Jim Backus' first major acting gig was playing a snotty millionaire named Dexter Hayes on the 1940 radio serial "Society Girl." This was to kick off a decades-long career in radio, film, and television, wherein Backus invented multiple indelible characters that remain a part of the pop fabric to this very day. He appeared on "The Jack Benny Program" and even briefly had his own TV show, "The Jim Backus Show" in 1957. He famously played the voice of Mr. Magoo from 1949 until his death in 1989, and starred in "Rebel Without a Cause." He was adept at playing clueless weirdos and self-absorbed egotists, although he had a great deal of comedic range. Be sure to listen to his hit comedy single "Delicious!" sometime. He elicits laughter without saying anything. I could list more credits, but we'd be here all day; Backus starred in over 100 films and shorts, and several dozen TV shows.
- 5/18/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
One of the most frequently asked questions about Gilligan's Island is "Why were The Professor and Mary Ann referred to as 'the rest' in the show's opening? There were only seven castaways!"
In season one, Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, and Tina Louise were in the opening theme but Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells weren't. Why?
Well, you may not be aware that some of the characters in the series weren't quite the same in the original pilot. Ginger was a practical redheaded secretary, played by Kit Smythe. Nancy McCarthy played Bunny (not Mary Ann) and she was a stereotypical dumb blonde secretary. John Gabriel played the very serious Professor.
In order to get the series greenlighted by CBS, creator Sherwood Schwartz had to do some reworking and recasting. As a result, we ended up with...
In season one, Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, and Tina Louise were in the opening theme but Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells weren't. Why?
Well, you may not be aware that some of the characters in the series weren't quite the same in the original pilot. Ginger was a practical redheaded secretary, played by Kit Smythe. Nancy McCarthy played Bunny (not Mary Ann) and she was a stereotypical dumb blonde secretary. John Gabriel played the very serious Professor.
In order to get the series greenlighted by CBS, creator Sherwood Schwartz had to do some reworking and recasting. As a result, we ended up with...
- 6/17/2010
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
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