TRIVIA QUESTIONS:
In the mid 60s he played the lovable Skipper on Gilligan's Island.
In the 50s he was on the right track as the star of one of my favorite
In the 50s he was on the right track as the star of one of my favorite
Western TV series. What was his name? What was the name of that
unique TV show? In which film did he appear with Marilyn Monroe?
unique TV show? In which film did he appear with Marilyn Monroe?
(SCROLL DOWN)
ANSWERS TO TRIVIA QUESTIONS:
In 1963 one of my favorite
character actors, Alan Hale
(aka Alan Hale Jr.), landed
the role for which he is
best remembered, that
of "The Skipper" on
the hit TV series
Gilligan's Island.
In 1957 and 1958, Hale starred in Casey Jones,
a Western TV series that I watched every week.
Released in syndication, Casey Jones
told the adventures of a 19th century
railroad engineer and the crew
aboard the steam locomotive
The Cannonball Express.
told the adventures of a 19th century
railroad engineer and the crew
aboard the steam locomotive
The Cannonball Express.
On October 8, 1957, when Casey Jones began its run, Phil and Don,
The Everly Brothers, were rockin' America with their first #1
smash hit "Wake Up Little Susie."
The Everly Brothers, were rockin' America with their first #1
smash hit "Wake Up Little Susie."
"Wake Up Little Susie" - The Everly Brothers
(Oct./Nov. 1957, highest chart pos. #1)
Before he was The Skipper...
and before he was Casey Jones...
Alan Hale had a featured role in the 1951 movie drama Home Town Story,
a film that included future Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe in one of
her smaller early roles. Here are Alan Hale and Marilyn Monroe
in a scene from Home Town Story.
a film that included future Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe in one of
her smaller early roles. Here are Alan Hale and Marilyn Monroe
in a scene from Home Town Story.
Marilyn, this is Big Al. I know this sounds hard to believe,
but I'm shipwrecked on a desert isle with a bunch of wackos.
I'm calling you on a ham radio the professor made out of coconuts.
I'm gonna try the coast guard next. With any luck at all, we'll be
rescued soon, but I won't be able to get there in time for our
big date tonight. You understand, don't you?
Have a Shady day!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteOh what fun! I remember quite well Alan as the Skipper in Gilligan's Island. That was a favorite after school program of mine. His earlier roles in the TV series and the film starring Marilyn Monroe are introductions. I'd like to see 'Home Town Story'. I loved the way MM spoke - soft & breathy. Melanie Griffin sounds a bit like the late starlett. The Everly Brothers had a illusterious career with a number of huge hits. 'Wake Up Little Suzie' remained popular well into the 60s. Thanks for sharing such great entertainment from the mewsic and film industry, my friend!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteYou're the early bird this time, dear friend. Thanks for coming!
I am happy to know you remember The Skipper and Gilligan's Island. I'm pretty sure Alan Hale was channeling portly comedy great Oliver Hardy in that role, because grabbing the hat and breaking the fourth wall and looking at the camera were Hardy's trademarks. In fact, Alan's actor dad, Alan Hale Sr., had a role in the 1936 Laurel & Hardy feature Our Relations. I'm sure young Alan Jr. learned from his dad and was influenced by the legendary comedy duo.
I am happy to introduced you to Casey Jones, a Western TV series I watched regularly as a boy, and to Home Town Story, a film I discovered in recent years. You're right. Actress Melanie Griffith has a soft, breathy voice similar to Marilyn's and uses it in her roles to produce "steam heat."
I am also pleased that you enjoyed listening to The Everlys' "Wake Up Little Susie," one of their many major hits and one of the many girl name songs that were popular in the 50s and 60s. "Susie" was hot on the chart when Casey Jones made its debut.
Thanks again for being the first to arrive and chat about the career of Alan Hale Jr., dear friend Cathy. Enjoy your day and I'll see you tamale!
Tom,
DeleteThe Everly Brothers had amazing voices! I meant to tell you, the reason Melanie Griffith came to mind is we watched a movie last weekend that she starred in 'Something Wild' on Amazon Prime. It's a comedy with her playing oppositie of Jeff Daniels but it has a bit of dark ending. Of course, when you realize Ray Liotta plays Griffith's ex in the film then you know it can't all be laughs. Overall, we enjoyed the production. Thanks for your early morning visit checking out my new artwork. Have a good day! :)
Hi again, Cathy!
DeleteHey, I remember that movie Something Wild! Melanie and Jeff are both great in it. Nobody messes with Ray Liotta and lives to tell the tale. :) I'm happy to know he quit smoking with CHANTIX. :)
I love your artwork and agree with Rain Frances that your vase and roses brings to mind Van Gogh's post-impressionist style.
Enjoy the rest of your day, dear friend Cathy!
Who didn't spend half his childhood watching that show.
ReplyDeleteAnd Mary-Ann, every time.
Hi, Alex!
DeleteThanks for dropping in, good buddy!
I agree. It would be hard to find a living person who doesn't know about the TV series Gilligan's Island, even if they never watched it. The same is true of I Love Lucy and a few others. I also agree that Mary Ann was the "it girl" of the series, not movie star Ginger. I read that Dawn Wells and Alan Hale remained close friends through the years, right up until Hale died in 1990. They were also neighbors at various times.
Thanks again for your visit and comment, good buddy Alex!
Hi Shady! I will always be a fan of Marilyn's...and Alan Hale, Jr.! I will have to go to the library and see if they have the "Home Town Story" movie. I would like to see that one. She was so pretty when she was younger. And, Alan was a fun actor. I have seen Alan Hale in other movies, and, I watched "Gilligan's Island" all of the time.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember "The Cannonball Express" show. But I do remember the name Casey Jones and the song. Maybe it's all back in my memory bank somewhere, haha! That is a show we would have watched. Dad worked for the railroad after he came back from the the Army and WWII for the rest of his life. Santa Fe and the trains in general always held my family's attention and respect.
Thank you for The Everly's "Wake Up Little Susie". Everything they sang was fabulous! I miss them a lot.
You posted some fabulous pictures, Shady! I always like seeing photos of actors that were probably not published in the day of their fame. We would buy some of the Teen magazines and some that had stories of famous actors and actresses Like Liz Taylor and Debbie Reynolds. Those were great times, and we thought we knew it all then, didn't we!
I sure liked this post, Shady. Hope your week is going well so far. I'm packing up my laundry room and parts of my kitchen for demo tomorrow. My hot water heater caused some damage and I am getting a new floor! Hopefully all will go smoothly, but I am kind of overwhelmed with everything!
Take care, dear friend. See you! ♫
Hi, Suzanne!
DeleteHow are you, dear friend? How's Scootie? Thank you very much for hustling over on day one to bust your brain on my trivia questions and trace the career of Alan Hale back to his pre-Skipper roles.
I know for a fact that Home Town Story was released on DVD because I own a copy. Also, you don't need to run to the library to watch it because the entire film is available for free on YouTube!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-guLKE5wLOw
Like you I prefer the younger, more natural looking and unspoiled MM that you see in Home Town Story, before she was turned into a sex goddess and blonde bombshell.
Yessum, Westerns were huge on television in the 50s, and with so many running during those years, many of them more popular and longer lasting such as Gunsmoke and Wagon Train, it's easy to understand how Casey Jones is now forgotten by many Boomer age folks. I watched it every week and was delighted to see Casey Jones back on TV as The Skipper when Gilligan's Island made its debut in the fall of 1964. It's interesting to note that the pilot episode of Gilligan's Island was shot nearly a year earlier around the time of the JFK assassination, cast different actors and had different characters, including two secretaries and a high school teacher, and did not air until 1992, 29 years after the series first went on the air in September 1964.
Thanks for sharing that interesting fact about your father working for the railroad. Not many kids can tell that story.
That color picture of Alan Hale and Marilyn is a production still lobby card from the movie. It was a wonderful find! Yessum, as kids we thought we knew it all back then. As adult kids we can be thankful that we know it all NOW. :)
I'm sorry to learn that your floor was ruined by a water heater leak, dearie, but it will be nice having new flooring put in. Hang in there. Relax, take a deep breath, and escape with Shady.
Thank you again for your kind visit and wonderful comment, dear friend Suzanne. I hope the days ahead are good ones for you, and I'll see you next Monday when I whisk you away to Bandstands in Foreign Lands! :)
Considering I have all three seasons of Gilligan's Island on DVD, have seen every episode at least a gazillion times in my life (it still airs each weekend), and have two books about the series, yes... I knew it was Alan Hale, Jr.!! I might not have known all the other answers, but do remember seeing him in a few old movies.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely Mary Ann. Ginger was my least favorite of the cast. The Professor (Russell Johnson) was my favorite. :D
Hi, Kelly!
DeleteThanks so much for coming over, dear friend. I'm delighted to see you!
Wow, you must really be a big fan of Gilligan's Island! Like I Love Lucy, I'll bet Gilligan's Island is playing somewhere in the world every minute of every day. Do you remember Bob Denver playing Maynard G. Krebs, the beatnik sidekick in The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis? That's another comedy series I watched every week. You might already know that Denver was not the first choice for the role of Gilligan. Actor Jerry Van Dyke was offered the part but turned it down. I can't imagine him in the role, can you? It looks like Mary Ann is eclipsing Ginger in my impromptu popularity poll. I think men and women alike appreciate a sweet, wholesome girl next door type like Mary Ann. Tina Louise played Ginger as a "Marilyn Monroe/Jayne Mansfield type." Like you I also enjoyed Russell Johnson as The Professor. I saw Russ in some of my favorite horror movies including This Island Earth and Attack of the Crab Monsters. John Gabriel played The Professor in the unaired pilot of Gilligan's Island.
Thanks again for dropping in, dear friend Kelly!
I do remember him being in Dobie Gillis, though I never watched that show. The original pilot is a part of my DVD set, but I don't remember it being very good. I'm thinking they used pieces of it as flashbacks in a later episode. Since you enjoy campy horror films, you should watch The Town that Dreaded Sundown (from 1976) which is based on true events. Dawn Wells has a part in it. :)
DeleteHi, Kelly!
DeleteThanks so much for returning and letting me know about The Town That Dreaded Sundown - A True Tale of Texarkana Terror! Was it filmed in your vicinity? I already found the full movie available free on YouTube. I clicked around and found a segment with Dawn Wells. I think I'll watch the film. I appreciate the acting of the star, Ben Johnson. He was great in Mighty Joe Young and The Last Picture Show.
Thanks again for the movie tip, dear friend Kelly. Enjoy the rest of your week. My next post is next Monday, more music I think you'll enjoy, and I hope to see you then.
I love this tribute to Alan Hale Jnr since, you know his dad was a big character actor from the silents into the 1940's. Snr was in Robin Hood with Errol Flynn. I love Gilligan's Island and watched it all the time to my mom's consternation:). I always liked Mary Ann (of the girls) and she was a good friend of Alan Hale and Bob Denver. Tina Louise seemed to not be a friend to any of the cast members. Alan Hale loved to be called The Skipper and never thought twice about being type cast. You know, I never even heard of Casey Jones and never saw one show.
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
DeleteThanks a lot for coming over and sharing your impressions of Alan Hale Jr., his actor father and other cast members from Gilligan's Island. As I'm sure you know, Tina Louise raised a fuss because she was initially under the impression that Gilligan's Island would be centered around her character. It's interesting that life imitated art to a certain extent and Dawn Wells turned out to be a good friend to Bob Denver and Alan Hale long after the series ended. Maybe that's why fans were eager to help her out financially when she appealed to them recently. As I told Cathy (above) I believe Alan Hale Jr. learned the affects he used in his role as The Skipper from comedy legend Oliver Hardy as much as from his father. I think it's refreshing that Hale didn't mind being typecast and referred to as The Skipper. Dang it, too many actors and actresses dread being typecast and, to the dismay of their fans, try to distance themselves from endearing characters they once played.
I'm glad I was able to clue you in about Hale's earlier series Casey Jones, a great family friendly Western I watched as a boy in the late 50s.
Thanks again for joining the fun, dear friend BB. Take care and enjoy the rest of your week!
It was only a three hour tour. The program was very silly and we loved it.
ReplyDeleteHi, Arleen!
DeleteHow are you today, dear friend? Thanks for joining the fun on Gilligan's Island, aboard The Cannonball Express, and at the newspaper office of Home Town Story!
Yessum, that three hour tour turned into a three season network run for the castaways. Today Gilligan's Island remains as popular as ever and the character Gilligan is a cultural icon. You'd think that a series still so well known 65 years later would have enjoyed a longer original run. I read that the Western series Gunsmoke was to blame. CBS wanted to cancel Gunsmoke but at the last minute renewed it, moved it into the Gilligan's Island time slot, and canceled Gilligan, even though the cast had been assured they'd be returning for season 4. Some had already bought houses near the set. That's showbiz for you!
Thanks again for coming to review the career of Alan Hale, dear friend Arleen. Enjoy the rest of your week!
I loved Gilligans island as a kid. It came in everyday when i got home from school.
ReplyDeleteNow I've got Casey Jones as an earworm by Grateful Dead!!
Hi, Holliwood N. Vine!
DeleteThanks for coming by, dear friend! I'm happy to know you enjoyed Gilligan's Island as a kid. The first season, as you recall, was shot in black & White. I liked that season best. By season three too many celebrity guest stars were turning up on the desert island and the show lost what little credibility it had to begin with.
I never heard that Grateful Dead song "Casey Jones." I just played it on YouTube. Thanks for letting me know about it.
Have a terrific Thursday, dear friend Holli!
Hi Shady,
ReplyDeleteI remember when Gilligan's Island was on Nick at Night in the 90s, I loved watching the show. Thanks for a walk down memory lane. I'm not too familiar with the movie and the Western, but I will have to check them out.
Wake Up Little Suzie is my favourite! I'll rock out to it tomorrow morning on repeat. Have a great Thankful Thursday!
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThanks for coming, dear friend! I figured that Gilligan's Island would be the most familiar of the three to someone your age. Maybe if you asked your mom and dad you'd discover that they remember the TV Western and the MM movie. The entire film is available free on YouTube along with clips and episodes of Casey Jones.
I'm glad you like this early hit by The Everly Brothers. I know your dad remembers that one.
Thank you again for dropping by and have a great Friday and weekend, dear friend JM!
Hi Shady,
DeleteWow! The past three days really have flown! My mom is 9 years younger than my dad and she doesn't quite remember the same shows as he does. Mom MAY remember the Western, or at least have heard about it from her father, and she might have heard of the MM movie. My dad is usually the best person when it comes to these things. :)
I had an Everly Brothers type of weekend. Mixed with metal and Twiztid. :D Tune in this week for some special posts... though, they will be short on words.
Have a great Sunday, dear friend.
HI, Jessica Marie!
DeleteStill mourning Grumpy Cat, dear friend? I didn't realize your mom is nine years younger than your dad. In my experience that can make a big difference in the music, TV shows and movies each remembers. Sounds like you followed Shady's example and enjoyed some jarring juxtapositions over the weekend.
I look forward to your special posts, dear friend JM. Thanks again for coming to chat!
I watched Gilligan's Island back in the day and it was really silly but fun and I would give it a 10 over some of the junk on the tube today. I was too young for Casey Jones but the song is the same for the "Good and Plenty" candy ads. Anyway, fun post about a favorite actor. A few years ago when my son and his family lived in New York we were visiting along with his in-laws. We took a 3 hour boat tour of some lake there. His in-laws last name is "Howell". I was a bit nervous taking a 3hr boat tour with the Howells! Well, it's time for bed and heading into Friday..my Mom's birthday! Take care Shady!
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteThanks for joining the fun, dear friend, and happy birthday to your dear mother. She is a treasure!
Gosh, you're right, YaYa. The Casey Jones theme song is the same tune used in the Good and Plenty candy commercials featuring Choo Choo Charlie. They simply changed the words. I forgot all about that. You shared a funny story about your worrisome three hour boat tour with the Howells. I would have refused to board if his full name was Thurston Howell, III and hers was Eunice "Lovey" Wentworth Howell. :)
Thank you again for your visit and cheery comment, dear friend YaYa. Once again happy birthday to your wonderful mother. Enjoy your Friday and weekend!
Want to see Alan Hale Jr's lookalike father in a movie? Watch just any Errol Flynn film made in the late 1930s or 1940s. Hale Sr was Flynn's comedy sidekick in almost all of them.
ReplyDeleteDid not know about Hale Jr's career before Gilligan's Island, so this has all been very illuminating.
I like the Hardy comparison. One essential difference, though. The other characters on Gilligan's Island (and probably the TV audience as well) tended to take the Skipper seriously, i.e., non-comically, which wasn't the case when Hardy encountered anyone else other than Laurel. That Skipper was basically a buffoon in the guise of an authority figure only became clear when Gilligan came into the picture. Ingenious act those two had, if you think about it.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks a lot for coming over, good buddy! I figured this post would interest someone like you, especially since we were just discussing Marilyn Monroe recently on your blog.
You're right, Kirk. There were Alan Hale junior and senior, Lon Chaney junior and senior, Alan and Adam Arkin, Tom and Colin Hanks, and many other father and son acting pairs that I'm sure you could name. To me The Skipper and Gilligan shared similarities to Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello because one was the straight man while the other played the lovable screw-up, and every time The Skipper broke the fourth wall and looked into the camera exasperated, I thought of Ollie Hardy. When he grabbed his hat I thought of Hardy, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and other funnymen of the silent era and early talkies who used the comic device. You make a good point about the difference in the way the other characters on the island regarded The Skipper. They respected him and his authority.
Thanks again for contributing to the discussion, good buddy Kirk. Have a great weekend and I'll see you next Monday when I switch from the "three hour tour" to the European Biffle tour!
Hi, friend Shady … haven't been here for a while … spent some time on the island, Vancouver Island that is … in order to finally see some colour … Have you ever been to Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island?
ReplyDeleteLove,
cat.
Hi, cat!
DeleteThanks for returning to Shady's Place, your home away from home, dear friend! I've been missing you. Looks like you've found another home away from home - Vancouver Island. Mrs. Shady and I have not been there but, coincidentally, a friend of hers was telling her about the city of Victoria just the other day, and we did lots of reading about it. I'd love to move there someday! Would you come see me if I did? :) I notice on the map that The Butchart Botanical Gardens aren't too far away from Victoria. I'll bet you had a wonderful time there and saw plenty of colorful flowers, dearie!
Did you read that Grumpy Cat has died?
https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/pets-animals/grumpy-cat-is-dead-world-mourns-as-internets-most-famous-feline-passes-away-aged-seven-after-amassing-a-dollar100million-fortune-and-sparking-countless-memes/ar-AABuUJH
I hope you enjoyed this post about the fine character actor Alan Hale. Have a safe and happy weekend, dear friend cat!
Hi Tom,
ReplyDeleteThis was such a fun post! Before I scrolled down, I knew his last name was Hale but couldn't remember his first name until I saw it. Gilligan's Island was a favorite of mine. I watched it every day. I really enjoyed watching the video with all the Skipper-isms: particularly, I never really noticed him grabbing his hat all the time like that but when you see a whole slew of them together like that, it sure looks like that was one of his "shticks". And I loved seeing him look into the camera, usually with disgust over some dumb thing that Gilligan had done. That was a fun trip down memory lane.
I remember Casey Jones but only vaguely. I can't even say that I recall ever watching it. But the intro looks familiar.
I didn't know about Alan Hale's earlier career. What a treat to see him and the early Marilyn Monroe in the "Home Town Story". I'll have to search the streaming services to see if I can find it. I'd love to watch it.
I always did like the Skipper!
And that was very cool that you included the Everly Brothers doing "Wake Up Little Susie". I don't know what made me think of this as soon as they started playing but I wondered if they got along as brothers performing on the road together... I wondered what their relationship was like. Or if there's any story there. Do you know??
Great ending to your post as well.
I hope you're enjoying your weekend. I just walked past the laundry room and realized I have a ton of laundry to do. Ugh. And I just started on antibiotics today. Did I tell you I have something coming on? I've been hoarse and raspy for the last four days and today I woke up with a sore throat. I didn't go see Mom today because I'm afraid her immune system is compromised and I don't want to chance passing whatever this in onto her. It's so weird without her being here. She's been in the hospital since 5/8!
Anyway, thanks for your thoughts and prayers for her.
And thanks for a really cool post that gave me a nice reprieve from today and took me back to happier times...
Enjoy the rest of your weekend,
Michele at Angels Bark
Hi, One-L Michele!
DeleteThanks for coming over and busting your brain on my latest trivia quiz, dear friend!
I don't think there are many people on the planet, young or old, who haven't heard of Gilligan's Island. References to the iconic series remain with us in the 21st century 65 years after the pilot episode was filmed.
I'm glad I jarred your memory about Alan Hale's 1950s Western TV series Casey Jones. I was age 7 and 8 when it aired first run, and therefore it makes sense that my memories of the show would be more vivid than yours. I discovered the film Home Town Story in 2007 when I took an entire year to binge watch old black & white films and catch up on all that I had missed, including movies made during the silent era. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw "The Skipper" casually flirting with Marilyn Monroe in the newspaper office in Home Town Story. It was surreal! That 1951 film drama was actually a slanted propaganda piece, Michele. As Wiki explains: "The film was backed by General Motors to promote the virtues of big business." Bear that in mind as you watch it. You can find the film in its entirety FREE on YouTube right here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-guLKE5wLOw
Marjorie Reynolds is also featured in Home Town Story. She played Peg Riley, the wife and mother on The Life of Riley, from 1953 to 1958. Do you remember that family sitcom starring William Bendix as Chester A. Riley? I watched it every week!
There are several videos on YouTube that explore "What makes The Skipper The Skipper," focusing on his quirks and mannerisms. They are nicely done and fun to watch.
On these TV/movie trivia posts, I like to include a hit record or two that was peaking on the chart at the same time. It's instructive and helps us keep our memories straight. To me, old black & white TV shows and movies seem "older" than the HQ remastered music now available from the same time period. These juxtapositions help us to keep everything in sync. I don't know the back story about Phil and Don. Maybe another reader will provide us with that answer.
Oh NO, Michele - don't tell me you're feeling ill on top of everything else! What's next? You were wise not to expose your mom to the bug. I pray that you are feeling better this morning and that the prognosis for her is good. I will continue to keep her and you in my prayers.
Thank you very much for making time for a visit and for your usual meaty comment, dear friend Michele!