View Full Version : Pam Dawber Blames ABC For Trying to Make 'Mork & Mindy' Into A "Sexy" Sitcom


Brian Damage
06-18-2012, 12:49 AM
HUH?

One word I never would connect Mork & Mindy with is Sexy!? She said ABC asked her to wear a padded bra and they hired Raquel Welch. That is something I didn't know....is it true Raquel Welch joined the cast of Mork & Mindy???

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aF0aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eyoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5601,6784754&dq=pam+dawber&hl=en

Mr. Television
06-18-2012, 12:59 AM
She didn't join the cast but she did guest star on the show during season 2 when ABC was trying to fix the series.....fix something that wasn't wrong. lol

Brian Damage
06-18-2012, 01:02 AM
She didn't join the cast but she did guest star on the show during season 2 when ABC was trying to fix the series.....fix something that wasn't wrong. lol


Holy Moly! Thanks for the info...AND the visual to go along with it. LOL

robyrob
06-18-2012, 08:14 AM
yeah, the network execs demanded "more jiggle TV", its also why they got rid of Conrad Janis and Grandma in the second season - they didn't just try to fix what wasn't broke, they almost destroyed what wasn't broke.

Skywalker
06-18-2012, 03:07 PM
They definitely tried to sex up the Mindy character. I remember that episode where she went undercover as a stripper. :lol:

Reverend Jim
06-18-2012, 06:29 PM
yeah, the network execs demanded "more jiggle TV", its also why they got rid of Conrad Janis and Grandma in the second season - they didn't just try to fix what wasn't broke, they almost destroyed what wasn't broke.
http://i50.tinypic.com/11jugsi.jpg

TVFactFan
06-18-2012, 08:45 PM
HUH?

One word I never would connect Mork & Mindy with is Sexy!? She said ABC asked her to wear a padded bra and they hired Raquel Welch. That is something I didn't know....is it true Raquel Welch joined the cast of Mork & Mindy???

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aF0aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eyoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5601,6784754&dq=pam+dawber&hl=en

She said the show aired on Tuesdays, the show never aired on Tuesdays. Just a Monday, Thursdays and Sundays.:lol:

And then didn't need to make her sexy if she living with Mork

TVFactFan
06-18-2012, 08:46 PM
So they wanted the show to be SEXY like Three's Company:lol:

Mace Dolex
06-18-2014, 02:17 PM
Robin Williams is a gifted performer but was he even appealing to women? how were they going to sex it up just for female viewers?

biffbronson
06-18-2014, 08:20 PM
Gina Hecht was a very sexy addition to the cast. At the same time they also brought on Jay Thomas. I'm guessing he too was added with sex appeal in mind -- so maybe that helps answer your question...?

Babalu
06-22-2014, 08:40 PM
Robin Williams is a gifted performer but was he even appealing to women? how were they going to sex it up just for female viewers?


Jonathan Winters.

TVFactFan
06-28-2014, 03:53 PM
this was a show aimed at kids so no way it could be sexy

biffbronson
06-28-2014, 10:56 PM
I have to dispute that. I'll argue that the network hoped Mork & Mindy was appealing to a youngish demographic with buying power, but I don't think it was ever aimed at children. I mean even later on, Jonathan Winters is not the type of actor to bring on with kids in mind!

And it never had widespread appeal among kids -- certainly not like earlier ABC shows (Brady Bunch) or later (Full House).

Skywalker
06-29-2014, 03:11 PM
I have to dispute that. I'll argue that the network hoped Mork & Mindy was appealing to a youngish demographic with buying power, but I don't think it was ever aimed at children. I mean even later on, Jonathan Winters is not the type of actor to bring on with kids in mind!

And it never had widespread appeal among kids -- certainly not like earlier ABC shows (Brady Bunch) or later (Full House).

I think early on when they had Jeffrey Jacquet (Eugene) appear in a few episodes as a friend of Mork's there was an attempt to get kids to watch the show. Other than that you're right, most of the humor was aimed at adults and teens, not children.

Kate From CT
07-11-2014, 01:43 PM
LOL, Oh yeah, swooning over Jonathan Winters right now. :lol:

Seriously, Fred Silverman was in charge of ABC back then. He was all about "Jiggle TV" if i'm not mistaken.

jehobden
07-21-2014, 06:44 PM
LOL, Oh yeah, swooning over Jonathan Winters right now. :lol:

Seriously, Fred Silverman was in charge of ABC back then. He was all about "Jiggle TV" if i'm not mistaken.

Fred Silverman left ABC for NBC in 1978, so while he may have approved Mork & Mindy as a series for ABC that fall, he had nothing to do with ABC's actions in ruining this show from 1979 forward.

Retro4Life
07-21-2014, 10:25 PM
Seems to me that Pam Dawber was plenty attractive enough without any kind of "padding". She was gorgeous, bright, had a friendly and kind personality...no underwear adjustments would have improved upon those qualities.

As to the show in general, yeah, if they were trying to 'sex up' what was ostensibly a family comedy, they were barking up the wrong tree. A definite example of network 'tinkering' dooming a show that wasn't broken to begin with.

Mr. Television
07-21-2014, 10:36 PM
Seems to me that Pam Dawber was plenty attractive enough without any kind of "padding". She was gorgeous, bright, had a friendly and kind personality...no underwear adjustments would have improved upon those qualities.

As to the show in general, yeah, if they were trying to 'sex up' what was ostensibly a family comedy, they were barking up the wrong tree. A definite example of network 'tinkering' dooming a show that wasn't broken to begin with.
Probably why they got rid of the father and grandmother. Then they realized they made a mistake and brought them back. lol M & M was ranked #3 that first year. You just don't mess with success. The public knows what it likes. lol

And I won't even mention Jay Thomas. I never did like him.

Retro4Life
07-21-2014, 10:57 PM
Probably why they got rid of the father and grandmother. Then they realized they made a mistake and brought them back. lol M & M was ranked #3 that first year. You just don't mess with success. The public knows what it likes. lol

And I won't even mention Jay Thomas. I never did like him.

Never cared for him, either. It was a mistake to bring both of them in, IMHO.

That show had SO many supporting characters over time, it was like a revolving door! I liked most of them to some extent, but besides Jay, I never cared for Nelson Flavor, Exidor's mother, and even poor Georgia Engel, who through no fault of her own really had no reason to be on this show. By the time Winters arrived, Mork was like the most normal character in a sea of loonies...a far cry from the original premise!

visaman666
08-01-2014, 04:52 AM
I have to dispute that. I'll argue that the network hoped Mork & Mindy was appealing to a youngish demographic with buying power, but I don't think it was ever aimed at children.

I was 14 when the show debuted. I guess you could call me a child, and some of the smutty references went over my head, so to speak... Debbie Does Dallas references, for example. :eek:

king of comedy
08-01-2014, 06:58 AM
They never heard of the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I only saw the first season and it was perfect the way it was. They should have kept it at that.

CosmicCharlie
02-07-2019, 10:26 PM
There's a written interview after the show ended with Pam where she says something to the effect "see, a small breasted women can find success in the world" (paraphrase)

cbikle
03-21-2019, 05:25 PM
yeah, the network execs demanded "more jiggle TV", its also why they got rid of Conrad Janis and Grandma in the second season -

Personally, I didn't miss them.

CosmicCharlie
03-21-2019, 05:35 PM
Pam was / is a beauty ! just the way she is !!

Dr. Thong
09-30-2019, 07:35 PM
They never heard of the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I only saw the first season and it was perfect the way it was. They should have kept it at that.

What ABC forced the producers of Mork & Mindy to do should be taught as "How to kill off a show that was a massive hit in its first season."

All they had to do was leave well enough alone, but the networks were paying too much attention to demographics and reasoning that younger, hipper, "sexier" characters would appeal to that coveted youth demographic and therefore bring in big ratings and advertiser $$$.

Instead, the show nosedived and never recovered creatively (in my opinion) and the ratings began a slow descent, eventually bottoming out so much that the network cancelled the show at the end of season 4 in 1982.

Networks should be concerned with scheduling and promoting shows, not getting involved creatively when they don't need to be.

CosmicCharlie
09-30-2019, 08:01 PM
Mindy Mindy Mindy

Dr. Thong
10-01-2019, 05:39 PM
Mindy Mindy Mindy

She was right purty!