Jim Backus’ Gilligan’s Island Casting Faced Two Major Problems

“Gilligan’s Island” is not precisely identified for its subtle humor. The present was a light-hearted sitcom about castaways who someway by no means managed to flee their remoted locale regardless of a number of visitors visiting them all through their three-season run. “Gilligan’s Island” was nonsense, however it knew what it was and totally embraced its silliness. Because of this, it turned a beloved TV basic, particularly because it turned extensively syndicated after its ultimate season wrapped up in 1967.

However for all its absurdity and campiness, the present did at the least attempt to present considerably of a stability, most notably within the type of Jim Backus’ Thurston Howell III and his spouse, Natalie Schafer’s Mrs. Thurston. The billionaire couple had been envisioned as a solution to break up the slapstick humor offered by Bob Denver’s Gilligan and Alan Hale Jr.’s Skipper, and positively introduced an air of refinement to an in any other case ridiculous sitcom. A lot of that was right down to Backus himself, who by the point he was forged on the present had develop into an illustrious star in his personal proper.

“Gilligan’s Island” creator Sherwood Schwartz was fortunate to have an actor of his pedigree onboard, particularly since Backus remained part of the “Gilligan’s Island” universe for many years after the unique present wrapped up. The actor not solely voiced his character in two “Gilligan Island” animated series that most people forgot about, “Gilligan’s Planet” and “The New Adventures of Gilligan,” he appeared on all three TV motion pictures primarily based on the sequence: “The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island,” “Rescue From Gilligan’s Island,” and, in fact, “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island,” to which Backus contributed a brief cameo as a result of his private well being deteriorating.

The significance of Backus to “Gilligan’s Island” definitely wasn’t misplaced on Schwartz, both. The present creator needed to leap via quite a few hoops so as to get his primary choose for the function of Thurston Howell III, and remained grateful for Backus’ presence.

Earlier than it made it to air, “Gilligan’s Island” was a distinct present to the one audiences got here to like. For one factor, the original “Gilligan’s Island” castaways included two very different characters. What’s extra, somebody aside from the good Jim Backus virtually performed Thurston Howell III. Within the e book “Inside Gilligan’s Island: From Creation to Syndication” Sherwood Schwartz explains how he wrote the function of Howell with Backus in thoughts — maybe as a result of Backus had made a reputation for himself enjoying such elitists. The actor landed his first main function when he performed millionaire named Dexter Hayes within the 1940 radio serial “Society Lady,” earlier than taking up considered one of his best-known roles because the voice of eccentric cartoon millionaire Mr. Magoo, starting in 1949. Regardless of the motive, Schwartz had seemingly selected Backus for the function of Thurston Howell III lengthy earlier than “Gilligan’s Island” reached the casting stage. Nonetheless, there have been some main points to beat to ensure that Schwartz to get his man.

The showrunner writes about how, since Gilligan and the Skipper offered “the broad slapstick comedy,” it was essential to stability their absurd antics with “wit and satire, comedy of a wholly completely different kind.” Thurston Howell III was the reply, and because the present creator recalled, Backus was the perfect man for the job. However the actor proved robust to pin down. As Schwartz remembered it, “Jim had accomplished a pilot movie many months earlier and was nonetheless contractually obligated to maintain himself out there.”

What’s extra, cash turned a difficulty. Having develop into a well-established star in his personal proper, Backus was basically too costly for “Gilligan’s Island” and its modest CBS finances. That prompted Schwartz to briefly look elsewhere, with the present creator writing:

“We had discovered two good character actors who may play the a part of Thurston Howell III. Each had been good, however neither may give the half the type of perfection that Jim alone may deliver to that function. Neither one had the Thurston Howell III voice I heard in my head, or the face I pictured on the display. However since I needed to assume Jim was merely unavailable, we started negotiating with the 2 options.”

Fortunately, throughout these negotiations Schwartz and his present caught a break.

Although Jim Backus finally wound up enjoying Thurston Howell III in “Gilligan’s Island,” issues actually did come right down to the wire. In Sherwood Schwartz’s e book, the showrunner defined how Backus all of a sudden turned out there throughout negotiations with different actors, however on the time the manufacturing was six days away from leaving for Hawaii to shoot the pilot. Schwartz wrote, “On that date, the choice on Jim for the opposite sequence ran out, and Jim’s agent, Tom Korman, phoned me. Was the function nonetheless out there? The reply was sure. Nevertheless it was a certified sure.”

Simply because Backus was all of a sudden free, did not imply CBS was going at hand over the cash to get him, leaving Schwartz in considerably of a bind — particularly as he’d must double the wage connected to the function so as to safe his buddy. Fortunately, it simply so occurred that CBS programming government Hunt Stromberg Jr. was a Jim Backus fan. Schwartz wrote:

“I phoned Hunt at CBS and advised him Jim Backus had all of a sudden develop into out there. Would CBS give you the additional cash? Cash above and past the decision of finances? With no hesitation, Hunt spoke for CBS ‘Jim is ideal. You’ve got bought the additional cash.'”

That wasn’t the top of Schwartz’s Thurston Howell III points, nonetheless. As soon as he was cast on “Gilligan’s Island,” Backus’ presence forced last-minute rewrites as his character had been given a minor half within the pilot script. “It turned a significant function solely after I discovered Jim was out there,” wrote Schwartz. As such, the present creator felt he needed to maintain the pilot script from his esteemed new recruit till he may rewrite it. “There was no approach I’d present that script to Jim Backus,” wrote Schwartz. “He would not take the half. He was a person used to necessary starring roles. I do not assume Thurston Howell III had greater than ten or eleven traces within the authentic ‘Gilligan’s Island’ script.” How did Schwartz get round the issue? Effectively, in keeping with the showrunner, it went like this: “‘Do you anticipate me to signal a contract to star in a sequence with out studying the script?’ requested Jim. ‘Sure,’ I answered. ‘Effectively,’ he mentioned, ‘since you place it that approach, okay.'”

“Gilligan’s Island” is not precisely identified for its subtle humor. The present was a light-hearted sitcom about castaways who someway by no means managed to flee their remoted locale regardless of a number of visitors visiting them all through their three-season run. “Gilligan’s Island” was nonsense, however it knew what it was and totally embraced its silliness. Because of this, it turned a beloved TV basic, particularly because it turned extensively syndicated after its ultimate season wrapped up in 1967.

However for all its absurdity and campiness, the present did at the least attempt to present considerably of a stability, most notably within the type of Jim Backus’ Thurston Howell III and his spouse, Natalie Schafer’s Mrs. Thurston. The billionaire couple had been envisioned as a solution to break up the slapstick humor offered by Bob Denver’s Gilligan and Alan Hale Jr.’s Skipper, and positively introduced an air of refinement to an in any other case ridiculous sitcom. A lot of that was right down to Backus himself, who by the point he was forged on the present had develop into an illustrious star in his personal proper.

“Gilligan’s Island” creator Sherwood Schwartz was fortunate to have an actor of his pedigree onboard, particularly since Backus remained part of the “Gilligan’s Island” universe for many years after the unique present wrapped up. The actor not solely voiced his character in two “Gilligan Island” animated series that most people forgot about, “Gilligan’s Planet” and “The New Adventures of Gilligan,” he appeared on all three TV motion pictures primarily based on the sequence: “The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island,” “Rescue From Gilligan’s Island,” and, in fact, “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island,” to which Backus contributed a brief cameo as a result of his private well being deteriorating.

The significance of Backus to “Gilligan’s Island” definitely wasn’t misplaced on Schwartz, both. The present creator needed to leap via quite a few hoops so as to get his primary choose for the function of Thurston Howell III, and remained grateful for Backus’ presence.

Earlier than it made it to air, “Gilligan’s Island” was a distinct present to the one audiences got here to like. For one factor, the original “Gilligan’s Island” castaways included two very different characters. What’s extra, somebody aside from the good Jim Backus virtually performed Thurston Howell III. Within the e book “Inside Gilligan’s Island: From Creation to Syndication” Sherwood Schwartz explains how he wrote the function of Howell with Backus in thoughts — maybe as a result of Backus had made a reputation for himself enjoying such elitists. The actor landed his first main function when he performed millionaire named Dexter Hayes within the 1940 radio serial “Society Lady,” earlier than taking up considered one of his best-known roles because the voice of eccentric cartoon millionaire Mr. Magoo, starting in 1949. Regardless of the motive, Schwartz had seemingly selected Backus for the function of Thurston Howell III lengthy earlier than “Gilligan’s Island” reached the casting stage. Nonetheless, there have been some main points to beat to ensure that Schwartz to get his man.

The showrunner writes about how, since Gilligan and the Skipper offered “the broad slapstick comedy,” it was essential to stability their absurd antics with “wit and satire, comedy of a wholly completely different kind.” Thurston Howell III was the reply, and because the present creator recalled, Backus was the perfect man for the job. However the actor proved robust to pin down. As Schwartz remembered it, “Jim had accomplished a pilot movie many months earlier and was nonetheless contractually obligated to maintain himself out there.”

What’s extra, cash turned a difficulty. Having develop into a well-established star in his personal proper, Backus was basically too costly for “Gilligan’s Island” and its modest CBS finances. That prompted Schwartz to briefly look elsewhere, with the present creator writing:

“We had discovered two good character actors who may play the a part of Thurston Howell III. Each had been good, however neither may give the half the type of perfection that Jim alone may deliver to that function. Neither one had the Thurston Howell III voice I heard in my head, or the face I pictured on the display. However since I needed to assume Jim was merely unavailable, we started negotiating with the 2 options.”

Fortunately, throughout these negotiations Schwartz and his present caught a break.

Although Jim Backus finally wound up enjoying Thurston Howell III in “Gilligan’s Island,” issues actually did come right down to the wire. In Sherwood Schwartz’s e book, the showrunner defined how Backus all of a sudden turned out there throughout negotiations with different actors, however on the time the manufacturing was six days away from leaving for Hawaii to shoot the pilot. Schwartz wrote, “On that date, the choice on Jim for the opposite sequence ran out, and Jim’s agent, Tom Korman, phoned me. Was the function nonetheless out there? The reply was sure. Nevertheless it was a certified sure.”

Simply because Backus was all of a sudden free, did not imply CBS was going at hand over the cash to get him, leaving Schwartz in considerably of a bind — particularly as he’d must double the wage connected to the function so as to safe his buddy. Fortunately, it simply so occurred that CBS programming government Hunt Stromberg Jr. was a Jim Backus fan. Schwartz wrote:

“I phoned Hunt at CBS and advised him Jim Backus had all of a sudden develop into out there. Would CBS give you the additional cash? Cash above and past the decision of finances? With no hesitation, Hunt spoke for CBS ‘Jim is ideal. You’ve got bought the additional cash.'”

That wasn’t the top of Schwartz’s Thurston Howell III points, nonetheless. As soon as he was cast on “Gilligan’s Island,” Backus’ presence forced last-minute rewrites as his character had been given a minor half within the pilot script. “It turned a significant function solely after I discovered Jim was out there,” wrote Schwartz. As such, the present creator felt he needed to maintain the pilot script from his esteemed new recruit till he may rewrite it. “There was no approach I’d present that script to Jim Backus,” wrote Schwartz. “He would not take the half. He was a person used to necessary starring roles. I do not assume Thurston Howell III had greater than ten or eleven traces within the authentic ‘Gilligan’s Island’ script.” How did Schwartz get round the issue? Effectively, in keeping with the showrunner, it went like this: “‘Do you anticipate me to signal a contract to star in a sequence with out studying the script?’ requested Jim. ‘Sure,’ I answered. ‘Effectively,’ he mentioned, ‘since you place it that approach, okay.'”