Russell Johnson "The Professor" On Gilligan's Island Is Gone

[Icy Tea]

I'll admit to being a big fan of Gilligan's island. I loved The Howell's and Jim Backus made the show, IMO. I was greatly disappointed they made those crappy reunion sequels and didn't have something better. Late 70s/early 80s TV was pretty much shlock. Now that you mention it, the Brady's reunions sucked, too.
The Alf show did a dream sequence with the Castaways that was priceless and a great tribute to their memory.
I often wondered when they were rescued how many people they sued for not rescuing them, THAT would have been a reunion movie worth watching. Can you imagine a dozen or two dozen people hauled into court, all the famous and infamous characters they encountered who left them there and never revealed their whereabouts. Kind of like the Seinfeld courtroom finale.
No matter what they said about typecasting, I don't think any of the actors would have not done the show considering how much of a mark they left on TV culture and history.
I think Gilligan's Island was cancelled due to a conflict with Gunsmoke, a show I absolutely despise on every level. It was responsible for the cancellation of Star Trek due to the network President's hag wife liking Gunsmoke. Crappy characters, bad plots, bad acting, that was Gunsmoke.

[hifijohn]

so sad to hear that 'and the rest' died recently.