Surviving Gilligan's Island
| Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Paul A. Kaufman |
| Written by | Duane Poole |
| Starring |
Bob Denver Dawn Wells Russell Johnson Jon Wellner Kristen Dalton Samantha Harris Eric Allan Kramer Steve Vinovich Aaron Lustig E. J. Peaker |
Release dates | October 14, 2001 (U.S. premiere, CBS) |
Running time | 100 minutes |
Surviving Gilligan's Island (publicized as: Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History) is a 2001 made-for-television docudrama film based on the 1964–1967 television sitcom Gilligan's Island.
Originally airing on CBS on October 14, 2001, the film stars three surviving cast members from the 1960s series: Bob Denver, Dawn Wells, and Russell Johnson (the remaining surviving cast member, Tina Louise, did not participate). These performers tell their stories, while other actors re-enact old scenes from the series and dramatize behind-the-scenes moments.
The plot of the film depicts the attempts of Gilligan's Island producer Sherwood Schwartz to make Gilligan's Island a hit television series. It portrays the networks turning him down as well as the filming of the pilot episode. It also portrays the changes the cast went through after the pilot episode received negative feedback. Denver (who played Gilligan), Wells (who played Mary Ann), and Johnson (who played The Professor) share stories about the show and its status in pop culture. Footage from the original series is also shown in addition to the recreations.
The film also discusses the question of whether Ginger or Mary Ann was more attractive. An informal poll of twenty-one people was conducted, in which Mary Ann won by a single vote.
Cast member Tina Louise, who portrayed Ginger in the series, did not participate. The docudrama presents Louise as believing the series was supposed to revolve around her adventures as a shipwrecked castaway, despite the series' title). It also shows Ms. Louise's repeated efforts at getting herself out from her series' contract, and the side effect it had on causing ill will between her and her costars. In spite of this, the cast in its entirety did attend Ms. Louise's 1966 wedding to Les Crane.
The film covers the period from the concept and casting of the first series pilot in 1963 through to its cancellation in 1967; the film then touches on moments in the 1970s and early 1980s, including the production of the Gilligan's Island reunion TV movies, and ends with a sequence discussing the deaths of original cast members Hale, Backus and Schafer, and the present-day (as of 2001) activities of Wells, Denver and Johnson.
The film has been released on both VHS and DVD in one region only. Special features of the DVD release include the casting of the performers, a trivia game, and other information about the behind-the-scenes look at the cult classic series. As of 2015, the DVD is out of print.
Cast
- Bob Denver as Himself (also archive footage)
- Dawn Wells as Herself (also archive footage)
- Russell Johnson as Himself (also archive footage)
- Jon Wellner as Bob Denver (aka Gilligan)
- Kristen Dalton as Tina Louise (aka Ginger)
- Samantha Harris as Dawn Wells (aka Mary Ann)
- Eric Allan Kramer as Alan Hale, Jr. (aka The Skipper)
- E.J. Peaker as Natalie Schafer (aka Mrs. Howell)
- Steve Vinovich as Jim Backus (aka Mr. Howell)
- Michael Wiseman as Russell Johnson (aka The Professor)
- Aaron Lustig as Sherwood Schwartz
- Jerry Van Dyke as Himself
- Gloria Grant as Henny Backus
- Tina Louise (archive footage)
- Alan Hale, Jr. (archive footage)
- Jim Backus (archive footage)
- Natalie Schafer (archive footage)