Jim Backes had one off-screen problem with Gilligan's Island

Jim Backes began his acting career in the 1940s, lending his voice to countless radio dramas and animated shorts. He was well-known in Hollywood in the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in such films as “Rebel Without a Cause”, “The Naked Hills”, “Man of a Thousand Faces”, “Zotz!”, “It's a Mad, Mad , Mad, Mad World” and dozens of others. Also during the same period, Beck voiced the odd old Mister Magoo. He also headlined his own sitcom, “The Jim Backus Show” and appeared on “The Untouchables”. He could do dramatic work, comedic work, and everything in between. By the time Beck played Thurston Howell III in Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 comedy Gilligan's Island, he was a huge star, deeply rooted in Hollywood, Backus was definitely the biggest celebrity in the series and his involvement even led to some major last-minute rewrites.

Gilligan's Island, however, became a bigger hit than anyone could have predicted despite its not-so-successful initial pilot attempts. The story of the seven trapped derelicts somehow immediately penetrated deep into the American consciousness, attracting millions of viewers. And then, thanks to long-term syndication deals, new generations of television fans continued to see “Gilligan's Island” on television for decades. All seven stars of the show were deeply attached to their roles … which ended up being a career detriment. Although all seven stars continued to work after “The Island” went off the air in 1967, they likely had a hard time in the Los Angeles casting offices convincing potential directors that yes, they were capable of doing more than just reprising their “Gilligan's Island” roles. heroes. .

This phenomenon struck Bacchus deeply, given his storied Hollywood career. In an old interview with the Herald and Review (conveniently overwritten by MeTV), Becks was embarrassed that he only became known for his comedic work after Gilligan's Island. He knew he was capable of deeply dramatic performances, tragic twists and intense stage acting. Like any actor, he wanted to be seen as bigger than his most famous roles.

Although attentive fans of “Gilligan's Island” certainly know about Backus' long, deep acting careerthe public seemed to know him only as a comedian. And while Becks is a capable comic actor, he wanted everyone to know that there's a lot more to him that goes beyond “clunky rich guy” and “clunky blind guy.” In the Herald and Review he said quite plainly:

“I'm really worried about people who think the only things I've done are Mr. Magoo and Gilligan's Island. I'm also a dramatic actor and I've done over 80 non-comic movies.”

Backus also noted that he had recently appeared in a stage production of “Our Town,” which required tears and tragedy. “In one scene,” he explained, “I'm crying over my dead wife. How can that be funny?” Fighting the stigma of a single, mainstream success can be daunting for an actor. Just ask George Reeves, who deeply hated being known for playing Superman, preventing him from getting other acting jobs. Or, heck, ask any of the actors from the original Star Trek, all of whom are still best known for that one performance.

However, Becks took solace in the fact that he was asked to appear in so many TV commercials during his career. Advertisements, as many know, pay incredibly well, and because of them, Backus amassed a healthy amount of cash. Enough money, in fact, that he could afford to be picky with his acting roles. As he put it:

“(Promotions are) the best thing in the world because of what we call 'FY' money. That means the actor doing it gets paid enough to tell people with bad scripts to … er, ok, take them away.”

“FY” means “f*** you” of course. Backus was just being polite by saying “occupy them” instead of “hell”. Telling a producer to screw him is a rare and warm privilege in Hollywood.