Over several decades, Jim Backus starred in more than 100 films and dozens of TV shows. During that time, the man showed a unique range that saw him portray the ineffectual patriarch of the Stark family in “Rebel Without a Cause” and voice the beloved cartoon character Mr. Magoo from 1949 to 1989. But Backus also rose to fame playing another millionaire: elitist Thurston Howell III in “Gilligan’s Island.”
The actor was with from the very beginning, when his “Gilligan’s Island” casting as Howell caused last-minute rewrites. Backus stayed on for all three seasons of the CBS sitcom before voicing the character for the animated spinoff films “Gilligan’s Planet” and “The New Adventures of Gilligan.” But he also reprized the role in live-action for all three TV movies: “The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island,” “Rescue From Gilligan’s Island” and “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island.”
Unfortunately, his appearance in the latter was limited to a brief cameo towards the end of the film. Given Backus’ contributions to the franchise, it might seem odd for him not to be involved in what was the final “Gilligan’s Island” TV movie. Unfortunately, he and the writers had no choice, as Backus’ health prevented him from becoming more involved in the 1982 film.
Jim Backus’ brief appearance in The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island
“The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” sees the original skippers running a resort on the previously unknown island where they were stranded for the original series’ three seasons. The aptly titled The Castaways resort is owned by Thurston Howell III, who remains absent for most of the film due to business at home. His son, Thurston Howell IV (David Ruprecht), runs the business in his father’s absence. The story sees the Harlem Globetrotters arrive on the island after their plane goes down during a storm. At the end of the film, the superstar team faces a team of robots called the New Invincibles, who manage to defeat the cyborgs by showing off their trademark basketball tricks. If that sounds a little crazy, it is. But then, part of the charm with “Gilligan’s Island” was its frequent embrace of absolute nonsense.
But in between the craziness, “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” manages to give Jim Backus a brief cameo, allowing the actor to reprise one of his biggest roles for what would be the last time in live action. During the filming of the TV movie, Backus actually suffered from Parkinson’s disease, which he had recently been diagnosed with. This meant that having him as part of the main cast was basically out of the question, and so Thurston Howell’s son was written into the story. As a result, Thurston appears at the end of the film, congratulating the team on their victory and offering them a free stay at the resort (in the off-season, of course).
Jim Backus gave it his all for The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island
Producer Lloyd J. Schwartz, son of “Gilligan’s Island” creator Sherwood Schwartz, once spoke to Woman’s world about production on “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island,” explaining that Jim Backus actually called Sherwood Schwartz and asked if he could “do a day” on the film. “As a result, we rewrote the script so that Mr. Howell came to the island and had a few lines. He didn’t have the energy to do more than that,” explained Lloyd Schwartz.
According to Lloyd J. Schwartz, after performing for his cameo, Backus approached Sherwood Schwartz and asked how he was doing. The series creator was encouraging in his response, but Backus continued to question him, asking, “But was I funny?” Lloyd J. Schwartz explained that his father responded with “Yeah, Jim, you were funny. That’s good,” before the pair “walked off together.” According to Lloyd J. Schwartz, “Everyone on the set was crying, knowing that this was probably the last time they would see Jim.”
After “Gilligan’s Island”, Backus would actually play Thurston Howell III one more time as part of the animated series “Gilligan’s Planet” which aired from 1982-83 on CBS. He also continued to voice Mr. Magoo for the rest of his life until he passed away in 1989 from pneumonia, according to his New York Times obituary. Thanks to his resilient spirit, which led to his small role in “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island,” at the time of his passing he had the distinction of having appeared in all the live-action “Gilligan’s Island” projects as well.
