"De plane! De plane!" With those famous words, French actor Hervé Villechaize (1943–1993) announced the arrival of a new planeload of celebrity guest stars each week on ABC's Fantasy Island. The imaginative drama series ran from 1978 to 1984. It was briefly revived with an all-new cast in 1998. The show, which mixed elements of romance and the supernatural, was the perfect complement to ABC's other Saturday night ratings powerhouse, The Love Boat (1977–86; see entry under 1970s— TV and Radio in volume 4).

Both programs were produced by Aaron Spelling (1923–), the legendary creator of Charlie's Angels (1976–81; see entry under 1970s—TV and Radio in volume 4) and The Mod Squad (1968–73), who would go on to record hits with Dynasty (1981–89) and Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000). For Fantasy Island, Spelling cast Latin actor Ricardo Montalban (1920–) in the lead role of Mr. Roarke, the suave proprietor of a tropical resort where visitors come to have their fantasies...