Fantasy Island (1977 TV series)

Fantasy Island
Title card of the first installment of Fantasy Island.
Created by	Gene Levitt
Starring	Ricardo Montalbán Hervé Villechaize Wendy Schaal Christopher Hewett
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	152, plus 2 TV-movies (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	45–48 minutes
Production company(s)	Spelling-Goldberg Productions Columbia Pictures Television
Distributor	Sony Pictures Television
Release
Original network	ABC
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	January 14, 1977 (1977-01-14) – May 19, 1984 (1984-05-19)

Fantasy Island is an American television series that originally aired on the ABC network from 1977 to 1984. It starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roark who grants the fantasies of visitors to the titular island for a price. The series was created by Gene Levitt. A revival of the series aired on the same network during the 1998–99 season.

Before it became a television series, Fantasy Island was introduced to viewers in 1977 and 1978 through two 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 catchphrase because of Villechaize's spirited delivery and French accent. In later seasons, he would arrive in his personal go-kart, sized for him, and recklessly drive to join Roarke for the visitor reception while the staff scrambled to get out of his way. From 1981 to 1982, Wendy Schaal joined the cast as a beautiful brown-eyed blonde assistant named Julie. The producers dismissed 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).

A Grumman Widgeon aircraft was used for the series. Just prior to the plane landing, Mr. Roarke would address his assembling employees with the phrase "Smiles, everyone! Smiles!". 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.