# Jim Backus

James Gilmore Backus (February 25, 1913 – July 3, 1989) was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island, the father of James Dean's character in Rebel Without a Cause, the voice of the near-sighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo, the rich Hubert Updike III on the radio version of The Alan Young Show, and Joan Davis' character's husband (a domestic court judge) on TV's I Married Joan. He also starred in his own show of one season, The Jim Backus Show, also known as Hot Off the Wire.
An avid golfer, Backus made the 36-hole cut at the 1964 Bing Crosby Pro-Am tournament. He was inducted to the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

## Early life

Backus was born February 25, 1913, in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in Bratenahl, Ohio, an East Side suburb of Cleveland located on the Lake Erie shore, surrounded by the city on three sides. He is of Lebanese background. He was the only son of Russell Gould Backus and Daisy Taylor (née Gilmore) Backus. His older sister was Katherine Jane Backus. He attended Shaw High School in East Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from University School in Shaker Heights, Ohio.

## Career
### Acting

Backus was acting on radio as early as 1940, playing the role of millionaire aviator Dexter Hayes on Society Girl on CBS. He had an extensive career and worked steadily in Hollywood over five decades, often portraying characters with an "upper-crust", New England-like air, much like his best-known role, Thurston Howell III on Gilligan's Island. He appeared in (and narrated) A Dangerous Profession (1949); Deadline – U.S. (1951) with Humphrey Bogart; Pat and Mike (1952) with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn; Rebel Without a Cause (1955); The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1957); and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). He also made television appearances on The Beverly Hillbillies (1962).
Backus was the voice of the nearsighted cartoon character Mr. Magoo. Years later, when Backus was a frequent talk show guest, he would recount the time Marilyn Monroe urgently beckoned him into her dressing room. Henny Backus, Jim's wife, recalled the story: "Jim was in the 1952 film Don't Bother to Knock, with Marilyn Monroe. He came home one night during the filming and told me that Miss Monroe in her most seductive breathy voice asked him to meet her in her dressing room. His curiosity got the better of him and he went. Once there, she exclaimed like an excited child, 'Do Mr. Magoo!' And Jim did."
He frequently could be heard on primetime radio programs in the postwar era, including The Jack Benny Program, and he portrayed an exceedingly vain character named Hartley Benson on The Judy Canova Show on the CBS Radio Network, as well as a similar character named Hubert Updike on The Alan Young Show on the NBC Radio Network. He also starred on the short-lived variety program The Jim Backus Show on the ABC Radio Network in 1957 and 1958, when that network changed its name to the American Broadcasting Network (ABN) and tried out a "Live and Lively" format of "Big Time Radio" with orchestras and audiences. Backus costarred in the comedy show I Married Joan from 1952 to 1955, portraying the husband of Joan Davis.
Backus appeared as Thurston Howell III on Gilligan's Island for all three seasons of its run, 1964 to 1967, and later in reunion TV films, Rescue from Gilligan's Island (1978), The Castaways on Gilligan's Island (1979), and The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981). By the third and final film in 1981, Backus was suffering from Parkinson's disease and his participation was limited to a cameo appearance. He also voiced the character in two cartoon versions of the series, The New Adventures of Gilligan from 1974 to 1977 and Gilligan's Planet from 1982 to 1983.
Backus also returned as the voice of Mr. Magoo in various revivals between 1964 and 1977, which included The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo and What's New, Mr. Magoo?. In stark contrast to his usual affluent characters, he guest-starred on The Brady Bunch in 1971 as an old gold prospector, a role he also played on a Gilligan's Island episode. He also had a role in the final season episode "The Hustler" (1974) in which he plays Mike's boss, Mr. Matthews.
Backus played Reverend Sims in the 1975 "Brides and Grooms" episode of Gunsmoke. He also appeared in "Never Con a Killer" (1977), the pilot for the ABC crime drama The Feather and Father Gang. In 1981, he and his wife Henny appeared in an episode of The Love Boat. In it, he had one line in his four scenes.

### Writing and recording

Backus and his wife, Henny Backus, co-wrote several humorous books, including: ...Only When I Laugh, his autobiography, Backus Strikes Back, a memoir, Forgive Us Our Digressions: An Autobiography, and What Are You Doing After the Orgy? — the title taken from a line Backus spoke in the 1965 film John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! He also co-wrote the 1971 family film Mooch Goes to Hollywood, about a dog that tries to become a movie star.
In the late 1950s, he made two novelty 45 rpm records, "Delicious" and "Cave Man". In 1974, a full-length comedy LP album was released on the Doré label under the title The Dirty Old Man, with sketches written by Bob Hudson and Ron Landry, who also appear on the album, along with voice-actress Jane Webb. Backus also played the voice of God in the recording of Truth of Truths, a 1971 rock opera based on the Bible.

### Television commercials

Backus acted in several television commercials. As Mr. Magoo, he also helped advertise the General Electric line of products over the years. In Bowl 'Em Over with GE Bulbs (1963), a Cinécraft Productions sales training film made for the GE Large Lamp Division, Backus introduces the Mr. Magoo Soft White light bulb TV advertising campaign for Fall 1963. For the first time, General Electric commercials would be shown in color on prime-time TV shows, including the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. He was also spokesman for La-Z-Boy furniture during the 1970s. An example commercial can be heard during the Zero Hour radio program entitled “Lost In Time” broadcast in 1974.
In the late 1980s, he was reunited with former co-star Natalie Schafer in an advertisement for Orville Redenbacher's popcorn. They reprised their roles from Gilligan's Island, but instead of still being shipwrecked, the setting was a luxurious study or den. This would be the final TV appearance for both actors, who were in frail health. They also both appeared on Fox's short lived talk show The Late Show with Ross Shafer, along with the rest of the cast of Gilligan's Island, in 1988.

## Death

On July 3, 1989, Backus died in Los Angeles from complications of pneumonia after suffering from Parkinson's disease for many years.

## Discography

* Magoo in Hi-Fi (RCA Victor, 1957) as Mr. Magoo
* Delicious! (Jubilee, 1958)
* Cave Man (Jubilee, 1958)
* Truth of Truths (Oak, 1971) as God
* The Dirty Old Man (Doré, 1974)
* Mr. Magoo's A Christmas Carol (Wonderwall, 1979) as Mr. Magoo

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1948 | A-Lad-In His Lamp | Genie | Short, Voice, Uncredited |
| 1948 | Where Will You Hide? | Narrator | Short, Voice |
| 1949 | One Last Fling | Howard Pritchard | |
| 1949 | Easy Living | Dr. Franklin | |
| 1949 | Ragtime Bear | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice, Uncredited |
| 1949 | Father Was a Fullback | Professor Sullivan | |
| 1949 | The Great Lover | Higgins | |
| 1949 | A Dangerous Profession | Police Lt. Nick Ferrone / Narrator | |
| 1950 | Spellbound Hound | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice, Uncredited |
| 1950 | Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town | Joseph 'Little Joe' Rogers | |
| 1950 | Customs Agent | Shanghai Chief Agent Thomas Jacoby | |
| 1950 | The Miner's Daughter | John Harvard | Short, Voice, Uncredited |
| 1950 | Trouble Indemnity | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1950 | The Killer That Stalked New York | Willie Dennis | Uncredited |
| 1950 | Emergency Wedding | Ed Hamley | |
| 1950 | Bungled Bungalow | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1951 | M | The Mayor | |
| 1951 | Barefaced Flatfoot | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice, Uncredited |
| 1951 | Bright Victory | Bill Grayson | |
| 1951 | Half Angel | Michael Hogan | |
| 1951 | Plutopia | Milton | Short, Voice, Uncredited |
| 1951 | Hollywood Story | Mitch Davis | |
| 1951 | His Kind of Woman | Myron Winton | |
| 1951 | Iron Man | Max Watkins | |
| 1951 | Fuddy Duddy Buddy | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice, Uncredited |
| 1951 | The Man with a Cloak | Flaherty | |
| 1951 | I'll See You in My Dreams | Sam Harris | |
| 1951 | Grizzly Golfer | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1951 | I Want You | Harvey Landrum | |
| 1952 | Here Come the Nelsons | Joe Randolph | |
| 1952 | Sloppy Jalopy | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1952 | Deadline – U.S.A. | Jim Cleary | |
| 1952 | The Dog Snatcher | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1952 | Pat and Mike | Charles Barry | |
| 1952 | Don't Bother to Knock | Peter Jones | |
| 1952 | Pink and Blue Blues | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1952 | The Rose Bowl Story | Michael 'Iron Mike' Burke | |
| 1952 | Pete Hothead | Floorwalker | Short, Voice, Uncredited |
| 1952 | Hotsy Footsy | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1952 | Captains Outrageous | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1952 | Above and Beyond | Gen. Curtis E. LeMay | |
| 1952 | Androcles and the Lion | Centurion | |
| 1953 | Angel Face | District Attorney Judson | |
| 1953 | I Love Melvin | Mergo | |
| 1953 | Safety Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1953 | Magoo's Masterpiece | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1953 | Magoo Slept Here | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1953 | Geraldine | Jason Ambrose | |
| 1954 | Magoo Goes Skiing | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1954 | Kangaroo Courting | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1954 | Four Wheels, No Brakes | Television Quizmaster / New Cat Salesman | Short, Voice, Uncredited |
| 1954 | Deep in My Heart | Ben Judson | |
| 1954 | Destination Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1954 | Look Who's Driving | Charlie | Short, Voice, Uncredited |
| 1955 | When Magoo Flew | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1955 | Magoo's Check Up | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1955 | Magoo Express | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1955 | Madcap Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1955 | Francis in the Navy | Cmdr. E.T. Hutch | |
| 1955 | Stage Door Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1955 | Rebel Without a Cause | Frank Stark | |
| 1955 | Magoo Makes News | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1955 | The Square Jungle | Pat Quaid | |
| 1956 | Meet Me in Las Vegas | Tom Culdane | |
| 1956 | Magoo's Canine Mutiny | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1956 | Magoo Goes West | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1956 | Calling Dr. Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1956 | The Naked Hills | Willis Haver | |
| 1956 | Magoo Beats the Heat | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1956 | Magoo's Puddle Jumper | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1956 | Trailblazer Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1956 | Magoo's Problem Child | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1956 | The Opposite Sex | Psychiatrist | |
| 1956 | The Girl He Left Behind | Sgt. Hanna | |
| 1956 | You Can't Run Away from It | Danker | |
| 1956 | Meet Mother Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1956 | The Great Man | Nick Cellantano | |
| 1957 | Top Secret Affair | Col. Homer W. Gooch | |
| 1957 | Magoo Goes Overboard | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1957 | Matador Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1957 | Magoo Breaks Par | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1957 | Magoo's Glorious Fourth | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1957 | Man of a Thousand Faces | Clarence Locan | |
| 1957 | Magoo's Masquerade | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1957 | Magoo Saves the Bank | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1957 | Rock Hound Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1957 | Eighteen and Anxious | Harvey Graham | |
| 1957 | Magoo's Moose Hunt | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1957 | Magoo's Private War | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1958 | Magoo's Young Manhood | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1958 | Scoutmaster Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1958 | The Explosive Mr. Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1958 | The High Cost of Loving | Paul Mason | |
| 1958 | Magoo's Three-Point Landing | Mr. Magoo / Air Traffic Controller | Short, Voice |
| 1958 | Magoo's Cruise | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1958 | Love Comes to Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1958 | Gumshoe Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1958 | Macabre | Police Chief Jim Tyloe | |
| 1959 | Bwana Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1959 | The Untouchables | Norbit, the accountant | |
| 1959 | Magoo's Homecoming | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1959 | Merry Minstrel Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1959 | Magoo's Lodge Brother | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1959 | Ask Any Girl | Maxwell | |
| 1959 | The Wild and the Innocent | Mr. Forbes | |
| 1959 | Terror Faces Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1959 | A Private's Affair | Jim Gordon | |
| 1959 | The Big Operator | Cliff Heldon | |
| 1959 | 1001 Arabian Nights | Uncle Abdul Azziz Magoo | Voice |
| 1960 | Ice Palace | Dave Husack | |
| 1960 | Magoo Meets Frankenstein | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1960 | Magoo Meets McBoing Boing | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1960 | I Was a Teenage Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Short, Voice |
| 1960 | Inside Magoo | Mr. Magoo / Himself | Short, Voice, Cancer awareness short produced by the American Cancer Society |
| 1961 | The Errand Boy | Mr. Arbutt | Voice, Uncredited |
| 1962 | The Horizontal Lieutenant | Cmdr. Jeremiah Hammerslag | |
| 1962 | Boys' Night Out | Peter Bowers | |
| 1962 | Zotz! | Horatio Kellgore | |
| 1962 | The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm | The King | ('The Dancing Princess') |
| 1963 | A Child Is Waiting | Hot Dog vendor | Uncredited |
| 1963 | Operation Bikini | Bosun's Mate Ed Fennelly | |
| 1963 | My Six Loves | Sheriff | |
| 1963 | Critic's Choice | Dr. William Von Hagedorn | |
| 1963 | Johnny Cool | Louis Murphy | |
| 1963 | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World | Tyler Fitzgerald | |
| 1963 | Sunday in New York | Chief Pilot Drysdale | |
| 1963 | The Wheeler Dealers | Bullard Bear | |
| 1964 | Advance to the Rear | Gen. Willoughby | |
| 1965 | Mr. Magoo in Sherwood Forest | Mr. Magoo | Voice |
| 1965 | Mr. Magoo's Noah's Ark | Mr. Magoo, Mr.Magoo as Noah | Voice |
| 1965 | John Goldfarb, Please Come Home! | Miles Whitepaper | |
| 1965 | Fluffy | Sergeant | |
| 1965 | Billie | Howard G. Carol | |
| 1967 | Hurry Sundown | Carter Sillens | |
| 1967 | Don't Make Waves | Himself | Uncredited |
| 1968 | Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? | Tru-Blue Lou | |
| 1969 | Hello Down There | T.R. Hollister | |
| 1970 | The Cockeyed Cowboys of Calico County | Staunch | |
| 1970 | Myra Breckinridge | Doctor | |
| 1972 | Now You See Him, Now You Don't | Timothy Forsythe | |
| 1974 | Goodnight Jackie | Mr. Landry | |
| 1975 | Konyok-gorbunok | The Tsar | Voice |
| 1975 | Crazy Mama | Mr. Albertson | |
| 1975 | Friday Foster | Enos Griffith | |
| 1977 | The Magic Pony | The Tsar | Voice, English version |
| 1977 | Pete's Dragon | Mayor of Passamaquoddy | |
| 1978 | Good Guys Wear Black | Doorman | |
| 1979 | Angels' Brigade | Cmdr. Lindsey March | |
| 1979 | The Electric Horseman | Mr. Magoo | Voice, Uncredited |
| 1979 | C.H.O.M.P.S. | Mr. Gibbs | |
| 1980 | There Goes the Bride | Mr. Perkins | |
| 1986 | Enchanted Journey | Gamun | Voice, English version |
| 1982 | Slapstick of Another Kind | President of the U.S. | |
| 1984 | Prince Jack | Dealy | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1952–1955 | I Married Joan | Judge Bradley Stevens | |
| 1957 | The Pied Piper of Hamelin | King's Emissary | TV movie |
| 1960–1961 | The Jim Backus Show | Mike O'Tool | |
| 1960–1961 | The Untouchables | William Norbert | Episode: "Star Witness" |
| 1960–1961 | Mister Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Voice |
| 1961 | Maverick | Joe Wheelwright | |
| 1962 | Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol | Ebenezer Scrooge / Mr. Magoo | TV movie, Voice |
| 1963 | The Beverly Hillbillies | Marty Van Ransohoff | Episode: "The Clampetts Entertain" |
| 1964–1965 | The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo | Mr. Magoo | Voice |
| 1964–1967 | Gilligan's Island | Thurston Howell III | |
| 1964 | Mr. Magoo in Sherwood Forest | Mr. Magoo | TV movie, Voice |
| 1966 | Password | Himself | Game Show Contestant / Celebrity Guest Star |
| 1967 | Damn Yankees! | Coach Benny Van Buren |
| 1968 | The Wild Wild West | Fabian Swanson | Episode: "The Night of the Sabatini Death" |
| 1968–1969 | Blondie | Mr. Dithers | |
| 1969 | The Good Guys | Henry Arsdale | 3 episodes |
| 1969 | Wake Me When the War Is Over | Colonel | TV movie |
| 1970 | I Dream of Jeannie | General Fitzhugh | Episode: "Help, Help, a Shark" |
| 1970 | Uncle Sam Magoo | Mr. Magoo | TV movie, Voice |
| 1971–1974 | The Brady Bunch | Zaccariah T. Brown / Harry Mathews | 3 episodes |
| 1972 | Alias Smith and Jones | | S2:E19, "The Biggest Game in the West" |
| 1973 | The Girl Most Likely To... | Tilson | TV movie |
| 1973 | Miracle on 34th Street | Shellhammer | TV movie |
| 1974–1975 | The New Adventures of Gilligan | Thurston Howell III | Voice |
| 1974 | Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus | Narrator / Santa Claus | TV special, Voice |
| 1975 | Gunsmoke | Reverend Sims | Episode: "Brides and Grooms" |
| 1975 | Kolchak: The Night Stalker | Herb Bresson | Episode: "Chopper" |
| 1977 | What's New, Mr. Magoo? | Mr. Magoo | Voice |
| 1977 | CHiPs | Weitzman | Episode: "Undertow" |
| 1978 | Fantasy Island | Cap Truman | Episode: “Anniversary/Reunion” |
| 1978 | Rescue from Gilligan's Island | Thurston Howell III | TV movie |
| 1979 | The Castaways on Gilligan's Island | Thurston Howell III | TV movie |
| 1979 | The Rebels | John Hancock | TV Miniseries |
| 1981 | The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island | Thurston Howell III | TV movie |
| 1982 | Gilligan's Planet | Thurston Howell III | Voice |
| 1983 | Family Feud | Himself/Gilligan’s Island reunion | Game Show |