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So Long, Little Buddy
Bob Denver passed away yesterday at the Duke University Medical Center. He was 70.
Like a lot of kids of the 70s and 80s, I grew up watching Gilligan's Island. Yes, it was a stupid premise. It was done without even a passing nod to common sense. But somehow the show was mesmerizing. I guess to a kid who had never met a millionaire, professor, movie star, or boat skipper, these were my first archetypes.
Gilligan's Island has become a cult classic, being rerun more times than any other show in TV history. Sherwood Schwartz, the shows creator (who also created "The Brady Bunch") said that if the show had made it to a fourth season he would have considered marrying some of the castaways and having a baby. Fortunately for fans, however, the show was canceled in an effort to make room for "Gunsmoke!"
So what was Gilligan's other name? There are web sites devoted to that. There were movie sequels and television shows, including a pitch for a Gilligan's Island reality show. There was even a Gilligan's Island musical that ran for over 12 years. Some even speculate that the seven castaways represent the seven deadly sins, and that the island was a TV representation of hell.
Alan Hale, who played the skipper, really enjoyed the role. It was said that Hale used to wear his "skipper" hat around in public, and loved the attention. Tina Louise, as fans know, hated the role of "Ginger" and refused to play in any of the movies.
I don't know what Denver felt about the role, whether he liked it or not. I imagine like many actors it was a paying job, which is always a good thing.
Sure it was idiotic, but you could sit in front of the set and not once have to worry about adult content or language. Sadly, that's not true anymore in 2005. It was fun, so we watched it. So long, little buddy, we'll miss you.
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