Baby, if you've ever wondered...
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
A popular touchstone question among boomer males has long been, "Ginger or Maryann?" The point being that you were supposed to be hot for the girl-next-door Maryann, not the redhead bombshell femme fatale Ginger, when you watched Gilligan's Island. (Sadly, you did watch Gilligan's Island. In fact, you still sort of wish you had a radio made out of a coconut.) Me, I was always a Ginger kind of guy. And over the years it has gotten me into more than my share of trouble.A generation later, it turns out, there was a similar touchstone question. Bailey Quarters or Jennifer Marlowe? Jennifer, of course, was played by Barbie Doll Loni Anderson, while Bailey was played by Jan Smithers, and here I have to go with the thinking men; it's got to be Bailey.
What I didn't know was that Smithers' first national exposure was as the face of the American teenager, on this Newsweek cover from 1966:
I wonder if she's tripping...
Posted by: --josh-- @ 10:00 PM
Amazing how except for the eye make-up she looks just like a teen today
And Minty, the amazing this was, the humor and plot of the show was built around the premise that Jennifer was a universal bombshell and Bailey was a plain Jane. No one ever seemed to hit on Bailey. I mean, huh?
you know,I have racked my brain, and I cannot think of a "Ginger or MaryAnn" equivilant for women. Gilligan or the Skipper? Ew.
Greg or Peter Brady? What's the difference.
I hate being a straight girl.
Frankly, since I've been married, it really has sucked being a straight girl.
actually, it was the sucking that made me a straight girl
I didn't know you when you got married so I have to say that you getting married didn't have much affect on how much it sucked to be a single girl.
The Howard Hesseman character hit on Bailey. This was as I remember part of what made him so wierd. Venus Flytrap didn't hit on anyone unless a black chick was guest-starring.
Yes Annie, my getting married did have an affect. It was a ripple effect outward from me. You just didn't know thr source of the pebble in the pond, but trust me, the pond was disturbed. Or was it5 the force...
Yeah, that's right, when JOhnny Fever hit on Baily it was assumed to be lewd and twisted. As opposed to the nice normal animal lust for Jennifer's parts. Which ironically had noi animal matter in them at all.
Yeah, those redheaded harlots got you every time. I'm SO glad you got over that.
I hate them all, by the way. In case I've neglected to mention that. (None of them read your blog, btw, do they? Oh well, such is life).
I always thought Bailey was prettier than Loni Anderson. She has always scared me.
Loni didn't scare me (she obviously thought her Loni-ness was pretty funny, especially in the effect it had on guys) but I know what Jen means. I had a 1959-era Barbie (with the short poodle haircut) which did not smile. She looked a bit like PAris Hilton and I found her terrifying.
Oh, yes, of course you're right, Josh. I remember a vaguely depressed feeling around 1998 and doubtless that was the ripple of which you speak.
Yes Annie, that was it. A lot of people didn't notice it because it coincided with a general pre-millenial malaise.
Post a Comment
<< Home