Tuesday, September 06, 2005

Oh Skipper !

Bob Denver is dead.

He was Gilligan on Gilligan's Island. The show ran from 1964 to 1967. I remember watching the show as a kid and later in syndication. It provided many laughs and spurred many questions. One such question was:
"If the Professor can make a radio work using parts of a coconut, why can't he build a raft?"

That was just one of the many reasons I learned that logic is often the enemy of laughter. Laughter comes sliding off the surface of us. It is little wonder that tickle spots are on or close to the surface of the skin. Laughter was never meant to be a deep philosophical work. It was meant to be spontaneous and instant. Deep thought is often the curser of laughter.

"Laughter doth the heart good like a medicine." (Biblical)

TV critics hooted at "Gilligan's Island" as gag-ridden corn. Audiences adored its far-out comedy. Writer-creator Sherwood Schwartz insisted that the show had social meaning along with the laughs: "I knew that by assembling seven different people and forcing them to live together, the show would have great philosophical implications." (Quoted from Yahoo news article)

Seven different people ... Forcing them to live together ... Philosophical implications ??

Sounds like the reality shows that dot every channel and every evening !

Good-bye Bob ... It was great to share a few laughs with you.

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