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1. The name Gilligan was chosen randomly out of the Phonebook.
2. Bob Denver was not the first choice for the role. That would be Jerry Van Dyke (Dick's little bro), but Jerry thought the pilot script was the worst thing he'd ever read so turned it down.
3. The SS Minnow was not named after a small fish. It was named after then FCC chairman Newton Minow who once famously said that television was a "vast wasteland." The maker of Gilligan's Island didn't like the guy so made him a part of the vast wasteland by naming the boat after him.
4. The characters all had full names, but were they were seldom referenced in the show. In the case of Gilligan, it was never mentioned and only rumored as to what it was:
Thurston Howell III
Lovey Wentworth Howell
Ginger Grant
Mary Ann Summers
Skipper Jonas Grumby
Professor Roy Hinkley
There is some speculation that Sherwood Schwartz intended Gilligan's name to be Willy Gilligan
5. JFK's assassination delayed production. The filming of the original pilot was due to wrap on Nov. 22, 1963. That was the day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. As Lyndon Johnson was sworn in, all military installations including Honolulu Harbor were ordered to close for a two day mourning period, and filming was delayed by a few days. You can actually see the American flag flying at half mast during the first season opening credits in light of this tragic historic event.
6. The skipper (Alan Hale) broke is arm is season 1 when he fell from a Coconut tree and missed the crash pad he was meant to land on. He continued filming for some period with an untreated broken arm.
7. Raquel Welch auditioned for the part of Mary Ann (I don't think that would have worked. Ginger maybe, but not Mary Ann)
8. Tina Louise, who played Ginger, was, according to some accounts, a bit of a Diva who did not socialize with the rest of the cast between scenes. She felt the role was beneath her and ruined her chances of being considered a serious actress.
9. In the early years, Mary Ann and the Professor were credited as simply "...and the rest." It was Bob Denver who advocated for the proper crediting of the Professor and Mary Ann. Denver reportedly threw down an ultimatum saying if his co-stars didnβt get a credit, then neither would he.
I remember as a kid, I couldn't wait to turn on Gilligan's Island when I got home from school.
2. Bob Denver was not the first choice for the role. That would be Jerry Van Dyke (Dick's little bro), but Jerry thought the pilot script was the worst thing he'd ever read so turned it down.
3. The SS Minnow was not named after a small fish. It was named after then FCC chairman Newton Minow who once famously said that television was a "vast wasteland." The maker of Gilligan's Island didn't like the guy so made him a part of the vast wasteland by naming the boat after him.
4. The characters all had full names, but were they were seldom referenced in the show. In the case of Gilligan, it was never mentioned and only rumored as to what it was:
Thurston Howell III
Lovey Wentworth Howell
Ginger Grant
Mary Ann Summers
Skipper Jonas Grumby
Professor Roy Hinkley
There is some speculation that Sherwood Schwartz intended Gilligan's name to be Willy Gilligan
5. JFK's assassination delayed production. The filming of the original pilot was due to wrap on Nov. 22, 1963. That was the day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. As Lyndon Johnson was sworn in, all military installations including Honolulu Harbor were ordered to close for a two day mourning period, and filming was delayed by a few days. You can actually see the American flag flying at half mast during the first season opening credits in light of this tragic historic event.
6. The skipper (Alan Hale) broke is arm is season 1 when he fell from a Coconut tree and missed the crash pad he was meant to land on. He continued filming for some period with an untreated broken arm.
7. Raquel Welch auditioned for the part of Mary Ann (I don't think that would have worked. Ginger maybe, but not Mary Ann)
8. Tina Louise, who played Ginger, was, according to some accounts, a bit of a Diva who did not socialize with the rest of the cast between scenes. She felt the role was beneath her and ruined her chances of being considered a serious actress.
9. In the early years, Mary Ann and the Professor were credited as simply "...and the rest." It was Bob Denver who advocated for the proper crediting of the Professor and Mary Ann. Denver reportedly threw down an ultimatum saying if his co-stars didnβt get a credit, then neither would he.
I remember as a kid, I couldn't wait to turn on Gilligan's Island when I got home from school.