Just Sit Right Back: Behind the Scenes

I’ve done a lot of research on “Gilligan’s Island” so I’m glad to share what I have gleamed with you.
The pilot (first episode) of this series was shot with one camera on the island of Kauai in six days at a cost of $175,000. President Kennedy was assassinated at this time, and they heard about it on a radio?! In the opening credits of Season One, you can see a flag flying at half mast at the post office as the ship leaves the harbor.

Sherwood Schwartz describes his great persistence and patience in getting the show on the air in his book “Inside Gilligan’s Island.” He had to recast three of the roles, and that’s when Tina, Russ and Dawn came onboard for a three season tour.
There were 98 episodes. There were two cartoon series including a crazy one called “Gilligan’s Planet” in which they get stuck on a planet thanks to the Professor. There were three TV reunion movies called “Rescue from Gilligan’s Island,” “The Castaways on Gilligan’s Island” and “The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island.” It was originally meant to be the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, but it didn’t work out.
Gilligan’s name was plucked out of the L.A. phone directory, and his first name would have been Willy but it was never used.

Bob Denver, Gilligan himself, passed away on September second of 2005. He was born in New Rochelle, New York on January 9, 1935 and lived in Texas and California. His favorite activity in high school was competing on the swim team. Surely, he loved getting in that lagoon!
He got his political science degree from Loyola University. That’s where the acting bug bit him. He played a nervous seaman in one play and the part really fit him because he really was nervous, but he later went on to become President of the Del Ray Players, the campus drama group.
He was working at Corpus Christi Grammar School in Pacific Palisades, California and putting in some time at the post office also when a connection his sister had at the studio got him an audition for the part of the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.” He got the part. Bob enjoyed working with a cute baby chimp so much on the show that he went and bought a pygmy marmoset in New York and put the tiny animal in a shoebox and placed it in the overhead compartment for the flight back to L.A. In his book “Gilligan, Maynard and Me,” Bob says she was about four inches in height and ate a grape a day.

That’s a real little buddyette! There were many monkeys on “Gilligan’s Island” also. There was one that wouldn’t
come down for a banana. He had to have a plate of spaghetti! There was a mean, senior
citizen monkey that didn’t have any teeth but tried to gum the Professor’s arm. I have a photo of Dawn Wells that she signed “To the Toothless Monkey, Remember Me?” You can see this monkey in “Ring Around Gilligan,” the one where the Dr. Balinkoff (played excellently by Vito Scotti) comes to the island to put rings on the Castaways fingers and teach them to rob Fort Knox which is actually a bunch of coconuts. The monkey returns for another paycheck in “Bang, Bang, Bang,” in which Gilligan discovers plastic that is really explosives and the monkey has a good time tossing everything and making everything blow up from plates to golf balls to nails. Even Gilligan has explosive dental fillings, but our friendly toothless monkey doesn’t get to throw him.

In “Here on Gilligan’s Isle” written by Russ and TV fan Stephen Cox, we learn that Russ simply called Bob Denver by the name “Bobby.” He says Bobby was highly intelligent and well read. Everything you see him do is very well calculated and executed with great confidence. In my Harding interview with Dawn, she described Bob as a genius. “This little light comes on and he becomes the character he is playing.” She gave the various dream sequences as an example. She said he was very professional, very giving, quiet, private, remarkable with children and not the kind of slapstick funny you might think he was. His appeal and comedy will live on.

Alan Hale, Jr. became the Skipper in every sense of the word. He was the son of actor Alan Hale of Robin Hood fame. Dawn told me she had a special relationship with Alan because he was built like her father who passed away the last year of the show. Alan could pick Dawn and Tina up off the ground and high into the air at the same time. Physically, he was very strong. If you look closely, you’ll see a pinky ring Alan always wore. His father gave that to him. The Skipper, Alan, had his cap bronzed after the series and gave it to Sherwood. Maybe we’ll see it in the Smithsonian some day with Archie Bunker’s chair and Mister Roger’s sweater.

One time, Alan crawled out on a limb that was meant to break as part of the scene, but it broke prematurely and he fell to the ground and missed the mattress below and broke his wrist. A few days later at a wrap party (when the season ends), he told Sherwood he’d get it wrapped. He could’ve just got it wrapped at the wrap party, huh?

Dawn described Alan to me as a gentle, kind man. He could light up a room and he was never cranky or complaining. He didn’t want anyone to know about any negatives in his life. His battle with throat cancer was kept pretty private. When he and Dawn got stuck waiting on an airplane, they talked about their personal lives. Alan loved the Skipper role so much that he’d come out and greet customers at his restaurant Alan Hale’s Lobster Barrel dressed as the Skipper. A lady I met at the Huntsville Hospital told me how she met Alan in Houston and he was in a car that was pretty small to hold him and his golf clubs, but he loved posing and autographing for his fans. Sherwood also mentioned in his book how Alan would light up a room by visiting in children’s hospitals.

Russ wrote that Alan was loveable, full of laughter. Alan passed peacefully on January second, 1990. Twenty people were invited to go out to sea as the Neptune Society scattered his ashes. Dawn was lucky to be among them. Russ says, “After some passages from the Bible were read, his ashes were distributed and flowers were scattered on the water. The Skipper was at sea.” Dawn told how a National Enquirer helicopter interrupted overhead. I’ve seen the photo in that publication and it really looks like you can see the ashes being thrown overboard, but I don’t want to seem disrespectful. I love the Skipper and how he looks right into the camera often.

Jim Backus was born February 25, 1913 in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. I think he was born on his birthday. He must have been a hoot to work with as he is so enjoyable on “Gilligan’s Island.” He worked in radio first. He was gentle, generous, very happy and willing to share the stage with Dawn as she said she was new to series television.

Jim was a real ad libber and helped Dawn learn to move about in the confined space she had in front of the camera. “His Mr. Magoo is a classic,” Dawn told me. Dawn said there was a very sad moment when they did the Harlem Globetrotters film. Jim had been sick with Parkinson’s and could only come on for a very brief scene in which he sat on a tall stool. When he finished, everyone applauded and he shuffled over to Dawn and asked, “Was I funny?” It broke Dawn’s heart because here was the man who taught her the essence of humor, and he wondered about his own abilities. Jim was the first cast member to die on July 3, 1989 and most of the cast attended a memorial service.

Jim, by the way, got paid three times the other cast members because he was a personal friend to Sherwood and had worked with him before.
Natalie Schaefer was rich, both in money and in humor. She was a lot like her character and might say things in real life like “This island is so dusty,” Sherwood told me. She might shock you at anytime by something she said. She had a dog named Lovey. Dawn was good friends with Natalie and said she was a joy. Natalie had a wonderful history as an old Broadway actress and was very open and outspoken. She wouldn’t even tell her dying husband her age, but we all found out she was 91 when she died in the early 1990’s. She was born on an undisclosed November fifth in Rumson, New Jersey.

Tina Blacker was born on February 11, 1934 in New York and had no middle name. In school, a teacher gave her the name Louise and she liked it so much that she changed her name to Tina Louise. Tina wrote a book published by Little Golden Books called “Sunday” in which she describes a home she stayed in for a while. She was a top model before “Gilligan’s Island” and acted in “Lil Abner” and “Fade Out, Fade In” with Carol Burnett until someone falsely sold her on the notion that “Gilligan’s Island” was going to be about an actress and five other Castaways. She thought she was going to be the star. This was not accurate; she was misinformed. Actors like Robert Reed of “The Brady Bunch” and the man who played Adam on “Bonanza” remind me of Tina in that they are ungrateful when they get a chance to influence many people and use their talents. They just don’t appreciate it.

Tina didn’t return for the cartoons or the reunion movies because she had been trained and worked in dramatics and didn’t want to confuse the casting directors. She also wanted a tenth of the budget to appear in “Rescue from Gilligan’s Island.” This was impossible. Sherwood had to dip into his own personal funds to complete the film. Her absence ruined the original chemistry of the show.

I met Tina appearing with Bob in Houston, and this has always confused me. Was she doing the mall circuit because her career wasn’t going well? My belief is she didn’t hold any grudges at that point and she had come to realize that she brought joy to many people. Her daughter, Caprice, is a big fan of the series.

Dawn describes Tina as very beautiful. I will tell you now that there is some nice stuff under Tina’s name on E Bay. Don’t worry about that Mary Ann or Ginger dispute; I say, “Take them both!”-- - Ron speaking here, not a quote from Dawn. Tina taught
Dawn a lot about camera angles.

Tina got married during the series and some sources say the cast gave her away. Tina asked Dawn and Evelyn Wells, Dawn’s Mom, to go through a dress rehearsal of a Thanksgiving dinner. Dawn said they did all the stuff and Tina just watched and didn’t chop a carrot or help in any way. Dawn wasn’t sure this event made an impact on Tina, but years later, Caprice told Dawn that every year her mom talked about that dress rehearsal for Thanksgiving.

Tina made this statement in her book. “Life is a roller coaster, but I have found that a love of reading is a grounding and exciting experience. This past year, I became a volunteer reading teacher for the New York City Public Schools.” This was written in 1997 so I hope Tina continues to touch lives onscreen and in the schools.

Russell Johnson played the Professor and must have surely been the glue that held this odd assortment of characters together. He was born in 1924 and now lives near Seattle Washington in an area called Bainbridge Island. His first wife and son have passed away. People often ask Russ how the Professor knew all that stuff or why he wasn’t interested in the women, and he just simply says, “It was in the script.” He does have romantic scenes with Ginger, and in the second episode of the series, he is snuggling pretty close to Mary Ann in a floating hut during a heavy rainstorm. Professor is not perfect, however; he makes kissing sound like germ warfare. And, sadly, I have learned that not any of his many degrees are in boat building. You can’t win them all!

In the first season theme song, Russ and Dawn are simply called “The rest,” and they often send flowers to each other and sign them “love, the rest.” Dawn says Russ is very different and has a great sense of wit. “He’s a nice man.” I sent a sympathy card and a couple DVDs of Bob Denver after Bob died, and Russ wrote me back saying, “Many thanks for your kind thoughts-you have been the first and most loyal person for our show.” It’s not the first time he’s written me an encouraging note, and I have that one taped to the wall along with some photos of the voodoo dolls I took pictures of in Sherwood’s home.

Bob Denver described Dawn Wells in the forward to her book “Mary Ann’s Gilligan’s Island Cookbook” as follows: “She is a warm and caring person with a good sense of humor, and she has energy beyond belief and is smart too. To know her is to like her.”
Dawn would not have won “most musical Castaway.” She had to have her singing dubbed, even on something like “For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow.” The only time she skipped the dubbing was when she got knocked on the head and thought she was Ginger, and her singing was meant to sound off key.

Listen for this one. I forget which episode but Mary Ann and Ginger are whistling the
“Gilligan’s Island” theme song. Where did the characters learn that? On an episode of Alf, he dreamed he was on the island with Gilligan, Skipper, Professor and Mary Ann. He tried to sing them the theme song. “The Skipper was brave and sure,” Alf sang.
“More like big and fat,” Gilligan responded.

“There’s a goodness to Mary Ann that I find a tremendous responsibility for,” Dawn said. People look up to her example, and a group of Texas girls once started asking her questions about dating, sex and drugs when the other adults had left the room.
Dawn was born on October 18 of an undisclosed year (she’s just like Natalie) and raised in Reno, Nevada. She mentioned that you shouldn’t sell yourself short in acting based on your age because a talent scout might think you are too young or too old for the part. That’s not even mentioning what they call “typecasting,” being stuck in the same kind of part because that’s what everyone knows you for.

Dawn is a quiz show freak and she served as Captain for Jim, Alan, Natalie and Russ on the Family Feud. They won $23,000 for the Motion Picture and Television Fund. In 1993, there was a Mary Ann Day in Kansas. Dawn says that she may get something for free or get charged double. She says everything is a learning experience, and you need to be true to you and draw on faith, preparation and optimism.
She is a lively and energetic lady to watch. She was valedictorian of her high school class and attended Stephen’s College, a woman’s college, and she majored in chemistry at the beginning. But, she later got a drama degree from the University of Washington in
Seattle.

She headed out for the Streets of Bakersfield (oh, that’s Dwight Yoakum and Buck Rogers, I mean Buck Owens’ song, sorry about that). Dawn went to L.A. and was put under option to Warner Brothers where she did about nine shows before competing against 250 other women, including Raquel Welch, for the part of Mary Ann. She auditioned for a week.
Dawn was baptized in the Baptist faith although she said she used to attend a different church each week in L.A. She has had some very good friends in her life including a girl named Missy who she met through the Missouri Children’s Miracle Network Telethon which she produces and co hosts each year.

Dawn said these things about herself in our interview: “I’ve been very lucky. I count my blessings about that every day. But, you can’t take it for granted. It’s important to give back.” She said she likes people and tends to put herself in their shoes. I forgot to ask what she does if they are the shoes of Peter Mayhew who you know as Chewbacca of Star Wars. He’s got big feet; don’t know if they stink.
She gives of herself with patience because many times she’s been asked “Where’d you get the clothes” or “How come the Professor couldn’t fix a two foot hole in the boat?” But, it’s the first time for the person asking (I hope so). She’s performed in about 60-70
plays since “Gilligan’s Island.”

I do realize all this information on Dawn is very scattered, but I’ve gotten to know her very well, and I’m just talking about so much of her life that is interesting to me (and hopefully you won’t feel stranded with too much info. Either).
Dawn mentioned in our interview how Bob defended himself against a lion in a late night scene they were working to finish. “I can’t imagine defending yourself against this nine million pound lion. I’d have been a pool of butter!”
It’s not real difficult to act for television, Dawn says, and she compares it to how she had to keep one of her theater plays fresh and new while doing it over 42,000 miles in 76 cities in seven months.

Wishing Wells Collections was a company Dawn began many years ago, and she feels “you feel better if you look better.” She has designed clothing that is easy to put on, often using Velcro in the front. She got these ideas from costume changes.
“They are people first. They are injured or handicapped or ill second…Compassion is the key to everything,” Dawn answered when I asked her what motivated her to help others or to give a great performance as Mary Ann.

Sherwood Schwartz and those wacky Castaways I love so much may be on that island for a long, long time with no phone, no lights, no motorcars, not a single luxury. But, contrary to much critical opinion from the press, they are not inept in any way. They have succeeded in making people happy through laughter. And, I’m glad to see they have used their talents and energy for all of us to enjoy.
Before Sherwood sent me his book, I couldn’t find much on “Gilligan’s Island.” Today, there are lots of resources. I’d like to share some of the books I have collected.

Sherwood Schwartz, “Inside Gilligan’s Island”
Jim and Henny Backus, “Rocks on the Roof”
“What Are You Doing After the Orgy?”
“Backus Strikes Back”
“Forgive Us Our Digressions”
Bob Denver, “Gilligan, Maynard and Me”
Russell Johnson and Steve Cox, “Here on Gilligan’s Isle”
Dawn Wells with Ken Beck and Jim Clark , “Mary Ann’s Gilligan’s Island Cookbook”
(Ken and Jim are members or founders of The Andy Griffith Rerun Watcher’s Society)
Tina Louise, “Sunday: A Memoir”
Joey Green, “The Unofficial Gilligan’s Island Handbook”
Sylvia Stoddard, “TV Treasures, a Companion Guide to Gilligan’s Island”
John Javna, “The TV Theme Song Sing-Along Book Volume 2”
Ronald L. Smith, “Sweethearts of ‘60s TV”