Fantasy Island
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- This article is about the television series. For the amusement park, see Martin's Fantasy Island or Fantasy Island UK
Fantasy Island refers to two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.
Contents |
[edit] The Original Series
| Fantasy Island (1977) | |
|---|---|
 Introduction title to the first installment of Fantasy Island. |
|
| Genre | television drama, fantasy |
| Running time | 60 minutes (per episode) |
| Creator(s) | Gene Levitt |
| Starring | Ricardo Montalban Hervé Villechaize Christopher Hewett Wendy Schaal Kimberly Beck |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | January 14, 1978–May 19, 1984 |
| No. of episodes | 158 (including 1977 pilot) |
Prior to the long-running original series, Fantasy Island was introduced to viewers in 1977 through two highly-rated made-for-television films in which Mr. Roarke and Tattoo played relatively minor roles. Airing from 1978 to 1984, the original series starred Ricardo Montalban as Mr. Roarke, the enigmatic overseer of a mysterious island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean (presumably near Hawaii) where people from all walks of life could come and live out their fantasies — for a price.
Roarke was known for his white suit and cultured demeanor, and he was initially accompanied by an energetic sidekick, Tattoo, played by the diminutive Hervé Villechaize, who ran 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 catchphrase thanks to Villechaize's spirited delivery and French accent (he actually pronounced it, "De plane! De plane!"). In later seasons, he would come down to drive in his personal go cart, sized for him, and recklessly drive to join Roarke for the visitor reception while staff scramble to get out of his way. From 1980 to 1982, Wendy Schaal joined the cast as another assistant named Julie. Flint quit the series prior to the 1983-1984 season (its last) and Tattoo was replaced by a more sedate butler type named Lawrence, played by Christopher Hewett.
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.
In the early seasons, it was noted that each guest had paid $50,000 in advance for the fulfillment of their fantasies and that Fantasy Island was, at its heart, a business. Later, 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'd emptied her piggy bank - less than ten dollars - to have her fantasy about her father fulfilled.
In the two pilot movies Roarke was actually a rather sinister figure, but once the series went into production he soon became much more benevolent. In later seasons there were often supernatural overtones suggesting that Mr. Roarke was an angel, or perhaps a space alien or something else other-worldly, and that his powers to fulfill fantasies were the result of a supernatural being or beings needing to correct things that had happened in the past. Usually, he employed some sort of object - a magic potion, for instance - in order to make the fantasy come true. He also seemed to have his own magical powers of some sort, although it was never explained how this came to be. In one notable episode late in the series, Roarke battled a character who appeared to be The Devil (played by Roddy McDowall). Roarke had a strong moral code throughout, but he was always merciful as he tried to teach his guests the error of their ways. Several guests died on the island, either due to their own negligence, aggression or arrogance, or because they'd been due to die anyway and Roarke was allowing them to live out one last wish.
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 storylines as the guests experienced their fantasies and interacted with Roarke. Often, the fantasies would turn out to be morality lessons for the guests, 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'd been in a Tarzan-type TV series in the 1960s.
Like several other series of the era, such as The Love Boat and Murder, She Wrote, Fantasy Island employed many celebrities (if not A-list film stars of the time) as guest stars, often bringing them back repeatedly for different roles. The guests included TV stars such as Bill Bixby and Bob Denver, classic film stars such as Peter Lawford and Ray Bolger, young starlets like Victoria Principal and Barbi Benton, character actors such as Howard Duff and David Doyle, and soap opera actors like Dack Rambo.
The program was popular in its day, and its campy style has won it a cult following in reruns.
Filmed primarily in Kauai, HI and Burbank, CA
[edit] The 1998 Series
| Fantasy Island (1998) | |
|---|---|
 Malcolm McDowell as Mr. Roarke, and Mädchen Amick as the shape-shifting Ariel. |
|
| Genre | dramedy, fantasy |
| Running time | 60 minutes (per episode, including commercials) |
| Starring | Malcolm McDowell Mädchen Amick Louis Lombardi Edward Hibbert Fyvush Finkel Sylvia Sidney |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Original run | September 26, 1998–January 23, 1999 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
In 1998, ABC attempted a revival of the series in an hour-long format. The role of Mr. Roarke was filled by Malcolm McDowell and, unlike the first series, the supernatural aspect of his character and of Fantasy Island itself was emphasized from the start, along with a dose of dark humor. Director Barry Sonnenfeld, known for his work on The Addams Family movies, was a chief creative force on the new series. Another departure from the original involved filming location, with the new series filmed in Hawaii, rather than in California.
The supporting cast was also expanded for the new series. There was no attempt to replace Tattoo, with Roarke instead having a team of assistants — one of whom was a beautiful female shape shifter — who were assigned to help create and maintain the various fantasy worlds created on the island. Apparently these assistants were imprisoned on the island in order to pay off some debt, sometimes hinting that they were in some kind of Limbo, with many parallels between the regulars and William Shakespeare's The Tempest. The series was cancelled midway through the season, with this subplot never resolved.
In an attempt to contrast this series with the original, the new Mr. Roarke usually wore black; in the first episode, he picked the single black suit out of a closet of white ones and ordered that the rest be burned. Also during the first episode, an assistant came into Mr. Roarke's office, shouting "The planes! The planes!" Mr. Roarke ordered the assistant to never do that again.
Episodes of the revived series were regularly introduced at a travel agency that actually books the fantasies, operated by two elderly travel agents played by Fyvush Finkel and 1930s silver screen leading lady Sylvia Sidney (in her final acting role).
[edit] Parodies
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 Pogram 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.
[edit] External links
- Fantasy Island at the Internet Movie Database (original pilot)
- Fantasy Island at the Internet Movie Database (1978)
- Fantasy Island at the Internet Movie Database (1998)
- Fantasy Island at TV.com (1978)
- Fantasy Island at TV.com (1998)
- The Queen Anne Cottage at the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, Arcadia, California (featured in the opening credits of the original series)
- Fantasy Island (1998) review in The Michigan Daily, the student newspaper of the University of Michigan
