"Gilligan's Island" (1964) TV series 1964-1967

Creator:

Sherwood Schwartz

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

26 September 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family

Plot:

Seven men and women are stranded on an uncharted island following a torrential storm.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Castaway | Professor | Movie Star | Millionaire

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Bob Denver	...	Gilligan (99 episodes, 1964-1992)
Alan Hale Jr.	...	Jonas 'The Skipper' Grumby (99 episodes, 1964-1992)
Jim Backus	...	Thurston Howell III (99 episodes, 1964-1992)
Natalie Schafer	...	Mrs. Lovey Howell (99 episodes, 1964-1992)
Tina Louise	...	Ginger Grant / ... (98 episodes, 1964-1967)
Russell Johnson	...	Professor Roy Hinkley / ... (98 episodes, 1964-1967)
Dawn Wells	...	Mary Ann Summers (98 episodes, 1964-1967)

Also Known As:

Gilligan's Travels (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min (98 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (1964-1965) | Color (1965-1967)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-G | New Zealand:G (season 1) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Trivia:

"The radio" seen in virtually every episode was a Packard-Bell AM Radio, Model AR-851. The small silver handle and telescoping antenna were added by the prop department (despite the fact that AM radios do not use telescoping antennas). The antenna was likely added to lend credence to the castaways' ability to pick up radio signals so far from civilization.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In "X Marks The Spot", the radio announcer gives the target coordinates for the Powderkeg missile as 140 degrees latitude, 10 degrees longitude, which the Skipper (an old salt in these waters) and Professor confirm. Lines of latitude only go up to 90 degrees. Transposing the coordinates, though (to 10 degrees N latitude, 140 degrees W longitude) would place the missile several hundred miles southeast of Hawaii - the approximate location of the island.

Quotes:

Ginger Grant: Wahine wiki huki luki nu, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
Gilligan: That's beautiful. What's it mean?
Ginger Grant: It means this bar is off-limits to all military personnel.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Gilligan's Island: A Pop Culture Phenomenon (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Ballad of Gilligan's Isle

After watching even one episode, who wouldn't want to get stranded on an uncharted island, just to see if you could experience what these seven experienced?

I never get tired of watching "Gilligan's Island." As one of the many 1960's TV shows with wacky premises (breaking away from the "Leave It to Beaver" mold of the previous decade), it lives on to this day. At the beginning of every episode, when the theme song begins, I always act out the lines, and then wait for something crazy to happen.

Let's look at the characters. First mate Willy Gilligan (yes, he did have a first name) is the bane of everyone who believes in order and normalcy. Clumsy, pencil-thin and naive, he bungles every chance they have to get off of the island, and yet the other castaways didn't kill him. I guess they understood that he was a good guy under that idiocy.

Skipper Jonas Grumby is everything that Gilligan isn't: fatter than fat, competent and perfectly capable of taking charge. As his weight often is the butt of Gilligan's jokes, not to mention all the times when Gilligan drops things on his feet, the Skipper usually proceeds to hit Gilligan with his hat.

Thurston Howell III is the archetypal crass capitalist. He never does any work, and sits around all day talking about money. I always get the feeling that his grand ambition is to defraud all the other castaways. In spite of all this, Mr. Howell does have one weakness: his Teddy Bear.

Eunice "Lovey" Howell is as much of an heiress as can be. Always the aesthete, Lovey engages in eternal attempts to teach everyone the ways of the elite, but they never get the hang of it. Sometimes, it seems that she and Thurston married for money more than for love. Their marriage is often rocky, but they stay together.

Ginger Grant is the castaway with whom I would like to be stranded. A sultry movie star, Ginger can always seduce the men to get information. Her endless tales about life in Hollywood make life on the island sound not so bad. Ginger's dream would apparently be for Rock Hudson to rescue her from the island...and then some.

Professor Roy Hinkley is truly too smart for his (or anyone's) own good. Still, the Professor is the only reason that they are able to stay alive on the island. Whatever anyone needs built, he can take whatever materials are on the island and whip it up in a jiffy (unless of course anyone needs a raft).

Last but not least, Mary Ann Summers. She is the only castaway who can be classified as normal (and I use that term loosely). A wholesome farm girl from Kansas, Mary Ann tends the island's crops and keeps herself entertained by tuning into the soap operas on the radio. Nothing wrong with her.

So that's the story of the seven Castaways. They've been marooned on that island for over 40 years, and Gilligan's naivety, the Skipper's short temper, Mr. Howell's greed, Mrs. Howell's stuffiness, Ginger's sex appeal, the Professor's smarts and Mary Ann's glimpse into Americana never get old. It's always a riot to see their antics again and again...here on Gilligan's isle!