One of the most popular sitcoms of all time is Gilligan’s Island. It was on TV from 1964 until 1967, but the reruns continue to be shown down to this day.
When you take a closer look at Gilligan’s Island, you may soon discover that you didn’t know everything there was to know about it. Even though it was only running for three seasons, it was incredibly popular and the small cast living on a tropical paradise continue to be household names.
One of the fun things about Gilligan’s Island is the fact that there were so many mistakes and bloopers that happened during such a short run. Here are a few of them so that you can look for them the next time you watch.
First of all, there are some mystery people during the opening credits. Many of us will remember the boat starting in the Marina, where the skipper and Gilligan are first introduced to us. Next, we see the SS Minnow setting sail to the deep blue sea.
They were on a three-hour tour, and we know that only the castaways should’ve been on board, but if you take a closer look, you will see eight people on the boat. There were only seven people on the island, so who were the extra people?
It seems as if it was stand-ins that were used to get the shots from a distance. The real actors weren’t on the boat for those scenes, but it was extras that made it happen. Many people tend to miss this sneaky little blooper.
In the episode from season two, The Friendly Physician, there is a rather unusual storyline. A mad scientist, played by Vito Scotty lures the castaways to another island. He is promising to rescue the group but he actually is planning some experiments.
One of the experiments happens when Gilligan’s brain is swapped with Mrs. Howells. Incidentally, this is the only episode where they are able to leave the island.
In the episode, there is a blooper in the scene where the castaways are sailing away from the castle. Look in the background and you will see the CBS studio lot.
The lagoon set was designed to hide traces of the surrounding warehouses and studios. Many plants and trees were included, but this shot seemed to look beyond it and you can see Hollywood in the background.
In the Gilligan’s Island episode entitled, Marooned, a bit of dark humor showed up. The filming of that original pilot from the series also coincided with the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 1963.
They were finishing wrapping up the filming in Honolulu Harbor, and the filming was delayed as a result of the assassination. Many US naval and military bases were closed as a result.
The flag in the opening credits of Gilligan's Island is at half-mast because of the Kennedy assassination. pic.twitter.com/JDxowvdsUt
— DrPopCulture (@DrPopCultureUSA) April 16, 2023
If you look carefully at the intro sequence, you can see the US flags in the background flying at half-mast.
When Alex Hale was auditioning for the role of The Skipper, he showed up in a rather unusual way. At the time, he was in Utah filming the Western, Bullet for a Bad Man and was asked to cast for this role in Gilligan’s Island.
In order to make it for the audition, he snuck off the set on horseback, hitchhiked to Las Vegas, got a flight to Los Angeles, and was able to make the audition.
Because of going the extra mile to get the role, he beat out some tough competition, including Carroll O’Connor from On the Family.
In the first episode of Gilligan’s Island, the skipper and Gilligan build a raft to head out to sea. In actuality, they were in the middle of a large movie tank.
Look carefully during the shark attack scene and you can see the rim of the tank in some of the shots. When an oar is bitten by a shark and the Skipper tells him to keep paddling, look for the shadow of the boom mic on the raft in the lower corner.
In addition, a woodpecker is attacking Gilligan when he disguises himself inside of a tree trunk. Too bad woodpeckers don’t live on Ocean Islands.
Originally, the theme song to Gilligan’s Island didn’t mention the professor and Mary Ann. After the premiere, and because they became more and more popular, the line ‘the Professor and Mary Ann’ was added.
In the episode So Sorry, My Island, Vito Scotty shows up as a Japanese sailor from World War II. He doesn’t realize that the war has been over for a long time and he shows up in a one-man submarine.
After the Skipper and Gilligan come up with a plan to steal the submarine, there is a problem. The skipper can’t fit in so Gilligan takes over and starts driving around the lagoon.
Actually, there wasn’t a submarine and if you look closely, you can see some flippers popping out of the water. When the periscope is being piloted by Gilligan, it’s actually attached to a diver who was swimming through the tank.
Ginger Grant and Mary Ann Summers were very popular parts of the show. They also were quite different, with Ginger being the Hollywood superstar and Don Wells being the innocent girl next door.
Undoubtedly, Ginger was the sex symbol of the show but there was more to her than the glitz and glamour seen on the outside.
Mary Ann was the one who was supposed to be charming and sincere, and she became the all-American girl.
Wells said: “Don’t get me wrong — Tina was so beautiful and sexy and I learned so much from her. But Mary Ann was wholesome, approachable and attainable. She’s the girl you’d have a crush on and want to bring home to Mom.”
Here’s an interesting blooper you might have missed. In the episode They’re Off and Running, Gilligan becomes the houseboy for the Howells. Even though he is married, you can see his wedding ring easily in the shot.
One of the biggest stars of the show, Dawn Wells, shared a little inside information. She said:
“Gilligan you don’t think of as a romantic partner. Alan [Hale, the Skipper] was more like a father. But the professor had everything: good looks, a sense of humor, was very intelligent. Bob [Denver] and I were really close friends. So was Alan [Hale]. He could pick up Tina [Louise] in one arm, me in the other at the same time, he was so strong. Ms. Howell and I also became really good friends.”
Unfortunately, most of the cast has passed away. The only one who is still alive is Tina Louise, who is now 90 years old. She played the part of Ginger.
Jim Backus died in 1989, Alan Hale Jr. died in 1990, Natalie Schafer died in 1991, Bob Denver died in 2005, Russell Johnson died in 2014, and most recently Dawn Wells passed away in 2020.
You’ll never see the show the same way again!
