Bruce Cameron

Times were tough when I was a kid: We didn’t have the Internet, so when it came to finding information on life’s most challenging questions, we were forced to watch television reruns.

From “The Three Stooges,” as an example, I learned lessons such as: Whenever possible, avoid walking into boards. Don’t make friends with people who look like a clean-shaven Adolf Hitler. Never, under any circumstances, allow a monkey to run loose on a train.

“Gilligan’s Island” was a trove of life-changing information.

For example, I learned that within a three-hour boat ride of the Honolulu harbor there is an i...