
Look_to_the_Stars t1_j60rh86 wrote
You think Robin Williams made Happy Days a smash hit?
No_Dragonfly_1894 t1_j60s7ti wrote
I was such a big fan of the show as a kid...even had a Mork and Mindy lunch pail. Didn't know this!
Outrageous-Dream6105 t1_j60s7y2 wrote
I mean, it was ridiculous, but it was also a paycheck from a network and you really don’t get many of those chances in a career.
Chasingtheimprobable t1_j60sqn8 wrote
Shoot even family guy had a spinoff for awhile
falconuruguay t1_j612s0e wrote
Sanford and Fonz was a great show!
So was...
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adam 12
The Love Bug Boat
Josie and the Potsiecats
Captain Caveman and the Charlie's Angles
Jack Tripper John, M.D.
Gopher and the Man
Schoolhouse Rocky!
George Jefferson of the Jungle
The Sonny and Charo Show
The Misadventures of Sheriff Columbo
The Six Million Dollar Dantana
Kotter's Landing
The Bionic Kojak
Card CPO Sharkey
The Bad News Bernstein Bears
Inch High, Private Issac the bartender
Double_Distribution8 t1_j612sbq wrote
Crazy to think almost all of it exists in the imagination of an imaginative autistic child with a snow globe.
SoggyAd1409 t1_j612vky wrote
I think it was “Jonie Loves Chocolate”
Double_Distribution8 t1_j612z4r wrote
Absolutely terrifying.
LoneRangersBand OP t1_j614f7n wrote
Tommy Westphall is responsible for all visual media and probably us.
LoneRangersBand OP t1_j614gsw wrote
Loved Isaac Hayes' soundtrack work on that show.
JustMe-male t1_j614or5 wrote
It wouldn’t have been the same with Byner, but I think he could have done a great job in his own right. I would have liked it anyway.
slayer991 t1_j6162ad wrote
Robin Williams was probably the only person that could have pulled it off at that time.
Jjagger63 t1_j61azne wrote
Oh i didnt know that. I stand corrected.
IndependenceMean8774 t1_j61c61f wrote
Why bother accepting the role in the first place if you think it's ridiculous, only to back out a short time before filming? That seems more ridiculous to me than the show's premise. Reject the role outright or at least try it for a few shows before you give up.
NTGenericus t1_j61d8db wrote
He would have been a great Mork.
LoneRangersBand OP t1_j61dy2e wrote
The irony is most people likely would have never known about this episode, let alone Mork, had it not been for Williams. Maybe among TV watchers or Happy Days fans, and at most a mention in some Buzzfeed listicle on 70s sitcoms cashing in on Star Wars.
[deleted] t1_j61wv0q wrote
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_PM_ME_YOUR_FORESKIN t1_j61yf6q wrote
And Meryl Streep, obviously.
🤣 jk.
MrFrode t1_j62aqrh wrote
Want to know how it came about? Gary Marshal asked his 7 year old kid if he was still watching Happy Days. The kid said no and he asked why. The kid said there was no space stuff in it and he liked space stuff. The kid suggested Richie have a dream about space men.
And Mork was born
DavoTB t1_j62ljd7 wrote
“Garry” was the spelling…
DavoTB t1_j62luek wrote
“Who’s the dark chocolate lovin’ chick, that’s a sis, to our guy, Rich?”
iluomo t1_j62pcxe wrote
I didn't know that Happy Days was supposed to have Mork from Ork as a character on the show.
amazingmikeyc t1_j62zkeh wrote
and All In The Family was a remake... the circle continues!
Gary_Vigoda t1_j633wn9 wrote
Bizarre was popular here in Canada. It was sort of Benny hill humour. Sort of racey. He was also good in Transylvania 6-5000.
itsalonghotsummer t1_j638tk6 wrote
Yes, based on the classic British show Till Death Do Us Part
MrFrode t1_j63lv7k wrote
The sheer F'in hubris, two friggen "r"s? Well not on my watch. No sir.
Sory Gary, not gonna happen.
Remorseful_User t1_j63na7c wrote
TBF - It probably wouldn't have had a spinoff without William's brilliance.
Remorseful_User t1_j63nhmg wrote
The sky is the limit once you jump the shark.
NickelFish t1_j63r2x3 wrote
Morn was a character on Star Trek Deep Space Nine. Great line delivery, too.
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sk8rlee t1_j6506nf wrote
And, from what I heard, when they were still looking for someone it was suggested that they check out a street performer who was (I think) acting like an alien. The response was 'you want me to hire a guy with a cup off the street?' and he was told 'the cup is always full'. That street performer was Robin Williams.
a__kitten t1_j696mvg wrote
Did you have the suspenders? I had what i'm pretty sure were a knock-off set of them that i loved. Fake edit: now that i think about it, were there official Mork(tm) supsenders? huh
No_Dragonfly_1894 t1_j697kzt wrote
Yes I did! A while later I finally wore my mom down and she got me some. Someone stole them shortly after 😖
[deleted] t1_j5zyaic wrote
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