Musical Saturday Morning

It has been a rough week, make no mistake on that one!  And on Monday, as my character was assassinated yet again, only this time to my face, only one thing kept going through my mind:



Since my mind only deals in absurdities, although Liar, Liar was roaring through my brain, it had to be the Gilligan's Island version aka The Honey Bees.

I know, you will watch this and moan, "How lame!".

But, you know, there was a time when real women were not skeletal waifs, they were flesh and blood with real curves - but more importantly there was a thing called integrity they possessed.

Mary Ann on the left was the heart throb in the mid 1960's of most young males, she had standards, she had personality, she was witty, she was the girl next door.  Almost literally for me in the 1970's, you have no idea scarey that was!

Ginger in the center was panted over by the older teens and most young adult males, she had little competition back then.  She was alluring and sexy.  She was what all males wanted, when Mary Ann was not around.

And on the right, probably the woman whom should be most admired of all from Hollywood.   Yeah, she played a rich clueless (challenged!) female.  But, in real life, a vast number of women are alive today because of her.

"What?", you say!

Natalie Schafer, aka Mrs. Howell, was diagnosed with breast cancer prior to this TV show and instead of dying as all had done before her, she chose to fight it.  She was a multi-millionaire, when a million dollars actually meant something, so she could afford to pioneer a way not to die from this form of cancer.  And she survived.

Of course, the scars limited her ability to move her arms elegantly, or her upper torso.  So if you ever noticed how stiff she was, this is why - and NO ONE knew or said anything at the time.  Having had numerous women in my family and amongst my friends treated for this form of cancer, it leaves me with immense respect for this woman.  Yeah, just like her, all but one has died too, but they were granted a safer and more comfortable life in-between the discovery and death.

Which brings us back to Mary Ann.  Why?  Well, she was a real person and whom do  you think cared for Natalie Schafer as her life finally drew to a close?  Yeah, the real life Dawn Wells!  She had character, she was real, she really was the girl next door!  She even went on to found a company which makes clothing for people with limited mobility ... hmmm, just like Natalie had been.  Awesome.

So, although I may not care for the entire Gilligan's Island series, there were some remarkable people and stories associated with it.  And I always did like Mary Ann best...