[bomp] Gilligan will never die - R.I.P. Bob Denver...

[Ericka Dana <ericka@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

Bob Denver -- starred in 'Gilligan's Island'
Peter Hartlaub, Chronicle Pop Culture Critic

Wednesday, September 7, 2005
 
Bob Denver, whose "three-hour tour" as the lead character on 
television's "Gilligan's Island" led to four decades as one of popular 
culture's most recognizable icons, has died. He was 70.

Mr. Denver had undergone quadruple bypass surgery in May, but he died 
Friday at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital in North Carolina 
from complications of cancer, his agent said.

Mr. Denver starred in several other television shows, including his 
role as bongo-loving beatnik Maynard G. Krebs in the 1959 series "The 
Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." But once he put on the white sailor hat in 
1964 for the role of Willie Gilligan, it was hard to imagine him 
wearing anything else.

The show ran on CBS for only three years, and never finished higher 
than 18th in the seasonal ratings. But it was a huge hit in 
syndication, where the slapstick antics of the Skipper and his "little 
buddy" Gilligan were rediscovered by generations of children and 
guilty-pleasure-seeking adults.

"As silly as it seems to all of us, it has made a difference in a lot 
of children's lives," Dawn Wells, who played castaway Mary Ann Summers, 
once said. "Gilligan is a buffoon that makes mistakes, and I cannot 
tell you how many kids come up and say, 'But you loved him anyway.' "

While some of his sitcom contemporaries fought typecasting, Mr. Denver 
seemed to embrace the character, willing to talk to fans about the 
role. Even in his later years, he would answer questions about 
Gilligan, no matter how trivial, on his Web site.

"Did it hurt when the skipper hit you with his hat?" one fan asked 
recently.

"Since I was getting whacked with his hat every time I turned around, 
it's a good thing Alan (Hale Jr.) and I liked each other so much," Mr. 
Denver responded. "He really was a gentle giant and made a big effort 
never to hurt me in any of the gags we did. Even the hammock gags, 
where he'd fall on me or vice versa, never injured either of us."

Many of Mr. Denver's acting roles from the 1960s until his death were 
Gilligan-related, including the 1981 movie "The Harlem Globetrotters on 
Gilligan's Island," the 1982 animated series "Gilligan's Planet" and 
guest roles as Gilligan on "Baywatch," "ALF" and "Roseanne."

While he may not have been the most respected comedic actor of his 
generation, he was among the most identifiable. But he wasn't 
immediately famous, graduating from Loyola University in Los Angeles 
and working as a high school teacher and mail carrier before landing 
the role on "Dobie Gillis."

Later, after 98 episodes of "Gilligan's Island," Mr. Denver starred in 
television sitcoms including "Dusty's Trail" (1973) and "Far Out Space 
Nuts" (1975), although neither lasted long. He also wrote a book, 
"Gilligan, Maynard & Me" (1993), about his two most famous roles.

Mr. Denver was preceded in death by fellow cast members Hale (the 
Skipper) and Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer (the millionaire and his 
wife). The three remaining castaways, including Russell "The Professor" 
Johnson, were grieving Monday.

"To his friends/fans the world over, we share our tears with you," 
Johnson wrote Tuesday on his fan Web site. "Frankly, Bob Denver would 
adore your laughter most of all. That's more than likely why God 
created him."

Mr. Denver is survived by his wife of 28 years, Dreama, and four 
children -- Patrick, Megan, Emily and Colin.

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