''Rescue from Gilligan's Island'' is a 1978
made-for-television
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
that continues the adventures of the shipwrecked castaways from the 1964–67 sitcom ''
Gilligan's Island'', starring
Bob Denver
Robert Osbourne Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an American comedic actor who portrayed Gilligan on the 1964–1967 television series ''Gilligan's Island'', and beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 series ''The Ma ...
and
Alan Hale, Jr., and featuring all the original cast except
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 ...
. The film first aired on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
as a two-part special on October 14 and October 21, 1978. The film has the characters finally being rescued after 15 years on the island. The film was directed by
Leslie H. Martinson.
Plot
Fifteen years after the original shipwreck, the seven castaways are still stranded on the island. Meanwhile, in a
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
-type country, military scientists destroy an orbiting satellite that has a disc containing top-secret information to prevent the satellite from crashing to Earth. The metal disc survives and lands on the island.
The Professor realizes the disc has a unique alloy that can be used to make a new
barometer
A barometer is a scientific instrument that is used to measure air pressure in a certain environment. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Many measurements of air pressure are used within surface weather analysis ...
. Using the barometer, the Professor deduces a
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
could destroy the island. To survive the deadly wave and potentially effect a rescue, the castaways build a raft by tying their huts together.
The next morning, the castaways awaken and realize they were swept off the island on the makeshift raft. When Gilligan accidentally sets the raft on fire, the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...
spots the smoke and rescues them. Once back in modern society, the castaways are initially confused by how different everything is. After much media hype, the group reunites at Christmas aboard the S.S. ''Minnow II''.
Foreign spies have discovered that Gilligan has their lost disc and set out to recover it. Meanwhile, Skipper and Gilligan learn that the insurance company refuses to issue a settlement payment for the first ''Minnow'' unless all their former passengers sign a statement testifying that the Skipper was not responsible for the shipwreck. They first visit Ginger, who has been cast in a movie, though she is dismayed by how much film industry standards have changed. She agrees to sign the statement. Gilligan and the Skipper then reconnect with the Professor who has found that his castaway celebrity is overshadowing his research work at the university. The Professor also signs the insurance statement while the foreign spies continually attempt to secure the disk from Gilligan. The Skipper and Gilligan next go to see the Howells. They sign the insurance statement after ejecting snobbish friends from their house when they overhear them making disparaging remarks about Gilligan and Skipper. The spies, hidden among the guests, are also ejected.
The two then go to see Mary Ann, who is about to marry her old fiancé, Herbert. She no longer loves him but feels obligated to go through with the wedding. To spare Mary Ann from an unhappy union, Skipper and Gilligan deliberately disrupt the ceremony where the foreign spies are among the guests. Mary Ann is relieved to learn that Herbert actually loves someone else and she signs the insurance statement.
The insurance company finally pays for the first ''Minnow'' and the former castaways gather for a reunion cruise aboard the ''Minnow II''. The spies make one last attempt to obtain the disc, but are thwarted by the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
. During the cruise, the ''Minnow II'' is caught in a storm. Gilligan unknowingly rendered the
compass
A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself wit ...
useless by removing its magnet when cleaning it, causing the Skipper to sail in the wrong direction. The group lands on a beach and realize they are on their old island after finding a piece of wood from the original ''Minnow''.
Cast
*
Bob Denver
Robert Osbourne Denver (January 9, 1935 – September 2, 2005) was an American comedic actor who portrayed Gilligan on the 1964–1967 television series ''Gilligan's Island'', and beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 series ''The Ma ...
as
Gilligan
Gilligan is a fictional character played by Bob Denver on the 1960s TV show '' Gilligan's Island'' and its many sequels. Gilligan, affectionately called "little buddy" by the "Skipper", is the bumbling, dimwitted, accident-prone first mate of t ...
*
Alan Hale, Jr. as
Jonas "The Skipper" Grumby
*
Jim Backus
James Gilmore Backus (February 25, 1913 – July 3, 1989) was an American actor. Among his most famous roles were Thurston Howell III on the 1960s sitcom ''Gilligan's Island,'' the father of James Dean's character in '' Rebel Without a Cause, ...
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 chara ...
*
Natalie Schafer
Natalie Schafer (November 5, 1900 – April 10, 1991) was an American actress, known for her role as Lovey Howell on the sitcom ''Gilligan's Island'' (1964–1967).
Early life and career
Natalie Schafer was born on November 5, 1900, in Manhatta ...
as
Mrs. "Lovey" Howell III
*
Judith Baldwin
Judith Lee Baldwin (born March 26, 1946) is an American film and television actress who replaced Tina Louise in the role of Ginger Grant in '' Rescue from Gilligan's Island'' (1978) and '' The Castaways on Gilligan's Island'' (1979). A life memb ...
as
Ginger Grant
Ginger Grant is a fictional character portrayed by actress Tina Louise in the 1964 to 1967 television sitcom ''Gilligan's Island''.
Character summary
Born in New York City on September 1, 1937, Grant is a "movie star" and would casually ment ...
*
Russell Johnson
Russell David Johnson (November 10, 1924 – January 16, 2014) was an American actor. He played Professor Roy Hinkley in ''Gilligan's Island'' and Marshal Gib Scott in '' Black Saddle''.
Early life
Johnson was born in Ashley, Pennsylvania, o ...
as
Professor Roy Hinkley
*
Dawn Wells as
Mary Ann Summers
*
Vincent Schiavelli
Vincent Andrew Schiavelli (; November 11, 1948 – December 26, 2005) was an American character actor noted for his work on stage, screen, and television. Described as an "instantly recognizable sad-faced actor", he was diagnosed with Marfan s ...
as Dimitri
*
Art LaFleur
Art LaFleur (September 9, 1943 – November 17, 2021) was an American character actor and acting coach.
Life and career
LaFleur was born in Gary, Indiana. He played football in 1962 as a redshirt at the University of Kentucky under Coach Charl ...
as Ivan
* Norman Bartold as Producer
* Barbara Mallory as Cindy Smith
* June Whitley Taylor as Miss Ainsworth
* Martin Rudy as Dean
* Mary Gregory as Mrs. Devonshire
* Glenn Robards as Mr. Devonshire
* Diane Chesney as Mrs. Fellows
* Victor Rogers as Mr. Fellows
* Michael Flanagan as Director
* Martin Ashe as Butler
* John Wheeler as Studio Guard
* Alex Rodine as 1st Officer
* Don Marshall as FBI Man #1
* Mel Prestige as Governor's Aide
*
Lewis Arquette
Lewis Michael Arquette (December 14, 1935 – February 10, 2001) was an American film actor, writer, and producer. Arquette was known for playing J.D. Pickett on the television series ''The Waltons'', on which he worked from 1978 to 1981.
Life ...
as Judge
* Judd Lawrence as Technician
* Michael Macready as FBI Man #2
* Richard Rorke as Helicopter Pilot
* Marcus K. Mukai as Hawaiian Man
* Snag Werris as Camera Man
* Micki Waugh as Pom Pom Girl
* Alisa Powell as Pom Pom Girl
* Portia Stevens as Pom Pom Girl
* Candace Bowen as Pom Pom Girl
*
Mario Machado as Reporter (uncredited)
Production
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 ...
declined to appear in the movie, claiming that she was not going to reprise the role that she felt had devastated her career. Reportedly she asked for a prohibitively large sum of money.
Judith Baldwin
Judith Lee Baldwin (born March 26, 1946) is an American film and television actress who replaced Tina Louise in the role of Ginger Grant in '' Rescue from Gilligan's Island'' (1978) and '' The Castaways on Gilligan's Island'' (1979). A life memb ...
, a substantially younger actress who resembled Louise, was cast in her place. The following year, Baldwin would go on to play Ginger again in ''
The Castaways on Gilligan's Island
''The Castaways on Gilligan's Island'' is a 1979 made-for-television comedy film that continues the adventures of the shipwrecked castaways from the 1964–1967 sitcom ''Gilligan's Island'' and the first reunion movie, '' Rescue from Gilligan's ...
''.
Cassandra Peterson also auditioned for the part of Ginger, shortly before
KHJ-TV offered her the horror-host position as 'Elvira, Mistress of the Dark'.
Release
''Rescue from Gilligan's Island'' aired in two parts on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
on October 14 and 21, 1978. The first part garnered a 30.2 rating and a 52 share.
This was just below the ratings of the
top two TV series that season, ''
Laverne & Shirley'' and ''
Three's Company
''Three's Company'' is an American sitcom television series that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. It is based on the British sitcom '' Man About the House''.
The story revolves around three single room ...
''. The made-for-TV-movie was released on
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
on January 1, 2002, August 1, 2012, June 23, 2015, and July 9, 2015.
References
External links
*
{{Leslie H. Martinson
1978 television films
1978 films
American adventure comedy films
1970s adventure comedy films
Films directed by Leslie H. Martinson
Films scored by Gerald Fried
Gilligan's Island films
Television series reunion films
Films based on television series
Television films based on television series
NBC network original films
1970s English-language films
1970s American films