- published: 19 Dec 2010
- views: 76551
James Gilmore "Jim" Backus (February 25, 1913 – July 3, 1989) was an American radio, television, film, and voice actor. Among his most famous roles are the voice of nearsighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo, the rich Hubert Updike III on the radio version of The Alan Young Show, Joan Davis's character's husband (a domestic court judge) on TV's I Married Joan, James Dean's character's father in Rebel Without a Cause and Thurston Howell, III on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island. He also starred in his own show of one season, The Jim Backus Show, also known as Hot off the Wire.
An avid golfer, Backus made the 36-hole cut at the 1964 Bing Crosby Pro-Am tournament.
James Gilmore Backus was born February 25, 1913 in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Bratenahl, Ohio, a wealthy village surrounded by greater Cleveland. He was the son of Russell Gould Backus, a mechanical engineer, and Daisy Gilmore (née Taylor) Backus. Backus was expelled from the Kentucky Military Institute for riding a horse through the mess hall.[citation needed]
Actors: Duane Poole (writer), Laura Karpman (composer), Tina Louise (actress), Paul A. Kaufman (producer), Sherwood Schwartz (actor), Jacqueline Kennedy (actress), Jim Backus (actor), Alan Hale Jr. (actor), Phil Silvers (actor), John F. Kennedy (actor), Aaron Lustig (actor), Russell Johnson (actor), Paul A. Kaufman (actor), Carla Meyer (miscellaneous crew), Paul A. Kaufman (director),
Plot: The complete recapping adventure of the seven idiots trapped on a deserted island. No phones, no lights, no motor cars. Not a single luxury. Like Robinson Crusoe, it's primitive as can be. People portray not only Bob Denver, Alan Hale, Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells but also portray them as their world famous characters. We also get behind the scenes looks at how Sherwood Schwartz attempted to put his show on the air, and how they did casting, and how everyone dealt with the publicity, like people thought Jim Backus and Natalie Scahfer were really married, and when they took a picture of Gilligan, Ginger and Mary Ann for the cover of TV Guide and cut off Mary Ann, and about Tina Louise taking a dislike to her character. The trials and tribulations are explored too, even to the moment when Jim Backus was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and the deaths of he, Alan Hale and Natalie Schafer. The real life Bob Denver, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells even appear and talk about what they remember back then.
Keywords: 1960s, based-on-true-story, character-name-in-title, comedy-filmmaking, fame, family-filmmaking, filmmaking, television, television-history, television-industry