9 Comments
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Joby Bednar's avatar

I too was in that demographic of a kid with lax bedtime and loved the show but probably shouldn’t have been watching. I thought he was magical like a genie, like you said, be careful what you ask for… you’ll get instead what you needed. Like some ancient island spirit.

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Retroist's avatar

I like no one suspects that Roarke is going to twist their fantasies to teach them a lesson. So many get irate when things start going awry. When its very dramatic, it is often my favorite part of the show.

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Sheila (of Ephemera)'s avatar

Mr. Roark scared me as a kid! My brother and I were both often spooked by the episodes, which I have a very vague memory of. I would totally watch them all again!

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Retroist's avatar

They are a lot of fun to rewatch nowadays. I found them scary as well back then. Montalban knew how to play the character. He could be so charming, but had a bit of an edge.

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Sheila (of Ephemera)'s avatar

Yes! He had a very “F**k around and find out” vibe! You always knew he could turn on you!

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J.Q. Graziano's avatar

Because of its later time slot, I only got to watch this when staying over my grandparents' house - which of course now that they're long gone have become some of my most cherished childhood memories. (There's still one particular episode where guests had to choose one of several doors of consequence to go through that has been haunting me and I want to track down!)

I loved the magical element to the show plus the mysterious omniscient Roarke. Re-watching them in recent years, it's such a treat to see all the past celebrities that featured in those episodes and the cultural zeitgeist of those funky & free-lovin' 70s and early 80s!

Tried watching the most recent reboot, but it just didn't do it for me, so back to the originals I go.

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Smith's avatar

I’m pretty sure there was a crossover episode with Love Boat.

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Retroist's avatar

You are right, I should have looked deeper before opening my mouth. Got a bunch of msgs about this one. Loni Anderson!

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David Perlmutter's avatar

"De plane! De plane!"

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