Jencyclopedia

Larry Linville is in love with his boss’ daughter, and Roarke thinks he should win her over by talking to horses.
It’s Tattoo’s birthday, so Roarke has invited dancers to rehearse on Fantasy Island so Tattoo can paint them.

[Six young women walk off the plane.]
Tattoo: Boss, I know you can do almost everything… [but] if every one of those girl have a fantasy…?
Roarke: You and I will be very busy, wouldn’t we?

Tattoo: I wouldn’t mind.
Roarke: Oh, I know, I know, but, uh, fortunately for both of us, none of these young ladies has asked for a fantasy.
Tattoo: So what they are doing here?
Roarke: Because I have a very dear friend who’s something of an artist. He has always admired the work of the great French paint Toulouse-Lautrec.
Tattoo: Oh, boss, Lautrec is my favourite painter too.
Roarke: Really? Well, then you will understand why I invited the Traditional Dance Company of Paris to rehearse on Fantasy Island.
Tattoo: You mean, your friend wants to draw the dancer just like Toulouse-Lautrec did at the Moulin Rouge?
Roarke: Precisely.
Tattoo: Boss, you think your friend would mind if I watch him, uh, get his fantasy come true?
Roarke: Aw, Tattoo, unfortunately, that is quite impossible.
Tattoo: I thought I’d just ask.
Roarke: It is impossible because you cannot watch yourself sketch. Yes, it’s your fantasy, Tattoo. My gift to you. Happy birthday, mon cher ami.

A bit about birthdays:

• Roarke:
  • According to 2×7 “Let the Good Times Roll”, Roarke is a Sagittarius, so he was born between November 22 and December 21.
  • It was Roarke’s birthday in 2×6 “War Games”. This episode aired October 28, which would make him a Scorpio.
  • Ricardo Montalban’s birthday is November 25, and he’s a Sagittarius.
• Tattoo:
  • According to 2×7 “Let the Good Times Roll”, Tattoo is a Pisces, so he was born between February 19 and March 20.
  • It was two days before Tattoo’s birthday at the beginning of 1×9 “Funny Girl”. This episode aired March 18, which would mean his birthday is March 20, which would make him a Pisces/Taurus.
  • It was one day before Tattoo’s birthday at the beginning of this episode. This episode aired February 28, which would mean his birthday is March 1, which would make him a Pisces.
  • Hervé Villechaize’s birthday is April 23, and he’s a Taurus.

In 4×6 “With Affection, Jack the Ripper”, we saw a calendar on Roarke’s desk showing the day the episode aired, so we can assume the episodes take place approximately around their air dates. But since 1×9 and this episode aren’t consistent, I don’t think we can say for sure when Tattoo or Roarke’s birthdays are.

Roarke: As you can see, Mr. Ellison has a great deal of work to do, so make sure you do not add to his problems, huh?
Tattoo: He won’t even notice me; boss, I don’t take up that much room.

I remember seeing the beginning of both of these fantasies when Fantasy Island was airing on TV.

Jerome Pepper: I’m a shoe salesman, not a bronco buster!

Dammit, Roarke!

Oh my goddd, there’s a Fantasy Island ice cream truck. 😭

lol. That’s definitely Mr. Roarke.

There’s the ol’ Golden Oak Ranch bridge again.

Delia Latham: Daddy, Mr. Pepper’s in ladies’ shoes.
[Mr. Latham looks at Mr. Pepper’s shoes.]
Jerome Pepper: …at the store.

This horse fantasy is boring.

[Tattoo shows Solange his drawing.]
Solange: It’s me! But Tattoo, you made me beautiful.
Tattoo: I draw what I see.

Jerome Pepper: Oh, Mr. Roarke! Oh, please, help us. How can we find the Professor before Ophelia [?] has to forfeit the race?
Roarke: Oh, I am so ~sorry~. I wish I could oblige. Why let me think, let me think. He can’t be far away. There must be ~some~ way to find him.
[The ice cream truck arrives.]
Roarke: Oh, what a ~pity~. The Professor’s going to miss his daily treat… Tutti… Frutti.

[Solange is complaining to Mark that he treats her like a child.]
Mark Ellison: From now, I am gonna treat you like a woman. What do you say?

I don’t like the sound of that…

Mark Ellison: Good. There’s just one thing. It’s an old, coming-of-age tradition… you seal it with a kiss, hm?

Who made this sign? I disapprove of the font. Fantasy Island does not use Helvetica.

Umm… is this a real window? I thought it was a painting at first, but looking at the screenshot now, I think it might be real. It just looked really out-of-place in the barn.

Roarke: For once in my life, I don’t know what to say to you, dear friend. Today is your birthday. I wanted to give you something that would make you happy. Instead, this fantasy, I’m afraid, is…
Tattoo: Oh, it’s not your fault.
Roarke: Well, I can’t help feeling badly, Tattoo. And now, now I have to make matters even worse. The island council has called a special meeting this evening. I must attend.
Tattoo: You want me to cover for you?
Roarke: Well, I hate to ask you to work on your birthday…
Tattoo: Oh, that’s alright boss. It will keep me occupied
Roarke: Thank you, Tattoo. Alright, let’s say about, um, eight o’clock, huh?
Tattoo: Okay, boss.

Tell me more about this “island council”.

Also, I feel like a line was cut out here, because it’s not clear what Roarke’s comment about eight o’clock is referring to. If there’s a meeting, then you can’t “let’s say about”; there would be a specific time and place Tattoo needs to go for the meeting.

Tattoo’s gift is a bell?! Waaah!

And his party is on the patio!

And there’s a cake! Aaaaaah!

I like that the first real scene on the patio is Tattoo’s birthday party. I don’t like that there’s no closeup of the cake though.

I remember seeing the end of this episode too, with Solange dancing.

Wow, it’s amazing. Solange looks just like Lisa Hartman when she dances.

What, hang on. This dance floor is a stone’s throw away from Roarke’s office? No! That doesn’t work at all! We’ve seen the area to the front and left and right of the main house, and we know this area isn’t there. In my floor plan, the patio would be at the back of the house, even though on the set itself, you’ve got the berm/hill there. If you go by the Queen Anne Cottage, there should be a lake behind the house. There’s just certainly not room for a big dance floor behind the house.

IMDb lists Solange’s last name as Latienne, but it sounds more like Latignon (Latin yawn)… which I don’t know if that’s a valid French name or not. When I google it, I find the Wikipedia article on Fantasy Island, lol.

Tama’s mustache has come in nicely.

Tattoo: A fantasy is always better when you can share with someone.

• Guests:
  • Mr. Jerome Pepper, a shoe salesman at Latham’s Department Store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • The Traditional Dance Company of Paris.
• Recurring phrases:
  • Tattoo: He sounds like a very timid man.
    Roarke: Indeed.
• Roarke’s drink: same old
• Ominous shot of Roarke drinking: no, there is no extra shot of him at the end, just an extra long shot of Tattoo drinking his drink
• Locations: Fantasy Island Stables
• Fantasy Island brand: Fantasy Island Ice Cream
• Roarke’s powers: He can turn tape decks on by looking at them.
• Specific Roarke:
  • Roarke: You have precisely thirty-two minutes in which to find him, and then I must start the race as agreed.
• Can’t help you:
  • Jerome Pepper: Oh, Mr. Roarke! Oh, please, help us. How can we find the Professor before Ophelia [?] has to forfeit the race?
    Roarke: Oh, I am so sorry. I wish I could oblige.
• Meddling Roarke: He hints to Jerome Pepper and Miss Latham to steal the ice cream truck to find the Professor.
• Leaving with an extra guest: Jerome Pepper with new girlfriend Miss Latham