Thurston Howell III - Revision history

Adminpeter at 18:26, 29 May 2021

2021-05-29T18:26:33Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:26, 29 May 2021
Line 21:		Line 21:
	'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[wikipedia:television\|television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[wikipedia:television syndication\|syndication]].		'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[wikipedia:television\|television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[wikipedia:television syndication\|syndication]].

	Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a ~~<span class="newwin">~~[[Teddy Bear]]~~</span>~~ that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.		Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[Teddy Bear]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.

	Howell was included on ''[[Forbes]]'' Magazine's 2006 list of the [[Forbes Fictional 15\|15 richest fictional characters]].<ref name="Forbes-Fictional-15" /> Just how much money he had was never specified, but he was shown as owning several large corporations. When asked what happened to him during the [[Great Depression]], his wife says that he was a billionaire, lost most of his money and "became just a millionaire." Among his assets were a diamond mine, a coconut plantation, a railroad, an oil well, and {{convert\|40000\|acre}} in [[Colorado]]—which included all of downtown [[Denver]]—that he bequeathed to his fellow castaways in his will. He also owned the Hatchet-Cuckoo Oil Company in Dust Bowl, Oklahoma. He tried to shove this supposedly worthless oil company on Gilligan. When he hears that an imposter is going to sell off his companies for cash, he is so enraged that he tries to swim back to the mainland three times, intent on killing the man, only to be stopped by Gilligan, the Skipper and his wife. Backus reprised his role in the three spin-off movies of the original series, although in the last one, (''[[The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island]]'') Backus's declining health only allowed him to make a brief cameo. Although the Howells never had any children in the original series, their son, Thurston Howell IV (portrayed by [[David Ruprecht]]), is introduced in that movie. The younger Howell's mannerisms are similar to those of his father.		Howell was included on ''[[Forbes]]'' Magazine's 2006 list of the [[Forbes Fictional 15\|15 richest fictional characters]].<ref name="Forbes-Fictional-15" /> Just how much money he had was never specified, but he was shown as owning several large corporations. When asked what happened to him during the [[Great Depression]], his wife says that he was a billionaire, lost most of his money and "became just a millionaire." Among his assets were a diamond mine, a coconut plantation, a railroad, an oil well, and {{convert\|40000\|acre}} in [[Colorado]]—which included all of downtown [[Denver]]—that he bequeathed to his fellow castaways in his will. He also owned the Hatchet-Cuckoo Oil Company in Dust Bowl, Oklahoma. He tried to shove this supposedly worthless oil company on Gilligan. When he hears that an imposter is going to sell off his companies for cash, he is so enraged that he tries to swim back to the mainland three times, intent on killing the man, only to be stopped by Gilligan, the Skipper and his wife. Backus reprised his role in the three spin-off movies of the original series, although in the last one, (''[[The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island]]'') Backus's declining health only allowed him to make a brief cameo. Although the Howells never had any children in the original series, their son, Thurston Howell IV (portrayed by [[David Ruprecht]]), is introduced in that movie. The younger Howell's mannerisms are similar to those of his father.

Adminpeter at 18:25, 29 May 2021

2021-05-29T18:25:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:25, 29 May 2021
Line 21:		Line 21:
	'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[wikipedia:television\|television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[wikipedia:television syndication\|syndication]].		'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[wikipedia:television\|television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[wikipedia:television syndication\|syndication]].

	Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[Teddy Bear]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.		Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a <span class="newwin">[[Teddy Bear]]</span> that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.

	Howell was included on ''[[Forbes]]'' Magazine's 2006 list of the [[Forbes Fictional 15\|15 richest fictional characters]].<ref name="Forbes-Fictional-15" /> Just how much money he had was never specified, but he was shown as owning several large corporations. When asked what happened to him during the [[Great Depression]], his wife says that he was a billionaire, lost most of his money and "became just a millionaire." Among his assets were a diamond mine, a coconut plantation, a railroad, an oil well, and {{convert\|40000\|acre}} in [[Colorado]]—which included all of downtown [[Denver]]—that he bequeathed to his fellow castaways in his will. He also owned the Hatchet-Cuckoo Oil Company in Dust Bowl, Oklahoma. He tried to shove this supposedly worthless oil company on Gilligan. When he hears that an imposter is going to sell off his companies for cash, he is so enraged that he tries to swim back to the mainland three times, intent on killing the man, only to be stopped by Gilligan, the Skipper and his wife. Backus reprised his role in the three spin-off movies of the original series, although in the last one, (''[[The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island]]'') Backus's declining health only allowed him to make a brief cameo. Although the Howells never had any children in the original series, their son, Thurston Howell IV (portrayed by [[David Ruprecht]]), is introduced in that movie. The younger Howell's mannerisms are similar to those of his father.		Howell was included on ''[[Forbes]]'' Magazine's 2006 list of the [[Forbes Fictional 15\|15 richest fictional characters]].<ref name="Forbes-Fictional-15" /> Just how much money he had was never specified, but he was shown as owning several large corporations. When asked what happened to him during the [[Great Depression]], his wife says that he was a billionaire, lost most of his money and "became just a millionaire." Among his assets were a diamond mine, a coconut plantation, a railroad, an oil well, and {{convert\|40000\|acre}} in [[Colorado]]—which included all of downtown [[Denver]]—that he bequeathed to his fellow castaways in his will. He also owned the Hatchet-Cuckoo Oil Company in Dust Bowl, Oklahoma. He tried to shove this supposedly worthless oil company on Gilligan. When he hears that an imposter is going to sell off his companies for cash, he is so enraged that he tries to swim back to the mainland three times, intent on killing the man, only to be stopped by Gilligan, the Skipper and his wife. Backus reprised his role in the three spin-off movies of the original series, although in the last one, (''[[The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island]]'') Backus's declining health only allowed him to make a brief cameo. Although the Howells never had any children in the original series, their son, Thurston Howell IV (portrayed by [[David Ruprecht]]), is introduced in that movie. The younger Howell's mannerisms are similar to those of his father.

Adminpeter at 17:59, 29 May 2021

2021-05-29T17:59:52Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:59, 29 May 2021
Line 21:		Line 21:
	'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[wikipedia:television\|television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[wikipedia:television syndication\|syndication]].		'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[wikipedia:television\|television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[wikipedia:television syndication\|syndication]].

	Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[~~wikipedia:Teddy bear\|~~Teddy Bear~~\|target="_blank"~~]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.		Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[Teddy Bear]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.

	Howell was included on ''[[Forbes]]'' Magazine's 2006 list of the [[Forbes Fictional 15\|15 richest fictional characters]].<ref name="Forbes-Fictional-15" /> Just how much money he had was never specified, but he was shown as owning several large corporations. When asked what happened to him during the [[Great Depression]], his wife says that he was a billionaire, lost most of his money and "became just a millionaire." Among his assets were a diamond mine, a coconut plantation, a railroad, an oil well, and {{convert\|40000\|acre}} in [[Colorado]]—which included all of downtown [[Denver]]—that he bequeathed to his fellow castaways in his will. He also owned the Hatchet-Cuckoo Oil Company in Dust Bowl, Oklahoma. He tried to shove this supposedly worthless oil company on Gilligan. When he hears that an imposter is going to sell off his companies for cash, he is so enraged that he tries to swim back to the mainland three times, intent on killing the man, only to be stopped by Gilligan, the Skipper and his wife. Backus reprised his role in the three spin-off movies of the original series, although in the last one, (''[[The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island]]'') Backus's declining health only allowed him to make a brief cameo. Although the Howells never had any children in the original series, their son, Thurston Howell IV (portrayed by [[David Ruprecht]]), is introduced in that movie. The younger Howell's mannerisms are similar to those of his father.		Howell was included on ''[[Forbes]]'' Magazine's 2006 list of the [[Forbes Fictional 15\|15 richest fictional characters]].<ref name="Forbes-Fictional-15" /> Just how much money he had was never specified, but he was shown as owning several large corporations. When asked what happened to him during the [[Great Depression]], his wife says that he was a billionaire, lost most of his money and "became just a millionaire." Among his assets were a diamond mine, a coconut plantation, a railroad, an oil well, and {{convert\|40000\|acre}} in [[Colorado]]—which included all of downtown [[Denver]]—that he bequeathed to his fellow castaways in his will. He also owned the Hatchet-Cuckoo Oil Company in Dust Bowl, Oklahoma. He tried to shove this supposedly worthless oil company on Gilligan. When he hears that an imposter is going to sell off his companies for cash, he is so enraged that he tries to swim back to the mainland three times, intent on killing the man, only to be stopped by Gilligan, the Skipper and his wife. Backus reprised his role in the three spin-off movies of the original series, although in the last one, (''[[The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island]]'') Backus's declining health only allowed him to make a brief cameo. Although the Howells never had any children in the original series, their son, Thurston Howell IV (portrayed by [[David Ruprecht]]), is introduced in that movie. The younger Howell's mannerisms are similar to those of his father.

Adminpeter at 17:59, 29 May 2021

2021-05-29T17:59:11Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:59, 29 May 2021
Line 21:		Line 21:
	'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[wikipedia:television\|television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[wikipedia:television syndication\|syndication]].		'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[wikipedia:television\|television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[wikipedia:television syndication\|syndication]].

	Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[~~teddy~~ bear]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.		Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[wikipedia:Teddy bear\|Teddy Bear\|target="_blank"]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.

	Howell was included on ''[[Forbes]]'' Magazine's 2006 list of the [[Forbes Fictional 15\|15 richest fictional characters]].<ref name="Forbes-Fictional-15" /> Just how much money he had was never specified, but he was shown as owning several large corporations. When asked what happened to him during the [[Great Depression]], his wife says that he was a billionaire, lost most of his money and "became just a millionaire." Among his assets were a diamond mine, a coconut plantation, a railroad, an oil well, and {{convert\|40000\|acre}} in [[Colorado]]—which included all of downtown [[Denver]]—that he bequeathed to his fellow castaways in his will. He also owned the Hatchet-Cuckoo Oil Company in Dust Bowl, Oklahoma. He tried to shove this supposedly worthless oil company on Gilligan. When he hears that an imposter is going to sell off his companies for cash, he is so enraged that he tries to swim back to the mainland three times, intent on killing the man, only to be stopped by Gilligan, the Skipper and his wife. Backus reprised his role in the three spin-off movies of the original series, although in the last one, (''[[The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island]]'') Backus's declining health only allowed him to make a brief cameo. Although the Howells never had any children in the original series, their son, Thurston Howell IV (portrayed by [[David Ruprecht]]), is introduced in that movie. The younger Howell's mannerisms are similar to those of his father.		Howell was included on ''[[Forbes]]'' Magazine's 2006 list of the [[Forbes Fictional 15\|15 richest fictional characters]].<ref name="Forbes-Fictional-15" /> Just how much money he had was never specified, but he was shown as owning several large corporations. When asked what happened to him during the [[Great Depression]], his wife says that he was a billionaire, lost most of his money and "became just a millionaire." Among his assets were a diamond mine, a coconut plantation, a railroad, an oil well, and {{convert\|40000\|acre}} in [[Colorado]]—which included all of downtown [[Denver]]—that he bequeathed to his fellow castaways in his will. He also owned the Hatchet-Cuckoo Oil Company in Dust Bowl, Oklahoma. He tried to shove this supposedly worthless oil company on Gilligan. When he hears that an imposter is going to sell off his companies for cash, he is so enraged that he tries to swim back to the mainland three times, intent on killing the man, only to be stopped by Gilligan, the Skipper and his wife. Backus reprised his role in the three spin-off movies of the original series, although in the last one, (''[[The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island]]'') Backus's declining health only allowed him to make a brief cameo. Although the Howells never had any children in the original series, their son, Thurston Howell IV (portrayed by [[David Ruprecht]]), is introduced in that movie. The younger Howell's mannerisms are similar to those of his father.

Adminpeter at 17:43, 29 May 2021

2021-05-29T17:43:47Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:43, 29 May 2021
Line 19:		Line 19:
	}}		}}

	'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[wikipedia:television\|television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[television syndication\|syndication]].		'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[wikipedia:television\|television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[wikipedia:television syndication\|syndication]].

	Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[teddy bear]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.		Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[teddy bear]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.

Adminpeter at 17:43, 29 May 2021

2021-05-29T17:43:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:43, 29 May 2021
Line 19:		Line 19:
	}}		}}

	'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[television syndication\|syndication]].		'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[wikipedia:television\|television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[television syndication\|syndication]].

	Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[teddy bear]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.		Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[teddy bear]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.

Adminpeter at 17:42, 29 May 2021

2021-05-29T17:42:32Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:42, 29 May 2021
Line 19:		Line 19:
	}}		}}

	'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[CBS]] [[television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[television syndication\|syndication]].		'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[wikipedia:CBS\|CBS]] [[television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[television syndication\|syndication]].

	Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[teddy bear]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.		Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York\|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell\|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[teddy bear]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.

Adminpeter at 17:41, 29 May 2021

2021-05-29T17:41:51Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:41, 29 May 2021
Line 1:		Line 1:
	~~{{refimprove\|date=January 2011}}~~
	{{Infobox character		{{Infobox character
	\| name = Thurston Howell III		\| name = Thurston Howell III

Adminpeter: 1 revision imported

2017-03-03T05:58:16Z

1 revision imported

New page

{{refimprove|date=January 2011}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Thurston Howell III
| series = [[Gilligan's Island]]
| image = Thurston Howell, III.jpg
| image_size = 300px
| caption =
| first = "Marooned" ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'' (pilot, 1963)
| last = "Gilligan's Army" ''[[Gilligan's Planet]]'' (1982)
| creator = [[Sherwood Schwartz]]
| portrayer = [[Jim Backus]]
| gender = [[Male]]
| nickname = Mr. Howell
| title = Millionaire
| family =
| spouse = [[Lovey Howell|Eunice "Lovey" Howell]]
| relatives =
| children =
| nationality =
}}

'''Thurston Howell III''' (mentioned in the opening credits as: '''"The Millionaire"''') is a character on the [[CBS]] [[television]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Gilligan's Island]]'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in [[television syndication|syndication]].

Howell, portrayed by veteran [[character actor]] [[Jim Backus]], is so wealthy that he took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and several changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in [[Hawaii]], one of the sillier premises of the show. Speaking with a [[Locust Valley lockjaw]] accent, Howell is a stereotypical member of the New England [[Yankee]] elite — a resident of [[Newport, Rhode Island]], a graduate of [[Harvard University]] and a Republican. He is a member of the [[Union League Club of New York|Union League Club]] where he has a "window seat." His wife, [[Lovey Howell|Lovey]], portrayed by [[Natalie Schafer]], is conscious of social strata, yet seems to be a good-hearted woman with a deep sense of ''[[noblesse oblige]]'', allowing her to interact with the other passengers and crew, though they are all her social inferiors. One of the implied humorous points of the show is that Thurston continually fails to realize that all of the Howells' money is essentially useless to them on the [[island]]. On the other hand, the other castaways apparently tolerate the fact that he refuses to do any work. One exception is when an egocentric Hollywood producer (played by [[Phil Silvers]]) "visited" the island and the Howells had to wait on him as butler and maid in order to be rescued. One of the most unusual aspects of his character is that, even though he is married, he sleeps with a [[teddy bear]] that he calls "Teddy". The Howells, as was common practice on American sitcoms of the mid-1960s, slept in twin beds. Thurston Howell III was the basis of a character in the television sitcom ''[[Dusty's Trail]]'' which was based on ''[[Gilligan's Island]]''.

Howell was included on ''[[Forbes]]'' Magazine's 2006 list of the [[Forbes Fictional 15|15 richest fictional characters]].<ref name="Forbes-Fictional-15" /> Just how much money he had was never specified, but he was shown as owning several large corporations. When asked what happened to him during the [[Great Depression]], his wife says that he was a billionaire, lost most of his money and "became just a millionaire." Among his assets were a diamond mine, a coconut plantation, a railroad, an oil well, and {{convert|40000|acre}} in [[Colorado]]—which included all of downtown [[Denver]]—that he bequeathed to his fellow castaways in his will. He also owned the Hatchet-Cuckoo Oil Company in Dust Bowl, Oklahoma. He tried to shove this supposedly worthless oil company on Gilligan. When he hears that an imposter is going to sell off his companies for cash, he is so enraged that he tries to swim back to the mainland three times, intent on killing the man, only to be stopped by Gilligan, the Skipper and his wife. Backus reprised his role in the three spin-off movies of the original series, although in the last one, (''[[The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island]]'') Backus's declining health only allowed him to make a brief cameo. Although the Howells never had any children in the original series, their son, Thurston Howell IV (portrayed by [[David Ruprecht]]), is introduced in that movie. The younger Howell's mannerisms are similar to those of his father.

== Cultural and literary references ==
[[Mitt Romney]] was compared to Thurston Howell during his [[Mitt Romney presidential campaign, 2012|2012 U.S. Presidential campaign]] due to a perception of him as wealthy and out-of-touch.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brooks|first=David|title=Thurston Howell Romney|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/opinion/brooks-thurston-howell-romney.html?_r=0|accessdate=18 September 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2012-09-18}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist
| refs =

<ref name="Forbes-Fictional-15">
{{cite web
| last = Noer
| first = Michael
| authorlink = Michael Noer
| title = The Forbes Fictional 15
| publisher = [[Forbes.com]]
| date = 2006-11-20
| url = http://www.forbes.com/2006/11/20/thurston-howell-money-tech-media_cx_mn_06fict15_gilligan.html
| accessdate = 2010-01-10
}}
</ref>
}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|id=0057751|title=Gilligan's Island}}

{{Gilligan's Island cast}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, Thurston III}}
[[Category:Gilligan's Island characters]]
[[Category:Fictional Harvard University people]]
[[Category:Fictional Republicans (United States)]]
[[Category:Fictional socialites]]
[[Category:Fictional characters from Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1964]]