Lovey Howell
Encyclopedia
Eunice Howell; referred to as, "Lovey", by her husband, and as "Mrs. Howell", by the other castaways. Lovey was a fictional character in the 1964 to 1967 television show Gilligan's Island
. Played by Natalie Schafer
, the character was a rich, spoiled socialite
, married to Thurston Howell, III.
thinks he wins the lottery and invites all the people into the Howells' club, The Professor
refers to Mr. and Mrs. Howell as Thurston and Lovey.
In one episode in which the Howells were having marital problems, she mentioned her maiden name was Wentworth, and in another episode a radio broadcast mentions that her given name is Eunice. Hardly anything was ever learned about her life before being marooned with her fellow castaways, but she mentioned in one episode that she spoke fluent French
and Italian
, hinting at a classical education
. Thurston Howell also indicates that Lovey, or at least her family, had money of their own; Mr. Howell describes her family as being loaded. She also claimed in one episode to being a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution
(DAR).
Although she was spoiled and preoccupied with social status, Mrs. Howell was also kind and genuinely cared about the well-being of her fellow castaways. She frequently served as something of a mother figure to the two younger female castaways, Ginger Grant
and Mary Ann Summers
, offering advice (though she sometimes also displays jealousy toward the two younger women).
Several times she acted as a motherly figure to Gilligan, such as psychoanalyzing
him, adopting
him, and praising him for his accomplishments when no one else did. She often plotted with her husband several times to steal/access/manipulate things from the other survivors. She once tried to get Gilligan and Mary Ann to wed, kept a gold mine secret from the rest of the group, divulged secrets about stolen jewelry from a parrot, schemed to convince a burnt out artist to leave the island and got through to an uncivilized jungle boy played by Kurt Russell
.
It was once quoted by Thurston Howell himself that their brilliance together was only succeeded by their greed. They had also proven to have once had several houses and several staffs of servants, including an upstairs maid, a downstairs maid and a butler who served him breakfast in bed. Thurston once quoted that the neighborhood of one million dollars apiece was considered a slum area where they resided.
Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
. Played by Natalie Schafer
Natalie Schafer
Natalie Schafer was an American actress, best known as Eunice "Lovey" Wentworth Howell on CBS's sitcom Gilligan's Island .-Early life and career:...
, the character was a rich, spoiled socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
, married to Thurston Howell, III.
Character summary
While Mr. Howell always called her "Lovey", the other castaways always called her "Mrs. Howell". There are only two times someone besides Thurston calls her Lovey: in the pilot, when the radio is announcing the missing people, the announcer says "Thurston Howell, III, and his wife, Lovey"; and in the episode in which GilliganGilligan (fictional character)
Gilligan is a fictional character played by Bob Denver on the 1960s TV show Gilligan's Island and its many sequels. It starred Bob Denver as "Gilligan", the bumbling, dimwitted, accident-prone crewman of the S.S. Minnow...
thinks he wins the lottery and invites all the people into the Howells' club, The Professor
The Professor (Gilligan's Island)
- External links :*...
refers to Mr. and Mrs. Howell as Thurston and Lovey.
In one episode in which the Howells were having marital problems, she mentioned her maiden name was Wentworth, and in another episode a radio broadcast mentions that her given name is Eunice. Hardly anything was ever learned about her life before being marooned with her fellow castaways, but she mentioned in one episode that she spoke fluent French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, hinting at a classical education
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
. Thurston Howell also indicates that Lovey, or at least her family, had money of their own; Mr. Howell describes her family as being loaded. She also claimed in one episode to being a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution
Daughters of the American Revolution
The Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership organization for women who are descended from a person involved in United States' independence....
(DAR).
Although she was spoiled and preoccupied with social status, Mrs. Howell was also kind and genuinely cared about the well-being of her fellow castaways. She frequently served as something of a mother figure to the two younger female castaways, Ginger Grant
Ginger Grant
Ginger Grant is a fictional character in the 1964 to 1967 television sitcom Gilligan's Island.-Career:...
and Mary Ann Summers
Mary Ann Summers
Mary Ann Summers is a fictional character in the television sitcom Gilligan's Island which ran on the CBS network from 1964 to 1967, and has run more or less continuously since in reruns.- Role :...
, offering advice (though she sometimes also displays jealousy toward the two younger women).
Several times she acted as a motherly figure to Gilligan, such as psychoanalyzing
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. Psychoanalysis has expanded, been criticized and developed in different directions, mostly by some of Freud's former students, such as Alfred Adler and Carl Gustav...
him, adopting
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
him, and praising him for his accomplishments when no one else did. She often plotted with her husband several times to steal/access/manipulate things from the other survivors. She once tried to get Gilligan and Mary Ann to wed, kept a gold mine secret from the rest of the group, divulged secrets about stolen jewelry from a parrot, schemed to convince a burnt out artist to leave the island and got through to an uncivilized jungle boy played by Kurt Russell
Kurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
.
It was once quoted by Thurston Howell himself that their brilliance together was only succeeded by their greed. They had also proven to have once had several houses and several staffs of servants, including an upstairs maid, a downstairs maid and a butler who served him breakfast in bed. Thurston once quoted that the neighborhood of one million dollars apiece was considered a slum area where they resided.