Gilligan's Island


Gilligan's Island is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson, and Dawn Wells. It aired for three seasons on the CBS network from September 26, 1964, to April 17, 1967. The series follows the comic adventures of seven castaways as they struggle to survive on an island where they've been shipwrecked. Most episodes revolve around the dissimilar castaways' conflicts, and/or their unsuccessful attempts to escape their plight. The ship's inept first mate, Gilligan, is typically responsible for the failures.
Gilligan's Island ran for 98 episodes. All 36 episodes of the first season were filmed in black and white and were later colorized for syndication. The show's second and third seasons and the three television film sequels were filmed in color.
Gilligan's Island received solid ratings during its original run and grew in popularity during decades of syndication, especially in the 1970s and '80s, when many markets ran the show in the late afternoon.

Premise

The two-person crew of the charter boat SS Minnow and five passengers on a "three-hour tour" from Honolulu run into a storm and are shipwrecked on an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The exact location is said to be in conflicting longitudes/latitudes in three episodes. Their efforts to be rescued are typically thwarted by the negligent conduct of the hapless first mate, Gilligan. In 1997, show creator Sherwood Schwartz explained that the underlying concept, people with different characters and backgrounds being in a situation where they need to learn how to get along and cooperate to survive, is still "the most important idea in the world today."

Cast and characters

Pilot episode

The pilot episode, "Marooned," was filmed in November 1963. The pilot featured seven characters, but only four of the characters—and their associated actors—were carried forward into the series: Gilligan, the Skipper, and the Howells.
Because of the three significant character and casting changes between the pilot episode and the first series episode, the pilot was not shown before the series first aired on September 26, 1964. The original pilot eventually aired over 29 years later on TBS.
The three characters who did not carry forward from the pilot were two secretaries and a high school teacher. In the pilot, the scientifically inclined Professor was instead a high school teacher played by John Gabriel. Ginger, the movie star, was still red-haired, but she worked as a secretary and was played by Kit Smythe. She was more sarcastic than the later incarnation. Mary Ann, the Kansas farm girl, was instead Bunny, Ginger's co-worker, played as a cheerful "dumb blonde" by Nancy McCarthy.
The pilot's opening and ending songs were two similar calypso-styled tracks written by John Williams and performed by Sherwood Schwartz impersonating singer Sir Lancelot. The lyrics of both differ from those of the TV series, and the pilot's opening theme song is longer. The short scenes during this initial music include Gilligan taking the Howells' luggage to the boat before cast-off and Gilligan trying to give a cup of coffee to the Skipper during the storm that would ultimately maroon the vessel.
After the opening theme song and credits end, the pilot proper begins with the seven castaways waking up on the beached SS Minnow. It continues with them performing various tasks, including exploring the island, trying to fix the transmitter, building huts, and finding food. Contrary to some descriptions, the pilot contained no detailed accounts of the characters' backgrounds. It concludes with the ending theme song and credits. The background music and even the laugh tracks of the pilot appear nearly identical to those used during the series.

First broadcast episode

The first episode broadcast, "Two on a Raft," is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the series pilot. This episode begins with the theme song performed by The Wellingtons and then the same scene of Gilligan and the Skipper awakening on the boat as in the pilot and continues with the characters sitting on the beach listening to a radio news report about their disappearance. No equivalent scene or background information is in the pilot, except for the description of the passengers in the original theme song. Rather than reshooting the rest of the pilot story for broadcast, the show proceeded. The plot thus skips over the topics of the pilot; the bulk of the episode tells of Gilligan and the Skipper setting off on a raft to try to bring help but unknowingly landing back on the other side of the same island.
The scene with the radio report is one of two scenes that reveal the names of the Skipper and the Professor ; the names are used in a similar radio report early in the series. The name Jonas Grumby appears nowhere else in the series except for an episode in which the Maritime Board of Review blames the Skipper for the loss of the Minnow. The name Roy Hinkley is used one other time when Mr. Howell introduces the Professor as Roy Huntley, and the Professor corrects him, to which Mr. Howell replies, "Brinkley, Brinkley."
The plot for the pilot episode was recycled into that season's Christmas episode, "Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk," in which the story of the pilot episode, concerning the practical problems on landing, is related through a series of flashbacks. Footage featuring characters that had been recast was reshot using the current actors. For scenes including only Denver, Hale, Backus, and Schafer, the original footage was reused.

Last broadcast episode

The last episode of the show, "Gilligan, the Goddess", aired on April 17, 1967, and ended just like the rest, with the castaways still stranded on the island. It was not known at the time that it would be the series finale, as a fourth season was expected but then canceled.

Typical plots

The shipwrecked castaways are desperate to leave the island, and various opportunities frequently present themselves but invariably fail, nearly always due to some bumbling error committed by Gilligan. Sometimes, this results in Gilligan saving the others from some unforeseen danger or flaw in their plan. The only episode in which the entire cast leaves the island is "The Friendly Physician" aired in Season 2.
Most episodes of Gilligan's Island use variations of five recurring basic plots:
  • Life on the island. A running gag is the castaways' ability to fashion various useful objects from bamboo, coconuts, gourds, vines, and other local materials. Some are everyday items, such as eating and cooking utensils, while others are stretches of the imagination. Russell Johnson noted in his autobiography that the production crew enjoyed the challenge of building these props. These bamboo items include framed huts with thatched grass sides and roofs, bamboo closets strong enough to withstand hurricane-force winds and rain, a communal dining table and chairs, Gilligan's hot water pipes, a stethoscope, and a pedal-powered car.
  • Visitors to the island. Another challenge to a viewer's suspension of disbelief is the remarkable frequency with which an assortment of people visit the remote, uncharted island, all of whom either refuse or fail to help rescue the castaways.
  • Dream sequences in which one of the castaways dreams they are some character related to that week's storyline. All of the castaways appeared as other characters within the dream. In later interviews and memoirs, nearly all the actors stated that the dream episodes were among their favorites.
  • A piece of news concerning one or more of the castaways is heard over the radio and causes distress or discord among them.
  • The appearance or arrival of unusual objects to the island, such as a World War II naval mine, an old silent motion picture camera and costumes, a crate of radioactive vegetable seeds, plastic explosives, a robot, a live lion, a jet pack, or a wayward "Mars Lander" that the scientists who launched it think is sending them pictures of life on Mars.
Most of the slapstick comedic sequences between Hale and Denver were inspired by Laurel and Hardy, particularly when Hale breaks the fourth wall by looking directly into the camera, expressing his frustration with Denver's clumsiness, as Oliver Hardy often did.

Guest stars

Although most episodes do not have guest stars, given that the characters are on an uncharted, unknown island, a remarkable number of people manage to find their way to the island - and to leave without helping the castaways also escape. Among the actors who guest starred were Rory Calhoun, Hans Conreid, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Richard Kiel, Strother Martin, John McGiver, Denny Miller, Don Rickles, Kurt Russell, Vito Scotti, Phil Silvers, Larry Storch, and pop group The Wellingtons.

Dream sequences

One of the trademarks of Gilligan's Island is its frequent use of dream sequences. The showrunners used this device to expand beyond the premise's limited setting, and to showcase the cast's acting talents. Many episodes that feature dream sequences are ranked among the show's most memorable episodes, as most of them parodied or drew inspiration from works of literature, film, and other television shows of the day.
Each dream sequence is triggered by the real-life situation of the episode and usually features symbolism that prompted a change of heart in whichever castaway was dreaming. Of the fourteen dream episodes, eleven feature a Gilligan dream. Mr. Howell, Mrs. Howell, and Mary Ann each have an episode centering on a dream of theirs, making Mr. Howell the only cast member besides Gilligan who has more than one dream sequence. The Skipper is presented as a woman in two dreams, although in one this is only a disguise; in Mrs. Howell's dream he is both her wicked stepmother and a different male character, making him the only cast member to have two roles in one dream and also the only one to be the opposite sex in a dream. The Professor appears twice as a faux Cary Grant: in Mary Ann's dream, and his own short dream. Ginger is the only one of the seven castaways who never had a dream sequence.
  • "The Sound of Quacking" — Inspired by Gunsmoke. Afraid that the starving castaways will eat his pet duck, Emily, Gilligan dreams that he is U.S. Marshal Gilligan, whose primary task is keeping the rowdy citizens of his town from eating Emily, who he keeps locked in a jail cell. Features the Skipper as the Marshal's limping deputy, Ginger as a sultry saloon girl, Mary Ann as the Marshal's sweetheart, Mrs. Howell as a duck-gravy-making Spanish señora, and Mr. Howell and the Professor as a lynch mob.
  • "St. Gilligan and the Dragon" — All four men react to the girls' recent demand for equal rights by having dreams that reflect what they expect from their women. The Skipper dreams of being a sultan with Ginger, Mary Ann, and Mrs. Howell as his dancing girls. Mr. Howell dreams of relaxing in a spa with all three girls catering to his every whim. The Professor dreams that he is Cary Grant emerging from his dressing room only to be assaulted by the girls, his crazed fans. Gilligan, always childlike, dreams that he is a bullfighter and that the girls each bring him a gift.
  • "My Fair Gilligan" — Gilligan's fears of his new life as the Howells' adopted son manifest when he dreams that he is a spoiled prince who callously orders the beheadings of any supplicant who displeases him. Features Mr. and Mrs. Howell as the pampering King and Queen, Mary Ann as a shepherd girl, the Professor as a wizardly astronomer, Ginger as a simpering court lady, and the Skipper as a naval admiral.
  • "The Little Dictator" — Having just been appointed the puppet ruler of the island, Gilligan dreams that he is the dictator of a small foreign country on the brink of war, and the other castaways serve as his cabinet, who desperately try to convince him to look out his window at the chaos outside. Features Mr. Howell as the minister of finance, the Skipper as the secretary of the navy, Ginger as an undercover agent, the other castaways as cabinet members, and guest star Nehemiah Persoff as the masterminding dictator. It is notable for being the only dream sequence to feature a guest star as a main character.
  • "The Sweepstakes" — Obsessed with finding Gilligan's lost sweepstake ticket, Mr. Howell dreams that he is a grizzled prospector in the Old West who has just struck millions of dollars' worth of gold, but the kingly treatment he receives in town is quickly revoked when he realizes that he doesn't have proof of his claim. Features the Professor as a crooked bank owner, Gilligan as the corrupt U.S. Marshal, Ginger as a smooth-talking saloon owner, Mary Ann as an impoverished country girl, and the Skipper as a cheating gambler. It is notable for being one of the few dream sequences in which one of the castaways does not appear. Jim Backus reprised his role as the prospector in the three-part Grand Canyon episode in the third season of The Brady Bunch.
  • "The Postman Cometh" — Inspired by Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey. Afraid that she is going to die from eating poisonous mushrooms, Mary Ann falls asleep listening to her medical soap opera radio show and dreams that she is a patient in a hospital for a fatal disease. Features Mr. Howell as the kooky Dr. Zorbagillespie, Gilligan as Dr. Charles Boyer, the Skipper as Dr. Matt Dillon, the Professor as Dr. Cary Grant, and Mrs. Howell and Ginger as somewhat sympathetic nurses.
  • "V for Vitamins" — Inspired by "Jack and the Beanstalk". Gilligan falls asleep while guarding the last of the castaways' citrus rations and dreams that he is a farm boy named Jack tasked with retrieving oranges for his starving family. Instead, he buys magic beans, climbs a beanstalk, and enters a giant's castle. Features Mrs. Howell as Jack's mother, Mr. Howell as a W.C. Fields-inspired gangster, Mary Ann as the Giant's helpful maid, the Skipper as the Giant, and Ginger and the Professor as elderly captives in the Giant's dungeon. In the sequence where Jack runs from the Giant, Bob Denver's young son Patrick plays Jack and uses a forced perspective to make Jack look extra small.
  • "Meet the Meteor" — When the Professor's measurements of radiation on a newly crashed meteor show it to be lethal, Gilligan dreams that the castaways have aged to extreme feebleness in only a few days. The castaways hobble from their huts to the dining table to celebrate one final anniversary on the island before they die of old age or an electrical storm destroys the island.
  • "Up at Bat" — Inspired by Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. After supposedly being bitten by a vampire bat, Gilligan dreams that he is a ghoulish vampire inhabiting a haunted castle and eagerly awaiting the arrival of his guests, who also double as his dinner. It features Ginger as the vampire's ghostly wife, the Professor as Sherlock Holmes, and the Skipper as Dr. Watson, Mr. and Mrs. Howell as unsuspecting guests in the house, and Mary Ann as the hideous housekeeper. Notable for being filmed on the same haunted mansion set from the earlier episode "The Friendly Physician" and for concluding with a brawl featuring superimposed onomatopoeic words in the style of rival series Batman.
  • "The Invasion" — Inspired by James Bond. Gilligan's fears of being hunted down by secret agents show up in his dream, in which he is suave spy Agent 014 fighting against a criminal empire and its formidable group of assassins out to kill him and take away his top-secret briefcase. Features the Professor as the Chief Good Guy, Mr. Howell as Mr. Evil, Mrs. Howell as Mr. Evil's moll, Mary Ann as the deadly receptionist, Ginger as Gilligan's treacherous fiancée, and the Skipper as an evil agent disguised as Gilligan's mother.
  • "And Then There Were None" — Inspired by Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde. Gilligan believes that he may be a murderous psychopath and dreams that he is on trial as an Oscar Wilde-style Doctor Gilligan, who transforms into a hideous monster at the mention of food. Features Mrs. Howell as his defense attorney Mary Poppins, Mary Ann as the loyal Eliza Doolittle, Ginger as the Lady in Red, Mr. Howell as a biased judge, the Professor as the prosecuting attorney, and the Skipper as the bailiff.
  • "Court-Martial" — Gilligan dreams that he is Lord Admiral Gilligan, the youngest in the British fleet, charged with protecting the three noble ladies on board when the ship is attacked and captured by uncouth pirates. Features Mr. Howell as Captain Hook, the Professor as Long John Silver, the Skipper as Captain Kidd, Mrs. Howell as the queen mother, and Ginger and Mary Ann as her daughters.
  • "Lovey's Secret Admirer" — Inspired by "Cinderella". After a fight with her husband, Mrs. Howell dreams of being Cinderella, oppressed by her wicked stepfamily but determined to attend the royal ball and meet the prince. Features the Skipper as Cinderella's stepmother, Ginger and Mary Ann as the ugly stepsisters, Gilligan as the inept Fairy Godfather, Mr. Howell as the self-absorbed prince, and the Skipper and the Professor as pages.
  • "The Secret of Gilligan's Island" — Gilligan's discovery of an ancient stone tablet on the island leads him to dream that he and the castaways are cave people, each with a goal or fear about leaving their familiar caves in search of a better land. Features Gilligan as an artistic stonecutter, the Skipper as his best friend, Mr. Howell as the dictatorial chief, Mrs. Howell as his jealous wife, Ginger and Mary Ann as cave girls seeking husbands, and the Professor as an inventor.