Q. Can you tell me the first names of the Professor and the Skipper on "Gilligan's Island," if they have them? - M.W., Vancouver, Wash.
A. Only Gilligan (Bob Denver) didn't have a first name. The Professor's was Roy Hinkley, the high school science teacher played by actor Russell Johnson. Skipper Jonas Grumby was portrayed by Alan Hale Jr.Q. A few years ago I heard about a project to make an American version of the British TV series "Absolutely Fabulous." Roseanne was going to produce it. What happened to this project? -K.M., Philadelphia, Pa.
A. Roseanne's American "AbFab," which would supposedly have starred Carrie Fisher as Edina and perhaps Mesquite super model Jerry Hall as Patsy, never got off the ground. Both ABC and HBO passed on the project. Roseanne has since moved on to another TV deal, a syndicated talk show for the fall of 1998.
Q. Who played the first Gidget in the movies and on the TV series? - C.W. & M.R., Dallas, Texas
A. Sandra Dee originated the role of the diminutive surfer on the big screen in 1959's "Gidget." Sally Field brought the character to TV in a one-season comedy in 1965, with Richard Dreyfuss as her pal, Norman. The Gidget character, based on a novel by Frederick Kohner about his daughter, was revived in several more movies and a second television series.
Q. Who played the female villain in a TV show from several years back called "The Bugaloos"? My friend says it was Phyllis Diller, but I'm certain it was Martha Raye. - M.K., Henderson, Nev.
A. Martha Raye it was. She played Benita Bizarre in the 1970-72 live-action kids show from Sid and Marty Krofft. Benita was the witch always out to squash the four-bug singing group, The Bugaloos.