Manimal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Manimal | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action/Adventure/Fantasy |
| Created by | Glen A. Larson Donald R. Boyle |
| Written by | Michael Berk Larry Brody Sam Egan Joseph Gunn Paul Mason Douglas Schwartz |
| Directed by | Chuck Bail Georg Fenady Daniel Haller Sidney Hayers Leslie H. Martinson Russ Mayberry |
| Starring | Simon MacCorkindale Melody Anderson Michael D. Roberts |
| Narrated by | William Conrad |
| Theme music composer | Paul Chihara |
| Opening theme | "Manimal" |
| Composer(s) | Paul Chihara Alan Silvestri |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 8 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Glen A. Larson Paul Mason |
| Running time | 45 min |
| Production company(s) | 20th Century Fox Television Glen A. Larson Productions |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | September 30, 1983 – December 17, 1983 |
| Status | Ended |
Contents
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Opening narration
For every episode except the pilot, actor William Conrad recites the opening narration that tells of Chase's wealthy present life and his early days in Africa with his missionary father.| “ | Dr Jonathan Chase... wealthy, young, handsome. A man with the brightest of futures. A man with the darkest of pasts. From Africa's deepest recesses, to the rarefied peaks of Tibet, heir to his father's legacy and the world's darkest mysteries. Jonathan Chase, master of the secrets that divide man from animal, animal from man... Manimal! | ” |
Overview
Manimal premiered as a 90-minute pilot that aired on September 30, 1983. The series featured the story of Dr Jonathan Chase, a shape-shifter who could turn himself into any animal he chose, and used this ability to help fight crime. Only two people were aware of Jonathan's secret, his friend Ty Earl and Police Detective Brooke Mackenzie. Jonathan and Ty would assist Brooke with a case she was working on, with Jonathan transforming himself into an animal when it became useful.By modern standards the show's special effects, though plentiful, are low-quality. While Jonathan had the ability to change himself into any animal, he would transform into a hawk and a black panther in nearly every episode. In some episodes, he would transform into a third animal, such as a horse, dolphin, or bull, with the transformation taking place offscreen, though once he was shown becoming a snake. The transformation sequences were designed and created by the Academy Award-winning SFX artist Stan Winston.
Cast
- Simon MacCorkindale - Dr. Jonathan Chase
- Melody Anderson - Brooke Mackenzie
- Michael D. Roberts - Tyrone "Ty" C. Earl
- Reni Santoni - Lt. Nick Rivera
- William Conrad - Narrator (opening scene)
- Glynn Turman - Tyrone "Ty" C. Earl (pilot episode)
- Jack Greer - Young Jonathan Chase (pilot episode)
Reception and cancellation
Manimal was scheduled opposite CBS's popular soap opera Dallas, and was cancelled after eight episodes. However, Manimal was very popular in a number of other countries where it was broadcast.Manimal was a part of NBC's 1983 fall line-up which also featured eight other series that were cancelled before their first seasons ended (including Jennifer Slept Here, Bay City Blues, and We Got it Made).
Fantasy Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Fantasy Island | |
|---|---|
| Format | Drama/Fantasy |
| Created by | Gene Levitt |
| Starring | Ricardo Montalbán Hervé Villechaize Christopher Hewett Wendy Schaal Kimberly Beck |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 7 |
| No. of episodes | 158 (including 1977 pilot) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45–48 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Spelling-Goldberg Productions Sony Pictures Television |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original run | January 14, 1978 – May 19, 1984 |
| Status | Ended |
Contents
|
Original series
Before it became a long-running original television show, Fantasy Island was introduced to viewers in 1977 through two highly-rated made-for-television films. Airing from 1978 to 1984, the original series starred Ricardo Montalbán as Mr. Roarke, the enigmatic overseer of a mysterious island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, where people from all walks of life could come and live out their fantasies, albeit for a price.Roarke was known for his white suit and cultured demeanor, and was initially accompanied by an energetic sidekick, Tattoo, played by Hervé Villechaize. Tattoo would run up the main bell tower to ring the bell and shout "The plane! The plane!" to announce the arrival of a new set of guests at the beginning of each episode. This line, shown at the beginning of the show's credits, became an unlikely catch phrase because of Villechaize's spirited delivery and French accent (he actually pronounced it, "Ze plane! Ze plane!"). In later seasons, he would arrive in his personal go-kart, sized for him, and recklessly driven to join Roarke for the visitor reception while staff scrambled to get out of his way. From 1980 to 1982, Wendy Schaal joined the cast as another assistant named Julie. In a highly unpopular move with both fans and the cast, the producers fired Villechaize from the series before the 1983–1984 season (which ended up being its last) and Tattoo was replaced by a more sedate butler type named Lawrence, played by Christopher Hewett. Lawrence's personality was exactly the opposite of Tattoo's in many ways. For instance, Lawrence was also responsible for the bell ringing, but instead of climbing to the tower he simply pushed a button outside to have the bell ring automatically.
A Grumman Widgeon aircraft was used for the series.As each visitor exited the plane Roarke would describe to Tattoo (or another assistant) the nature of their fantasy, usually with a cryptic comment suggesting the person's fantasy will not turn out as they expected. Roarke would then welcome his guests by lifting his glass and saying: "My dear guests, I am Mr. Roarke, your host. Welcome to Fantasy Island." This toast was usually followed with a warm smile but sometimes (depending on the nature of a guest or their fantasy) his eyes would show concern or worry for a guest's safety.
Roarke's personal vehicle was an orange Dodge Aspen station wagon with a Safari top with the stance of a modern-day sport utility vehicle.
Mr. Roarke
Very little is known about the man known as Mr. Roarke and it isn't clear if that's his first, last, or only name. Although most guests know him as "Mr." Roarke, many people close to him, including past lovers, have referred to him only as "Roarke", which suggests he may not have any other names. He is the sole owner and proprietor of Fantasy Island.Roarke's actual age is a complete mystery. In the pilot movie, he comments how the guests who come to his island are "so mortal" and there are hints throughout the series that suggest Roarke may be immortal. In "Elizabeth", a woman from Roarke's past appears, but it's revealed that she died over three hundred years ago. Another episode even suggests that he was once intimate with Cleopatra. However old he is, Roarke has come to know many seemingly-immortal beings over his time on Earth, including ghosts ("The Ghost's Story"), a genie ("A Genie Named Joe"), the mermaid Nyah ("The Mermaid", "The Mermaid Returns", "The Mermaid and the Matchmaker"), the goddess Aphrodite ("Aphrodite"), and even Michael, the Angel of Death ("The Angel's Triangle"). In two episodes ("The Devil and Mandy Breems", "The Devil and Mr. Roarke"), Roarke even faces The Devil (played by Roddy McDowall), who has come to the island to challenge him for either a guest's immortal soul or his. It is mentioned this is not the first time they have confronted each other and Mr. Roarke has always been the winner. In the second story, the Devil himself was one of the island's guests, claiming he was only there to relax and had no interest in Roarke's soul at the time. However, this turned out to be yet another ruse.
Roarke had a strong moral code, but he was always merciful. He usually tried to teach his guests important life lessons through the medium of their fantasies, frequently in a manner that exposes the errors of their ways, and on occasions when the island hosted terminally ill guests he would allow them to live out one last wish. Roarke's fantasies were not without peril, but the greatest danger usually came from the guests themselves; in some cases people actually got themselves killed due to their own negligence, aggression or arrogance. When necessary, Roarke would directly intervene when the fantasy became dangerous to the guest. For instance, when Tattoo was given his own fantasy as a birthday gift, which ended up with him being chased by hostile natives in canoes, Mr. Roarke suddenly appeared in a motorboat, snared Tattoo's canoe with a grappling hook and towed it away at high speed to help his employee escape. With only a few exceptions, Roarke always made it quite clear that he was powerless to stop a fantasy once it had begun and that guests must play them out to their conclusion.
In the pilot movie, Roarke was actually a rather sinister figure, but once the series went into production he was depicted as more benevolent.In later seasons, there were often supernatural overtones. Roarke also seemed to have his own supernatural powers of some sort (called the "Gift of the McNabs" in "Delphine"), although it was never explained how this came to be. In one episode, when a guest says "Thank God things worked out well", Roarke and Tattoo share a very odd look and Roarke says in a cryptic way "Thank God, indeed". In the same episode, Roarke uses some mysterious powers to help Tattoo with his magic act.
The usual format of each episode consisted of an introduction in which Roarke would describe to Tattoo (or another assistant) the nature of each person's fantasy, usually with a cryptic comment suggesting the person's fantasy will not turn out as they expected. The episode would then alternate between two or three independent story lines as the guests experienced their fantasies and interacted with Roarke. Often, the fantasies would turn out to be morality lessons for the guests (for example, one featured a man who clamored for the "good old days" to be taken back to the Salem witch trials), sometimes to the point of (apparently) putting their lives at risk, only to have Roarke step in at the last minute and reveal the deception. It is mentioned a few times that a condition of visiting Fantasy Island is that guests never reveal what goes on there. A small number of guests decided to make the irrevocable choice to stay permanently, living out their fantasy until death; one such person was an actor who had been in a Tarzan-type television series in the 1960s. Aside from a "clip show" ("Remember...When?") the only episode with a single storyline was "The Wedding", in which terminally-ill Helena Marsh returned to Fantasy Island to spend her last days as Roarke's wife.
The Fantasy
Cost
In the first movie, it was noted that each guest had paid $50,000 (about $185,000 in 2010 dollars) in advance for the fulfillment of their fantasies and that Fantasy Island was a business. In Return to Fantasy Island Roarke told Tattoo that he sometimes dropped the price when a guest couldn't afford the usual fee because he believed everyone should be given a chance to have their fantasies fulfilled. Afterwards, it became clear that the price a guest paid was substantial to him or her, and for one little girl whose father was one of Roarke's guests, she had emptied her piggy bank—less than ten dollars—to have her fantasy with her father fulfilled. On numerous occasions, a guest had not paid for the trip at all but instead won it as a result of a contest.Nature
The nature of a fantasy varied from story to story and were typically very personal to each guest on some level. They could be as harmless as wanting to be reunited with a lost love to something more dangerous like tracking down a cold-blooded killer that murdered someone close to the guest. Usually, the fantasy would take an unexpected turn and proceed down a quite different path than the guest expected. He or she would then leave with some new revelation or renewed interest about themselves or someone close to them. Many times Roarke would reveal in the end that someone they met during the course of their fantasy was another guest living a fantasy of their own. Both guests often left the island together. One guest, however, (Don Knotts) had no particular fantasy and was simply there to relax and enjoy himself.Although some fantasies were rooted in the real world, many others involved supernatural (such as ghosts, demons, or witchcraft) or mythological (mermaids, genies, Greek goddesses) elements. Time-travel was often a required element - if not a specific request - to fulfill one's fantasy.
Risk
Often a fantasy might involve supernatural elements or even time-travel. Roarke often preceded particularly risky fantasies with a stern warning, word of caution, or even suggestion that the guest select another fantasy instead. He would then inform his guests that he was powerless to stop a fantasy once it had begun and must allow the fantasy to play out until its ultimate conclusion. However, in life-or-death cases, he would inevitably interfere and ensure his guests' safety.Guest stars
- Ron Ely
- Barbi Benton
- Ken Berry
- Bill Bixby
- Ray Bolger
- Sonny Bono
- William Boyett
- Charo
- Colby Chester
- Iron Eyes Cody
- Dennis Cole
- Michael Cole
- Bob Denver
- David Doyle
- Howard Duff
- Anne Francis
- Robert Fuller
- Mickey Gilley
- Robert Goulet
- Sid Haig
- David Hedison
- Vince Howard
- Tom Jones
- Peter Lawford
- Heather Locklear
- Gloria Loring
- Meredith MacRae
- Randolph Mantooth
- Leigh McCloskey
- Trisha Noble
- Randi Oakes
- Cassandra Peterson
- Michelle Phillips
- Victoria Principal
- Dack Rambo
- Shanna Reed
- Heather O'Rourke
- Bobby Sherman
- Bobby Troup
- Tom Wopat
Production notes
The show was broadcast every Saturday night on ABC at 10 p.m., after The Love Boat, which was also produced by Aaron Spelling. Like several other series of the era, such as the previously mentioned The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote, Fantasy Island employed many celebrity guest stars, often bringing them back repeatedly for different roles.Filming locations
The series was filmed primarily in Burbank, California with the opening scenes of the enchanting island coastline being that of Kauai, Hawaii. The house with the bell tower, where Tattoo rings the bell, is the Queen Anne Cottage, located in the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden in Arcadia. The plane, "arriving" with the guests, was filmed in the lagoon behind the Queen Anne Cottage. Sometimes, outdoor scenes were filmed at the Arboretum.Reception
According to Entertainment Weekly Tattoo is one of the "greatest sidekicks."
Parodies and cultural references
- In the 2002 episode of Family Guy titled "Stuck Together, Torn Apart", Peter is watching Magnum, P.I. in which Magnum insists on calling Higgins "Tattoo".
- In the song "The Chronic (Intro)" by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg, Mr. Rourke and Tattoo are compared to Jerry Heller and Eazy-E in the line "Fuck Mr. Rourke and Tattoo, a.k.a. Jerry and Eazy". Eazy-E is compared to Tattoo because of his stature and Jerry is compared to Mr. Rourke, as he was one of the main businessmen at Ruthless Records (Eazy-E's record company that feuded with Dr. Dre's Death Row Records
- Canada's comedy duo of Wayne and Shuster parodied Fantasy Island as Fantasy Motel. A bus dropped off the passengers, who stood looking around at the inside of the motel, wondering at the sights, while Roarke (Wayne) told "Juan-too" the fantasies of the guests. Juan-too, however, was very tall, and when one guest (Shuster) blurted that he thought Juan-too was supposed to be short, Roarke said it was Juan-too's fantasy to be tall and Juan-too apparently regularly threatens Mr. Roarke with a beating to keep it that way. This guest had everything, and his fantasy was to have something he didn't have. Roarke discovered the guest didn't think he was particularly handsome, so Roarke arranged for plastic surgery.
- The Micallef Program contained a sketch entitled 'Fantasy Traffic Island' in which Shaun and Francis asked a pedestrian what his wildest fantasy was. He just wanted to get to the golf shop across the road.
- In the Looney Tunes compilation Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island, Daffy Duck found a wishing well, and started charging people to make wishes. When the business took off, he started wearing a white suit. Speedy Gonzales took on the role of Tattoo.
- SCTV produced a parody of Fantasy Island (presumably shown as advertised Thursday at 9 on SCTV). Eugene Levy played a Mr. Roarke-like character, & John Candy played Pattoo, a Tattoo-like character. Candy's image was miniaturized for television with special photography. Joe Flaherty & Dave Thomas played rock & roll musicians who came to the island to fulfill their fantasies of being great comedians (they wanted to be Cheech & Chong but Mr. Roarke made them Hope & Crosby). Andrea Martin played a violinist from the Philadelphia Philharmonic. John Candy also portrayed a Bogart-like "Rick" (from Casablanca) character in the final scene. Rick bogarts his cigarette, as noted by Andrea Martin's character. Pattoo also reveals that Roarke's fantasy is to "tie up women with rich Corinthian leather" -- a reference to commercials for Chrysler voiced by Ricardo Montalban.
- In the episode The Cryonic Woman (2ACV19), Futurama makes a reference to some of its characters returning from Fantasy Planet, where "for one beautiful night", Doctor Zoidberg learns "what it was like to be a grandmother. Subjugated, yet honored."
- In an episode of Nickelodeon cartoon Doug the title character has a dream sequence where he envisions himself as a Mr Roarke-like character and his main antagonist, Roger, as Tattoo.
- In the entertainment TV show El Lavadero, on the Colombian TV network RCN, there is a section called Su Isla de la Fantasía (Spanish for "Your Fantasy Island"), which is presented by "Señor Ron" (a Mr. Roarke-like character; his name could be a pun on either the Spanish word for "Rum", or the channel name [RCN TV], or a pun on the word señorón, a pejorative form of mister) and Pelotú (pronounced pell-o-TOO, an imitation of Tattoo; his name is an apocope of "pelotudo" or stupid). In this parody, they talk about events that happen to people in Colombia and worldwide, and based on their talk, Mr. Ron says the guest has the fantasy to star in a certain movie or program.
- In the video game Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed, one of the levels is called "Fantasy Atoll", where visitors live out their fantasies. The owner is a midget named "Porke" and his assistant, Ratpoo. It took place in the 1970s. One of the missions on the level is called "Hate Boat", as the show was aired after the show The Love Boat.
- When I Love 1982 Strikes Back aired its segment on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, it was teased with the line "Why is Captain Kirk so pissed off at Mr. Roarke?" an obvious in-joke about Ricardo Montalban's work on the TV series that was airing at the same time of the films release.
- South Park has mentioned Fantasy Island three times. One episode has a reporter saying, "And from a man who looks an awful lot like Mr. Roarke" and then shows a reporter in the likeness of Roarke. Another episode, where the boys visit space, has an alien shape shifting into different characters and objects in order to appeal to the boys, and he briefly becomes Mr. Roarke and Tattoo. However, the boys yell, "NO!" In yet another episode, when the elementary school children are stranded on their bus, Cartman mentions that he's missing the new version of the show. That episode actually aired in June 1998, three months before the premiere of the revival. However, that could've been a writers gag, since Cartman also mentions missing "The New Barnaby Jones", a fictional series mentioned in a later episode.
- A similar thing happened on an episode of The Jetsons. The Jetsons got fed up with their lifestyle, so they visited a planet where a man and his short sidekick (called Tee-Too) had two heads. Each of the Jetsons got to live their own fantasies, until it became too much for them to handle.
- In the 2008 movie Meet Dave, Dave's attire was mistaken for being like "He stepped out of a Bee Gees concert. Number three said that all white clothing was not as standard as they thought, according to the only signal intercepted from Earth, which showed Tatoo saying "Ze plane, ze plane!"
- In a MadTV sketch parodying the ABC drama, Lost, Roarke and Tattoo emerge from the jungle at the end of the skit, with Roarke welcoming them, and announcing that the survivors are actually on Fantasy Island. Tattoo, on seeing their downed plane, exclaims, "The Plane! The Plane is in the ocean!".
- In The George Lopez Show, Vic is seen in a white tuxedo and George walks in and says, "Welcome to Fantasy Island," and making a series of remarks related to the show, such as, "Boss boss, de plane, de plane!"
- In Robot Chicken, Mr. Roarke and Tattoo appear, with guests stating that they would like obscure, inappropriate fantasies, such as being able to have sex with a donkey or to administer a violent beating to Roarke.
- In The Powerpuff Girls episode, "Boy Toys", when The Rowdyruff Boys look up and see Princess flying overhead, Boomer says, "De plane, de plane!" like Tattoo.
- In A Night at the Roxbury, Chris Kattan's character Doug Watabi yells to his father "Are you seeing planes?...Is your name Tattoo because I swear to God you're living on Fantasy Island" Then Will Ferrell's character Steve says "Man, that was a sweet show!" In which Doug adds "Yeah it was, wasn't it?"
- In the Entourage episode "Fantasy Island", Turtle can be heard saying "Ze plane, ze plane" to Vince as a plane flies overhead.
- An episode of Phineas and Ferb is titled "De Plane, De Plane!"
- In a episode of Codename: Kids Next Door, when they see the plane one of the operatives yells "De plane De plane".
- In an episode of Phoenix Nights, Peter Kay's character Max the doorman refers to a visiting group of Bolton fans of diminutive staure as Tattoo.
- In an episode of Bizarre, comedian John Byner plays Tattoo giving then-NBC executive Fred Silverman a wish. When Silverman asks for a decent line-up, Byner-as-Tattoo tells him "we only do fantasies, not friggin MIRACLES!"
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