Seven people find themselves marooned on a small, uninhabited island after their boat washes ashore during a storm.
As in the subsequent series, the pilot episode featured Bob Denver as Gilligan, Alan Hale Jr. as The Skipper, and Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer as the Howells. The three remaining characters and actors differed from those in the series: John Gabriel played a high school teacher, while Kit Smythe and Nancy McCarthy played coworkers who were secretaries. Smythe's red-haired character was named Ginger, but was more sarcastic than the same-named movie-star character played in the series by Tina Louise. McCarthy played her character, Bunny, as a cheerful "dumb blonde" sterotype.
Note: The pilot was filmed in November 1963, but was not broadcast until TBS aired it in October 1992. The departure of the Minnow was filmed on November 26, following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and all the flags in that sequence can be seen flying at half-staff.[1]
There were three sequel films. The first (1978) had them rescued and proved so successful that it spawned a second (1979) and third (1981). By the third film, ratings were down, and no more were made.
In 2001, Dawn Wells co-produced a television film bio-pic, where she, Bob Denver, and Russell Johnson appear as themselves as hosts and remember what life was like during the series. In the memory scenes, they and the rest of the cast are played by different actors, while Wells narrates.
The castaways turn the huts into rafts and are finally rescued, to great fanfare. On the first anniversary of their rescue they all meet in Hawaii for a reunion, and decide to take a short cruise. The weather starts to get rough, and they get stranded on the same island again.
The Harlem Globetrotters crashland on the island. When a millionaire tries to take over the resort, the rivalry is settled by a game between the Globetrotters and the rival's robot team.
Jim Backus (Thurston Howell) had only a small walk-on part at the end of the film as he was suffering the advanced stages of Parkinson's disease. His role on the island was filled by creating "Thurston Howell IV", played by David Ruprecht, the couple's supposed son. (This conflicts with the first season episode in which Gilligan was adopted by the Howells after saving Lovey's life. He was said at that time to be their only son.)
A behind-the-scenes look at life as member of the Gilligan's Island cast. Dawn Wells, who was the co-executive producer, Bob Denver, and Russell Johnson reminisce about their experiences making the show. These memories come to life as the cast and crew are portrayed by actors.
Home media
This series has been released on DVD by Warner Home Video, in three season box sets (the first of which includes the pilot episode) and in a complete series set. There has also been a single-disc release containing only the first two episodes.[16]
^Gilligan's Island: The Complete Second Season (booklet). Rich, John, et al. Warner Home Video.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Gilligan's Island: The Complete Second Season (booklet). Arnold, Jack, et al. Warner Home Video.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Gilligan's Island: The Complete Third Season (booklet). Hopper, Jerry, et al. Warner Home Video.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
