A indicate's theme song, "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island" (written by George Wyle & Sherwood Schwartz), begins:

& was written to give fresh viewers a capsule sum-up of the unusual situation the castaways locate themselves inside. Starting in a 2nd year, a second verse was played on top a closing credits, when a invariably stillborn tries of the castaways to leave the island.

A go newly episode of the indicate aired in September 4, 1967, with a castaways never succeeding around allowing a island. Under a wave of pressure to reverse the threatened cancellation of Gunsmoke, which aired late on Saturday nights, CBS cancelled ''Gilligan's Island'' to open higher early air period in Monday evenings, despite a sitcom's firm ratings.

Lyrics

(When you took opening credits:)

Good sit perfect back & your family'll hear the tale,
the tale of the fateful hike.
That began from either this tropic port,
aboard this lilliputian ship.

the mate was a right sailin' human,
a skipper endure & sure as shooting.
5 rider placed sail that day,
for the threesome hour tour, the troika hour tour………

A weather condition began inducing rough in,
a flyspeck ship was discarded.
Whenever does'nt for the bravery of the unafraid crew,
a Phoxinus phoxinus would become misused; a Phoxinus phoxinus would become misused.

A ship took ground on the shore of this
unmapped waste islet,
using Gilligan, a Skipper as well,
a Millionaire, & his Married woman,
a Film star, a Prof & Mary Ann,
in text on Gilligan's Islet.†

(In the period of closing credits:)

Thus this is the tale of my castaways,
it're on text for an extended, years.
It'll develop to produce a right of items,
it's an acclivitous climb.

A number one mate & his skipper as well,
might clean their super better,
to produce a others comfortable,
in their tropic island nest.

There is there is there are no phones, no lights, no drive cars,
non one luxury.
Such as Robinson Crusoe,
it's primitive when may be.

And so join america on this button weekly our friend,
smart shoppers're surely for the grin.
From either 7 stranded Castaways,
in text on Gilligan's Islet.

† NOTE: When you took a 1st year, a opening-credit lyrics ended:
...
a Film star, & a rest
come in text on Gilligan's Islet.

Cast

Gilligan (aka Willie Gilligan), of the indicate's title, was a pathetic 1st mate of the S.S. Phoxinus phoxinus. More characters come a Skipper (known as Jonas Grumby in a 1st broadcast episode), the Prof (referred to twice when Roy Hinkley), millionaire Thurston J. Howell III and his wife Eunice, nicknamed Lovey, movie star Ginger Grant, and Kansas farm girl Mary Ann Summers.

When a character of Ginger Grant, actress Tina Louise created a version of the quintessential Hollywood star and potentially her title, an amalgam of Ginger Rogers and Cary Grant, was an homage to Hollywood's preceding. After regular shooting began, Tina Louise clashed by owning producers, because she believed she was a independent focus of the indicate, despite it existence coroneted "Gilligan's Island". Additionally, her character wevery bit originally written as a sarcastic & sharp-tongued siren however Louise argued that this nature & severity of character was as well extreme and refused to play it as written. The compromise was reached & Louise agreed to play her as a cross between Marilyn Monroe and Lucille Ball. A evening gowns & coiffure utilized was intentional to recreate a look of Myrna Loy. Louise continued to clash using producers & was a exclusively cast member world health organization refused to go to for any of the TV movies that followed a series cancellation, saying that the role got destroyed her career as a good actress.

Charles Maxwell was a uncredited voice of the "Radio Announcer", whose plot-advancing radio bulletins were thirstily tuned witharound to per castaways in numerous episodes.

Typical plots
A indicate's plots typically revolved in a area of the characters' failing tries for off a deserted island where they use at times been shipwrecked. Typically, a failure of that week's attempt was due to a few butterfingered error committed by Gilligan.

An additional popular element were a many dream sequences a castaways own household budget in the down the road episodes which provided kind to the series' limited premiss. For example, Gilligan dreams in separate occasions that he is Lord Admiral Gilligan fight off pirates, Intelligence officer 014, the silly vampire who is hunted by Inspector Sherlock (played by the Prof) or Dr. Jekyll who turns into Mr. Hyde after humans talk just about food in him.

Visitors to the uncharted island
the single challenge to a viewer's suspension of disbelief is a frequency with which a presumptively unmapped island is visited by population world health organization clean nothing to help the castaways develop reclaimed. Inside various episodes it is found by Polynesian natives with access to both-way radio (French Polynesia is about 2500 miles from either Hawaii), the Hollywood producer (portrayed by Phil Silvers), the rock and roll band, The Mosquitoes (portrayed by The Wellingtons, a class action which performed the theme song), an exiled Latin American dictator, the mad scientist, the heavy-game hunter played by Rory Calhoun, daffy aviator "Wrong-Way Feldman" (played by Hans Conried and obviously according to the real-life story of "Wrong Way" Corrigan), the far-famed surfboarder, the Japanese submariner (complete with mini-minisubmarine) convinced that World War II was still around progress, and Russian cosmonauts among others. 100% proved either unwilling or even unable to disclose to a outside globe the being of the castaways & their location. A bit of got ulterior motives, like a producer (portrayed by guest star Phil Silvers), who stole a castaways' idethe for a musical version of Hamlet & did not desire a babies to pop up to claim credit or even even royalties; others, like Feldman, proved as well unbelievable to exist as believed or were whole unable to give directions to in which it experienced been thus that the castaways can be placed and rescued.

Dream sequences
An additional most common story format experienced the castaways look at a condition & one of the castaways, commonly Gilligan, has a silly dream that relates to the problem inside wonder.

Gilligan as the Uncivilized West sheriff world health organization protects a duck everyone wants to eat. Thurston Howell as a prospector world health organization strikes it rich, however gets into debt & trouble Gilligan occurs as spoiled prince of the Royal Howells. Gilligan plays his have version of Jack and the Beanstalk where the Giant is hoarding oranges. Lovey Howell stars within her have version of Cinderella with Gilligan as her Fairy Godfather. Mary Anne as the patient around a hospital everyone wants to pronounce terminal. Gilligan occurs as lamia world health organization battles Inspector Sherlock (A Prof) & Watson (Skipper). Gilligan is Lord Admiral Gilligan battling pirates in his ship. Gilligan is Henry Jekyll on trial sustaining Mary Poppins as his consul and these are revealed that he turns into Mr. Hyde once population talk all about food inside hearing. Gilligan occurs as puppet (literally) ruler of the united states. Gilligan is Operative 014 charged by having redeeming an attache using virtually all of the more castaways existence assassins. The castaways come cave humans charted the map.

Pilot vs. first broadcast episode
A 1st episode broadcast is typically wrongly known as a series' pilot. This episode begins by having the characters on the beach, immediately fallowing it were shipwrecked, listening to a radio news report all about their disappearance. This is a scene which reveals that the Skipper's title is Jonas Grumby & a Prof's title is Roy Hinkley.

In point of fact, there wwhen an totally different episode from either this of these that actually served as a indicate's pilot. That episode dealt thomas more sustaining a characters' background you said it it come to exist as shipwrecked. But, there were important cast & character changes processed when a pilot. A a share of the Prof (originally played by John Gabriel) was re-cast to Russell Johnson. the arethe of the 2 secretaries, Ginger (played by Kit Smythe) & Bunny (played by Nancy McCarthy), were changed to a film star, Ginger Grant, & a Kansas domestic girl, Mary Ann Summers, & re-cast severally to Tina Louise & Dawn Wells. These changes intended that after a indicate wwhen eventually broadcast, a original pilot may not exist as utilized as its number one broadcast episode.

Like than re-shoot a equivalent pilot story once more for broadcast, a indicate upright proceeded in, & a series would start out broadcasting by using what otherwise would keep close at hand been a indicate's 2nd episode—a episode beginning in the quick aftermath of the shipwreck. Inside recognition of a fact that by doing this, a audience would keep around misplaced tons of a background that a pilot episode provided, the scene by owning the castaways listening to the radio broadcast wwhen added to provide that background when compactly as imaginable.

Gilligan's first name
Gilligan's to the full title has been the subject of debate among fans of the series for decades, the debate resolved per release of ''Gilligan's Island - A Complete Foremost Year'' DVDs inside 2004. the DVD includes a documentary film known as 'Prior to a 3 Hour Tour" which confirms that Gilligan's full name is Willy Gilligan. This is the same name that Bob Denver mentioned on a talk show.

Suggested alternatives
In one episode of the series, The Professor is heard to possibly give a last name for Gilligan. When introducing him to a native girl, The Professor says "Gilligan ... " adding, as the girl looks on uncomprehendingly, "...Hohople", which causes her to laugh. Some cite this as evidence that the character's full name is Gilligan Hohople. The Urban Legends Reference Pages has explained that the "Hohople" reference is the Professor asking the girl if she finds Gilligan handsome. The Professor's tone of voice, however, as he says "Hohople" to her, does seem to be that of asking a question, rather than making or completing a statement. Alan Hale Jr. has repeatedly stated that he always thought that Gilligan's full name was "Gilligan Davis".

Spin-offs
The success of ''Gilligan's Island spawned a number of spin-offs:

Dusty's Trail'', another Sherwood Schwartz production, put similar characters on a wagon train heading west. Bob Denver starred as Dusty (Gilligan's counterpart), but the other characters (wagon master, rich couple, saloon girl, school marm, and engineer) were played by a different cast. Only 26 episodes were aired in 1973 and 1974.

The New Adventures of Gilligan was a successful animated remake that aired from 1974 to 1977. The voices were done by the original cast except for Ginger and Mary Ann, voiced by Jane Webb. An additional character was Stubby the Monkey, voiced by Lou Sheimer.

In a successful 1978 made-for-TV movie, ''Rescue From Gilligan's Island, the castaways did successfully leave the island, but they had difficulty reintegrating into society. During a reunion cruise at the first Christmas after their rescue, fate intervened and the group found themselves marooned on the exact same island. It starred the original cast except for Tina Louise, who refused to participate and was replaced as Ginger by Judith Baldwin (who seemed much too young for the role, compared to the other actors). The plot of the movie involved Soviet agents seeking a memory disc from a spy satellite that landed on the island and facilitated their rescue.

In a 1979 sequel, The Castaways on Gilligan's Island, they were rescued once again, and the Howells converted the island into a getaway resort, with the other five castaways as "silent partners". (Ginger was again played by Judith Baldwin). This sequel was intended as a pilot for a possible new series in which the castaways would host new groups of tourists each week, using the all-star cast anthology format made popular by The Love Boat. The series never materialized.

In still another sequel, The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island (1981), some villains (played by Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, who also appeared together on Mission: Impossible and Space: 1999) try to take over the island to gain access to a valuable but unknown substance. They are thwarted by the timely intervention of the Harlem Globetrotters. Jim Backus, who was in poor health at the time, only appeared at the very end of the episode, arriving back on the island. David Ruprecht gave a lacklustre performance as Thurston Howell IV, trying to imitate the mannerisms Backus brought to his role.

Gilligan's Planet was an animated science fiction version starring the voices of the Gilligan's Island'' cast except for Tina Louise (Dawn Wells played the voices of both Mary Ann and Ginger). They escape from the island by building a spaceship, and get shipwrecked on a distant planet. Only 12 episodes aired in 1982. In one episode, they travel to an island, get shipwrecked there, and Gilligan observes, "1st you were standed in an isl&, so i were stranded in the planet, and nowadays i're stranded in an island in the planet."

''Gilligan's Island: Underneath the Grass Skirt (1999)

Gilligan's Island: The E! True Hollywood Story (2000), a backstage history of the show, featuring interviews with some of the stars or their widows.

Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour in History (2001) was a docudrama where Bob Denver, Dawn Wells, and Russell Johnson reminisce about the show.

On November 30, 2004, the TBS network launched a reality series entitled The Real Gilligan's Island which placed two groups of people on an island, leaving them to fend for themselves a la Survivor'' — the catch being that each islander matched a character type established in the original series (a klutz, a sea captain, a movie star, a millionaire's wife, etc.). While heavily marketed by TBS, the show turned out to be a flop with a very "Survivor"-like feel, but little of the Survivor success. A second season began June 8, 2005 with two-hour episodes for four weeks. TBS announced in July, 2005 that a third season of the show would not be produced.

ALF featured an episode where Alf, yearning for the castaways' simple life, dreams about being on the island with the Skipper, Gilligan, the Professor and Mary Ann. The Professor has built a TV set (out of bamboo and other miscellany), where they watch a TV show based on the life of the Tanners.

Trivia
The show was filmed at Echo Park in Los Angeles, California; the CBS stage for the lagoon has since been made into a parking lot. The pilot episode was filmed on the island of Kauai. The "S.S. Phoxinus phoxinus" was named after Newton N. Minow, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission in 1961. In a much-publicized speech, he called television a "vast wasteland". The boat was named after the man who, ''Gilligan's Island producer Sherwood Schwartz insists, "ruined television." Minow gave networks authority and placed the power of programming in the hands of the networks. He did this after Gilligan's Island'' was started. In Episode 96, "A Pigeon", the island is said to be located 300 miles southeast of Honolulu, Hawaii. If that distance is interpreted as statute miles, the great circle geodetic equation places this at 18.2° N 154.7° W, only 75 statute miles (120 km) from the Big Island (which makes it implausible that it would be uncharted). In one episode the fictional professor quoted an exact position of 10° N 110° W, which would place the island 3100 miles (5000 km) from Hawaii, due south of the Baja California Peninsula and due west of Costa Rica. On the animated series Family Guy youngest child Stewie Griffin's full name is Stewart Gilligan Griffin an homage to Gilligan's Island As of September of 2005, Tina Louise, Dawn Wells, and Russell Johnson are the only surviving cast members.