Fantasy Island

Prior to the long-running original series, Fantasy Island was introduced to viewers in 1977 through two highly-rated made-for-television films in which Mr. Roarke and Tattoo played relatively minor roles. Airing from 1978 to 1984, the original series starred Ricardo Montalban 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 — for a price.

Roarke was known for his white suit and cultured demeanor, and he was initially accompanied by an energetic sidekick, Tattoo, played by the diminutive Hervé Villechaize, who shouted "The plane! The plane!" to announce the arrival of a new set of guests at the beginning of each episode. From 1980 to 1982, Wendy Schaal joined the cast as another assistant named Julie. Villechaize quit the series prior to the 1983-1984 season (its last) and Tattoo was replaced by a more sedate butler type named Lawrence, played by Christopher Hewett.
Tattoo and Mr. Roarke welcome visitors to Fantasy Island.
Tattoo and Mr. Roarke welcome visitors to Fantasy Island.

In the early seasons, it was noted that each guest had paid $50,000 in advance for the fulfillment of their fantasies and that Fantasy Island was, at its heart, a business. In later seasons, this aspect was downplayed and there were often supernatural overtones suggesting that Mr. Roarke was an angel, or perhaps a space alien or something else other-worldly, and that his powers to fulfill fantasies were the result of a supernatural being or beings needing to correct things that had happened in the past. Roarke's ability to create almost any environment on the Island with literally a snap of his fingers was never explained. In one notable episode late in the series, Roarke battled a character who appeared to be The Devil (played by Roddy McDowall).

The usual format of each episode consisted of an introduction in which Roarke would describe to Tattoo (or another assistant) the nature of each person's fantasy, usually with a cryptic comment to the effect that the person's fantasy will not turn out as they expected. The episode would then alternate between two or three independent storylines as the guests experienced their fantasies and interacted with Roarke. Often, the fantasies would turn out to be morality lessons for the guests, sometimes to the point of (apparently) putting their lives at risk, only to have Roarke step in at the last minute and reveal the deception. It is mentioned a few times that a condition of visiting Fantasy Island is that guests never reveal what goes on there.