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The premise of Sherwood Schwartz's popular 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island" is handily explained in its theme song: five passengers check into a three-hour boat tour, run by the skipper and first mate of a tiny tourist boat called the S.S. Minnow. The ship hits some bad weather and is thrown miles off course, landing on an uncharted desert isle. The seven tourists become seven stranded castaways. No phones, no lights, no motorcars, not a single luxury. Like "Robinson Crusoe," it's as primitive as can be. The septet have to learn to live together, usually to comedic effect. 

Gilligan (Bob Denver) was the above-mentioned first mate, and his innocent cluelessness and tendency to bumble often thwarted the castaways' ability to escape. He shared the island with his Skipper (Alan Hale), a professor (Russell Johnson), a pair of married millionaires (Natalie Schafer and Jim Backus), a farmer (Dawn Wells), and a...

60 years ago, "Gilligan's Island" blessed the world with an ensemble seemingly fashioned by the gods. Bob Denver as Gilligan, Alan Hale Jr. as the Skipper, Russell Johnson as the Professor, Jim Backus as Thurston Howell III, Natalie Schafer as Eunice Howell, Dawn Wells as Mary Ann, and Tina Louise as Ginger. They are immortalized in the theme song, and ironclad comedic types thanks to the reinforcement of syndication. "Gilligan's Island" was always meant to be, and we must consider ourselves fortunate that we lived to behold its goofball majesty.

So prepare to be shocked. When the "Gilligan's Island" pilot went before cameras, Sherwood Schwartz hadn't yet fully communed with the comedy gods. In terms of the castaways, he had five out of seven figured out. Where he'd yet to strike gold was with the young female characters. Schwartz had a very different notion of how to give the show the...

In the "Gilligan's Island" episode "New Neighbor Sam," the castaways begin hearing mysterious voices from the bushes. Suspecting there are other people on the island, several of them go to investigate and discover -- after some slapstick shenanigans, of course -- that the voices were all coming from a talking macaw. The macaw identifies itself as Sam, and the Professor (Russell Johnson) tries to get the bird to say more, hoping to glean more information as to where it came from. The macaw also speaks like a gangster, so the Professor figures it must have once belonged to a career criminal, but somehow escaped and flew to their island.

The Professor's suspicions are confirmed when Sam steals a diamond belonging to Mrs. Howell (Natalie Schafer) and tries to abscond with it. Clearly, this macaw knows about jewels. Eventually, the castaways find the cave where the parrot had been hiding, and...

In the "Gilligan's Island" episode "Forward March", the castaways find themselves unexpectedly under attack. Grenades begin flying at them from the bushes, thrown by an unseen assailant. The explosions activate the war trauma of Mr. Howell (Jim Backus), and he immediately appoints himself a General, taking charge of the castaways and organizing a slapstick counterstrike. The castaways search the island and find that they are being attacked by a gorilla (Janos Prohaska), who has been living in a nearby cave. The gorilla has a machine gun and boxes upon boxes of hand grenades, presumably left over from World War II. The Professor (Russell Johnson) figures that the gorilla was merely imitating the soldiers it once observed, decades earlier. 

Gilligan (Bob Denver) manages to stare the gorilla down, and eventually trains it to throw its explosives out into the nearby lagoon, where no one will be hurt. The gorilla eventually runs out of ammo,...

The classic 1960s sitcom "Gilligan's Island" follows a handful of very different individuals who all become marooned together when their ship, the Minnow, runs aground on a deserted island. The series ran for three seasons and was moderately popular during its initial run, only to become even more popular in time through syndication. Unfortunately for some of the stars of the series, filming "Gilligan's Island" itself was kind of like being on that island, as the actors were in constant close contact with one another and there were some seriously conflicting personalities. 

Actor Russell Johnson, who had the incredibly important role as the Professor, frequently the voice of reason on the island, unfortunately, came to regret playing the character or starring on "Gilligan's Island" in the first place. He, unfortunately, became typecast due to the show's popularity, which derailed his career a bit in his eyes, but according to some...

For many years, fans of "Gilligan's Island" heard the rumors that actress Tina Louise, who played the glamorous movie star Ginger on the series, openly hated the show. These rumors were founded mostly on the fact that Louise, after "Gilligan's Island" went off the air in 1967, refused to reunite with her old co-stars for any of the follow-up TV movies or animated spinoffs. Everyone else returned for those projects, but Louise stayed far away. 

Additionally, stories from the set detailed a strained working relationship between Louise and star Bob Denver. Some might know the story about how Louise signed a contract allowing her to be listed last in the credits, forcing the writers of the "Gilligan's Island" theme song to refer to the Professor and Mary Ann as "and the rest!" It wouldn't be until Bob Denver pulled rank and theatened to put his own starring credit last that Louise...

You never could tell who was going to drop by "Gilligan's Island" during its three-season run in the mid-1960s. Actually, that's not entirely true. Frank Sinatra? He was way too big a name to mess with a silly network sitcom. Lyndon B. Johnson? The Texas lion of a politician did not have the temperament for that type of tomfoolery. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg? Lou Gehrig? The great Iron Horse of the New York Yankees was notoriously camera shy and dead.

For the most part, the famous people who turned up on that uncharted patch of land in the Pacific were then mid-level comedy celebrities like Phil Silvers, Don Rickles, and Larry Storch. Kurt Russell was easily the biggest movie star to ever set foot on the island, but he was just a precocious teenager at that point in his career. Numerous, soon-to-be-well-known character actors did have a penchant for stopping by the show,...

Bob Denver began his professional television career in 1957, appearing in one episode of "The Silent Service," but his career took off in earnest in 1959 when he was cast as the comedic beatnik Maynard G. Krebs in the long-running sitcom "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." He appeared in 144 episodes of that series throughout its four seasons, cementing Denver as a reliable, funny supporting player. 

After "Dobie Gillis," Denver secured a few notable gigs, appearing on "The Andry Griffith Show" and "Dr. Kildare," as well as the feature films "Take Her, She's Mine," and "For Those Who Think Young." By 1964, however, Denver's legacy was secured when he was cast as the title character in Sherwood Schwartz's hit sitcom "Gilligan's Island." Although that series only lasted 98 episodes in three seasons, it was a massive hit, beloved by audiences everywhere. Critics often lambasted "Gilligan's Island" for being too silly, but its reputation preceded it,...

There seems to be an entire subgenre of reality television devoted to watching otherwise privileged people survive or pretend to survive desert island conditions. The first big show to play with the concept was "Survivor," which became wildly successful and is still airing in 2024. "Survivor" is essentially a complicated tabletop game that takes place on a desert island and with a big cash prize on the line, though no one is actually truly fighting to survive. Contrast that with something like "Naked and Afraid" or "Alone," which put people into actual survival situations, leading to some truly dangerous and terrifying moments, and you can see the incredible range of this subgenre of reality TV. But did you know that once upon a time, there was a reality competition based on the classic TV series "Gilligan's Island?"

I'm sure plenty of people over the years have wondered how things would go...

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The old axiom states that the show must go on, and if you've ever participated in even a school play, you probably know why it applies. When you're bopping around hastily crafted sets (or sturdily built backdrops), it's not uncommon to get a splinter or two. You might sustain a mild head injury by walking straight into a low-hanging metal girder or sprain your ankle by tripping up over a cable protector where someone forgot to place glow tape. (These aren't oddly specific because they happened to me -- so far as you know.) These are unfortunate occurrences, but unless you're fancy enough to have an understudy, you've got to suck it up and show up for the next performance.

Obviously, there are certain extreme maladies that can shut you down for a while. Harrison Ford was out of commission...

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In Paul A. Cantor's 2001 book "Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization," the author posited that Sherwood Schwartz's celebrated-and-lambasted-in-equal-measure 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island" stood as a symbol of America's indomitable confidence in its post-War, Baby Boom period. One could, "Gilligan's" argued, place a random assortment of seven Americans in whatever isolated locale you wanted, and they would essentially form a pleasant democracy. The seven stranded castaways of "Gilligan's Island" might have bickered, but they never went to war. Instead, several distinct American classes came together. The ultra wealthy (Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer's Howells) hobnobbed with a farmer (Dawn Wells' Mary Ann). The intelligentsia (Russell Johnson's Professor) got along perfectly well with the Hollywood elite (Tina Louise's Ginger), and they were all held together by a gentle military hand (Alan Hale's Skipper). Gilligan, meanwhile,...

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Enterprising fans of Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island" have figured out more or less where the "Island" might be in the Pacific Ocean. Using Hawai'i as a starting point, and including known information about the make and model of the S.S. Minnow, certain viewers on Reddit have tried to calculate how far such a boat could have drifted during a three-hour tour. Some have even incorporated known tropical storm wind speeds and the fastest a non-operational ship could have drifted in the Pacific to locate Gilligan's desert isle. One calculation puts the island about two-thirds of the way to Midway Island from Hawai'i. Those calculations, however, are based on a lot of unspoken assumptions.

Much easier to figure out are the locations of the "Gilligan's Island," as complete records exist on the show's high-profile production. Most of "Gilligan's Island...

Actors don't get to choose how they break out. Obviously, given the dearth of opportunities, they're lucky to call themselves "working actors" in the first place. And when you're just starting out, the last thing you should do is refuse work -- unless there's something better and fully guaranteed on the horizon.

Consider the case of Tina Louise. Born in 1934, the beautiful young woman had a multitude of fashion modeling offers in the 1950s, but what she really wanted to do was act. Louise studied under the influential acting teacher Sanford Meisner in Manhattan, and she began booking Broadway gigs in 1952 starting with a role in the Bette Davis-led revue "Two's Company." She co-starred in the hit 1956 musical adaptation of "Li'l Abner" as Appassionata Von Climax, and made a splashy film debut in Anthony Mann's comedy "God's Little Acre." The latter earned her a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer,...

In the first season of Sherwood Schwartz's "Gilligan's Island," the opening theme song infamously left out character descriptors for Dawn Wells and Russell Johnson. It listed Gilligan, the Skipper too, the millionaire and his wife, the Movie Star, but then merely described Wells and Johnson as "And the rest." This was certainly unfair, as all seven members of the show's ensemble were equally important, each one bringing something valuable to the overall character dynamic. 

As many "Gilligan's" fans know, the reason Wells and Johnson weren't described was because of a stipulation in co-star Tina Louise's contract. Louise, who played Ginger the Movie Star, required that she be named last on any opening credits roll. Title star Bob Denver, however, felt that Wells and Johnson deserved more, and pulled rank on Louise. It seemed that he, too, had a contract stipulation allowing him to be listed in the credits wherever he wanted.

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Author Paul A. Cantor suggested in his book "Gilligan Unbound: Pop Culture in the Age of Globalization" that Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island" stood as a confident symbol for the triumph of American democracy during the post-war Baby Boom. Cantor noted that the series essentially created a random seven-character cross-section of the United States, and then abandoned them in a remote location. Despite their isolation and lack of resources, the seven stranded castaways formed a functional democracy. The rich and the poor, the farmers and the intelligentsia, actors and sailors, all became fast friends and easily set up shelter and systems of acquiring food. 

Additionally, Schwartz assembled a great ensemble of diverse character types, allowing them all to serve a particular dramatic function. Sure, the castaways were broad archetypes without much richness or complexity, but they certainly functioned. The...

In the realm of television, shooting a pilot is by no means a guarantee of going to series. The broadcast landscape is littered with failed one-and-done ventures like "Heat Vision and Jack," "Lookwell" and the "Beverly Hills Cop" series starring Brandon T. Jackson. If network executives don't like the way a promising concept plays once its up on its feet and before a camera, they'll nix it without a second thought. So it's important for show creators to put their best foot forward with that pilot, lest they join those aforementioned shows and hundreds of others on the scrap heap.

Amazingly, some shows can slap together a disastrous pilot and still make it to series. "Game of Thrones" famously stumbled out of the gate (forcing the producers to recast Daenerys Targaryen). Meanwhile, on the other end of the tonal spectrum, "Gilligan's Island" encountered choppy waters on its way to smooth...

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Every comedy team needs a straight man. Lou Costello had Bud Abbot. The Marx Brothers had Margaret Dumont. The Three Stooges had everyone they came in contact with. And while it may not sound like a good deal of fun to be the person setting up the funny folks for laughs, it does take a lot of skill to do it proficiently. And any comedian worth their weight in yuks knows the better the setup, the bigger the laugh.

This applies to many sitcoms, where the cast of zanies needs a steadily turning planet around which to wildly orbit. If you're really good at it, there could be multiple Primetime Emmys coming to you (e.g. Ed Asner won three for "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"). And if you happen to find yourself on "Gilligan's Island," while there might not...

"Gilligan's Island" was as rigidly formulaic a sitcom as ever existed, and this was very much by design. When Sherwood Schwartz wrote the pilot (in debilitating pain), he envisioned a series that could be enjoyed by all members of the family, provided they weren't too demanding. The continuing misadventures of the S.S. Minnow's seven castaways were mostly centered on getting off that confounded island in the Pacific Ocean, but sometimes Schwartz and his writers zagged, concocting a story that finds Gilligan and the gang facing some unexpected danger.

The most memorable of these episodes often involved dream sequences, a secret weapon for the show that allowed it to break up the tedium of the island-all-the-time setting. Sometimes they'd wind up in the Old West or some other long-ago, far-flung destination. One such instance found the cast traveling to Jolly Old England in the 1800s to try Gilligan for literally monstrous...

When most television series generate will-they-or-won't-they tension, this nervous energy is usually centered on a friendly relationship threatening to blossom into romance, or an innocent romance threatening to head to the bedroom. This is something shows like "Cheers," "Frasier" and "Moonlighting" did to perfection.

"Gilligan's Island" had a completely different kind of will-they-or-won't-they going, one that involved the entire cast. Put bluntly: most episodes revolved around the possibility that the castaways — either via rescue or their own craft-constructing ingenuity — might finally get off that blasted island. And if they did get off that island, how would the show continue? After all, once they return to civilization, it's not like they're all going to move in together due to some kind of bizarre Stockholm Syndrome impulse (though I would totally watch that version of the show).

CBS abruptly canceled "Gilligan's Island" after its third season (to save "Gunsmoke" at William S.

Prior to "Gilligan's Island," Natalie Schafer had a professional acting career that lasted for decades. When she was still in her 20s, Schafer began appearing in numerous Broadway productions, often in smaller roles, and rarely in a play that ran for a very long time. She was an expert in playing a certain kind of high-society bourgeoisie biddy, and tended to play comedically clueless archetypes. Beginning in the 1940s, Schafer started to appear in films as well, appearing in multiple features a year. In the 1950s, she stretched into television, and was soon playing guest characters on many of the hottest anthology shows of the day.

At some point along the way, Shafer began telling people that she was 12 years younger than she actually was, likely hoping to avoid a stubborn, unjust stigma in Hollywood against older women. She had a stipulation in her contract that she receive no extreme closeups,...

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There was a time when finding reruns of Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island" was incredibly easy. Thanks to a plum syndication deal, Schwartz's 98-episode show remained on the air for literally decades, sometimes playing daily, forming the basis of multiple generations' pop culture education. The show's famed theme song became firmly entrenched in the Jungian subconscious, and the characters became archetypes for many years to come. Gen-Xers can likely tell you all about "Gilligan's Island," even if they didn't like it. We saw the show without really trying. 

For those same Gen-Xers, seeking out and deliberately watching "Gilligan's Island" almost seems bizarre. It's a series that, for many, should just be playing somewhere at all times, like "I Love Lucy" or "The Twilight Zone" or "Law & Order." TV shows that have passively made their way into human eyeballs,...

There are some sitcoms that simply don't work if you're down so much as a single cast member. Could you imagine an episode of "Cheers" without Sam, Carla, Cliff and Norm? The series' producers and writers couldn't, which is why they never missed an episode. The same was true on a much larger scale for "The Brady Bunch," where every single member of the family (and their live-in housekeeper Alice) reported for duty on all 117 episodes.

This kind of consistency was evidently key to a successful Sherwood Schwartz sitcom. The writer/producer who created "The Brady Bunch" was also the mastermind behind "Gilligan's Island," the CBS joker about seven castaways who wash up on the shore of an uncharted island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. The key to the show's success was its shamelessness: from the pilot to the series finale (which arrived a little sooner than expected thanks to...

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The writers of "Gilligan's Island" were typically careful to retain storytelling clarity by pairing two of seven stranded castaways for their stories. Most typically, the bumbling Gilligan (Bob Denver) was paired with the short-tempered Skipper and their explosive relationship would unfold naturally. Mr. and Mrs. Howell (Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer) tended to move as a unit, and many felt that there was romantic chemistry between Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) and the Professor (Russell Johnson). Mary Ann was also often paired with Ginger (Tina Louise) as they were the only two unmarried women on the island and they bunked together.

Seen less often was the pairing of Mary Ann and Gilligan, which is a bit of a head-scratcher. Gilligan was the slapstick buffoon, while Mary Ann was the optimistic farm girl, both possessed of a disarming friendliness and an appealing naïveté.

Prior to "Gilligan's Island" in 1964, Tina Louise was already a long-working actress. Indeed, Louise worked her first modeling gig at the age of two, appearing in an ad campaign for her father's candy store. In high school, she started studying acting, and landed her first professional gig in 1956, appearing in an episode of the TV series "Studio One." She made her feature film debut in Anthony Mann's celebrated drama "God's Little Acre," in which Louise played Griselda, the wife of a character played by Jack Lord. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance. 

Louise went on to star in other high-profile film projects, including Michael Curtiz's "The Hangman," and the 1960 Italian historical epic "The Siege of Syracuse," in which she played three different roles. Louise also played the poet Sappho in a film called "The Warrior Empress." In 1964, she appeared in a film called "For Those Who Think Young,...

Sherwood Schwartz scored an unexpected television coup when his cartoony sitcom "Gilligan's Island" premiered on CBS 60 years ago. Though the show only lasted for three seasons, it turned into a syndication sensation with mostly teens and 20-somethings eager to avoid homework and chores around the house. Algebra assignments and the ever-growing grass on the front yard routinely took a backseat to the seven castaways from the S.S. Minnow. Yes, everyone knew they weren't getting off that confounded island, but every episode had a way of sparking false hope; between this and the Professor's fantastic inventions, the Howells' inexplicably lavish bamboo lodgings, and the eternal Mary Ann vs. Ginger debate, "Gilligan's Island" was shamefully irresistible.

The show's boundlessly silly situations and digressions also allowed for surprise guests (like the Harlem Globetrotters) and allusions to other hit series. Schwartz knew his show wasn't changing the face of television (even though it...

The overarching story of "Gilligan's Island" is, upon a moment of reflection, surprisingly nihilistic. Sherwood Schwartz's whimsical 1964 sitcom may take place in a cartoon-like universe where no one is really desperate, starving, or unclean, but it also takes place in a world where hope cannot thrive. At the beginning of every episode, the seven stranded castaways are presented with the opportunity to escape the island and return home. They become joyous and hopeful. Then a cataclysm occurs, usually at the bumbling hands of the clueless Gilligan (Bob Denver), and their opportunity is squandered. The castaways are stranded for another week, their prison sentence essentially extended. Hope becomes despair, again and again, creeping into this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time.

Sisyphus would relate.

"Gilligan's Island," however, offsets its despair with an unshakeable sense of whimsy. The show's characters may have eternally been pushing a boulder uphill,...

When Sherwood Schwartz was creating "Gilligan's Island" back in 1964, he designed the series as one might an animated show. It was meant to be a broad, unrealistic farce, so Schwartz had no issues with making "Gilligan's Island" into something colorful and artificial. The characters, for the most part, wore the same clothes every day, allowing Schwartz to color-code them. Gilligan (Bob Denver) always wore a long-sleeve red shirt and sailor's cap. The Skipper (Alan Hale) always wore blue and wore a captain's hat. The Professor (Russell Johnson) always wore slacks and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Ginger (Tina Louise) may have changed often, but she always wore something glamorous, and her red hair was always highlighted. 

What's more, Schwartz seemingly kept a close eye on characters' silhouettes. One of the reasons why The Skipper and Gilligan emerged as such an effective comedy duo was that Gilligan was...

Producer Sherwood Schwartz wasn't looking to make anyone a star when he began casting his 1960s sitcom "Gilligan's Island." The show was intended to be slapstick fun for the whole family, peppered with jokes that landed just as hard with parents as they did with their children. To get this across, he needed an ensemble that could remain in mellifluous orbit around Bob Denver's blundering Gilligan. (Denver himself was already a small screen star thanks to his portrayal of beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.") If the actors could get away with delivering Schwartz's groan-worthy banter without evoking groans from the undemanding folks at home, they were welcome on his uncharted desert island.

This isn't to say he hired a bunch of nobodies to fill out the cast of "Gilligan's Island." Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer were established, veteran performers, while Tina Louise...

Considering that so many sitcom contemporaries of Gilligan’s Island — The Brady Bunch, Bewitched, Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, The Addams Family — were made into feature films, it’s kinda weird that the show’s exotic locales and inherent live-or-die stakes didn’t get the same treatment. As it turns out, it wasn’t for lack of trying.

There have been multiple attempts to bring Gilligan and pals to the big screen, but like the S.S. Minnow, every one of them crashed into the rocks. For example, when the show’s creator, Sherwood Schwartz, was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Hall of Fame in 2008, he announced that he and his son Lloyd had just inked a deal for a Gilligan’s Island feature film. The agreement “just happened in the last 48 hours,” Schwartz told TV Guide. “I can’t take this much excitement at my age.”

Maybe because the elder...

Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island" was a pop-cultural powerhouse, attracting a mass audience larger than any of the CBS executives expected. While many critics and audience members criticized the show for being silly, unrealistic, and simplistic, it nonetheless lasted for three hit seasons, and was put into eternal syndication, staying alive in reruns for decades. What's more, the series warranted numerous TV movie sequels and spinoffs, including a 1981 TV movie wherein Gilligan (Bob Denver) and the other castaways met the Harlem Globetrotters -- called, helpfully, "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island" -- and an animated series wherein the castaways became stranded on a distant planet (!). Yes, "Gilligan's Planet" is a thing.

The spinoffs retained all the original cast members, with the exception of Tina Louise, whose character, Ginger, was played by various other actors. Curiously, the Globetrotters movie was the last time an original "Gilligan's Island" project graced the screen.

Natalie Schafer had been working for four decades before she was offered the role of Lovey Howell on Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island." Schafer later admitted that she only took the gig to get a free Hawaiian vacation, convinced that the show would fail, and she would be allowed to go on to better jobs. She was dismayed to learn that the original pilot had been picked up, and was further bummed out when the series became a hit. She was in the for the long haul. Luckily, the success of "Gilligan's Island" was so unexpectedly overwhelming that it likely smoothed over any trepidation she might have had, providing the actress with one of her most recognizable roles. 

Schafer was 64 years old when she appeared on the show, but that wasn't a fact she wanted anyone to know. The actress was raised in an era when it was considered...

Most actors are lucky to be remembered for one role once they've shuffled off this mortal coil, let alone a handful or more. Would you rather be consigned to dinner theater until you're too old to remember your lines, or would you prefer to have a few seasons in the sun as the main character on a ludicrous network sitcom that inexplicably turned into a syndication phenomenon?

The latter option should be a no-brainer, but some of the folks who found themselves stranded on "Gilligan's Island" spent most of their careers wishing they'd never taken that three-hour tour. Natalie Schafer was distraught before she even shot a single episode, weeping upon landing what a part that rescued her from small supporting turns in mostly unremarkable films.

As for Russell Johnson, who played the amiable Professor, he was of two minds. The World War II veteran, who survived getting shot down...

It's hard to think of a sitcom that typecast its actors more severely than "Gilligan's Island." Even though it only aired for three seasons, the slapstick comedy series about seven castaways marooned on a desert island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean proved inescapable professionally for its entire ensemble.

This was partly due to the albatross of syndication. After its cancellation, "Gilligan's Island" quickly became a favorite with undiscriminating couch potatoes, who got off on the show's laughably simple formula, inane gags, and colorful locale. They loved watching Bob Denver's blundering Gilligan repeatedly sabotage every single effort to get off the island, Ginger doing just about anything, and the Howells somehow living in the lap of bamboo luxury.

The show's enduring popularity was understandably bad news for the future endeavors of its younger performers, particularly Denver, Tina Louise, and Dawn Wells, all three of whom lacked a strong enough pre-...

Today marks the opening of Grimmfest 2024, one of the UK’s most exciting genre festivals, and we had the chance to chat with Victoria Fratz, producer of the witchy horror film Beezel, which makes its international premiere at the festival today. Victoria, known for her work alongside Aaron Fradkin at Social House Films, has been creating a stir in the horror community with their unique approach to crafting chilling narratives. Beezel is no exception, delivering a terrifying journey through a cursed New England home and spanning over six decades of eerie, interconnected stories.

Using different formats of “found footage” ranging from Super-8 to VHS to modern-day digital, Beezel captures the evolution of its cursed household while diving into the various forms of documentation people have used throughout time. The film brings to life the sinister story of an eternal witch, thirsty for the souls of the living, and the influence...

A lot is riding on television pilots. That's essentially your first episode, so it's going to determine whether the network or streamer moves forward on your series or adds it to the scrap heap of shows that almost were.

While shooting the pilot, several issues might arise. Oftentimes, that issue is casting. Be it a matter of chemistry or being just plain wrong for a role that initially felt like a perfect fit, actors can find themselves jettisoned even after the pilot is finished. "Gilligan's Island" had some casting slip-ups before bringing together an ensemble for the ages. On a decidedly more serious (and pricey) note, there's "Game of Thrones," the pilot for which went so incredibly sideways they had to reshoot the whole thing and recast one of the most pivotal roles.

The big loser here was Tamzin Merchant, a then up-and-coming young actor who'd landed what she thought...

In the "Gilligan's Island" episode "The Kidnapper", the castaways are found, but not in the most helpful way. A rogue kidnapper named Norbert Wiley (Don Rickles) has found his way to the island, and he begins to ply his trade immediately. He kidnaps Lovey Howell (Natalie Schafer) and demands the castaways pay $10,000. Mrs. Howell manages to give her kidnapper the slip, but he manages to kidnap Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) in exchange, now demanding $20,000. The cycle repeats itself again when Mary Ann escapes, and Norbert kidnaps Ginger (Tina Louise), demanding $30,000. 

Eventually, the castaways capture Norbert using Gilligan (Bob Denver) as the ultimate bait. In a bamboo cage, Norbert explains that kidnapping is a compulsion for him and that he cannot be reformed. Ginger takes it upon herself to psychoanalyze him and reform him, while the Skipper and the Professor (Russell Johnson) repair the boat that brought him to the island.

Alan Hale, Jr. became a performer as part of his family's legacy. His mother was actress Gretchen Hartman who appeared in dozens of films in the 1910s, while his father, Alan Hale (real name: Rufus Edward MacKahan) racked up hundreds of credits in the silent era, typically as a reliable sidekick to Errol Flynn. Hartman retired from acting in 1929, and Hale, Sr. continued to work until his death in 1950. Alan Hale, Jr. first appeared on the screen as an infant, "starring" opposite his mother. Hale made his Broadway debut in 1931, when he was only 10, appearing in a very, very short-lived show called "Caught Wet" (it opened and closed in the same month). In 1933, Hale played uncredited role in William Wellman's Depression-era drama "Wild Boys of the Road," and it may be the first movie a casual observer would recognize him in. 

Staring in 1941, Hale began his acting career in earnest,...

Fans of Gilligan’s Island love to joke about the earliest version of the show’s theme song, which shouts out most of the cast before resorting to an “And the rest!” lyric to refer to the Professor and Mary Ann. In fact, it didn’t change until star Bob Denver lobbied for it to include everyone.

One cast member, however, would have preferred to keep it the original way — Tina Louise, the “Movie Star” who closed out the original version of the credits. “Part of Louise’s dissatisfaction with the series was that she had expected to be the star of the show,” according to a 1965 issue of TV Guide, as reported by MeTV.

TV Guide wasn’t much of a gossip rag but even the publication responsible for channel listings couldn’t ignore the bad blood between Louise and everyone else in the cast. Denver, who played Gilligan, “will...

If you're hoping to discover that Russell Johnson, the level-headed, boundlessly inventive Professor Roy Hinkley from "Gilligan's Island" lived a life riddled with scandal, prepare to be sorely disappointed. Aside from his 1948 divorce and the time he entered the Burbank Post Office parking lot through the exit lane because he was running late for a Kiwanis Club dinner, there's not so much as a speck of dirt on this guy.

Born in 1924, you won't be surprised to learn that he served in World War II. But you might be interested to learn that on his 45th bombing raid in the Pacific Theater, his B-25 was shot down, forcing him to ditch the aircraft off the coast of the Philippines. His co-pilot was killed, while Johnson broke both of his ankles. Johnson received a fistful of medals, was honorably discharged, and used the G.I. Bill to study performance at the Actors' Lab in Hollywood.

Bob Denver was a gifted comedic actor that, thanks to his association with the hit series "Gilligan's Island," found himself unfortunately typecast. Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom was a massive success, and its seven lead actors, although some of them previously known, became forever linked with their roles on the series. Denver was no longer an actor who played Gilligan, he was Gilligan. Many might have assumed that Denver didn't have any acting range beyond playing a bumbling dimwit like Gilligan, and the actor never had a success quite as large as he did in 1964.

It may surprise one to learn that Denver was, by all accounts, a pretty cool guy. Indeed, he was known prior to "Island" for playing the ultra-cool character Maynard G. Krebs on the sitcom "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis." Maynard was also a broad, comedic character, but he was a devoted beatnik who wrote poetry,...

Natalie Schafer, who played the prim and positive Mrs. Howell on Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island," notoriously agreed to join the cast merely because she wanted a free Hawaiian vacation. A few of the opening scenes in the pilot and first episode of "Gilligan's" were shot on location, and Schafer figured an acting gig was the best way to sneak her way over there and relax on a beach for a few weeks. All she needed to do was act in a few scenes, collect a paycheck, and relaxation could commence. 

Schafer had been a professional actress for decades, having a career that began on stage in 1927. By 1964, she had hundreds of credits to her name, and Mrs. Howell was a walk in the park; she had played many similar roles in the past, so Schafer didn't have to delve deeply or do a lot of research. Mrs. Howell came naturally.

Sherwood Schwartz's "Gilligan's Island" was something of a cultural fulcrum for multiple generations. It was panned by critics when it first aired in 1964, but it was also a massive success, raking in money for CBS, hand over fist. Thanks to a plum syndication deal, reruns of the series stayed on the air for decades after its cancelation in 1967, allowing kids of the '70s, '80s, and '90s to grow up watching it.

Over the years, "Gilligan's Island" also enjoyed multiple TV movie sequels and a few animated spinoffs, seeing as the series never quite left the public consciousness. One might have seen "Rescue from Gilligan's Island" in 1978, "The Castaways of Gilligan's Island" in 1979, or "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island" in 1981. Saturday morning kiddos may have also caught Filmation's "The New Adventures of Gilligan" in 1974, or the bonkers 1982 spinoff "Gilligan's Planet." 

It's curious, however, that no one...

Alan Hale Jr. was a showbiz veteran before he could speak. The son of Alan Hale, a popular character actor best known for his portrayal of Little John in Michael Curtiz' classic "The Adventures of Robin Hood," Hale Jr. appeared in silent films as a baby and made a few war movies as a young man before serving in the United States Coast Guard during World War II. Once the war was over, Hale Jr. worked steadily in film and television, turning up on episodes of "Gunsmoke," "Mister Ed," and "Lassie" while landing supporting roles in movies starring John Wayne, Gregory Peck, and Randolph Scott.

Hale Jr. would be castigated as a nepobaby today, but while being literally born to the business didn't hurt his cause, he was a natural in front of the camera and a welcome presence in just about everything. So, it's no surprise that, after a difficult casting process,...

In the mid-60s, beach movies were all the rage. The super-specific subgenre was an early iteration of the coming-of-age movie, but in place of any real depth or story, its plots often focused on adolescent fun. They typically featured music, dancing, bright colors, and light romantic and comedic hijinks. At their most complex, the teen beach movies came across as a discordant mix of the sanitized family cinema of the '50s and the youth-in-revolt transgressiveness of '70s film -- slightly wholesome, but slightly countercultural.

The 1963 movie "Beach Party" is often credited with popularizing the mini-genre, and after its success, plenty of imitators were churned out in quick succession. Among them is "For Those Who Think Young," a relatively forgotten movie that's best-known as Nancy Sinatra's film debut. It wasn't just Sinatra who made waves on screen, though; the movie also starred Tina Louise and Bob Denver,...

There is a general aesthetic rule in animation, often stressed in animation schools, called the silhouette principle. The idea is that an animator, when designing a character, should endeavor to create something that can instantly be recognized in silhouette. Think of a character like Bart Simpson. Even if presented completely in shadow, Bart is instantly recognizable. Same with Fred Flintstone, Speed Racer, or Invader Zim. 

When it comes to color, there is a similar principle one might learn in similar classes. If a character is associated with a certain color scheme, it's important to consistently repeat that color scheme. This is certainly a rule that pertains to superheroes; Superman always requires a blue suit, a red cape, red boots, and a yellow belt in the middle. The Hulk, when looked at standing up, is green on top and green on bottom, but always has purple pants in the middle. There...

After Sherwood Schwartz's hit sitcom "Gilligan's Island" wrapped in 1967, actress Tina Louise, who played the glamorous movie star Ginger Grant, was finished. While most of Louise's co-stars would return for "Gilligan's Island" TV movies and spinoffs, she would stay away from the franchise, pursuing other film and TV projects as her whims dictated. Louise's refusal to make more "Gilligan's Island" after 1967 led to persistent rumors that she hated the show and didn't enjoy her time on it. While Louise might have been a little cold to her co-stars, she has revealed that she never resented them for any reason, and actually very much enjoyed her time on "Gilligan's Island."

After "Gilligan's Island," Louise starred in several high-profile films, including the Matt Helm spy spoof "The Wrecking Crew," the sci-fi horror film "The Stepford Wives," and the made-for-tv sequel "Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby." Her most recent performance came...

Before "Gilligan's Island," comedian Alan Hale, Jr. had a prolific, decades-long career on stage and screen. He made his stage debut in 1931 at the age 10, began a very busy film career in 1941, and made multiple films a year throughout the 1950s. He played the title characters in both the 1953 adventure series "Biff Baker, U.S.A." and the 1957 Western "Casey Jones." He was a regular visitor of "The Gene Autry Show," and had guest spots in many of the more popular TV shows of the day. He was in "Maverick," "Bonanza," "The Untouchables," "Gunsmoke," and "Rawhide." There was, it seemed, nothing he couldn't do. 

Hale was reported always friendly and affable, and it was his affability that landed him the role of Jonas Grumby, aka The Skipper, on Sherwood Schwartz's 1964 sitcom "Gilligan's Island." The Skipper had to be the outraged, wrathful friend of the bumbling title character, but also...

It would be completely understandable that Ron Howard, having directed more than two dozen genre-tripping films spanning six decades, would want to shake things up a bit by jumping into something outside his proven comfort zone. And it would be equally logical that the vehicle to take him there would be a certifiably bizarre but true account of a 1920s German philosopher who sets up an experimental society with his lover/disciple on a remote island in the Galápagos, only to have it all implode when opportunists come and crash the party.

But despite all the intriguing possibilities of the concept and a game, international cast including Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Brühl and Sydney Sweeney, Eden, handed its world premiere at Toronto, never finds its happy place. The prevailing overwrought tone lands more cartoonish than satirical, while a protracted running time accentuates the film’s deficiencies.

Some sitcom actors only ever get one really great role, but Jim Backus had several. The actor, who played wealthy Wall Street regular Thurston Howell III on the popular castaway series "Gilligan's Island," had already made a name for himself by the show's premiere in 1964. He'd appeared regularly on the radio before TV was the dominant media of the time, and voiced the nearly blind cartoon character Mr. Magoo beginning in 1949. Backus also played a key role in Nicholas Ray's 1955 teen movie "Rebel Without A Cause," portraying the father who falls short when James Dean's angsty antihero Jim Stark needs him.

A few years before "Gilligan's Island," Backus even got his own show, aptly named "The Jim Backus Show" in the style of the time. In the Backus-led series, which was also called "Hot Off the Wire," the actor played a man named Mike O'Toole, who was attempting...

Here's a lightly intriguing bit of Hollywood history that involves "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," "Gilligan's Island" and Arthur Penn's New Hollywood masterpiece "Bonnie and Clyde."

Like most showbiz lore, it begins with Bob Denver's physical condition. If you're reading this, there is a very good chance that you've never seen an episode of "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," let alone heard of it. Created by humorist Max Shulman, whose other major claim to fame is having written "The Tender Trap", the sitcom aired for four seasons on CBS and quickly became a showcase for Denver, whose Maynard G. Krebs brought beatnik culture into America's living rooms.

Krebs was a hepcat with an affinity for jazz and a hatred of work. He spoke via a too-cool-for-school patois, and, being too young to know much of what he was talking about, often made an ass of himself in doing so.