Gilligan's Island

Gilligan's Island is an American sitcom which aired for three seasons (1964-1967) on CBS. (Interestingly, due to major changes in the show's format, the pilot episode was not aired until 29 years after the show's premiere.)

Premise and Airing

The show's premise was that a small charter boat, the S.S. Minnow (with five passengers and a crew of two), on a "three hour tour" out of Hawaii, is caught in a storm and the boat shipwrecked on an uncharted Pacific island. All attempts at rescue are somehow thwarted by the inadvertent incompetence of the titular character, first mate Gilligan.

The show featured several running gags, notably the ability to fashion an array of useful objects from local materials, the Professor being able to create them (but, somehow, not being able to use his genius to get them off the island), and frequent visits by outsiders, none of whom are able to facilitate their rescue. It also provided a recurring question as to whether fans preferred Ginger (the actress) or Mary Ann (the farm girl); nearly always Mary Ann was the winner.

The show was cancelled after the 1967 season, with the castaways still stranded on the island. They would not be rescued until a movie special, Rescue from Gilligan's Island, aired in 1978 (but, as with the show's premise, after a reunion cruise they would find themselves shipwrecked on the same island). A second movie special in 1979, The Castaways on Gilligan's Island, would finally see them rescued once and for all, with the island turned into a resort by the millionaire Howells with the other castaways as "silent partners". (A third special, The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island, featured the famed basketball troupe saving the resort from being taken over by villains.)

Cast

Except as noted, all cast members appeared in all episodes as well as in the movie specials, and at a final 1988 reunion on The Late Show.

• Bob Denver as Gilligan, the first mate and titular character (his first name, though later shown as Willy, is never used in the show)
• Alan Hale, Jr. as Skipper, the captain (on two episodes, the name Jonas Grumby is used)
• Jim Backus as Thurston Howell III, a Wall Street millionaire
  • Backus, in ill health, appeared in the third movie special only as a cameo appearance, only to maintain continuity in all the episodes and specials.
• Natalie Schafer as Lovey Howell, Thurston's wife (her given name of Eunice was rarely used)
• Tina Louise as Ginger Grant, a Hollywood movie star
  • After the show ended, Louise blamed it for destroying her serious acting career; she did not appear in any of the movie specials but did appear at the final reunion. As of 2025 she remains the only living member of the original cast.
• Russell Johnson as "The Professor" (on two episodes, the name Roy Hinckley, Ph.D. was used)
• Dawn Wells as Mary Ann Summers, a farm girl from Kansas (portrayed as a "girl next door").

Also, whenever a radio announcer was used on the show, Charles Maxwell provided the voice in an uncredited role.

Originally, the intro sequence did not mention either the Professor or Mary Ann; Denver demanded that they be added to the opening sequence and that Wells be given equal publicity with Louise or he would leave the show; Denver's request was granted.