Gilligan's Island: Difference between revisions

Iconic "stupid sitcom" from the 1960s, filled with [[Idiot Plot|Idiot Plots]]s, [[What an Idiot!]] moments galore, a [[Laugh Track]], and a great cast of actors. The show featured seven stereotyped characters — a millionaire, his snobby wife, a famous actress, a farm girl, a college professor, an innocent misfit klutz, and the captain of the charter boat on which all of them had sailed — trapped on a [[Deserted Island]]. Their little colony of survivors was usually awash in schemes, alliances, betrayals, and petty manipulations, usually over the most minor of things. Their own foibles and blind spots frequently sabotaged any chance of rescue or escape, and nobody ever seemed to learn anything from their mistakes.

...Wait, did we get mixed up with the article on ''[[Survivor (TV series)|Survivor]]''? No? Okay, just checking.

''Gilligan's Island'' was created in 1963 by veteran TV writer/producer [[Sherwood Schwartz]] (who would later make a career out of ''[[The Brady Bunch]]''). Schwartz was an academic with degrees in zoology and psychology, and originally intended for the program to be a meaningful examination of American life. Inspired by ''[[Robinson Crusoe (Literature)|Robinson Crusoe]]'', Schwartz intended to create a microcosm of American society by stranding representative members of different subcultures and seeing how they interact. He chose his representatives carefully, claiming later that "Anybody who is watching can identify with someone." How this ostensibly academic and rather intriguing concept turned into the show that actually aired is anyone's guess. It lasted three years on [[CBS]] (1964-671964–67), then became a perennial favorite in [[Vindicated Byby Reruns|daily syndication]].

At least four TV movies and two cartoon series followed, first rescuing, then re-stranding, then re-rescuing the castaways, who then turned the island into a resort. In the strangest twist, though ,<ref>(although the cartoon where they built a spaceship and escaped from the '''planet''' to wind up on another planet entirely has to take some beating)</ref>, 2004 saw ''Gilligan's Island'' become the first (and maybe only) [[Sit ComSitcom]] ever revived as a [[Reality Show]], with the broadcast of ''The Real Gilligan's Island'' on TBS...a show which combined the original series with ''Survivor'' in a bizarre blend.

A [[The Film of the Series|big-screen adaptation]] is currently trapped in [[Development Hell]] after missing an initial release date of March 30, 2012.

* [[Amnesia Episode]]: There were actually two of these, one with the Skipper and the other with Mary Ann, who thinks she's Ginger. When the Professor tries to snap her out of it with hypnosis, Gilligan ends up thinking he's Mary Ann. Obviously [[Played for Laughs]].

* [[Bag of Holding]] / [[Great Big Book of Everything]]: [[The Other Wiki]] says the Professor always had the facts he needed in a book that was conveniently at the top of his backpack.

** That last sentence is a [[Memetic Mutation]], in that there werewas atan least two separate occasionsoccasion where the Professor concocted a means to repair the Minnow using material available on the island: Gilligan found a tree sap to make syrup with, to put on pancakes, but it turned out to be incredibly sticky. InThe bothProfessor got the idea to use it to glue boards onto the boat. casesHowever, the repairsadhesive notwas only failedtemporary but leftand the whole boat worse(that offhad been treated) fell apart before launching. (needlessSo tothat say,one becausewas of''NOT'' Gilligan)'s fault... unless you count his discovery of the sap to begin with.)

* [[Bottle Episode]]: Any that didn't involve a dream sequence.

** Which lead to an offscreen Heartwarming Moment as Backus completed his scene and walked over to Dawn Wells (Mary Ann) and asked "Was I funny?". She hugged him and assured him he was. To this day the incident makes her tear up as she recounts it for interviews.

* [[Catch Phrase]]: "D'OH!" (predating [[The Simpsons (animation)|Homer Simpson]] [[Older Than They Think|by over two decades]].)

* [[Distinguished Gentleman's Pipe]]: The Professor, in the beginning. Sometimes other characters, in [[Dream Sequence|Dream Sequences]]s.

* [[The Ditz]]: Gilligan

* [[Expy]]: Gilligan and the Skipper were designed to be a modern day Stan LauralLaurel and Oliver Hardy.

* [[Happily Married]]: The Howells.

* [[Hey, It's That Guy!|Hey, It's That Lagoon!]]: Schwartz used the lagoon set and space capsule prop for his series ''[[Its About Time]]''.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: In interviews, Sherwood Schwartz has (perhaps jokingly) said that the S.S. Minnow was named as a [[Take That]] to Newton N. Minow, famous for his vast wasteland speech.

* [[The Professor]]: The Professor, of course.

* [[Screwed Byby the Network]]: Originally intended to have a fourth season, the show was cancelled at the last minute to make room for ''[[Gunsmoke]]'', which was the favorite program of then CBS chairman William S. Paley and his wife, Barbara Mortimer.

* [[Springtime for Hitler]]{{context}}

* [[Stranger in Aa Familiar Land]]: In the first reunion movie, the characters suffered from this somewhat.

* [[Theme Tune Roll Call]]: The lyrics are quoted at the start of this page.

* [[You Can't Go Home Again]]: They finally escape...and find they'd rather be back on the island. Thankfully, they retain contact with the mainland and turn it into a resort. Then invite the [[Harlem Globetrotters]] with [[Mission: Impossible|Rolland Hand and Cinnamon Carter]] coming along for the ride.