America came to a standstill on November 23, 1963 as people
all over the country gathered around their televisions and radios, in shock
over the news of President Kennedy’s assassination. One
such group was a cast of actors and crew filming on location in Hawaii, working
on the pilot episode of a potential new series. What they were doing had no real historical
significance, especially when compared to what had just happened in Dallas,
about 7000 miles away from where they were at.
But their show did indeed get picked up by CBS and was aired that next
September as Gilligan’s Island. The
series lasted three years, but its popularity far outlived its original TV
run. Throughout the next few decades, the
endless syndication run and occasional reunion specials assured Gilligan’s
Island its own place in history. It may have
been meaningless in the overall context of history, but it left an undeniable
mark in the far less important realm of pop culture.
Once series creator Sherwood Schwartz got the green light to
produce the new show for CBS, and the tweaking process was completed, the show
was left with seven characters, all of whom would become pop culture icons,
while the actors would be forever associated with those characters, for better
or for worse. From what I read, most of
the actors liked their characters, or at least learned to like them over time. The one major exception was Tina Louise, who
portrayed movie star Ginger Grant (basically Marilyn Monroe with auburn hair). She wanted to be a dramatic actress and pursue
more serious roles, and claimed the Ginger Grant role killed her career. On the other hand, Alan Hale, Jr., known on
the show as Skipper, loved his character from the beginning. His trademark captain’s hat would stay with
him long after he walked off the set of Gilligan’s Island for the last time.
Although it seemed the cast of Gilligan’s Island had fond
memories of the show (except Tina Louise, of course), the television critics of
the day were not impressed. Although I
haven’t found any actual reviews of the show from its original run, I remember the
general tone from various sources I have come across over the years. In brief, the show was bashed for its
childish stupidity. But Gilligan’s
Island did seem to fit in well with the sitcoms of its time. This was an era of TV shows about flying
nuns, hillbillies in Hollywood, and monster families. If the critics felt the way they did about
Gilligan’s Island, then I think it’s safe to say they didn't believe they were
living in the golden age of television. Not
when it came to comedy, at least.
Regardless of the critics’ reaction to the show, enough
people tuned in to Gilligan’s Island to keep it on the air for three
seasons. Actually, there was supposed to
be a fourth season. When the final
episode of the 1966-67 season was finished, everyone involved with the show walked
off the set fully expecting to be back in the fall. However, there was a problem. Apparently, the long running western series
Gunsmoke was going to bow out after that season, but a CBS executive wanted to
keep it to please his wife who liked the show.
Room would have to be made on the schedule, and Gilligan’s Island was
sacrificed to make that happen. So now
the cast of Gilligan’s Island, who thought the fourth season was a done deal,
were suddenly out of work. And, of
course finding regular employment would be difficult in their highly competitive
profession.
Fortunately for Gilligan’s Island (and many other TV shows
through the years), it didn’t end there.
When the show moved into syndication, it soon reached a new and far
wider audience, many of whom were too young to remember the series when it was
on CBS. In a phenomenon somewhat similar
to shows like Star Trek and the Three Stooges, the afterlife took on a life of
its own. During the early 70s the
cartoon company Filmation would produce an animated version of Gilligan’s
Island, with most of the original cast voicing their characters. In the late 70s, there would be a reunion
special where the castaways finally got rescued. There would be other cast reunions on talk
shows, and on other sitcoms such as ALF.
Although Gilligan’s Island managed to maintain its
popularity for decades, it now appears to be fading from view as it approaches
the half century mark. I don’t think it
is running on any channels currently, at least not in my area. However, there are several classic television
networks, such as TV Land and Antenna TV.
Gilligan’s Island would be a good fit for these channels to pick up and
run for a while. Other than that, it is
hard to watch old episodes without purchasing the DVD. It seems is a copyright blocking episodes
from being shown on YouTube, which would be the only free outlet I could think
of in which to watch old episodes. But things
like this have a way of going in cycles.
If there is enough of a popular demand, it will find its way back.
