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Ryan Gosling may be just Ken, but for a good chunk of his career, he was known for intense characters, full of broiling interiority. He shed his Mickey Mouse Club image by playing a reckless romantic in The Notebook, a drug-addicted inspirational teacher in Half Nelson, and a silent driver in Drive. But lately, Gosling seems to be taking a turn to the goofy. In addition to his acclaimed role as Ken in Barbie, Gosling played a lovable science teacher sent into space for Project Hail Mary. He’s working with Shawn Levy on both Star Wars: Starfighter and the upcoming MCU Ghost Rider movie.
But his most interesting new role might be the one he just took on. Deadline has reported that Gosling will play a grown-up version of Bamm-Bamm, the muscular son of Barney and Betty Rubble, in an upcoming Flintstones movie. If Gosling’s going to bring his weirdo sensibilities to the favorite characters of kids in the post-World War II era, why stop at the Flintstones? Here are some other beloved baby boomer figures for Gosling to bring to the screen.
Mike Brady
The Baby Boomers may have become the hippies of the ’60s, but they were born in the wake of World War II and in the shadow of the Eisenhower Administration. So while some embraced the wild free love lifestyle, others would watch rock shows and miniskirts from afar, not ready to leave the safe confines of the suburbs. For those kids, there was The Brady Bunch, a sitcom made all the weirder for how square it actually was. As anyone who has heard the show’s infectious theme song can tell you, The Brady Bunch was about a blended family: Mike Brady and his three sons learning to live with Mike’s new wife Carol and her three daughters, with Alice the maid along for the ride.
The Brady Bunch has long been the subject of pop culture wonder, most notably the tongue-in-cheek movie from 1995. So if Gosling’s going to come aboard, a new Brady Bunch project has to go where neither show nor movie has gone before: to the early days of Mike Brady. What was he like as a swinging bachelor? What did he do in his first marriage? How did a man as square as the guy we saw in the sitcom raise someone like his oldest son Greg, the original Johnny Bravo himself? At 45, Gosling might be a bit old to play the young Mike, but since when has The Brady Bunch ever cared about realism?
Davy Crockett
Gosling may be going for mainstream roles lately, but he still surely loves a challenge. And what better baby boomer icon to challenge than Davy Crockett, the coonskin-wearing frontiersman whose checkered actions were turned into acts of heroism in a series of Disney movies starring Fess Parker? In those family-friendly episodes, Davy Crockett was an able hunter and a kind soul, someone at one with the land. He palled around the countryside with his sidekick George Russell, played by future Beverly Hillbilly Buddy Ebsen.
Obviously, the real Davy Crockett was far more complicated. True, he opposed Andrew Jackson’s cruel Indian Removal Act, but he also played a key part in the Battle of the Alamo, helping to advance American annexation of Mexico. That mixed legacy would make for a less fun character, but definitely something more interesting. Gosling could play his Davy Crockett not unlike his Ken, a fictional character coming to terms with the difficulties of the real world. It would give him another chance to be fun on screen while still saying something of substance.
Boo-Boo
But maybe Gosling doesn’t want to be so heavy. Maybe he just wants to have fun and follow in the footsteps of that noted thespian, Justin Timberlake. If that’s the case, then perhaps Gosling would like to play Boo-Boo, the diminutive ursine sidekick of that notorious picnic basket thief, Yogi the Bear.
Like most Hanna-Barbera cartoons of the era, the adventures of Yogi and Boo-Boo aren’t exactly ground-breaking. In each episode, Yogi hatches a plan to steal some food from campers at Jellystone Park, and they’re foiled each time by Ranger Smith. But the same charge could be leveled against Nirvanna the Band The Show, which also devoted each episode to plots to play the Rivoli. So if Gosling could get Matt Johnson to write and direct, and perhaps even star as a particularly Canadian-sounding bear, then his sardonic weirdo Boo-Boo could be the stuff of legend.
The Smothers Brothers
Ryan Gosling already has a host of memorable characters in his filmography. Yet, as Michael B. Jordan showed us in Sinners, nothing tests an actor’s skill like playing twins. However, Gosling wouldn’t want to just copy what another guy did. He’d want to put his own spin on it, which is why he should play brothers who aren’t identical twins, namely Tommy and Dick Smothers a.k.a. the Smothers Brothers.
The Smothers Brothers got their start in the folk movement, wearing suits and sweaters while Tommy played guitar and Dick played bass. But their delightful banter on television appearances paved the way for their own variety show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, which ran from 1967 to 1969. Against their wholesome folk roots, the Comedy Hour became a counter-cultural hit, hosting acts like Buffalo Springfield and Jefferson Airplane. The duo’s unlikely political relevance would make for a compelling biopic, giving Gosling a chance to do a one-man two-hander.
Gomer Pyle
We know that Gosling will soon become Johnny Blaze, the Ghost Rider. But maybe he could also play Captain Marvel? Or, at least, Captain Marvel’s biggest fan, Gomer Pyle, who would exclaim “Shazam!” whenever something baffled him… and Gomer Pyle was often baffled. Played by Jim Nabors, Gomer Pyle got his start on The Andy Griffith Show, where he worked on cars at Wally’s Service Station. With his memorable catchphrase and distinctive Southern drawl, Gomer soon became a breakout character and got his own show. Gomer Pyle USMC followed the Mayberry native’s adventures in the United States Marines, where he often angered his commanding officer, Sergeant Carter (Frank Sutton).
We know that Gosling can play affable and clueless, and the time is always right for some shenanigans on military bases. But Nabors was also a gifted singer, so playing Gomer would give Gosling a chance to show off his voice. Could a song about thinking while wearing a bucket be as popular as “I’m Just Ken”? If anyone can do it, it’s Ryan Gosling.
The post 5 More Baby Boomer Childhood Staples Ryan Gosling Should Play appeared first on Den of Geek.
