39,327
edits
Fantasy Island: Difference between revisions
m
Mass update links
m (trope=>work) |
m (Mass update links) |
||
Line 4:
{{quote| ''The plane! Boss! Boss! It's the plane!''}}
The original ''Fantasy Island'' was introduced to viewers via two made-for-television films in 1977. Those went on to spawn a highly popular series that ran from 1978 to 1984 and which starred Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke, the mysterious, charming, white-suited figure who ran the eponymous island. Assisting Mr. Roarke was his earnest, vertically (and verbally) challenged sidekick, Tattoo (played by Hervé Villechaize, also famous for playing [[The Man
The plane he was talking about, of course, was the one that was delivering new arrivals to the island, each of whom had lain down a sizable sum of money to have his or her personal fantasies fufilled. Mr. Roarke would take it upon himself to greet every guest as they stepped onto the island and then [[Mr. Exposition|describe]] to Tattoo in an [[As You Know]] fashion, the nature of their fantasy request. Of course, being a supernaturally-powered [[Trickster Mentor]], Mr. Roarke very rarely allowed his guests' fantasies to play out in the way ''they'' expected them to. And quite often the fantasies themselves were used to teach each guest an important moral -- one intended to open their eyes to some facet of their own lives they might have been neglecting. Or to teach them to appreciate what they have. Or just simply, to [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]. But rather often, everybody just had a good time, even if it wasn't what they were expecting.
Line 10:
The source of Mr. Roarke's strange powers and the reason behind his island's existence are never really revealed, although it is implied that he is a supernatural force for Good. (Perhaps even one of the [[Powers That Be]]. At one point, he battles [[Satan|The Devil]], played to creepy perfection by Roddy McDowall, who is portrayed as a dapper foil for Mr. Roarke himself, dressed like a photographic negative of Roarke.)
In 1998, ABC hosted a ''[[Fantasy Island]]'' revival series that put [[Malcolm McDowell]] into the role of Mr. Roarke. McDowell's take on the character was a bit darker, as was the tone of the series. Gone were Tattoo and his antics. Instead, Mr. Roarke had a team of assistants, most of whom were compelled to serve on the island as a form of metaphysical punishment for their past sins. One of the assistants was a beautiful shape-shifting woman named Ariel (a [[Shout
{{tropelist}}
* [[Absent-Minded Professor]]: In "The Inventor", an AMP and his lab assistant (Artie Johnson and Marsha Wallace) arrive on the island to perfect a formula .... which has already blown up eight seperate labs.
Line 22:
* [[Catch Phrase]]: "Smiles, everyone! Smiles!" "The plane, the plane!"
** Dunkin' Donuts once had a commercial where Tattoo runs into a donut shop and exclaims "The plain, the plain! Nonono, the chocolate, the chocolate! Nonono, the boston cream..."
* [[A Connecticut Yankee in King
* [[Couch Potatoes]]: Hervé Villechaize appeared in one episode to ask questions about ''[[Fantasy Island]]''.
* [[Crossover]]: Apparently among Mr Roark's magical, mystical abilities is the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_g_4C7-2Dg power to CrossOver with other Aaron Spelling series].
* [[Directed
* [[Edited for Syndication]]: The series was syndicated in two lengths - the original hour long version with two guests per episode, and a half hour version featuring only one guest. New York's Channel 11 bought both versions in 1990 and ran them back to back as needed to fill random early 2AM - 6AM dayparts after the late late movie ended in the days before infomercials.
* [[Estrogen Brigade Bait]] / [[Fan Service]]: Lots and lots of hot guys and pretty girls, all in swimwear/skimpy clothing. Also, Mr. Roarke had a couple of [[Shirtless Scene|Shirtless Scenes]]. Believe it or not, Ricardo Montalban was [[Heroic Build|seriously built]] in [[Real Life]]. Remember ''[[Star Trek II:
* [[Evil Twin]]: In "Look Alikes", a guest (Ken Berry) wishes to meet his nonrelated twin (Ken Berry).
* [[Fish Out of Temporal Water]]: Many guests are sent back in time -- and sometimes figures such as King Arthur, Don Juan and Jack the Ripper ended up in the 70s.
Line 56:
* [[Shakespeare in Fiction]]: In the episode "Room and Bard" William Shakespeare (Robert Reed) is brought to the 70s to write a play for a horror film star wanting to become a serious actress.
* [[Sherlock Holmes]]: "In "Save Sherlock Holmes!" a security guard (Ron Ely) gets to work with The Great Detective (Peter Lawford) and Dr Watson (Donald O'Conner).
* [[Shout
** In the 1998 series, one guy's fantasy wife complained about him almost breaking her Ricardo Montaban plate.
* [[Spin-Off]]: For a few weeks ABC tried a Children's version of "Fantasy Island" aired in the 'Family Hour' of Sunday @ 7pm Est time slot. The only differences between it and the 'Saturday @ 10pm' version were that kids had requested the fantasies, and they arrived and departed via Hot Air balloon instead of De Plane. These episodes were syndicated with the parent show.
Line 62:
* [[Trickster Mentor]]: Mr. Roarke
* [[Two Lines, No Waiting]]: The hour-long episodes followed the exploits of two separate Guests. Most of the time, the A Story and the [[B Story]] had nothing to do with one another; in fact, the two plot threads were usually written by ''two different scriptwriters''.
* [[What Happened to
** Also we never find out why Julie and Tattoo leave before the Lawrence episodes.
* [[Woobie of the Week]]: New guests are brought in every week to learn some sort of lesson.
* [[World War One]]: A bumbling locksmith and Boy Scout troop leader (Don Adams, in full [[Get Smart
* [[You Look Familiar]]: Wendy Schaal played different characters in two seperate stories before returning the next year to play Tattoo substitue Julie.
| |||