But it can't go on forever.
Goodbye to The Professor.
The Professor was a good-looking but nerdy academic, an exaggerated stereotype of the man of capacious intelligence with little or no social awareness.... But he was pretty much the only character on the show who possessed anything resembling actual knowledge, and he was forever inventing methods to increase the castaways’ chance of rescue.Russell Johnson was 89.
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The original Macgyver.
He could make anything out of coconut shells and detritus that washed up on the beach...but he could never fix a hole in boat. Go figure.
Survived only by Mary Ann and Ginger.
Ah, he starred in "Attack of the Crab Monsters."
Let's not forget that!
The original theme song was a Harry Belafonte type calypso tune. Here it is at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx7A4sxJi7c
Loved the political link!
Awwwwwww.
Here's a pie fight with Mary Ann and Ginger.
He also (the actor, not the professor) flew 44 combat missions in WW2, was shot down and received a Purple Heart
What about Dave Madden, Reuben Kincaid from the Partridge Family?
Ah, he starred in "Attack of the Crab Monsters."
His appearance in It Came from Outer Space (a mediocre tile for a brilliantly realized Classic sci-fi) more than makes up for the deadly dull and preposterous "Crab Monsters"
See it for free on Veehd.com
I got to hang with Dawn for a summer as a teenager. She was doing dinner theater here in Jacksonville and was staying in a beach front apartment that my girlfriends parents owned. We would all surf and hang in front of her place. She nicknamed me "Hero" because I saved a couple of kids floating out to sea on a raft as the sun was setting by pulling them to the beach on my surfboard. She was a nice older (in her 30's!) lady...
What I know of him is his son died of AIDS and he worked with AIDS charities.
tits.
The obit doesn't say whether he made the big bucks residual money like the casts of Friends and Seinfeld. I think not. i never read about their antique car collections or huge estates. So much of life is timing and just plain dumb luck......I wonder if it indicates a conservative predilection if you were more attracted to Mary Anne than Ginger.... There was a rumor that he and Tina Louise had a thing. Tina Louise denied it, but she would, wouldn't she. Was he the hunky guy on the show or did girls just not watch the show for prurient interest?
He could make anything out of coconut shells and detritus that washed up on the beach...but he could never fix a hole in boat
I seem to recall an episode where the Professor discovers a plant on the island the sap from which could be made into a glue strong enough to repair the Minnow's hull. However Gilligan spoils the plan by eating the glue, or some such absurd trope.
A friend of mine has a theory about Gilligan and the castaways. It's his notion that the castaways are symbols of the Seven Deadly Sins... the Skipper (Jonas Grumby by name, betcha didn't know that trivium) is obviously both Wrath and Gluttony. Thurston Howell is Avarice and his wife Lovey is Sloth. Ginger is Lust, leaving Mary Ann and the Professor to divvy up Envy and Pride. Since there's no sin called Amiable Stupidity Gilligan must be the Evil One himself whose machinations are meant to keep the others confined to their "island paradise" hell.
Personally I don't buy it. Ginger was certainly willing and able to use her charms to get her way with the menfolk, but she never was overtly lustful, nor was Mary Ann especially envious of Ginger or anybody, nor was the Prof prideful. Nevertheless it gives a teeny bit of gravitas to an otherwise weightless comedy.
He really looks different as a writer in that second clip.
The Skipper, Alan Hale Jr., was a dead ringer for his father Alan Hale Sr. Who was a prominent actor in and of his own right. He was the trusty sidekick in a number of swashbuckling Errol Flynn movies.
dix said...
He also (the actor, not the professor) flew 44 combat missions in WW2, was shot down and received a Purple Heart.
He was a B-25 Mitchell bombardier serving in the South Pacific. He broke both ankles when the plane was shot down and forced to ditch during a low-level bombing and straffing run. The radioman next to him was killed. That's not an occupation for the faint-hearted.
Johnson earned a Purple Heart for this mission. He was also awarded the Air Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three service stars, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one service star, and the World War II Victory Medal. He was honorably discharged with the rank of first lieutenant on November 22, 1945.
Love the pie fight. Can't beleive the original theme song - awful.
Thanks and RIP, Professor.
And the most important thing about "Gilligans Island".
Ginger was hot. Hot. Real Hot.
And the most important thing about "Gilligans Island".
Ginger was hot. Hot. Real Hot.
Even as a young teen I thought the show was incredibly lame...but I could see The Professor had possibilities! Oh yes, I was aware. and I married "the type"... and a good choice it was.
glenn said...
And the most important thing about "Gilligans Island".
Ginger was hot. Hot. Real Hot.
Yeah, she was hot but very high maintenance. I preferred Mary Ann.
He was my favorite on that show watching daily after-school reruns as a kid. Every other male character was completely unlikable. Same goes for Linus and Spock.
I guess I liked those soft-spoken, smart guys.
The Professor knew how to get off the island the whole time but he didn't budge because he had Ginger and Mary Ann to himself.
After all, Mr. Howell had Lovey, and Skipper had...Gilligan.
As a sign of my future nerdiness, I though the professor the most interesting character on the show. (And Mary Ann the best to look at; up there with the 60's Batgirl [Yvonne Craig] and Samantha [Elizabeth Montgomery].)
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