View Full Version : Was "Gilligan's Island" LOL Funny Or Just A Happy Childhood Memory?
Brian Damage 04-15-2011, 10:33 PM Yes, Gilligan's Island is a tv classic. However, watching it now or remembering it now, was this really a laugh out loud sitcom? Does it still give you belly laughs or is it just a classic sitcom that gives you pleasant memories of years gone by?
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gNgHOYb9WV8/SK1-BsD2yoI/AAAAAAAAByo/AHstiSZwk4k/s400/Gilligan.JPG
Mr. Television 04-15-2011, 10:54 PM To tell you the truth, I haven't watched Gilligan's Island in quite some time. In the 1970's I couldn't get enough of it. I guess I was one of the kids that made the show such a hit in syndication. lol I remember my parents used to laugh at me for liking the show. lol The last few times I did watch it, I couldn't get into it as much so for me it would probably be the later. I still have very fond memories of watching it though and like many, I had a crush on Mary Ann. The show did it's job though and it was a big part of my childhood. I remember I even watched Bob Denver's Far Out Space Nuts on Saturday mornings because I was such a fan.
callensensei 04-16-2011, 09:56 PM I find it really is still LOL funny. The wit, the timing, the inventiveness, the clever musical cues, and most of all, the brilliant cast all serve to make GI still funny, even after all these years. I've shown it to my high school classes and they're on the floor - particularly the academic classes. Slow or troubled kids sometimes have trouble getting the humour, though.
old grouch 04-17-2011, 10:35 AM I would say a little of both. Bob Denver and Alan Hale were the Laurel and Hardy of 1960's sitcoms, and some of their antics still crack me up. And yet I still have those childhood memories and coming home from a hard day of school and sitting in front of the TV and watching 'Gilligan's Island.'
Teebs 04-18-2011, 04:50 AM I'm a brand new GI fan. I don't have childhood memories of the show. I was born in the UK but lived abroad for most of my childhood where they actually showed Dusty's Trail on kids' TV almost every weekend, which is why I'm such a DT fan. I didn't see GI until last year when I finally bought all the DVDs from Amazon.
I'm sure I would have adored it as a child, but as an adult I agree with callensensei, I see so many layers of inventiveness. Clever people wrote this show and clever people performed it. The sets and props are fantastic. I do laugh out loud at some of the comedy such as the hammock routine in Home Sweet Hut, and all the silly little things Gilligan does like his flying saucer impression and the way he tries to get attention from Skipper and Proffy in Agonized Labor. ("I fall down a lot!") The Skipper does some of the best, most natural Oliver Hardy impressions ever. ("Go outside and count to ten!") And Bob Denver, well, words aren't enough. props:
So, as a new, adult fan, yes, GI does make me laugh out loud frequently. It's also given me a brand new world where I can escape to when I need it, and new friends I can discuss it with.:gossip For which I'm very grateful.
Gilligan's Island :yourock:
Torgo 04-20-2011, 07:04 PM Both- loved it as a kid never missed a rerun. So watching it now I'm reminded of sitting on the living room floor watching it on TV.
As an adult, it still makes me laugh out loud, from the great slapstick, to the hilarious dialogue. It's a rare sitcom that can perfectly blend silly and smart humor.
The Flying Dutchmans 08-21-2011, 04:22 AM I would say a little of both. Bob Denver and Alan Hale were the Laurel and Hardy of 1960's sitcoms, and some of their antics still crack me up. And yet I still have those childhood memories and coming home from a hard day of school and sitting in front of the TV and watching 'Gilligan's Island.'
It's ironic that you should compare Denver and Hale JR to Laural and Hardy because it was Oliver Hardy's comedy and manorisms that the Skipper drew from. If you look at the way the Skipper taps his fingers together, that's what Oliver Hardy used to do. And some of his facial expressions also mimic Olver Hardy's
gopyle 10-23-2011, 02:53 PM It absolutely is an all-time classic funny show.
born2late 10-23-2011, 08:16 PM It's a funny show, but after watching it as an adult, I don't find it as funny as when I was a kid. It's not just GI, there are other old comedies I found funnier as a child, like Mr. Ed. I think it's because the story lines seemed more believable to me then.
PartyOfOne 10-26-2011, 09:52 PM I would say both. This show could also hit or miss depending on the episode. Anything with a guest star is totally worthless IMO. There is a certain "everybody loves each other" sort of feeling in this show that is sorely lacking from today's sitcoms IMO.
Rich3 10-28-2011, 08:15 PM Both. Bob Denver was quite a good comedic actor for the show. Alan Hale was a great straight man to him. There was also a lot of funny dialogue from the Professor and Mr Howell on occasion.
The humor I'm referring to was something I didn't always catch onto as a child, but more likely when I started watching it again around the time I was in college.
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