Don Orville

Last updated
Don Orville
Don orville.jpg
Wayne Knight as Sergeant Don Orville
First appearance"Assault with a Deadly Dick"
Last appearance"The Thing That Wouldn't Die: Part 2"
Created by Bonnie and Terry Turner
Portrayed by Wayne Knight
In-universe information
Species Human
GenderMale
TitlePolice Sergeant
Occupation Police Officer
Significant other Sally Solomon (on-off girlfriend)

Officer Donald Leslie "Don" Orville is a fictional character in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun . He is portrayed by Wayne Knight and works as a Police Sergeant in the fictional town of Rutherford, Ohio, though he is consistently referred to as "Officer" throughout the series.

Contents

Work

Don works as a police officer and later sergeant in the series and is often shown to be somewhat incompetent. In The Physics of Being Dick, he lets Dick interrogate a criminal with him, despite it being highly illegal. [1] When he is paged, he never appears to know what any of the crime codes mean.

Don is known to make blunders, for example, in Stuck With Dick, when he thinks Mary's house has been broken into, he bursts in through the front door shouting "Ass right there, freeze hole!" [2] In Dick's Big Giant Headache, Part II , he also claims to be always losing things, adding "I even lost a whole dead guy once”. [3]

As the final season draws to a close, he hides in a frozen food freezer during the robbery of a local store, admitting that he is a coward who only joined the police force because he thought he'd be safe around all the other officers. He subsequently retires from the Rutherford Police Department to open a muffin shop before being convinced to re-enlist. Eventually, Don is rehired at the rank of Police Officer. [4]

Relationship

Throughout the series, he maintains an on-off relationship with Sally Solomon, a strong woman able to persuade him to do anything she wants.

As an ongoing gag, one of the pair is always able to tell when the other has entered the room, where Don will gaze at Sally lustfully and say "Hello Sally" and she gazes at him in a sultry way and answers, "Hi Don." Another running gag for the pair is that their conversations tend to be somewhat dramatic, and reminiscent of an old film noir 1950s crime drama.

In the Alternate Universe, Don is still dating Sally, but he is the philandering Mayor of New York City. He admits to being married to someone else, which causes Sally to break up with him due to her feelings of guilt.

Musical Talent

Officer Don has a hidden musical talent in the form of being a first-class singer, of a wide vocal range and style. This first became evident when he and Sally went out for a night of Karaoke. He was mobbed by admirers at his entrance to the venue, and his stellar performance quickly explained why. When he was returning to the house, Sally confided that to her delight and surprise, Don was a "Karaoke god!"

Trivia

Don's name is based on "Officer Don" and "Orville the Green Dragon", who were characters on the local NBC Atlanta affiliate from the 1950s through the 1970s. The creators of the show named Don as a tribute to WSB-TV's "The Popeye Club", an afternoon kids show that was hosted by "Officer Don" and played by announcer Don Kennedy. "Orville" was a dragon puppet.

Notes

  1. "The Physics Of Being Dick". 3rd Rock from the Sun. Season 3. Episode 21. 1998-02-25. NBC.
  2. "Stuck With Dick". 3rd Rock from the Sun. Season 3. Episode 18. 1998-04-30. NBC.
  3. "Dick's Big Giant Headache". 3rd Rock from the Sun. Season 4. Episode 24. 1999-05-25. NBC.
  4. "The Thing That Wouldn't Die". 3rd Rock from the Sun. Season 6. Episode 19. 2001-05-22. NBC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Kennedy

Related Research Articles

<i>3rd Rock from the Sun</i> American sitcom

3rd Rock from the Sun is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, the third planet from the Sun, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet. The extraterrestrials pose as a human family to observe the behavior of human beings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Cragen</span> Fictional character on Law & Order franchise

Donald 'Don' Cragen is a fictional character played by Dann Florek in the American police procedural television series Law & Order and its spinoff, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, on NBC. Cragen is a homicide captain with the New York Police Department who later becomes captain of the department's Special Victims Unit. A recovering alcoholic, Cragen is a tough police veteran who is loyal to his officers. He appeared in the first three seasons of Law & Order and in the first 15 seasons of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Having credited appearances in 400 episodes in the Law & Order franchise, Cragen has appeared in the third-most episodes of any character in the franchise; this mark is surpassed only by Olivia Benson and Fin Tutuola, main characters on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Munch</span> Fictional character of multiple U.S. television shows

John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer. Munch first appeared on the American crime drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street on NBC. A regular through the entire run of the series from 1993 to 1999, Munch is a cynical detective in the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide unit, and a firm believer in conspiracy theories. He is originally partnered with Detective Stanley Bolander. Munch is based on Jay Landsman, a central figure in David Simon's 1991 true crime book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fin Tutuola</span> Fictional character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Odafin "Fin" Tutuola is a fictional character on the TV drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, played by Ice-T. He is a sergeant with the New York Police Department's Special Victims Unit. Fin is the second-most prolific character in the Law & Order franchise, having appeared in 456 episodes of SVU, behind only Olivia Benson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Benson</span> Fictional character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Olivia Margaret Benson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the NBC police procedural drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Mariska Hargitay. Benson holds the rank and pay-grade of Captain and is the Commanding Officer of the Manhattan Special Victims Unit of the New York City Police Department, which operates out of the 16th Precinct. She investigates sexual offenses such as rape and child sexual abuse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Solomon</span> Fictional character

Harry S. Solomon is a character in 3rd Rock from the Sun, played by French Stewart. He is the brother of Dick Solomon and Sally Solomon, and the uncle of Tommy Solomon. His middle initial is mentioned in the episode "Dick the Vote." French Stewart said in a 1998 interview, "The way the character was originally described to me was he would be an idiot on any planet. So he's got to be the biggest idiot in the universe!"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James "Sonny" Crockett</span> Miami Vice fictional character

Detective James "Sonny" Crockett is a fictional character in the NBC television series Miami Vice. Crockett was originally portrayed by Don Johnson in the television series from 1984 to 1990, and later by Colin Farrell in the feature film in 2006. Crockett appeared in every episode of Miami Vice except the fifth season episode "Borrasca". He has also appeared in video games and various popular culture references of the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Solomon</span> Fictional character

Dr. Dick Solomon is a character played by John Lithgow in the late-1990s NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. Solomon is the High Commander of a highly trained alien unit, sent to Earth by their leader, The Big Giant Head. His crew is made up of Sally Solomon, Harry Solomon, and Tommy Solomon. In the first episode, "Brains and Eggs", Dick states that he has made a home of a "third rate planet, has a job at a third rate university, and now we are looking at a third floor apartment."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Solomon</span> Fictional character

Sally Solomon is a fictional character from the television sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.

Tommy Solomon (<i>3rd Rock from the Sun</i>) Fictional character

Tommy Solomon is a fictional character created by Bonnie and Terry Turner from the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. He was portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Albright</span> Fictional character

Mary Margaret Albright is a fictional character who was played by former SNL cast member Jane Curtin in the American situation comedy 3rd Rock from the Sun. She serves as a straight foil and love interest for the eccentric Dick Solomon.

"The Thing That Wouldn't Die" is the two-part series finale of the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. The episode aired on May 22, 2001 on NBC. The action in the episode directly follows that of the previous two-parter "Mary Loves Scoochie", which ended with Dick transforming Dr. Liam Neesam, a malevolent alien played by John Cleese, into a chimpanzee. Therefore, the full finale involves a four-episode story arc.

"Brains and Eggs" is the pilot episode of the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. The episode, which originally aired on NBC on January 9, 1996, depicts an extraterrestrial research expedition coming to Earth in the guise of what they think is a typical human family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Giant Head</span> Fictional character

The Big Giant Head, a fictional character from the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, is the Solomons' mission leader and king of the universe.

"Believe in the Stars" is the second episode of the third season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. The 38th overall episode of the series was written by executive producer Robert Carlock and directed by series producer Don Scardino. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on November 6, 2008. Guest stars in this episode include Remy Auberjonois, Todd Buonopane, Raven Goodwin, and Oprah Winfrey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Knight</span> American actor (born 1955)

Wayne Elliot Knight is an American actor. In television, he played recurring roles such as Newman on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001). He also voiced Igor on Toonsylvania (1998–1999), Mr. Blik on Catscratch (2005–2007) and Baron Von Sheldgoose on Legend of the Three Caballeros (2018).

"Sun Tea" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by show co-producers Dylan Morgan and Josh Siegal, and directed by Gail Mancuso. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on November 19, 2009. Guest stars in this episode include Nate Corddry, Al Gore, Marceline Hugot, Chris Parnell, Bobb'e J. Thompson, and Tony Torn.

<i>3rd Rock from the Sun</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of 3rd Rock from the Sun, an American television sitcom, began on January 9, 1996, and ended on May 21, 1996. It aired on NBC. The region 1 DVD was released on July 26, 2005.

<i>3rd Rock from the Sun</i> (season 2) Season of television series

The second season of 3rd Rock from the Sun, an American television sitcom, began on September 22, 1996, and ended on March 9, 1997. It aired on NBC. The region 1 DVD was released on October 25, 2005.