AS SEEN ON TV: LONG JOHN SILVER

We covered the topic of the pirate Long John Silver back in May with one of the portrayals from an alternate TV dimension. But today is my nephew's 8th birthday and Thomas read the book earlier this year. So I want to tip my hat to him with this ASOTV showcase of the Long John Silver from the main Toobworld......

LONG JOHN SILVER

AS SEEN IN:

'Long John Silver'

CREATED BY:

Robert Louis Stevenson

PORTRAYED BY:

Robert Newton

TV STATUS:

Recastaway & Multiversal

(BookWorld, Cineverse, Toobworld)

TV DIMENSION:

Earth Prime-Time

From Wikipedia:

Long John Silver is a fictional character and the primary antagonist of the novel Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Robert Newton followed up his two Long John Silver movies with an Australian-produced TV series.

Stevenson's portrayal of Silver has greatly influenced the modern iconography of the pirate. Silver has a parrot, named Captain Flint in mockery of his former captain, who generally perches on Silver's shoulder, and is known to chatter pirate phrases like "Pieces of Eight," and "Stand by to go about." Silver uses the parrot as another means of gaining Jim's trust, by telling the boy all manner of exciting stories (many of them likely fake) about the parrot's buccaneer history. "'Now that bird,' Silver would say, 'is, may be, two hundred years old, Hawkins- they live forever mostly, and if anybody's seen more wickedness it must be the devil himself. She's sailed with England- the great Cap'n England, the pirate. She's been at Madagascar, and at Malabar, and Surinam, and Providence, and Portobello ... She was at the boarding of the Viceroy of the Indies out of Goa, she was, and to look at her you would think she was a babby."

He is married to a woman of African descent, whom he trusts to manage his business affairs in his absence and to liquidate his Bristol assets when his actions make it impossible for him to go home. He confides in his fellow pirates, that he and his wife plan to rendezvous after the voyage to Skeleton Island is complete and Flint's treasure is recovered, at which point Silver will retire to a life of luxury.

According to Stevenson's letters, the idea for the character of Long John Silver was inspired by his real-life friend William Henley, a writer and editor. Stevenson's stepson, Lloyd Osbourne, described Henley as "...a great, glowing, massive-shouldered fellow with a big red beard and a crutch; jovial, astoundingly clever, and with a laugh that rolled like music; he had an unimaginable fire and vitality; he swept one off one's feet". In a letter to Henley after the publication of Treasure Island Stevenson wrote: "I will now make a confession. It was the sight of your maimed strength and masterfulness that begot Long John Silver...the idea of the maimed man, ruling and dreaded by the sound, was entirely taken from you".

Happy birthday, Thomas!

BCnU!