The other day, we posted an episode of What's My Line? over at Saturday Morning Archives in which Jim Backus was a panelist, still at the peak of physical health.
By 1983, however, it was a different story. Jim had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, the same affliction that Michael J. Fox and others have fought since. Backus was reduced to a cameo in 1981's "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island" (Italics mine), and had recovered enough to go into the recording studio with the rest of the Gilligan cast (save for Tina Louise, of course) for the short-lived Gilligan's Planet cartoon the next year. 1983 brought an appearance on Family Feud, playing for charity alongside castmates Alan Hale, Natalie Schaefer, Russell Johnson, & Dawn Wells. Bob Denver (Gilligan) had passed on appearing. I think he was working on another project at the time.
Providing the opposition? Batman. It was a reunion of the "Terrific Trio" (Adam West, Burt Ward, & Yvonne Craig), joined by Lee Meriweather (ex-The Time Tunnel, Barnaby Jones), the 2nd Catwoman during the 1966-8 series' run (in the feature film released between seasons 1-2), and Vincent Price (Egghead), no stranger to game shows himself (i.e. Hollywood Squares). Where was Frank Gorshin? Cesar Romero? Julie Newmar? Holy Batastrophe!
Richard Dawson presides over the meeting of icons, being one himself (Hogan's Heroes). You'll see a slight tweak in round 2, as apparently, Backus was not able to walk to the podium for the face-off with Meriweather.
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