I did not know him but he influenced my life, nudging me to where I am today. Yes, he is partially to blame.
(As I write this, I realize that for those with some knowledge of the history of this page, don't worry. I'm not talking about that The Professor.)
I started to make a joke about this whole thing but the more I type (and drink), the more I realize that this was the first "smart" person that I saw on TV (i.e., source of role models). I always liked the idea of being like The Professor, though most of my friends considered me more of a Gilligan type. Actually, they initially thought I was closer to the Maynard G. Krebs model. But now I've gone and switched Bob Denver shows, which is the signal that I need to stop typing.
When I watched that show as a small child, I liked to imagine that I was the Professor, and he was a she.
ReplyDeleteThat would have been better than Ginger and Mary Ann combined.
DeleteAlthough I agree, we have to be careful here: this sort of sentiment can lead to remakes. *shudder*
DeleteI would hope to see eulogies from the colleges he completed his studies: USC, UCLA, TCU, and SMU. Seems like he spent quite a bit of time in LA and the DFW Metroplex.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the obit I read (and wikipedia), "The Professor," despite his degrees, was actually a high school science teacher. Either the Ph.D. glut of the '70s hit a bit early in his field, or he just loved teaching.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Annie; I sort of confusedly identified with The Professor (or, barring that, Mary Ann, who I thought should be his choice). In any case, he was definitely the thinking/nerdy person's surrogate in the island's human ecology.
Absolutely--Mary Ann was the next best. I would've fed Ginger and the Howell's to the sharks or to a troop of howler monkeys. Or to those head hunters that showed up one time.
DeleteI thought he was soooooo handsome! Plus he could figure out so much cool stuff.
ReplyDeleteIt's untrue that his coffin was made of coconut shells and palm fronds. though it should have been. He was my favorite on that show too. He and Mary Ann were the only two normal people on that island (and maybe the Skipper).
ReplyDeleteIt's ok to have loved both The Professor and Maynard G. Krebs.
ReplyDelete