Gilligan's Island (season 1)
The first season of the American comedy television series Gilligan's Island was shown in the United States on September 26, 1964 and concluded on June 12, 1965 on CBS. The season introduced the comic adventures of seven castaways as they attempted to survive and escape from an island on which they had been shipwrecked. Most episodes revolved around the dissimilar castaways' conflicts and their failed attempts—invariably Gilligan's fault—to escape their plight. The season originally aired on Saturdays at 8:30-9:00 pm (EST).
| Gilligan's Island | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 36 |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Original release | September 26, 1964 – June 12, 1965 |
| Season chronology | |
Production
Executive producers for the first season included William Froug and series creator Sherwood Schwartz.[1] Filming took place at the CBS Radford Studios complex in Studio City, Los Angeles California.[2] This complex contained 17 sound stages, as well as special effects and prop departments.[3] On one stage, a lagoon had been constructed by the production company "at great expense".[4] According to Bob Denver, the crew would spend half their days filming scenes in the lagoon. Shots and sequences involving the characters were filmed in a different soundstage.[4] After the series was cancelled, the show's lagoon was not dismantled, and it remained in place until 1995, when it was converted into a parking lot.[2][4]
Cast
The series employed an ensemble cast of seven main actors and actresses.[5] Denver played the role of the titular First Mate Gilligan, a bumbling, naive, and accident-prone crewman who often messes up the castaways chances of rescue. Alan Hale, Jr. portrayed The Skipper, captain of the S.S. Minnow and the older friend of Gilligan. Jim Backus appeared as Thurston Howell III, a millionaire, and Natalie Schafer played his wife, Eunice Lovelle Wentworth Howell. Tina Louise played the role of Ginger Grant, a famous movie star. Russell Johnson portrayed Professor Roy Hinkley, Ph.D., a high school science teacher who often used his scientific background for ways to get the castaways off the island. Dawn Wells played Mary Ann Summers, a wholesome farm girl from Kansas.[6] Charles Maxwell was the uncredited voice of the radio announcer, to whom the castaways would often listen.
Broadcast history
The season aired Saturdays from 8:30-9:00 pm (EST) on CBS. It was the only season filmed in black-and-white.
DVD release
The DVD was released by Warner Home Video, along with the pilot episode as a bonus episode.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by [7] | Written by [7] | Original air date [8] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Two on a Raft" | John Rich | Lawrence J. Cohen & Fred Freeman | September 26, 1964 | |
|
Following a violent storm that maroons crew and passengers on an uncharted island, the Skipper (Alan Hale Jr.) and Gilligan (Bob Denver) sail for help on a raft. On the island, the remaining castaways are worried about possible headhunters. Skipper and Gilligan wind up back on the island. Each group now believe the other are the headhunters. Note: Part of this episode was filmed in Moloaa Bay, Kaua'i, Hawaii. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Home Sweet Hut" | Richard Donner | Bill Davenport & Charles Tannen | October 3, 1964 | |
| The seven castaways decide that they're unwilling to all share the same dwelling, so they break up into teams to construct four separate huts. A violent storm is on the horizon, so time is of the essence, and with Gilligan trying to help, there are plenty of setbacks. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Voodoo Something to Me" | John Rich | Austin Kalish & Elroy Schwartz | October 10, 1964 | |
| After a robbery of their supplies, the castaways believe a convict is loose on the island, while Skipper thinks it's voodoo. The Skipper believes that Gilligan has been turned into a chimpanzee. Later, Gilligan thinks the Skipper was turned into the chimp. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Goodnight, Sweet Skipper" | Ida Lupino | Dick Conway & Roland MacLane | October 17, 1964 | |
|
Skipper is able to turn the radio into a transmitter. The catch is that he can only do it when he sleepwalks. Gilligan gets some tranquilizers from Mr. Howell. The only problem is that everyone drops a couple pills in the Skippers drink. Will he be able to make contact with aviatrix Alice McNeil on her around the world flight or will Gilligan mess things up? Note: With June Foray as the voice of aviatrix Alice McNeil. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Wrongway Feldman" | Ida Lupino | Fred Freeman & Lawrence J. Cohen | October 24, 1964 | |
| Famed aviator Wrongway Feldman (Hans Conried in his first of two guest appearances) is discovered living on the island with a damaged plane, so the castaways offer to help fix it. But each time Wrongway is about to take off, something goes wrong with the plane as if it had be sabotaged. Turns out it was Wrongway that did it, as he doesn't feel he can fly anymore after all that time. He does eventually take off and makes it back to New York. However, he can't give accurate directions back to the island. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "President Gilligan" | Richard Donner | Roland Wolpert | October 31, 1964 | |
| When Mr. Howell and the Skipper square off over who is in charge, the castaways decide they need to elect a leader. Howell and Skipper both try to influence the others votes. When the castaways cast their votes, the result is surprising. Gilligan, the new president, takes his job seriously, but no one else on the island pays any attention to his ideas. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Sound of Quacking" | Thomas Montgomery | Lawrence J. Cohen & Fred Freeman | November 7, 1964 | |
|
There is a blight on the island and food is scarce. A duck lands on the island. The Professor wants to attach a message to the duck and hope for a rescue, while most of the others want to eat it. Gilligan is determined to protect the duck. In the end, the duck helps them with their food shortage. Note: Mel Blanc voices the duck. Ironically, the dream sequence was filmed on the set of Gunsmoke, which replaced Gilligan's Island in its time slot for season 4, cancelling the show. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Goodbye Island" | John Rich | Albert E. Lewin & Burt Styler | November 21, 1964 | |
| Gilligan discovers the perfect, permanent glue from tree sap when trying to make pancake syrup. The castaways decide to use this "glue" to patch the wreckage of the Minnow. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "The Big Gold Strike" | Stanley Z. Cherry | Roland Wolpert | November 28, 1964 | |
| Mr. Howell and Gilligan discover a gold mine on the island and soon greed and 'gold fever' overcome the castaways. | ||||||
| 10 | 10 | "Waiting for Watubi" | Jack Arnold | Fred Freeman & Lawrence J. Cohen | December 5, 1964 | |
| Skipper finds a tiki idol, a small statue of Kona, the god of evil. Skipper believes he is cursed as he disturbed his resting place. Only a visit from Watubi can lift the spell. | ||||||
| 11 | 11 | "Angel on the Island" | Jack Arnold | Herbert Finn & Alan Dinehart | December 12, 1964 | |
| Mr. Howell agrees to back Ginger's off-Broadway, on-island show. However, his wife soon believes that she should be the star of her husband's show. | ||||||
| 12 | 12 | "Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk" | Rod Amateau | Sherwood Schwartz and Austin Kalish and Elroy Schwartz | December 19, 1964 | |
| It's Christmas on the island and the castaways recall their first days of being shipwrecked whilst waiting for the believed oncoming rescue ship. | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Three Million Dollars More or Less" | Thomas Montgomery | Story by : Sam Locke & Joel Rapp Teleplay by : Bill Davenport & Charles Tannen | December 26, 1964 | |
| Gilligan wins $3 million from Mr. Howell in a putting contest, but Mr. Howell schemes to get it back. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "Water, Water Everywhere" | Stanley Z. Cherry | Tom Waldman & Frank Waldman | January 2, 1965 | |
| When the water supply runs short, the castaways are forced to ration. Skipper believes a divining rod is the answer. | ||||||
| 15 | 15 | "So Sorry, My Island Now" | Alan Crosland, Jr. | David P. Harmon | January 9, 1965 | |
| A Japanese sailor (Vito Scotti in his first of four guest appearances) captures everyone except Gilligan and the Skipper. | ||||||
| 16 | 16 | "Plant You Now, Dig You Later" | Lawrence Dobkin | Elroy Schwartz & Oliver Crawford | January 16, 1965 | |
| Gilligan uncovers a treasure chest while digging a pit for Mr. Howell. A court is held, with the professor as the judge to decide rightful ownership. | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "Little Island, Big Gun" | Abner Biberman | Dick Conway & Roland MacLane | January 23, 1965 | |
| Trying to evade the police after a heist, a gangster (Larry Storch) is dropped off on the island, planning to hide out for a while. | ||||||
| 18 | 18 | "'X' Marks the Spot" | Jack Arnold | Sherwood Schwartz & Elroy Schwartz | January 30, 1965 | |
| The Air Force intends to test a new missile directly aimed at the island. | ||||||
| 19 | 19 | "Gilligan Meets Jungle Boy" | Lawrence Dobkin | Al Schwartz and Howard Merrill & Howard Harris | February 6, 1965 | |
| Gilligan finds a jungle boy (Kurt Russell) who takes him to a natural source of helium on the island. | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "St. Gilligan and the Dragon" | Richard Donner | Arnold & Lois Peyser | February 13, 1965 | |
| The women tire of being held subservient to the men and, inspired by the ancient Greek comedy Lysistrata, decide to separate and build their own camp. The men soon realise how much they need the women, and so they try to scare the women back. | ||||||
| 21 | 21 | "Big Man on Little Stick" | Tony Leader | Charles Tannen & Lou Huston | February 20, 1965 | |
| Super surfer Duke Williams (Denny Miller) rides a tsunami onto the island, but when the chance arrives for him to leave on another tsunami, his attraction to Ginger and Mary Ann keeps him wanting to stay there. | ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "Diamonds Are an Ape's Best Friend" | Jack Arnold | Elroy Schwartz | February 27, 1965 | |
| A gorilla is loose on the island, and he likes Mrs. Howell because of her perfume. | ||||||
| 23 | 23 | "How to Be a Hero" | Tony Leader | Herbert Finn & Alan Dinehart | March 6, 1965 | |
| Gilligan has to be rescued while he is rescuing Mary Ann. This failure leaves him feeling down in the dumps so the other castaways devise ways to try to make him feel like a hero. | ||||||
| 24 | 24 | "The Return of Wrongway Feldman" | Ida Lupino and Gene Nelson | Lawrence J. Cohen & Fred Freeman | March 13, 1965 | |
| Wrongway Feldman (Hans Conried in his second of two guest appearances) is back, this time trying to escape the hustle and bustle of the modern world. The castaways attempt to convince him that civilization is better than life on the island. | ||||||
| 25 | 25 | "The Matchmaker" | Tony Leader | Joanna Lee | March 20, 1965 | |
| Mrs. Howell plays matchmaker to Gilligan and Mary Ann, which ironically leads to a separation between the Howells. | ||||||
| 26 | 26 | "Music Hath Charm" | Jack Arnold | Al Schwartz & Howard Harris | March 27, 1965 | |
| Mrs. Howell wants to civilize the island with an orchestra, but the sounds attract the wrong kind of audience. | ||||||
| 27 | 27 | "New Neighbor Sam" | Thomas Montgomery | Charles Tannen & George O'Hanlon | April 3, 1965 | |
| The castaways are hearing voices of gangsters, but it turns out to be a parrot. Mel Blanc and Herb Vigran do the ganster voices of the parrot. | ||||||
| 28 | 28 | "They're Off and Running" | Jack Arnold | Walter Black | April 10, 1965 | |
| The Skipper and Mr. Howell wager items on the outcome of their turtle races. | ||||||
| 29 | 29 | "Three to Get Ready" | Jack Arnold | David P. Harmon | April 17, 1965 | |
| Gilligan finds a lucky stone, "The Eye of the Idol", that entitles him to three wishes before the end of the day. | ||||||
| 30 | 30 | "Forget Me Not" | Jack Arnold | Herbert Margolis | April 24, 1965 | |
| The Skipper has amnesia and the Professor resorts to hypnosis to cure him. However, trouble ensues as he keeps missing the moment of memory at which the Skipper should be. | ||||||
| 31 | 31 | "Diogenes, Won't You Please Go Home?" | Christian Nyby | David P. Harmon | May 1, 1965 | |
| Gilligan is keeping a diary, inspiring the others to write diaries of their own. Everyone has different memories of the day the Japanese sailor (Vito Scotti in his second of four guest appearances) came to the island. | ||||||
| 32 | 32 | "Physical Fatness" | Gary Nelson | Herbert Finn & Alan Dinehart | May 8, 1965 | |
| When rescue looks imminent Gilligan helps the Skipper lose enough weight to get back into the navy once they are rescued. Gilligan must also gain weight so he too can return to navy life. | ||||||
| 33 | 33 | "It's Magic" | Jack Arnold | Al Schwartz & Bruce Howard | May 15, 1965 | |
| A magician's trunk washes ashore and the castaways learn tricks to scare away natives. | ||||||
| 34 | 34 | "Goodbye, Old Paint" | Jack Arnold | David P. Harmon | May 22, 1965 | |
| Dubov (Harold J. Stone), a reclusive, snobbish painter, is found on the island. To convince him to return to civilization, they set up Gilligan as a rival avant-garde artist. | ||||||
| 35 | 35 | "My Fair Gilligan" | Tony Leader | Joanna Lee | June 5, 1965 | |
| Gilligan saves Mrs. Howell's life and the Howells decide to adopt him, and change him into "G. Thurston Howell IV" — an endeavor which results in problems for all concerned. | ||||||
| 36 | 36 | "A Nose by Any Other Name" | Hal Cooper | Elroy Schwartz | June 12, 1965 | |
| Gilligan's nose swells and his ego fades after he falls out of a coconut tree. He insists that the professor perform surgery on his now deformed nose. | ||||||
Footnotes
- Berard and Englund (2009), p. 126.
- "CBS Studio Center". Seeing-Stars.com. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
- "CBS Buys Republic Lot". Broadcasting. February 27, 1967. ProQuest 1014503405. (subscription required)
- Walstad, David (August 7, 1995). "Civilization Takes Over 'Gilligan's' Lagoon". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
- Tucker (2010), p. 89.
- Schwartz (2009), pp. 49–64.
- Schwartz (1988), pp. 278–291.
- Gilligan's Island: The Complete Second Season (booklet). Rich, John, et al. Warner Home Video.CS1 maint: others (link)
References
- Berard, Jeanette; Englund, Klaudia (2009). Television Series and Specials Scripts, 1946-1992. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786454372.
- Morowitz, Laura (2003). "From Ganguin to Gilligan's Island". In Morreale, Joanne (ed.). Critiquing the Sitcom: A Reader. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0815629832.
- Schwartz, Sherwood (1988). Inside Gilligan's Island. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312104825.
- Stoddard, Sylvia (1996). TV Treasures – A Companion Guide to Gilligan's Island. St Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312957971.
- Tucker, David (2010). Lost Laughs of '50S and '60S Television: Thirty Sitcoms That Faded Off Screen. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786455829.