For over a hundred years some of the greatest video treasures of all time have been produced. Some have been lost in the sands of time and others, soon to be rediscovered, will become fan favorites for a whole new generation.
Each week we will feature just one of the many hidden gems that you can see on ATVN with insights and commentaries on classic television shows and legendary cinematic performances.
Many people know Jim Backus as Thurston Howell III on the TV sit-com Gilligan’s Island, but it was actually a “millionaire-like” voice for another character that gave him his “big break” in show business.
Alan Young (who would later play “Wilbur” for television’s Mr. Ed), retold the story a few years ago on SirusXM’s “Radio Classics” of how he was developing his own hit radio show bearing his name in the early 1940s.
While Backus had some small, yet versatile roles on various programs in the early days of radio, Young realized that his own softer, humbled and more-reserved on-air radio voice needed a foil for his new show. Young said he would need someone that would stick out with an over-the-top delivery and convey an air of snootiness, proudness and arrogance–to be a sharp contrast to Young’s much quieter on-air persona for his new show to work.
Enter Thurston Howell III … well, actually his name on The Alan Young Show was Hubert Updike III.
And the rest was history.
From that hit show, Backus began getting more prominent appearances and became a featured guest-star on some of the other top radio programs of the era.
And then, television and major motion pictures.
First, he took on the male lead role in I Married Joan, followed a few years later by his own variety program, The Jim Backus Show, which aired on ABC in 1957 and 1958.
His silver screen appearances included Deadline – U.S.A. with Humphrey Bogart, Pat and Mike with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Rebel Without a Cause (as James Dean’s on-screen father,) The Pied Piper of Hamelin, John Goldfarb, Please Come Home and It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Backus’s versatile voice acting skills also made him an obvious choice to take over the role of a brand new cartoon character, as he brought Mr. Mcgoo to life — for over 40 years — to children of all ages.
In 1963, Jim took on the role of Mr. Howell on the Gilligan’s Island television series and in three subsequent made-for-TV movies made in the late 1970s and 1980s.
He even recreated his “millionaire” persona when he reunited with his “Gilligan” co-star Natillie Shafer (aka Mrs. Howell) for a series of popular commercials for Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn in the 1980s.
Backus’s last acting appearance was in the final “Gilligan” movie, The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island. By this time Backus was suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, and his role was reduced to having a brief comedic line at the very end of the film.
Legend has it that once the director yelled “cut,” Backus turned to his long-time co-star, Dawn Wells (“Mary Ann”) and asked about his short cameo appearance. “Am I still funny?” he asked, to which Wells gave the beloved star a hug, then went off by herself in tears, upset at seeing him in such a frail state after years of working with him.
While Jim Backus is not a familiar name to today’s media audience, it’s hard to find any medium he did not make an impact in, from 1944 until his death in 1989, whether it be in radio, cartoons, voice-overs, television or film.
You can see some of Jim’s work in I Married Joan, Rescue of Gilligan’s Island and more movies and television guest-starring appearances this summer on the Astound Television Network.
To view the complete rundown of classic programming on ATVN, check out the weekly listings here on our website.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.
