Alan Hale Jr. on the heartwarming way he remembered his father, Alan Hale Sr.

"Dad's not dead, he's just gone," said Hale.

Warner Brothers

The death of a loved one can be hard to deal with, especially when the person you lost is a parent. This was someone who looked after you most of your life, and without them, you can feel a bit lost, no matter how old you are.

Luckily, there are ways to remember our loved ones, no matter how long they've been gone. Why do we keep home videos or scrapbooks? Because they allow us to revisit those we care about when they're not here anymore.

Alan Hale Jr. had a rare opportunity to revisit his father. Hale Jr.'s father, also called Alan, was a well-known film star. Hale Sr. starred in movies like The Trap and They Drive By Night.

Watch Gilligan's Island on MeTV!

Sundays 3 & 3:30 PM

*available in most MeTV markets

During an interview with The Wisconsin State Journal, Hale Jr. explained that by watching his father's old movies, he connected with his parent

"Dad's not dead, he's just gone," said Hale.

In fact, Hale also mentioned that his father's films gave his grandchildren a rare opportunity to know the elder Hale.

"My kids all know their grandpa from his movies on TV," said Hale. "That's the silver lining of the silver screen."

Hale Jr., of course, is known for his role as The Skipper on the hit series, Gilligan's Island. The show has earned its own place in television history, and after Hale himself passed away, audiences would still flock to the series to revisit the actor and enjoy a few laughs.

"People have such a real affection for that show," said Hale. "It's been roasted, put in the oven, and torn to shreds by the critics, but it's still on TV and people still watch it. We made 110 episodes for the original three-year run, and it's been in syndication now for the last 12 years."

Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Close

6 Comments

Wiseguy70005 9 days ago
There were 98 episodes of the series. He must have counted each TV movie as four half-hour episodes.
Purple0456 1 month ago
I love Hale Senior
His chapter added so much to the he film
He was hysterical in Strawberry Blond as Cagney’s dad
Loved Hale junior in Andy Griffith episode where he played Jeff Pruitt
Father and son are loved💜
Bapa1 1 month ago
Hale Sr. was in a movie with James Cagney called the Fighting 69th. Good movie. Senior and Junior looked and sounded so much alike.
MrsPhilHarris 1 month ago
Alan Hale Sr. was in a lot of movies in the 1930s and 1940s.
Yes, he was best remembered as Little John in the Errol Flynn version of Robin Hood! Fun Fact: footage was later used in a Bugs Bunny cartoon ["Naw, it can't be him!"]!
Besides playing in a classic Errol Flynn movie (1938) as "Little John" he was in "Santa Fe Trail' (1940) with Ronald Reagan, Raymond Massey, and Errol Flynn, plus Olivia de Havilland (who lived to be 104; Jul. 1, 1916 Tokyo, Japan-Jul. 26, 2020 Paris, France)
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?