This man was the original Mork from Ork but walked away from the role

We can probably thank John Byner for the career of Robin Williams.

The Everett Collection

It pays to heed the advice of eight-year-olds. Even if you are a successful television creator. In 1977, Garry Marshall was soaring off the triumph of his two babies, Happy Days and Laverne & Shirley. The retro sitcom and its spin-off sat atop the Nielsen Ratings, No. 1 and No. 2. Marshall witnessed the shows' winning effect on his two daughters. Lori and Kathleen Marshall adored the Fonz. 

"The girls were always clamoring to bring their friends to the live [Happy Days] filming Friday night on the Paramount lot," Marshall wrote in his memoir, My Happy Days in Hollywood.

His boy, on the other hand, wasn't too impressed. Scott Marshall only cared about Star Wars.

"I found it unsettling that Scott was a fan of George Lucas but not a fan of mine," Marshall admitted. "I had to find out why."

"There are no space aliens on Happy Days," the kid complained. The elder Marshall pointed out the improbability of E.T.s turning up in 1950s Milwaukee. This was a sitcom about high schoolers, largely set in a hamburger joint. How could aliens work into the plot?

Scott had a workaround: "Fonzie could have a dream." Of course! The tried-and-true dream sequence! The Dick Van Dyke Show used the technique all the time! Danny Thomas had played an alien from outer space who met Rob Petrie.

"We'd created Fonzie as a gangster with a heart of gold, and Mork was crafted as an alien with a heart of gold," Marshall explained. 

Thus, Mork from Ork was born.

But Robin Williams was not the first actor chosen for the role. Marshall was set on booking John Byner to play Mork. Marshall loved the "wild look in his eyes and [his] off-beat wit." 

Sony Pictures TelevisionJohn Byner on 'Soap'

Byner was best known as an impressionist. On The Ed Sullivan Show, the comedian mimicked the host himself. He could also effortlessly slip into the skin of John Wayne and Johnny Mathis. On an episode of Get Smart, "The Hot Line," Byner had even perfectly aped President LBJ. 

In 1972, CBS gave Byner his own showcase, The John Byner Comedy Hour. It was on this short-lived sketch series that Bob Einstein first introduced his beloved, bumbling stuntman character Super Dave Osborne.

Marshall and the network made a tentative deal for Byner to play Mork. Then, days before the episode, "My Favorite Orkan," was set to film, Byner quit the role. "Byner decided he didn't want to play an alien on a television series," Marshall wrote.

So it immediately went to Robin Williams, you ask? Not so easily. The talent pros at the William Morris Agency pushed comedians Richard Lewis and Jeff Altman on Marshall. Marshall did not think they were "quite right."

A talent agent reluctantly offered up a new signing, a comedian who's experience was largely on street corners.

"You want me to build a major network sitcom around a man who passed the hat for tips," Marshall scoffed.

"It was a VERY full hat," the agent quipped.

As we all known in hindsight, Williams aced his audition — and slew the studio audience at the taping of the "My Favorite Orkan." 

As Mork & Mindy was in its first hit season, Williams triumphantly returned to Happy Days for the episode titled, well, "Mork Returns." Just one year later, this "newcomer" was already a ratings booster. John Byner, meanwhile, was playing Cybill Shepherd's elevator operator in the made-for-TV movie A Guide for the Married Woman and Detective Donohue on Soap. He was right when he felt the role of Mork was silly. Turns out, silly sells.

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33 Comments

Ilovelalaw 49 months ago
It's almost funny reading this story today because I hadn't heard anything at all about John Byner for at least ten, fifteen years and just a couple of days ago, I was scrolling through the comment section of a petition on Change.org. SAG-AFTRA (the actors' union) wants to ram through changes to the health insurance that they offer that are ridiculous and flat out cruel. In the midst of a pandemic that has killed 215,000+ people and has prevented actors and other people from earning an income, SAG-AFTRA wants their members to earn an extra $7000 a year in order to qualify for the insurance. This is disgusting and sadistic.
R
Lacey Ilovelalaw 49 months ago
AND nothing to do with this thread. Nice try on the segway though.
Ilovelalaw Lacey 49 months ago
Sorry, I left out the part that John Byner had left a short comment about what SAG-AFTRA was doing. What is happening with SAG-AFTRA and in practically every other industry with workers' rights, hours, pay and compensation is frankly despicable and sickening. I hadn't heard anything about John Byner in so long and my heart really breaks for him and all of the other actors and comedians who I grew up watching and loving. I had a very crappy, unpleasant childhood and adulthood. Performers like John Byner made it a little bit more tolerable.
Lacey 49 months ago
This comment has been removed.
bradyguy Lacey 9 months ago
The personal transportation vehicle???
bradyguy Lacey 3 months ago
Have we segued from the Segway?? Dang. Nobody told me...
leannie429 50 months ago
I have the cassette of it. My favorite track was “Creature Without A Head”.
Claire 50 months ago
Does anyone still have the r The record Lenny and The squiggly tones
bradyguy Claire 9 months ago
Squigtones....not "Squiggly"....LOL
Claire 50 months ago
Like Robin Williams
Can’t stand Mork
Lacey Claire 49 months ago
I liked the first two seasons, then, like other one joke shows, it lost its luster.
brtcmfn 50 months ago
Loved John Byner in Bizarre in the 80's- Watched all episodes on Showtime , 5 volume DVD set is available on Amazon but it's out of stock right now.
Lacey brtcmfn 49 months ago
It is streaming right now, however. I watched the first few episodes.
Rick 50 months ago
He could do an impression of Ed Sullivan? That's not a great feat.
Fred_Clampett 50 months ago
Williams was also on the short-lived The Richard Pryor Show.
WordsmithWorks 50 months ago
I cannot imagine anyone but Robin Williams as Mork from Ork.
daDoctah 50 months ago
Byner's not the only comedian who could've made an acceptable alternative Mork. Robin Williams' fellow Laugh-In cast member Lenny Schultz was right up there too.
UTZAAKE daDoctah 50 months ago
Classic Lenny Schultz who's now retired.
bradyguy daDoctah 3 months ago
Lenny probably could have pulled it off. Although, believe it or not, he might have been TOO over the top... There are also mentions here and there about Jeff Altman auditioning or being considered. (I can't remember if Marshall's book mentions that...) I like Altman a lot, but I don't think he had the "character" chops to pull off Mork. And Richard Lewis was just a NO!
jeopardyhead 50 months ago
Judging from this story, the first episode with Mork was made with the intention of giving the character his own show. I had always assumed the idea for a spin off was conceived only after Mork's appearance was such a hit.
bradyguy jeopardyhead 9 months ago
No....it actually doesn't say that...or even imply it. The late Garry Marshall had said on numerous occasions that he had no idea how Mork's appearance would play...but he thought Williams was brilliant.

When the ratings came in, as is usually the case, Marshall realized he had something special in Williams' Mork, and quickly moved to spin him off with ABC...
15inchBlackandWhite 50 months ago
John Byner, still alive. Had to look it up. I had not seen him do anything on television in at least 20 years. He was a pretty hot property in the 70's.
In the 1980s, John Byner went to Canada to make one of the funniest sketch shows I ever saw. It was called "Bizarre" which also included Bob Einstein as Super Dave. I used to watch it on CTV every week. I wish the reruns would come on more often.
Pacificsun 50 months ago
Didn't Robin Williams appear on some late night TV shows, as undiscovered talent? Meaning he wasn't exactly purely Garry Marshall's "discovery" though GM certainly provided the vehicle which launched RW into television immortality!

In San Francisco. Street Performers back in the day were certainly very talented. And added to the special vibe of the City. Long since gone at this point, sadly.
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MrsPhilHarris texasluva 50 months ago
I forgot to mention my favourite Robin Williams movie which is The Birdcage. He kills me every time I watch it.
texasluva MrsPhilHarris 50 months ago
That is a good one too. Yep manic playing those 45's at 33 and 78 ha ha. His talking to the troops later on the trucks was a riot also.

Pacificsun MrsPhilHarris 50 months ago
Absolutely.
The New York Times gave the film a positive review, especially praising Robin Williams' performance: "...this is one of his most cohesive and least antic performances. It's also a mischievously funny one: He does a fine job of integrating gag lines with semi-serious acting..."
The movie was also praised for going beyond stereotypes (and I would add) to emphasize the compelling humanity of relationships!!
bradyguy Pacificsun 9 months ago
Well, I don't think Marshall ever claimed that he discovered Robin Williams. Williams had already been on television 9 or 10 times before he did Mork. He had done Richard Pryor's show....and the revival of Laugh-In...so he was certainly well known in the stand-up comedy world...perhaps less so as an actor...for a sitcom.

I do remember being 12 years old...I was a fan of Happy Days...and when Williams first appeared as Mork, I thought...WHO is this guy??? I was the perfect demographic (probably a lot like Marshall's son) for this guy who did funny voices and sat on his head.

Now...Mork and MIndy??? Different story...it really wasn't great, despite Williams' mania. Or maybe a little Mork went a long way, and whole half hours of Mork was too much...??
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