Alan Hale, Jr. was a deeply committed and versatile character actor whose career stretches all the way back to the 1930s. He has appeared on stage, in movies, and on hundreds of TV shows. He played the lead role in the 1952 TV series “Biff Baker, U.S.A.” and the 1957 series “Casey Jones.” He was involved with comedy, drama, Westerns, superhero shows, romances, and legal thrillers. There didn’t seem to be much Hale would say no to. 

Of course, most audiences know Hale as Jonas Grumby, a.k.a. The Skipper on the 1964 sitcom “Gilligan’s Island.” That show was an enormous hit when it debuted, and, entrenched itself deeply in the American consciousness. Also, thanks to sweet, sweet syndication deals, reruns of the three-season show managed to stay on the air continuously for decades. Gen-Xers grew up watching “Gilligan’s Island” as late as the late ’80s. Alan Hale became a broadly recognized archetype, a grumpy yet genial dude who would lose his patience with Gilligan (Bob Denver) often, but who would be just as quick to sympathetically call him “little buddy.” 

Sometimes, an actor can come to resent an overwhelming success, as it will often pigeonhole them into a certain role. Bob Denver, for instance, had trouble being seen as anyone other than Gilligan for years. 

Hale, however, had no such resentment. He loved playing the Skipper. He loved returning to the role for “Gilligan’s Island” follow-up projects. He simply loves doing comedy. Hale said as much in a vintage interview with The Sun (transcribed by MeTV), stating that, of his hundreds of roles, he actually likes the Skipper the best. 

Hale was, of course, the son of stalwart actor Alan Hale, Sr., better known for his dramatic work. Hale, Jr., meanwhile, found much more comfort in doing comedy. He preferred bringing people a relieved chortle from time to time. Hale was happy to provide. He said that he loves just providing folks with a laugh. That’s what made the Skipper his favorite part. The character, it seems, was the most consistently funny. This, of course, was in addition to dozens of other comedic roles.

“Gilligan’s Island,” it should be re-stated, was deliberately constructed to be lightweight and kind of dumb. The characters were broad archetypes, and the tale of seven stranded castaways never involved any actual survival concerns. Hale understood that he was playing kind of a slapstick character … and he dug it. Pratfalls and mugging were his bread and butter.

In another interview, conducted by The Sun, Hale revealed that he was often approached by little kids who love “Gilligan’s Island.” He always stopped to talk to them. Hale didn’t care that the show was silly and formulaic. It was the audience reaction he cared about. Hale said to The Sun:

“It delights me to know that I will never be alone in the world, and the delight that shows on people’s faces is a very gratifying thing. […] It’s an old formula, but it was an escape for people, and they enjoyed it. It was just a lot of plain fun.”

Hale, it should also be noted, continued to perform in dozens of TV shows after “Gilligan’s Island,” and continued his prolific career through 1988 when illness prevented him from doing so. Hale died of cancer in 1990. Fittingly, he was buried at sea.