The letter for today is G and after considering several options I settled on G for Gilligan, our favorite friend from the three hour tour.
I first came to know the series as a child, like many of us watching it on afternoon TV (usually one of the UHF channels). Even at that age I could see the show was campy and the plots full of holes.
But that didn’t seem to matter in my enjoyment of the show and to this day I still will spend an evening catching up with the stranded castaways. Even though I know the episodes so well that I can tell where they’ve cut dialogue it still makes me smile.
And from what I can tell I am not alone in this. After all why would TV Land devote a significant chunk of their evening programming if people didn’t watch ?
Indeed while the show is on one level camp it also has a deeper resonance. Sherwood Schwartz intended it to be a microcosm of society, with everyone from the rich to the poor, the famous to the ordinary all tossed in together. And as you watch the series you really do see them grow into a family. I think it is partly this optimism that connects with the viewer.
Like most fans I have my favorite episodes. I love Phil Silvers as the producer, I still laugh at Central American dictator Gilligan, it is always good when a double shows up on the island. I could go on but I think you get the point.
But I also like the fact that to a large degree the cast became a family.
A couple of stories to illustrate.
During the first season the titles ended with “and the rest”. There were reasons for this and the two actors, Dawn Wells and Russell Johnson, were willing to live with it. But when the show became a success they wanted to be in the main titles for the 2nd season.
The network however declined.
Bob Denver (aka Gilligan) heard about this and without telling anyone he went to the powers that be and told them that if his friends weren’t going to be listed in the main credits that he didn’t want to be either (and he had the power to make that happen).
Needless to say the network backed down and changed the credits. Denver never told anyone what he’d done and the story didn’t come out for years.
Then there was Jim Backus, the wonderful Thurston Howell.
Backus dealt with health issues in later years and when the cast did their final reunion movie (a pretty lame one) he was only able to make a token appearance. He delivered his lines with the cast and crew watching then prepared to leave the set. As he did so he turned to Dawn and asked, somewhat plaintively, “was I funny”.
Needless to say this touched everyone deeply and as Backus left for the final time he did so to the cheers of his friends, who never abandoned their friend.
Alan Hale, the Skipper, relished in his role and for many years he would visit sick children in hospitals dressed up as his alter ego, just wanting to give them a smile (and I suspect he visited a few adults too, with the same impact).
Again I could go on for pages about all of the things the cast did for each other and for the fans.
So I’ve shared a few of my memories but what about yours ?
What are some of your favorite episodes ?
What stories do you know about the cast ?
What do you remember about the show ?
I’ll sit right back as you tell your tale. (and yes you can sing the theme to yourself as you write)