When he was around 8 years old, Johnson's father died — making the financial situation much more dire. As a result, Johnson and one of his brothers were sent to Girard College, a boarding school for poor orphan boys in Philadelphia.
Sadly, he stayed there from ages 9 through None of the details available from this point in his life paint a pretty picture. The LA Times reports that he acted in one production, but he seldom watched movies and only saw a solitary stage play before his graduation.
Even so, he wasn't entirely alone — a member of Johnson's extended family told a "Gilligan's Island" fan club that the actor's mother would hitch a ride to Girard in order to visit her sons. And during his time in the military, he served as a bombardier during World War II, flying missions over the Pacific Theater.
Certain details of his service record are contradictory, with various sources saying he flew either a B or a B One thing is crystal clear, however — it was here where the real Professor ever-so-briefly became a real-life castaway During a bombing mission over the Philippines, Johnson's plane was shot down, and his plane crashed by the island of Mindanao.
Johnson broke both of his ankles in the crash, an injury that earned him a Purple Heart. Some sources indicate that several other planes were shot down during this bombing run and that at least one of his fellow pilots died in the process. Every actor wants to be recognized for a role, but that comes with a downside — the risk of typecasting. If a performance becomes a little too iconic, it can take an actor years to shake the association — if they can shake it at all — and find new work.
Unfortunately, this happened to the cast of "Gilligan's Island. Russell Johnson often played cunning villains before "Gilligan," and starring as the straight-laced, bookish Professor ruined his chance of going back to that. Even so, the show's legacy still followed her. When she attempted to do a production of "The Vagina Monologues," producers shot her down because they still thought of her as Mary Ann. Tina Louise in particular had a complicated relationship with the show.
There have long been rumors she resented the show, partially driven by the fact that she never returned for the reunion movies. She shot down those rumors in , telling the New York Post , "I loved doing my part, especially after they really started writing for my character," though she does admit she almost quit.
It's easy to assume that the "Gilligan's Island" cast lived comfortably on residuals for the rest of their lives, given that the show has been in continuous syndication since it went off the air.
This assumption, however, is too generous given television standards of the time. Residuals in this era were much more limited, often constricted to reruns of just the first five episodes or so. As such, none of the cast got rich off the show. Russell Johnson's obituary in The Washington Post said that he resented being left out of the syndication profits. Louise also confirmed that she never got residuals, but she told the Wall Street Journal that, "Money's never been my God.
Most accounts indicate that the only person who got any money off syndication was creator Sherwood Schwartz. The lack of "Gilligan's Island" residuals was especially harmful to the actors long term. While modern sitcom actors will often earn millions in syndication for the rest of their lives, the "Gilligan's Island" cast got most of their money from further acting gigs and appearances on the nostalgia circuit. Acting is notoriously unsteady work, especially for the typecast. Few felt this harder than Dawn Wells, who received assistance via crowdfunding after an injury.
The GoFundMe was set up in the fall of by her friend, Dugg Kirkpatrick, who stated that, "After , like many of us, Dawn suffered through the banking crash and lost everything, including her life savings, in addition to a life-threatening surgery which came close to killing her. Kirkpatrick told People that Wells didn't know he was setting it up and was embarrassed at first, but she was "so flattered that her fans have come to her rescue — shocked and amazed, actually. Before donning his iconic bucket hat, Bob Denver starred as beatnik Maynard G.
But a mere four episodes into production, Denver got a draft notice from the US Army. This was actually written into the show, with Maynard getting drafted and receiving an emotional on-screen farewell. Everybody wants to be on a deserted island.
Nardine Saad covers breaking entertainment news, trending culture topics, celebrities and their kin for the Los Angeles Times. She joined The Times in as a MetPro trainee and has reported from homicide scenes, flooded canyons, red carpet premieres and award shows.
Adult Swim Fest thrives by blurring the line between virtual and reality. All Sections. About Us. B2B Publishing. Five passengers and one skipper and one first mate set sail that day for a three-hour tour, but where are they now?
After leaving the island, he was in the film comedy Who's Minding the Mint? He reprised his role with his voice as Gilligan in TV movies and the animated series New Adventures of Gilligan and Gilligan's Planet along with much of the original cast. He later moved to Princeton, W. Alan Hale, Jr.
0コメント