I’m not sure why, but somehow the silly, preposterous scenario captured my imagination as the show aired over and over on weekday afternoons during my youth.
Back then we didn’t have the Internet to help us obsess about a favorite TV show, old or new. We were lucky to find information about our favorite TV shows. Nowadays if you want to find out every last detail about any TV show in production, the Internet will provide you with hours of information. I’ve learned a lot of things about the history of game shows thanks to the Internet.
I learned a few things about Gilligan and company thanks to a comprehensive book I found about 30 years ago, and still have buried in a box somewhere: “The Unofficial Gilligan's Island Handbook.”
The book detailed every episode of the TV show, pointed out flaws in logic and continuity in the episodes, and discussed many facets of the show that were never really addressed. I think the political/leadership structure of the castaways, or lack thereof, was among the topics. The lack of sexual relationships between the castaways was another topic raised by the author.
One of my favorite tidbits that I learned from the book: While it was never noted on the show whether the character’s first or last name was Gilligan, creator Sherwood Schwartz said the character’s first name was Willy.
I read one of those “things you didn’t know about Gilligan’s Island” online articles not so long ago, and learned a thing or two, and reminded of a few other things I have read, but have forgotten. I assume they’re all true, which is dangerous when reading the Internet.
One of the things I don’t think I’ve ever heard: One of the show’s writers and/or producers wanted to introduce a dinosaur character that Gilligan would adopt as a pet. And it would be a talking dinosaur. Schwartz wanted no part of it.
Good thing, the show was preposterous enough without a talking dinosaur.
Not long ago I was dumbfounded by the online response to “Wheel of Fortune” giving away a trip to Paris on the same day that terrorist attacks were occurring in France. People were outraged that a television show was giving away a trip to a city where dozens of people were dying that same day. People really had no idea that the show was taped weeks, if not months, before it aired.
This nugget I read from the “Gilligan’s Island” trivia article is something I had read before, but had forgotten. Wikipedia acknowledges it, as well: “The United States Coast Guard occasionally received telegrams from concerned citizens, who apparently did not realize it was a scripted show, pleading for them to rescue the people on the deserted island. The Coast Guard would simply forward these telegrams to producer Sherwood Schwartz.”
Moral of my story: Our technology advances, our knowledge base expands, but we’ll always have people who are dumbfounded by the miracle of television.
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