The wacky comedy Gilligan's Island was a show like no other.
It was so incredibly silly that there was no way to dislike it. While it only ran for three seasons from 1964 to 1967, it is definitively ingrained in American TV history, right up there with others such as The Dick Van Dyke Show. The theme song alone is enough to bring you back to the '60s in an instant. Think twice before going back to give it a listen, though, because it will be stuck in your head for days!
But there was plenty of drama coming out of the filming of the pilot, and it didn't stop there. There are some very interesting Gilligan's Island tidbits that I never would have imagined before this.
Did you watch Gilligan's Island when it was on the air? Did you have a favorite character? Keep reading and you'll find out if your favorite was a part of the original cast or not!
I had no idea about any of these 11 secrets, did you? Let us know if we missed anything in the comments, and please SHARE this fun list with your family and friends on Facebook if you know that they love this show, too!
Thumbnail source: Wikimedia Commons
1. Ginger Grant Didn't Get Along With Producers
Tina Louise, the actress that played movie star Ginger Grant, constantly butted heads with the producers of the show. She consistently had issues with the way her character was portrayed, and later stated that the role ruined her serious acting career.
2. Jerry Van Dyke Was Supposed To Play Gilligan
Dick Van Dyke's younger brother was offered the role first, but he turned it down thinking that the show would be a flop. Oh, how wrong he was.
3. The Skipper Stayed In Character After The Cameras Stopped Rolling
Alan Hale Jr. loved his role so much that he would don his costume and greet customers at his family's restaurant, Alan Hale's Lobster Barrel, welcoming them as the Skipper. Now that's dedication.
4. The Pilot Episode Didn't Air Until 29 Years Later
Due to casting changes that occurred after the pilot was shot in 1963, the original pilot didn't air until 1992 on TBS. In the pilot, the professor was played by John Gabriel, but was a high school professor instead. Ginger wasn't a movie star, but a secretary played by Kit Smythe. Instead of Mary Ann, there was Bunny, Ginger's co-worker, played by Nancy McCarthy (pictured above).
5. Viewers Actually Thought People Were Stranded On An Island
The United States Coast Guard constantly got calls from worried citizens, saying that there were five people stranded somewhere on an island. The Coast Guard simply forwarded the calls to Sherwood Schwartz, the show's producer. Seriously.
6. The Opening Credits Were Originally Longer
One of the scenes cut form the opening sequence was Gilligan trying to give the Skipper a cup of coffee during the thick of the storm in the middle of the night, which was ultimately what led to the ship getting marooned. If it had been up to me, I would have kept that part in!
7. The Millionaire Loved To Ad-Lib
Jim Backus was a very well-known character actor by the time he was cast as Thurston Howell III. He often improvised on set, and those lines often made the final cut of the episodes.
8. The Millionaire's Wife Took The Job For The Free Trip To Hawaii
Natalie Schafer, who played Eunice Lovelle Wentworth Howell, is said to have taken the role because the pilot was to be filmed on location in Hawaii. She didn't think a show so incredibly silly would ever last, but once it did, she refused to let anyone on set know her age, and she wouldn't allow for any close-ups. She was 63 when the pilot was filmed.
9. The SS Minnow Was Played By 4 Different Boats
Between shooting on location, on set, and over the years, four different boats played the SS Minnow.
10. Gilligan Got The Professor And Mary Ann Into The Theme Song
Bob Denver personally went to the studio executives and requested that the professor and Mary Ann be added to the opening theme song. For the first season, they were referred to as "the rest," but Denver was so sure that these characters deserved proper recognition that he asked that his character, Gilligan, be taken out of the opening song as well. Executives caved and the second and third seasons include those characters.
11. The Show Was Cancelled At The Very Last Minute
Sherwood Schwartz assured the cast and crew that the show would be renewed for a fourth season, but in the final hour, execs had to choose between the show Gunsmoke and Gilligan's Island. They opted to renew Gunsmoke and move it to an earlier time slot, and to cancel Gilligan's Island, even though there had been no resolution to the plot, and even though some of the cast members had purchased homes based on Schwartz's word.
Did you know any of these secrets about the show? Please SHARE with your fellow fans!
