Acting , Backus,
Ann Doran,
Edward Platt, and
James Dean in
Rebel Without a Cause Backus was acting on radio as early as 1940, 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.A. (1952) 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." '', with
Nancy Kulp (1963) He frequently could be heard on primetime radio programs in the postwar era, including
The Jack Benny Program, and he portrayed egotistical snob Hubert Updike III on
The Alan Young Show on the
NBC Radio Network, as well as the similarly vain Hartley Benson on
The Mel Blanc Show on the
CBS Radio Network. He 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 on the TV 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 ( Kaye), 1969 Backus and his second 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 1958, he made novelty
45 rpm record singles, co-written by
Buddy Kaye, "Delicious" (similar to Kaye and
T. C. Jones's 1956 "Champagne Cocktails") and "Cave Man". In 1959, he made novelty
45 rpm record singles, co-written by
Irving Taylor, "I Was A Teenage Reindeer" and "The Office Party". 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
Zero Hour radio program episode 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 ==