Fantasy Island/Trivia

• Actor Allusion / Meta Casting: Susan Lucci as a Soap Opera actress in "Queen of the Soap Operas", Gene Rayburn as Game Show host Bob Barkley who wants a chance to be a contestant in "The Quiz-Masters", and Barbi Benton as a Centerfold for Rooster Magazine who wants to treat men like sex objects in "Playgirl".
• Directed by Cast Member: Ricardo Montaban.
• Edited for Syndication: The series was syndicated in two lengths - the original hour long version with two guests per episode, and a half hour version featuring only one guest. New York's Channel 11 bought both versions in 1990 and ran them back to back as needed to fill random early 2AM - 6AM dayparts after the late late movie ended in the days before infomercials.
• Hey, It's That Guy!: Like their counterparts on The Love Boat, the casting directors were notorious for scraping up every 1970s B-list and C-list celebrity they could get their hands on. Many made multiple appearances, almost always as a different customer each time. Some of the more notable guests included Carol Lynley (number one with a bullet, appearing 10 times on the show), Mary Anne Mobley (8 appearances), Barbi Benton (8), Ken Berry (7), Maureen "Marsha Brady" McCormick (6), Bob Denver (4), Carolyn Jones (4), Juliet Mills (4), Eve "Jan Brady" Plumb (3), and Charo (3). Check out the IMDB cast page for the show to see all the repeat offenders.
  • Michelle Phillips returned as the same character three times (Naya) and Wendy Schaal appeared twice as different characters before joining the cast as Roarke's Goddaughter.
• I Am Not Spock: It's widely speculated that Hervé Villechaize was Driven to Suicide because of his inescapable recognition as Tattoo.
• The Other Darrin: Julie and Mr Belvedere Lawrence.
  • As an aside, The Other Darrin himself (Dick Sargent) was in the pilot.
• Real Life Relative: Steve Allen and Jayne Meadows in "What's the Matter With Kids?".
• Role-Ending Misdemeanor: Tattoo was written off the series in the seventh season after Hervé Villechaize was terminated over a payment brawl. The move is said to have been a propeller to its cancellation following that season.