Alan Hale Jr. And Jim Backus Had A Mini Gilligan's Island Reunion In This 1979 Action Comedy

Alan Hale Jr. and Jim Backus are arguably the two "Gilligan's Island" cast members with the most esteemed filmographies. Sure, Bob Denver was probably more well-known, and every member of the castaways had plenty of other credits to their name. (Russell Johnson even made a Western with Ronald Reagan, though he did hate it.) But Hale Jr. and Backus had the most impressive résumés. As such, their post-"Gilligan's Island" collaboration in the 1979 action comedy "Angels Revenge" marked a significant coming together for the former co-stars.

Before becoming stranded on Gilligan's Isle, Hale Jr. had already worked with Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, Gary Cooper, and James Cagney. Backus, meanwhile, was well-known as the voice of Mr. Magoo, had portrayed James Dean's dad in "Rebel Without a Cause," and fronted his own sitcom, "The Jim Backus Show." In other words, these two were hardly lacking in experience by the time they were cast in Sherwood Schwartz's delightfully zany sitcom.

Of course, their time on the Isle didn't actually last all that long. In 1967, "Gilligan's Island" was canceled after three seasons. But that wasn't the end for the castaways, who re-teamed for multiple TV films and animated series. Backus and Hale Jr. took things even further when they both appeared in "Angels Revenge." The film starred Peter Lawford as a drug kingpin and Jack Palance as his assistant, both of whom become the target of a vigilante team made up of seven women with specialized skills. Hale and Backus had supporting roles in what was an obvious "Charlie's Angels" knockoff. Unsurprisingly, it was not well-received.

Despite their similarly extensive experience, Jim Backus was more established than Alan Hale Jr. by the time Sherwood Schwartz began casting "Gilligan's Island. The show creator wanted Backus for the part of Thurston Howell and convinced him to sign on to "Gilligan's Island" without a script. Meanwhile, Hale Jr. went to extreme lengths to land the role of Captain Jonas Grumby, aka. The Skipper. When the show wrapped up after its third season, however, both were equally well-known by a public who couldn't get enough of the castaways' shenanigans.

The Skipper remained Hale Jr.'s favorite role for the rest of his life, and for good reason. As the perpetually flummoxed captain of the S.S. Minnow, he provided laughs for multiple generations of viewers. As such, he was probably delighted to re-team with Jim Backus for "Angels Revenge" — even if it was an out and out disaster and he shared no scenes with his former cast mate.

Also known as "Angels Brigade," the 1979 action comedy was directed by low budget horror/action champion Greydon Clark. The fact that both Jack Palance and Peter Lawford weren't exactly at the height of their appeal in the late-'70s didn't help boost the film's prestige. Neither did casting Jim Backus, beloved star of "Gilligan's Island" and Mr. Magoo himself, as a white supremacist. Yes, Backus plays Commander Lindsey March, the head of a group of "right wing military fanatics." If nothing else, his part is mercilessly short — as is Hale Jr.'s. Both "Gilligan's Island" alums share about 90 seconds of screen time each, despite the fact their names were used to flog this piece of late-'70s schlock.

1979 was the same year Alan Hale Jr. took on the role played by his father 40 years earlier. That was surely a much more meaningful experience than his brief appearance in "Angels Revenge." Really, it's sort of sad to see Jack Palance, Jim Backus, and Hale Jr. in Greydon Clark's light exploitation flick, which was an unapologetically derivative piece of B-movie fare. At the time of the film's release, "Charlie's Angels" had been airing on ABC for three years and would run for another two before being canceled in 1981. "Angels Revenge" wasn't exactly trying to hide its influence.

That said, the women in the movie seem to be having a great time. Susan Kiger plays the lead, a Las Vegas pop singer named Michelle Wilson whose brother is severely beaten while high on the drugs sold by Palance's Mike Farrell. She then assembles a squad of badass women to take down the drug operation. Hale Jr. and Backus just sort of show up briefly along the way.

Once mocked on "Mystery Science Theater 3000," "Angels Revenge" isn't exactly remembered as a classic. But on Letterboxd, it has its fans. Though some feel this is little more than a "bargain-bin 'Charlie's Angels' rip-off" that "somehow drains all the fun out of women leaning on Corvettes," the film also prompted one user to write, "DO YOU HAVE NO JOY?" adding, "A kick-ass group of dames assembling the band to take on a drug-dealing Jack Palance. Boom. Right there you got a must-see." If that appeals, and you'd like to see Thurston Howell punched through a wall by an angry Angel, "Angels Revenge" can be streamed for free on Tubi at the time of writing