Wow great to find your site ! Fantasy Island - my favourite programme EVER !! So much to enjoy - through those early episodes where they flirted with making Mr Roarke a "dark" character through to where he became everyone's favourite uncle - with just that hint of mystery ! Plus of course Tattoo- a character worthy of being remembered for SO much more than just "The Plane, The plane" - and the guest stars - where do I begin - Joan Collins, Britt Ekland, Sammy Davis Junior, Tom Jones, through to the character actors such as Stuart Whitman, Dennis Cole, Diana Canova, who just kept cropping up again and again and again in SO many different roles. There were the lighter plots and of course the more sinister, notably Roddy McDowall's three appearances as Lucifer - but neither he nor the selection of other villainous characters who got off the sea-plane could ever quite outdo the man in the supremely suave white tuxedo. Michelle Phillips too as the feisty sometime wannabe human mermaid was a welcome regular fall-back plot device, and while it was never quite the same after the departure of Tattoo ,Lawrence the butler (Why didnt Mr Roarke ALWAYS have one ?) added an extra edge of dry humour to the concluding episodes . The lamely unsatisfactory revival with Malcolm MCDowell scarcely warrants mentioning in the shadow of such a classic - all I'll say in remembering it is "Smiles Everyone, smiles !"

--Wyn

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Fantasy Island is just my favourite show!!! (Despite me being a Star-Trek-Fan!) I love everything of it and feel so sorry that they stopped filming the episodes. I don't like the new version with Malcolm MacDowell at all - it's just awful, but the classic version with Ricardo Montalban is simply outstanding!!! The best ever! I am a very, very dreamy person so Fantasy Island is the best thing to start a grey morning!

--Madlyn Courtney Cardwell

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BOSS!!!!! THE PLANE! THE PLAAAANE!!!!!! Goodness Gracious!! was Tatoo EVER my main man back when I was 5, and the show was in its Prime-Time Heyday. I guess it's because he was a little guy like myself at the time. My, how I dreamed of running away to Fantasy Island take Tatoo's place-AND don his little white Tux-happily tagging alongside good 'ol Mr.Rourke. I recall that a now long-lost older friend (who was 10 at the time) would, more often than not, gladly take up the call and play Mr.Rourke to my Tatoo; we would go down to the ditches near my house and make beleive it was Fantasy Island - our treehouse was used as the lookout Tower from which I would yell Tatt's infamous opening words from every episode (see above:), everytime a plane flew overhead!!!!! However, now that I have had the chance to see the reruns (for the first time in more than 15 years) on TV Land from a more grown up perspective (since I don't remember the original episodes from the time they aired), I have lately taken notice of the pilot and first-season episodes, where they dallied with making Mr.Rourke something of a subtley evil master of mind games, and then softened him up a little with succeeding seasons (for the better). [My favorite guest star was] Rich Little as the compulsive Gambler who is unwittingly reunited with his son by Tatoo and Rourke. And yes, I must echo the general sentiment about the BLESSEDLY SHORT-LIVED new version of Fantasy Island from 1998, w/Malcolm McDowell as Rourke, and that STUPID hunchback, Russel (or whatever his name was) in place of Tatoo. It was awful!!!!!

--Alan

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"Fantasy Island" speaks to the dreamer in all of us. Who wouldn't want a shot at seeing his or her most cherished dream brought to life? You didn't have to be a millionaire to have your fantasy granted by the mysterious Mr. Roarke, which meant that even a working stiff could take a break from an otherwise humdrum life. Every Saturday night Mr. Roarke and Tattoo would bring two dreams to life, and many of them were deceptively simple: the plain Jane who wanted to be beautiful; the poor folks who wanted a taste of the jet-setter's life; the has-been looking to relive past glories. But now and then there was a touch of the other-worldly: Roarke battling with Mephistopheles; ghosts returning for one last chance to meet loved ones; trips to the distant past or even the future. And every fantasy came with a twist, always when it was too late to back out - so the fantasizer had to see it through to the bitter end! A wonderful show and lots of fun to watch. Personally, it was my great escape during my horrendous high-school years, and to this day I'm hooked. One of my three all-time favorite TV shows, and it just might be my favorite of those three!

--Kim

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I am one of the few of the younger generation to ever love the old movies, and Fantasy Island is one of the best things I have ever seen. Ricardo Montalban stole my heart as the beloved Mr. Rourke. And Tatto was innocently sweet in his own way. They were fun and something I couldn't miss since they first started coming on. My favorite episodes are the two with the love interest of Mr. Rourke. For in these episodes, we see so much more of his character, and who he is. And the other episodes that really stand out to me, are the ones in which Roarke is pitted against the devil. They pit Roarke against the equal and opposite force that it takes everything he has to win. All in all, they are a true treat to watch, and show how great of an actor Ricardo Montalban and many of the other guest stars truly are.

--Anastasia

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I didn't grow up in the Super70s, but I was happy to finally see the show, that was frequently talked about in our house, on tvland. To my delight it was one of the best shows. In short I loved it. There are sad, happy, scarry, and plain silly moments. It's like going on vacation to a familiar place with the same loving faces each time you watch the show. To me the two main characters of the are great in them selves. They are the best remembered just with the things they say and do.

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Fantasy Island was how I used to close out Saturday nights. Of course I watched The Love Boat at 9:00pm and then Fantasy Island at 10:00pm. Can you believe I actually wanted to go there, but what can you expect from a 8 year old?? Mr. Roarke was wonderful, very charming and I loved his accent. Tatoo amused me like a child is amused by a clown, but I really liked Mr. Roarke.

Fantasy Island was a wonderful program!! I mean how classic was the plot. People pay big money to be flown to an island in the middle of nowhere and have their fantasy's come true. And to top it off all fantasy's had to come to pass within an hour. This was television at it's best and I believe this is what's missing from the shows being aired today. I think they should have a Fantasy Island reunion. . . of course they'd have to make up something about Tatoo. How about something like Tatoo decided to have his own fantasy come true and had a magic potion made to make him grow taller. Something went wrong with the potion and he grew to be 6'2, thus leaving the island to pursue a NBA basketball career.

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This is absolutely the most favorite movie ever for me. I was glued to the tv from the start of this show to the end of it in the Awesome80s. I was six years old when this movie started. To watch the first set of dvd's of the first season has taken me back in time and has given me the same feelings I had when it started when I was a kid. There will never be another sitcom that will ever be able to take the place of this wonderful show. I can't wait for the other seasons to come out on dvd so I can relive some of my childhood. I will definately be buying them as soon as they come out!!!!!!

--Gail Hineline

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