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I thought everyone knew that the basic premise of Gilligan's Island was a drug deal gone wrong.
Ginger was the seller. The Howells were the buyers - that's why they had so much cash with them. The Professor was along as the expert, to test the goods. The Skipper was to take them out past the international limit. Gilligan was probably just clueless.
Mary Tyler Moore's show is a major leap in television. You had a single working woman who was quite happy about it and not out looking, and was a voice for all the women who had made it and those who dreamed of.
A lot of the shows then were symptomatic of change. Even Gilligans Island, which was just meant as comedy, had people who had involuntarily dropped out and push comes to shove were really in no hurry to get rescued back the the busy real world.
It's also true that there's a direct line between Manard and Gilligan. They both were a part of the movement by some to 'drop out' of the norm and had their different drummers. Now, if Dobie had been on that boat????
I tend to lump Gilligan's Island, The Munsters, The Adams Family, I Dream of Genie, etc. into "light hearted" fare of that time.
Mary Tyler Moore, All in The Family, the original Bob Newhart Show, and probably The Jeffersons, were "quality" comedies with a lot more depth and some very superb acting.
I guess there was a place for each, but I just always thought Gilligan was too "silly" rather than funny. Then again, I feel that way about the Airplane spoof movies and Mel Brooks produced films, which I know were hugely popular with many people. I just don't get that kind of goofy humor I guess.
I watched it all the time as a kid and teenager. Now, in my late 40s - I can't stand it.
I do like some old shows still - like the Andy Griffith Show and Sanford and Son. But, I can no longer watch Green Acres, Doby Gillis, I Dream of Jeannie, and some others.
I liked Gilligan's as a kid in reruns. As an adult, meh not so much. I might watch an episode here or there about once a year. It's silly or corny, take your pick.
Same with "Green Acres," liked it as reruns as a teen, now as an adult not so much. I would take most of these older shows (even the silly ones) over the current sitcoms for the most part.
I am thinking MaryAnn and CatWoman(Julie Newmar) likely stirred pre-pubescent boys in a funny way back then.
It was funny in that Mary Ann was prettier than the "movie star". Mary Ann represented Nevada in the Miss America contest. Now she has deep financial troubles. Nobody said that beauty equals brains. Plus bad luck can ruin most anybody.
It was funny in that Mary Ann was prettier than the "movie star". Mary Ann represented Nevada in the Miss America contest. Now she has deep financial troubles. Nobody said that beauty equals brains. Plus bad luck can ruin most anybody.
Well, bad luck and a lot of weed, as I understand it.
I would venture to say that it even today it is good clean fun in an era when we've begun to push boundaries farther than ever before.
That's probably it.
As it is, I just ordered the entire series as to have something funny in the library to refer to from time to time.
As something from another generation, there are times when things are said or shown which depict a good quality of people, something desirable to hang on to. For example, in "The Beverly Hillbillies" where Jethro is talking to a medical doctor about how he is going to be a doctor, the conversation goes something like, "Oh? Where are you studying?"--MD, "Mostly in the kitchen."-Jethro, "The kitchen????" "Yes, that's where Granny is.".
"Oh, your grandmother is a doctor.".....and in that statement, for even the 60s, there is no prejudice but just understanding that there can be such a thing as an elder woman doctor.
As far as Gilligan's Island goes, it has been such a long while since I have seen any of it, so I can't off the top of my head recall such a stellar example. There is the court room episode with the treasure chest that Mr. Howell claimed absolute ownership of and that one of the life raft and the gold mine, but I am sure I will find other examples.
Then it does have those great duet exchanges. Such the Professor talking about an attempt that didn't work (a lot of those) with "Basically, our plan had one flaw." and .....
It was also a casualty of cost. You could make to cheap sitcoms, be pretty much assured there was an audience, and fill the space for what a half or more of what Trek cost. And the advertisers were not sure what audience to aim at. They knew there was one, just not the usual. If CBS had paid any attention the fandom which started during the first season, and the intensity of it, and if things had been closer to today, they just might have not given up. Today things are made for target markets but then it was to sell more soup. Today the sorts of things which trek fandom is willing to spend their money on is very much mainstream.
I love how despite all the jokes and belief that it would all go away, the techies and the nerds and the ones they joked about turned out to be the winners. Live Long and Prosper.
I loved Star Trek. Reruns are all over the place, and I still stop on ST when I'm channel surfing. I barely noticed the cheesy "strange new world" sets in its original run lol. Nonetheless, yes, the viewers were ultimately the winners, with a massive ST franchise--TV and movies--to enjoy.
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