Even now, one of the most cherished and popular sitcoms ever produced is the American comedy Gilligan’s Island. The cast of the comedy series attempted to flee the island in 98 episodes, which ran from 1964 to 1967.

Little Known Facts About the Making of The Show “Gilligan’s Island”/Alamy Stock Photo

It’s time to set sail on the S.S. Minnow with us as we explore the behind-the-scenes aspects of the program, which include hilarious bloopers, Gilligan’s secret true identity, cast member secrets you never would have guessed, and even the humorous origin of the show’s premise.

The real locations

The harbor at Newport Beach in California is actually the one from which “The Minnow” sails away in the opening titles (at least in the colorized seasons). There is a genuine cave located in Corona del Mar, a little south of Newport Beach, where Gilligan used to hide occasionally to escape the hardships of the island.

The real locations/MovieStillsDB

Locals still refer to it as “Gilligan’s cave.” Of fact, modern viewers can easily discern that the island was mostly a studio set for a variety of reasons, the most obvious of which being the artificial backdrop.

The cast never got to escape the island during the show

Since Gilligan’s Island was originally scheduled to have a fourth season, its abrupt cancellation prevented the show from ever reaching its conclusion. After a while, the group made the decision to conclude the third season’s final episode, which concluded similarly to the previous ones—with the castaways remaining marooned on the island.

The cast never got to escape the island during the show/Alamy Stock Photo

In the 1978 made-for-television movie Rescue from Gilligan’s Island, we finally see the castaways successfully leaving the island, and dealing with the difficulty of reintegrating into society. The movie was very well received, and fans were delighted that the show’s story didn’t end yet. A second movie called Castaways on Gilligan’s Island was announced shortly after and released a year later in 1979.

The tastes of the island

Long after the show ended — 1993 — Dawn Wells penned “Mary Ann’s Gilligan’s Island Cookbook,” which features food that the characters might have eaten while stranded on the island. Expect lots of coconut dishes. There is also “Gilligan’s Stew,” “Ginger’s Snaps,” and something called a “Shipwreck Sandwich.”

The tastes of the island/MovieStillsDB

A few other people joined in the writing, including Ken Beck and Jim Clark, and Bob Denver, Gilligan’s actor, even wrote the foreword. In case you’re wondering, yes, there is a recipe for the coconut pies that Mary Ann cooks for Gilligan during the show. There are also stories, photos, and anecdotes from Wells’s time on the show.

Everything had to be made from wood and coconuts

Since the entire premise of the show was that the cast had to survive on a deserted island, all props had to be made from either wood or coconuts. This posed a major challenge, as everything from the chairs and up to the foot pedal-powered car had to be made from only these 2 materials.

Everything had to be made from wood and coconuts/Getty Images Photo by CBS

This has become a trend on eBay where you can actually get many “Gilligan’s Island Props,” which are basically regular everyday objects that are made of wood and coconuts. It sounds like a great investment for anyone who wants to star in his own Gilligan’s Island fan show.

The entire premise of the show was invented at a public speaking class

Just like many of us had to do for our English class essay at one time or another, Sherwood Schwartz, then a student at a public speaking class at New York University, was asked by his professor to write a speech answering the simple question — “If you were stranded on a deserted island, what one item would you like to have?”

The entire premise of the show was invented at a public speaking class/Alamy Stock Photo

Schwartz let that question sink deep into his mind. Years later, after becoming a successful writer on various TV shows, he pitched the idea to CBS, and the show got greenlit. The idea that a show like this would develop from such an unexpected place just goes to show that you never know where inspiration might strike!

Not everyone got along during the show

There other difficult cast members too. It was reported in the Jan. 23, 1965 edition of TV Guide that Tina Louise, who played Ginger “I’m a movie star” Grant, had many problems with the cast. The article even stated that “Denver will not say why he and the glamorous Tina [Louise] do not get along, nor will any of the castaways, they just ignore her, and she ignores them.”

Not everyone got along during the show/Alamy Stock Photo

The article continues, “Between scenes, while the other six principals chat and tell jokes together, she sits off by herself. And recently when Denver was asked to pose for pictures with her, he adamantly refused. Part of Louise’s dissatisfaction with the series was that she had expected to be the star of the show.” (Maybe she was just a really good method actress and was preparing for filming between sets?)

Ever heard of Jonas Grumby?

Most people think that Skipper’s name was just “Skipper,” but during the first episode, most of us missed the one time that he actually revealed his real name. Skipper’s real name is… are you ready for it? Jonas Grumby. Yup, just watch the episode carefully, and you’ll spot it.

Ever heard of Jonas Grumby?/Getty Images Photo by CBS

For some odd reason, probably the same one that kept Willy Gilligan’s name confined to only “Gilligan,” Skipper’s real name was never ever said again. Perhaps it’s better to remember these 2 as their nicknames since they seem to stick much better and, at this point, would be almost impossible to forget.

Natalie Schafer got down and dirty for the show

Natalie Schafer, in her 60’s at the time the show was being filmed, did not let her age or anything else for that matter get in the way of her getting down and dirty by doing her own stunts. Yes, that means Schafer would jump into the lagoon or fake quicksand without a stunt double. In 1965, she told “Let’s Be Beautiful” columnist Arlene Dahl that she stayed in shape by swimming and by following her special “ice cream diet.”

Natalie Schafer got down and dirty for the show/Getty Images Photo by Bettmann

That’s right, although she was in her early 60’s when the show was originally filmed, actress Natalie Schafer decided that she would do all of her stunts by herself instead of relying on a stunt double. This means that all the dangerous and oftentimes dirty stunts we see the rich and spoiled Lovey Howell perform in the show were actually Natalie being very unspoiled and brave at her job!

Bob Denver also had a fantastic career following the show

In addition to his iconic role as Gilligan, Bob Denver went on to have a very successful career. Still, he made sure to respect the character by performing as either Gilligan or some parody of Gilligan every few years in shows such as Baywatch, The Simpsons, Meego, ALF, and many more including lending his voice for various animated shows.

Bob Denver also had a fantastic career following the show/Getty Images Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection

Most of Denver’s acting career was in television and even appeared in several films and on Broadway. He also made a modest income by making public appearances, often dressed up as Gilligan. In 1992, he played Gilligan to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation for a West Virginia fundraiser for the organization. Denver passed away on September 2, 2005, and we hope wherever he is right now, he’s making others laugh there too.

No number four

While it was a big surprise that the show ended so suddenly – the show was canceled while the cast was on vacation, as we know – for a long time it was rumored there were scripts for the planned fourth season that would have had Tina Louise’s character Ginger being rescued.

No number four/MovieStillsDB

At the same time, two additional female characters were going to join the cast. However, this has been debunked. Louise has even gone on record by saying that while she didn’t enjoy the show, she wasn’t planning on leaving and would have been a part of the fourth season.

The ‘S.S. Minnow’ was used to annoy the chairman of the FCC

Fans believed that the name of the ship that brought us to Gilligan’s Island, the S.S. Minnow, was based on the name of a fish. But producer Sherwood Schwartz claimed that the name was inspired after Newton Minow, who sat at the time as the chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The ‘S.S. Minnow’ was used to annoy the chairman of the FCC/Getty Images Photo by CBS

Newton changed TV forever when he made his famous scathing speech against television shows. The phrase with which he described television—a “vast wasteland,” would forever be attached to his name and still shows up as the first suggested result when you Google his name. In 2011, Minow told Advertising Age having more choice of shows was the most significant improvement in TV in the decades since his famous speech, which makes it “less of a wasteland.”

“The New Adventures of Gilligan”

After the live-action show ended before season four even got off the ground, the powers that be decided there was more money to be made with the brand, and so created “The New Adventures of Gilligan,” an animated show with the exact same premise and characters.

“The New Adventures of Gilligan”/Youtube.com/CHDanhauser

The show ran for two seasons and approximately a year – September of 1974 to October of 1975. It had twenty-four episodes, and most of the cast reprised their old roles. While the animated episodes are basically the same as the live-action plots, the biggest addition was an anthropomorphic monkey by the name of Stubby, who befriends Gilligan.

The son

Jim Backus, who played Thurston Howell III, was unable to act for the third movie due to Parkinson’s disease. Sherwood Schwartz refused to recast the role, stating he didn’t want to hurt Backus by making it seem like he was replaceable. Instead, he wrote Howell III out of the film and replaced him with Thurston Howell IV, the original character’s son, played by David Ruprecht.

The son/Alamy Stock Photo

The son managed the island resort in place of his father. While this did contradict the original series, which stated that the Howells had no children, Schwartz was too impressed with Ruprecht’s Howell-like persona, which did not directly imitate Backus, to leave him out.

Dawn Wells raised $130,000 to help with her finances

Dawn claimed to have dealt with pretty serious financial troubles, including “penalties by the IRS” since 2008’s financial crisis. She also claims to have been dealing with “an unexpected accident that required hospitalization for two months.” Dawn proceeded to start a GoFundMe campaign seeking to raise money for her IRS penalties and hospital costs.

Dawn Wells raised $130,000 to help with her finances/Getty Images Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage

The campaign was a great success and has raised nearly $140,000 in just 10 days. According to her friend Kirkpatrick, “Dawn is so flattered that her fans have come to her rescue — shocked and amazed, actually. She loves them and always has. She’s proved that over the years. She’s even flown people to her ranch (where she was working) in Idaho for movie screening because they couldn’t afford it. She’s been very generous to many people for many years.” Many fans wrote personal thank-you letters telling her how much her performance as Mary Ann helped them in their time of need and how happy they are to return the favor. Heartwarming indeed.

They are not their characters

As is to be expected with such a famous show – and as has happened on dozens and dozens of other shows – viewers tend to recognize the actors and actresses not by their names but by their characters.

They are not their characters/MovieStillsDB

While most of the principal cast has now passed away, it happened all the time with Bob Denver. Tina Louise hated it, but Alan Hale Jr., who played the Skipper, loved it. He’d had a long career with many distinguishing moments, and he loved the idea that he had a role that brought him big acclaim, especially among children. According to Russell Johnson (the Professor), there was almost no difference between Hale and his character.

Tina Louise refused to continue her role as Ginger

Unfortunately for the show’s producers, the character Ginger Grant was always a tough role to fill, considering that it took a total of 6 actors to keep her character going throughout the years. Initially played by Tina Louise, the character went through several adaptations for some funny reasons.

Tina Louise refused to continue her role as Ginger/Alamy Stock Photo

During casting for the made-for-TV-movie, Rescue from Gilligan’s Island, Tina refused to reprise the role, claiming that playing as Ginger typecasted her forever as a glamour queen actress. She was replaced by Judith Baldwin, who was then replaced before the third movie by Constance Forslund and later replaced by more actresses for the various spin-off and cartoon versions of the show.

Russell Johnson was a World War II veteran

Our favorite inventor, the Professor, was played by Russell Johnson. Despite being on the softer side and not very outspoken, the actor himself was actually a World War II veteran and served in the United States Army Air Force as an aviation cadet. Russel went on to receive a purple heart for all of his contributions to the air force while in the Philippines.

After finishing his service, he used his GI Bill to fund his acting lessons before eventually signing on to Gilligan’s Island as the beloved Professor. Johnson was married three times and had a relatively light acting career after Gilligan’s Island. He eventually died from kidney failure at his home in Bainbridge Island, Washington, on January 16, 2014, at the very respectable age of 89.

Edited for syndication

When the show originally aired, the ending had a narration, telling viewers, “So join us here each week, my friends, you’re sure to get a smile….” However, when the show moved to syndication, the “each week” portion was edited out in order not to confuse viewers who didn’t know the show would be on the very next day – or even on the following slot.

In addition, when Ted Turner bought the series, he colorized the black-and-white first season for airing on TBS. Both the original and the colorized versions were shown during syndication. Not much colorization work had been done at that point, and the process was intense.

Have a ball

As the third of three movies to feature (most of) the “Gilligan’s Island” cast, the final one had a bit of a strange addition. “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island” has the characters from the show running a vacation spot on the island where they spent so long, recreating their experience for paying customers.

Who should come to visit but The Harlem Globetrotters, who have their plane crash on the island? They’re played by the real Globetrotters at the time, and the movie sees them square off against the castaways. To nobody’s surprise, they won. But then came the robots. It was just one of many media properties the Globetrotters showed up in.

The belly button timer

While the styles and looks of the show are now pretty dated, it was quite well known for the amount of fanservice it showed. A famous “Mary Ann or Ginger” question, about which gal people preferred, was a popular ask.

Mary Ann’s outfit was quite daring for the time, and one of the show’s biggest controversies was exactly how many seconds of Mary Ann’s belly button could be visible in a season, how times have changed. This was the exact same problem that plagued “I Dream of Jeannie.”