A little piece of American Cultural History has passed on…
Sherwood Schwartz, creator of the TV Classics “Gilligan’s Island” and “The Brady Bunch” has passed away.
I can’t imagine what my childhood and youth would have been like without these shows!
And the folks in Washington today could learn some lessons from how the diverse cast characters of “Gilligan’s Island” managed to get along and work through their issues.
From the LA Times:
The Times wasn’t kind when it reviewed “Gilligan’s Island” in 1964, writing, “‘Gilligan’s Island’ is a television series that never should have reached the air this season, or any other season.” But the series defied critics and lasted for three seasons, eventually becoming a staple of syndication.
Its creator, Sherwood Schwartz, died of natural causes Tuesday morning in Los Angeles. He was 94.
Schwartz’s impact on pop culture will long survive. In addition to “Gilligan’s Island,” Schwartz created the family sitcom “The Brady Bunch.” Each series came affixed with its own memorably jolly theme song, with lyrics written by Schwartz.
In The Times’ obit, Dennis McLellan wrote:
Schwartz once said he created “Gilligan’s Island,” which aired on CBS from 1964 to 1967, as an escape from his seven years on “The Red Skelton Show,” for which he served as head writer and won an Emmy in 1961.
There was nothing quite as escapist as the wacky tale of seven people on a small charter boat, the SS Minnow, who set out on a “three-hour tour” and wound up shipwrecked on an uncharted South Pacific Island.
Starring Bob Denver in the title role of the boat’s bumbling crew member, “Gilligan’s Island” famously featured the exasperated skipper (Alan Hale Jr.), the millionaire and his wife (Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer), the professor (Russell Johnson), the naïve country girl (Dawn Wells) and the sexy movie star (Tina Louise).
Schwartz also wrote the lyrics for the show’s memorable theme song.
For all its crude sight gags, low-brow humor and pratfalls, Schwartz viewed “Gilligan’s Island” as something more: It is, he proclaimed, “my version of a social microcosm, where seven people from various backgrounds had to learn to live together.”
via Remembering ‘Gilligan’s Island,’ ‘Brady Bunch’ creator Sherwood Schwartz – latimes.com.
Lost in the 21st Century 
Happy Birthday, Anna Kendrick!
She is only 26 years old today….
But she already has had an amazing career- with, hopefully, much more to come!
Surprisingly, this is one of my top rated and most viewed posts….so I’m going to re-post it again on this talented young lady’s birthday….
____________________________________________________________
I love it when I find new performers and then learn they are already seasoned veterans…
Anna Kendrick was nominated for an Oscar this year for “Up in the Air.” She’s also been in the “Twilight” movies. I knew she looked familiar and discovered a couple of clips of earlier musical performances I had seen. I thought I would share.
Her she is as a very small child, singing a song from “Show Boat” at the “Leading Ladies” Broadway Benefit– with the “Cabaret” Kit Kat Club girls. She had just been nominated for a Tony Award for “High Society” when she appeared in the show on Broadway:
And here is the scene I loved and remembered well from “Camp”. I just didn’t realize it was her. She comes in after about 25 seconds:
This young lady has a long and exciting career ahead of her.
Share this:
2 Comments
Filed under Broadway, Entertainment, New York, Social Commentary, Theatre
Tagged as academy awards, broadway, entertainment, movies, new york