Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Ballad of Gilligan's Island (1964)


1) This is about the fateful cruise of the S.S. Minnow. If you had a boat, what would christen it? This reminds me of one of the first jokes I remember. From The Flintstones. Fred and Barney go in on a boat and can't agree on what to call it. Fred likes The Nautica, Barney wants Sea Queen. So they compromise by taking the first three letters of each name and christen the boat Nausea.

2)  "No phone! No lights! No motorcar! Not a single luxury!" To Sam, those sound more like everyday essentials than luxuries. If you were shipwrecked with the gang, what standard amenity would you miss the most? Fresh, running water. I recall reading about JFK's crew after PT109 was sunk. They ended up on an island, surrounded by nothing but salt water, and licked morning dew off the leaves to stave off dehydration. How sad and desperate that sounds!
 
3) The uncharted isle was in the Pacific, near Hawaii. Have you ever been to our 50th state? Yes. Twice. I've seen The Big Island, Oahu, Kona and Maui. All gorgeous.

4) Natalie Schafer, who played Mrs. Howell, refused to divulge her age. Are you honest about how old you are? Or do you fudge it? I haven't fudged intentionally. But sometimes I've genuinely forgotten. I don't feel as old as I am.
 
5) Gilligan's Island featured many dream sequences. (Like the one where Gilligan dozes off and dreams that he's Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk.) Have you had any vivid dreams lately? No. My sleep lately has been fitful but dreamless.

6) The pilot was filmed in November, 1963, in Honolulu. The cast and crew were actually onset when they learned of President Kennedy's assassination.* Because on location filming was so expensive, they couldn't afford to take any time off.  Tell us about a time when you had to work, even though your heart and head weren't in it. Wednesday morning was hard. The election results were a shocking and disappointing way to harsh our World Series buzz. But I'm continuing to wear my array of Cubs t-shirts until I feel better, or until weather prohibits it.

7) During the show's run, Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) was the clear fan favorite, receiving twice as many love letters as Ginger (Tina Louise). Have you ever written a fan letter (or posted a fan tweet or Facebook post)? When I was six years old, I wrote a letter to Paul McCartney. I told him that I liked it that we saw the same sun and the same moon. I was sure that my wise insights would capture his imagination. My mother said she would stamp and mail the letter, but years later confessed she threw it away. If she had done as originally promised, I might today be Lady McCartney.

8) Sam chose this week's song because it was going through her head, over and over again! Tell us a song that burrows into your head and stays there. "Easy Lover" by Phil Collins and Philip Bailey. And now that I've thought of it, here it goes again. "She'll get a hold on you, believe it!"

9)  Random question: You went to a discount store and got an amazing bargain -- a pair of dress shoes for just $4.99. You go to a formal event and someone compliments you on those great shoes and asks where you got them. Do you tell the truth? Yes. I think I'd feel very proud of treasure.