The first season of the American comedy television series ''
Gilligan's Island
''Gilligan's Island'' is an American sitcom created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz. The show's ensemble cast features Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus, Natalie Schafer, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells. It aired for thr ...
'' was shown in the United States on September 26, 1964 and concluded on June 12, 1965 on
CBS. The season introduced the comic adventures of seven castaways as they attempted to survive and escape from an island on which they had been shipwrecked. Most episodes revolved around the dissimilar castaways' conflicts and their failed attempts—invariably Gilligan's fault—to escape their plight. The season originally aired on Saturdays at 8:30-9:00 pm (EST).
Production
Executive producers for the first season included
William Froug and series creator
Sherwood Schwartz.
[ Berard and Englund (2009), p. 126.] Filming took place at the
CBS Radford Studios complex in
Studio City, Los Angeles California.
This complex contained 17 sound stages, as well as special effects and prop departments. On one stage, a lagoon had been constructed by the production company "at great expense".
[ According to Bob Denver, the crew would spend half their days filming scenes in the lagoon. Shots and sequences involving the characters were filmed in a different soundstage.][
]
Cast
The series employed an ensemble cast of seven main actors and actresses.[ Tucker (2010), p. 89.] Denver played the role of the titular First Mate Gilligan, a bumbling, naive, and accident-prone crewman who often messes up the castaways chances of rescue. Alan Hale, Jr.
Alan Hale Jr. (born Alan Hale MacKahan; (March 8, 1921 - January 2, 1990) was an American actor and restaurateur. He was the son of actor Alan Hale Sr. His television career spanned four decades, but he was best known for his secondary lead role ...
portrayed The Skipper
The Skipper is the title and nickname of Jonas Grumby, a fictional character from the 1960s situation comedy '' Gilligan's Island''. Played by Alan Hale Jr., the Skipper (the character's actual name was rarely mentioned after the show's pilot epis ...
, captain of the S.S. ''Minnow'' and the older friend of Gilligan. Jim Backus appeared as Thurston Howell III
Thurston Howell III (mentioned in the opening credits as: "The Millionaire") is a character on the CBS television sitcom ''Gilligan's Island'', which ran from 1964 to 1967, and later in syndication.
Portrayal
Howell, portrayed by veteran charact ...
, a millionaire, and Natalie Schafer played his wife, Eunice Lovelle Wentworth Howell. Tina Louise
Tina Louise ( Blacker; born February 11, 1934) is an American actress widely known for her role as movie star Ginger Grant in the CBS television situation comedy ''Gilligan's Island''. With the death of Dawn Wells in 2020, Louise became the las ...
played the role of Ginger Grant, a famous movie star. Russell Johnson portrayed Professor Roy Hinkley, Ph.D., a high school science teacher who often used his scientific background for ways to get the castaways off the island. Dawn Wells
Dawn Elberta Wells (October 18, 1938 – December 30, 2020) was an American actress known for her role as Mary Ann Summers on the CBS sitcom ''Gilligan's Island''.
Early life
Wells was born to Evelyn (née Steinbrenner) and Joe Wesley Wells ...
played Mary Ann Summers
Mary Ann Summers is a fictional character in the television sitcom ''Gilligan's Island'' which ran on the CBS network from 1964 to 1967, and has run more or less continuously since in reruns. She was played by actress Dawn Wells.
Character sum ...
, a wholesome farm girl from Kansas.[ Schwartz (2009), pp. 49–64.] Charles Maxwell was the uncredited voice of the radio announcer, to whom the castaways would often listen.
Broadcast history
The season aired Saturdays from 8:30-9:00 pm (EST) on CBS. It was the only season filmed in black-and-white.
DVD release
The DVD was released by Warner Home Video, with the pilot episode as a bonus episode.
Episodes
Footnotes
References
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{{Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island (season 1)