Oh yeah.
Posted on 04/05/2017 10:42:38 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
It was one of America's best-loved sitcoms at the height of the Cold War, but a new documentary claims "Gilligan's Island" was in fact a hymn to "communist" values.
In the last interview before he died in 2011, Sherwood Schwartz -- the television producer who also created "The Brady Bunch" -- said that the fictional utopia he invented for a group of castaways on a tropical island was meant as a light-hearted critique of capitalism.
Award-winning filmmaker Cevin Soling told AFP that Schwartz, a biologist who began his career writing jokes for Bob Hope, "affirmed to me what I had long suspected ... that Gilligan's Island was a communist paradise".
All property on the island was shared and the series' main heroes were its only two working-class characters -- the bumbling ship's mate Gilligan and salt-of-the-earth striver Mary Ann.
Although far from a communist himself, the left-leaning Schwartz told the documentary "The Gilligan Manifesto", which was presented at the MIPTV gathering at the French Riviera resort of Cannes this past weekend, that the comedy had a serious political side.
But he said he didn't want to force that down people's throats. "Sometimes those lessons are hammered into you, whereas doing it gently with comedy you achieve the same purpose and sometimes it's longer-lasting.
(Excerpt) Read more at ctvnews.ca ...
So was StarTrek.
William Bradford proved communes suck.
Seems interesting and a used book for 8.10 is a steal. I clicked on the ole button and just ordered it. lol. I needed a new book to read and for 8 bucks it will keep me busy for a week (yep....slow reader here, but I enjoy reading anyway). Thanks!!!!
Sounds like a controversy in search of a story....or is it vice versa?
I think this kind of insight helps people to expect and look to similar propagandizing in contemporary entertainment.
Yep, and we'd have kicked Ginger out of bed...(there's more room on the floor!)
Actually some small scale communes have worked.
The problem is when they try to subvert a entire country who is not interested in joining via political manipulation or media propaganda.
Kind of like the lefty leftards of the US of A.
YIKE!!!!!
Uh.. yeah...Mary Ann. Definitely Mary Ann.
Indeed. Only "visitors" were able to leave the utopian island (with seemingly little difficulty), the residents were trapped indefinitely despite all their efforts. I'll bet the East Germans thought it was a real knee-slapper.
Anyhoo, the question came up to name a celebrity who is a strong political activist. Forget the exact order but Natalie Schaeffer (Mrs. Howell) said Jane Fonda (#1) Dawn Wells said Robert Redford (#3) and Jim Backus , looking for the #2 answer, said "Ronald Reagan.... God bless him" ;-)
Not Gilligan, the way he always sabotaged their escape and rescue opportunities, knowing he would never have a better chance with a woman than right there on that island with Ginger and Mary Ann.
The skipper and Gilligan ... obviously.
TNG was a community college faculty meeting.
no wonder their plans never worked...
Not only Ginger; why did the Howells bring their extensive wardrobes on a 3-hour tour?
No Julie Newmar on that Family Feud episode. They did have Yvonne Craig and Lee Merriweather. Along with Adam West, Burt Ward and Vincent Price. Dawn Wells on the Gilligans Island side with Alan Hale, Jim Backus, Natalie Schaeffer and Russell Johnson. No Tina Louise.
Also just saw Dawn Wells on a local news show. She was in the studio promoting a book. My teenage heart began to pitter-pat all over again.
"Good Heavens! A Yale man!"
"Little does that woman realize how hard people work to make me money."
If it was a communist paradise, how come every episode was about them trying to escape it?
I think the old "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" line of reasoning comes into play here somewhere.
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