Did Gilligan and the gang ever make their escape from ‘Gilligan’s Island’?
Post-Gazette TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions online every Friday in Tuned In Journal blog at post-gazette.com/tv. Here’s a selection of recent queries.
Q: I watch “Gilligan’s Island” reruns and I’m wondering if they ever got off the island. If so, I haven’t yet seen the episode where that happens.
— STAN VIA PHONE
Rob: OK, so, 41-year-old SPOILER ALERT: They never made it off the island in the 1964-67 series.
They did escape in the made-for-TV reunion movie “Rescue from Gilligan’s Island” (1978) but then wound up marooned on the island again before the movie was over!
In “The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island” (1979) they escaped again and then returned to the island to open a resort, castaways no more.
Q: My wife recalls seeing something in the PG about a cable station offering a 30-day free trial where one could watch “Deadwater Fell.” We know that Acorn carries “Deadwater Fell” but don’t see any 30-day promo. Can you help?
—BILL VIA EMAIL
Rob: Bill’s thinking of streaming service Acorn.TV which does have a first-30days-free promo for new subscribers through the end of this calendar year but there’s a little trick to getting it: Visit http://signup.acorn.tv — which looks like the free trial is only for seven days — and type in promo code FREE30. That will activate the extended 30-day free trial.
Q: Did you attend the Showtime event at the January TV critics press tour? Wondering if you heard or saw anything about “The Good Lord Bird” miniseries. I worked all summer and fall on it in Richmond, Va. Amazing time and amazing show and performances from Ethan Hawke and the whole cast. Plus a few Pittsburgh folks, besides me, worked on it.
— TED VIA FACEBOOK
Rob: Yes, Showtime previewed “The Good Lord Bird” at the Television Critics Association winter 2020 press tour earlier this year in Pasadena, Calif., holding a news conference with Hawke and actor Joshua Caleb Johnson and author/executive producer James McBride. In January, Showtime announced the miniseries was moved from its February premiere date to later this year and on Tuesday announced a new premiere date: Aug. 9 at 10 p.m. I haven’t seen a full episode yet, but the clips look promising with Hawke giving an all-in performance as abolitionist John Brown.
Q: Can you use your media connections to have some questions answered? In our coronavirus infected world, it is virtually impossible for people to get professionally made face masks.
Why then is it that every TV field reporter has a face mask? They can be reporting from a parking lot with no one else within a hundred yards and they have a mask. How do these media companies acquire these masks and why are they given priority? It’s common to see a reporter with a brand new mask at least daily. Clearly, these reporters are not essential; and, even in normal times, most field reports could just as easily be given by an anchor sitting at a desk.
I would really like to see this question answered and the reply printed in the newspaper. To me it is disheartening and annoying. Normal people can actually need those masks!
— LOUIS VIA EMAIL
Rob: First, broadcast journalism was allowed to continue operating as an essential service via state order.
Second, my guess is that the corporate owners of TV stations can buy face masks in large quantities directly from manufacturers and then distribute them to all their local stations in an effort to protect their employees.
“You are correct. Our owners were able to help us buy in bulk,” explained KDKATV news director Kathy Hostetter. “We were encouraging our field crews to wear masks before Governor Wolf’s order. We also had staff who had their own for whatever reason; and some who opted to make their own. Additionally, we had KDKA logo’ed bandannas made up for staffers, too. We take everyone’s safety VERY seriously, and will continue to provide this type of equipment for the unforeseeable future.”
WTAE’s Jim Parsons and WPXI’s Scott Trabandt did not respond to Louis’ query.