Mr. Whittaker

lindawn · Post by **lindawn** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:09 pm

Recently I got to thinking about Mr. Whittaker, and how old he is. If he was in WWII, isn't he kind of old to be running an ice cream shop? Most of the people I know who are WWII vets have already died. Why hasn't he died yet? Just curious.

ajamj · Post by **ajamj** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:26 pm

Is there a right and wrong age for owning an ice cream shop?
My grandma was alive, actually married with children, during WWII and she's just fine.
It's a fictional show.

Kris Doyle · Post by **Kris Doyle** » Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:58 pm

We have to remember, too, that the show doesn't necessarily take place in real time. It took years for Connie to get beyond 16, and years for Lucy to get beyond 12! (I think Lucy only began aging after they took her off the program--that's why I could only say she was in her early twenties, and no older, when my character married her.) The Novacom saga aired over a few years, but it took only a few months of Odyssey time. Rodney has hopped between middle school and high school ever since Lucy was a kid on the show. Anyway, with all the AIO time warps, Whit might not be as old as we think. But maybe he is, since ajamj pointed out that some people are still up and going strong at that age. Who knows? Never let it be said that I don't. I don't, but never let it be said.

--Kris Doyle

rickyderocher · Post by **rickyderocher** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 10:46 am

Of course you must remember that the show started nearly 20 years ago back in '87... which would have made Whit only 60... (I figure he must have joined the navy around the year 1942 when he was 18 and so that would mean he was born in 1927, which would make Whit 60 in 1987)

jasodia · Post by **jasodia** » Wed Jun 28, 2006 1:55 pm

Who cares if he's old? He's nice... $\:D/$ Go old people who haven't retired!

EvangelineWalker · Post by **EvangelineWalker** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 6:24 pm

My grandpa was in WW2 when he was 18. He's 79, and still has a farm, takes care of my horses and stuff. He's getting slower, but still going strong! I was thinking Whit (if we didn't have Odyssey's crazy timelines to consider) might be about 80. Just because someone's older doesn't mean they drop out of life, in fact, I think involvement of some sort keeps them going. That's what my grandma says anyway.

Shad Lexer · Post by **Shad Lexer** » Thu Jun 29, 2006 6:40 pm

*waits for the thud Whit will make when he hits the floor*

Sonuna · Post by **Sonuna** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 9:10 am

At this point, I can pretty much say Odyssey and its surrounding area is mainly one huge temporal dysfunction...

Gabriel Dragsack · Post by **Gabriel Dragsack** » Fri Jun 30, 2006 8:48 pm

He is sooooo old. I'm amazed the old codger's still alive!

HarlowRoxMySox · Post by **HarlowRoxMySox** » Sat Jul 01, 2006 2:22 pm

Eh, Whit is timeless. Kris is right, Odyssey has never really operated in real time. I mean, heck. Think how old Connie should be by now! Odyssey is timeless, and you can't have Odyssey without Whit, so he's timeless too!

ObiWan Kenobi Girl · Post by **ObiWan Kenobi Girl** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 11:00 am

isn't whit the same age as tom? In "A Matter Of Obedience" Tom says he was about 11 back in the 1930's. Wouldn't that make them, like,

pushing 80 years old. Most kids don't really like talking to really old people...

ajamj · Post by **ajamj** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 8:07 pm

ObiWan Kenobi Girl wrote: Most kids don't really like talking to really old people...

Which kids are those?

Post by **Catspaw** » Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:03 pm

ajamj wrote:
ObiWan Kenobi Girl wrote: Most kids don't really like talking to really old people...
Which kids are those?

Older people can sometimes seem awfully old and slow, but they can have a lot of interesting stories to share and can also have some very wise advice! Whit obviously fits both of those items. Donna sums it up in "Modesty is the Best Policy" - "I told him the whole story for the same reason that we always do - we trust him." (I'm paraphrasing, but that was the gist of things). No matter how old Whit is, that doesn't change, and that's why kids can still talk to him.

wooton_bassett · Post by **wooton_bassett** » Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:19 am

the writers wouldn't want him to retire...neither would the listeners...why make him retire

ajamj · Post by **ajamj** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 7:57 pm

Whit always makes me think of a wise, loving grandpa.

Applesauce · Post by **Applesauce** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 9:08 pm

Two words: Bob Barker

wooton_bassett · Post by **wooton_bassett** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 11:19 am

There would be no odyssey without whit

ObiWan Kenobi Girl · Post by **ObiWan Kenobi Girl** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:59 am

wooton_bassett wrote:There would be no odyssey without whit

That's true... I like whit even if he is about to croak.

Post by **Catspaw** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:52 pm

ObiWan Kenobi Girl wrote:
wooton_bassett wrote:There would be no odyssey without whit
That's true... I like whit even if he is about to croak.

Whit is many things, but Kermit the Frog is not one of those things.

I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

Jacob Isom · Post by **Jacob Isom** » Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:07 pm

The bottom line: Whit is an aging, never-to-die man. Whit is the central character of Odyssey. Without Whit, there's no Odyssey. Even when Hal Smith died, they couldn't just say goodbye to Whit and have him buried in the Odyssey cemetary. He had to leave Odyssey and hopefully come back someday. Now when it's Paul Herlinger's time to go, Odyssey may be at a crossroads.