Rambling

[zotz]

Avalanche has, for some reason, two box sets of Gilligan's Island DVDs. This is a series of which I know little - as far as I can tell it's never been shown on British television. Probably only cable or BshiteB if it has. The impression I get from myriad little references is that it's brainrotting syndicated saturday-morning kinderfodder . . . can there really be a market for that, or I have I been misinformed about a scintillating and multilayered period drama?

Having said this, I also noticed a Hello Kitty DVD promising "23 exciting episodes". Exciting? Now, the idea that Hello Kitty might exist as other than a merchandising franchise is new to me, but judging by the qualities of said merchandise the episodes must have all the visceral thrill of making love to a three-toed sloth whilst in the throes of a mogadon rush [1].

Perhaps I'm asking too much from people. After all, a few years ago I was treated to the unedifying experience of listening to a bunch of workmates - scientists, of course - arranging a regular series of get-togethers to watch Carry On films. Not just the funny ones, either - all of them. Including, as far as I can tell, the retread.

It's pretty fresh out today. I went out to pick up the film that's been in the Rollei since last summer. I'll probably scan some of them. All of them, maybe.

I dug out the first Ride EP earlier on today, as I had a sudden urge to listen to Drive Blind. It took me back, I can tell you. I remember seeing them do it on . . . SnubTV, I think, some time in the late eighties. Very fine they were, too. I remember the little pause in the middle being more dramatic in that version. with a burst of feedback leading back in. As a song, I think it's lasted quite well. I don't remember them ever equalling it.

Oh, and I definitely need an Ayn Rand rug just like Simon's.



[1] Pint or equivalent to the first person to spot where I stole that line from.

Comments

Gilligan's Island

[rdi.livejournal.com]

It's not so much "brainrotting syndicated saturday-morning kinderfodder" as "cheesy predictable Saturday afternoon nothing else on the TV timewasting" (in abigor's words.)

That said it's also an ubiquitous part of a North American upbringing, because it was syndicated to hell and back (partly because the actors weren't paid residuals, because not enough episodes were made to trigger them.) It's also, in its own way, a weird microcosm of American society - the everyman/fool, the working guy, the wealthy class, the scientist, the glamour, and the all-American girl - though overwhelmingly white in a middle-class 1960's American way. Basically every episode revolves around some new effort by these castaways to escape the island they're stranded on, which is usually thwarted by some well-intentioned effort of Gilligan's. That, and the ability to use coconuts for practically everything except repairing the hole in the boat they first sailed out on.

Re: Gilligan's Island

[zotz]

Strange, because you'd have thought that coconut-fibre mats impregnated with earwax would be perfect.

Re: Gilligan's Island

[rdi.livejournal.com]

Yes, but The Professor was always too busy trying to fix the radio with bits of coconut and earwax to thinks of that. I guess he had too much of the scientist and not enough of the engineer. (H'm, there's a social statement in itself...)

Re: Gilligan's Island

[naturalbornkaos.livejournal.com]

Could've put it better!

Except to add that it was also LOADED WITH SEXUAL TENSION!

[darkstones.livejournal.com]

I have most of the Snub TV's on vhs, should you ever wish to borrow them.

[zotz]

Also tempting. I might well take you up on that. Cheers!

[darkstones.livejournal.com]

OK, we'll have a chat about that and the office chair next time I see you. You're one of the few people I know who have actually heard of SnubTV, let alone seen it, and yet I would consider it to be one of the most groundbreaking music TV programmes, especially for the alternative scene.

[girfan.livejournal.com]

Gilligan's Island was very popular in the US, as was My Three Sons, Petticoat Junction, Dobie Gillis and others of that ilk. The same man who made the Brady Bunch did the Gilligan shows (Sherwood Schwartz).

The other poster described it fairly accurately. Gilligan always screwed up their option to get back to Hawaii after that "3 hour tour".

I was confused to see a film made about the show narrated by the surviving cast members on cable here. I guess I wonder why they show stuff like that when the original was never shown here.

[zotz]

It's a very good question, although it's entirely possible it's turned up on cable. Maybe in the middle-of-the-night student-camp-viewing slot.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

Gilligan's Island was so ubiquitous that even I, growing up in West Bumfuck with two channels, in a household where TV was rarely watched, have seen it.

I bloody hated it when I was 12, so I can only imagine how bad it actually is.