Over the course of several decades, Jim Backus starred in more than 100 films and dozens of TV shows. During that time, the man displayed 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 gained fame by playing another millionaire: the elitist Thurston Howell III in “Gilligan’s Island.”
The actor was there from the very beginning, when his “Gilligan’s Island” casting as Howell caused last-minute rewrites. Backus stuck around for all three seasons of the CBS sitcom before then voicing the character for the animated spinoffs “Gilligan’s Planet” and “The New Adventures of Gilligan.” But he also reprised 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.”
Sadly, his appearance in the latter was limited to a brief cameo towards the end of the film. Considering 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. Sadly, he and the writers were left with no choice, as Backus’ health prevented him from being more heavily involved in the 1982 film.
Jim Backus’ short appearance in The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island
“The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” sees the original castaways running a vacation resort on the formerly uncharted 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 him having business back 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. By the end of the movie, the superstar team face off against a team of robots called the New Invincibles, managing to overcome the cyborgs by showcasing their trademark basketball trickery. If that sounds kind of zany, it is. But then, part of the charm of “Gilligan’s Island” was its frequent embrace of absolute nonsense.
Between the zaniness, however, “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” does manage to give Jim Backus a brief cameo, allowing the actor to reprise one of his greatest roles for what would be the final time in live-action. During the filming of the TV movie, Backus was actually suffering from Parkinson’s disease, with which he’d recently been diagnosed. That meant that having him form part of the central cast was basically out of the question, hence Thurston Howell’s son being written into the story. As a result, Thurston shows up at the very end of the film, congratulating the team on their victory and offering them a free stay at the resort (during the off-season, of course).
Jim Backus gave it his all for The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island
Producer Lloyd J. Schwartz, the 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 movie. “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 any more than that,” Lloyd Schwartz explained.
According to Lloyd J. Schwartz, after performing for his cameo, Backus approached Sherwood Schwartz and asked how he did. The series creator was encouraging in his reply, but Backus continued to question him, asking, “But was I funny?.” Lloyd J. Schwartz explained that his father responded with “Yes, Jim, you were funny. It’s good,” before the pair “walked off together.” According to Lloyd J. Schwartz, “Everybody on the set was crying, because they knew 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 “Gilligan’s Planet” animated series that aired from 1982-83 on CBS. He also continued voicing Mr. Magoo for the remainder of his life until he passed away in 1989 from pneumonia, as per his New York Times obituary. Thanks to his resilient spirit, which led to his small role in “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island,” by the time of his passing he had the distinction of having appeared in all the live-action “Gilligan’s Island” projects, too.