Gilligan's Island: Why the Spin-Offs Failed

[@teddyfurstman1997]

The Gilligan's Island theme just slaps everytime.

[@KevinGeeksOut]

If you find the Gilligan's Island pilot episode you'll hear the original theme -- a calypso inspired number. Different from the one we know and love.

[@welovemrp00]

What's cool is that you can sing the lyrics to the tune of the Pokémon theme and vice versa

[@STho205]

The music works with many many lyrics. Try it to "Amazing Grace".

[@Lisa-je5bb]

The theme was also sung in golden girls .it was the second to last show when Dorothy was going to marry Blanche cousin. They went to a medieval themed restaurant and a guitar playing bard sang it like it was a medieval ballad! It actually sounded pretty good

[@LindaMerchant-bq2hp]

Harry Belafonte ​@@KevinGeeksOut

[@pastorbrianediger]

Clue meets Gilligan's Island?! Yes please!

[@georgeshelton6281]

I'm quite surprised that neither one of the Gilligan's Island cast and crew members has ever mentioned rape or child molestation. Not like the way the "Law & Order SVU" cast and crew members do. You know just how different they are. You know very well that "Law & Order SVU" is a fictitious crime drama series where AMW (America's Most Wanted) isn't.

[@ofskittlez]

What's the difference between a network sitcom and a cow? Eventually you have to stop milking a cow.

[@quinnzykir]

My favorite when they discover a superglue from tree sap. But it dissolves in water

[@LindaMerchant-bq2hp]

Put on mary anns pancakes stuck to

[@Dog_Is_My_Copilot]

Skipper said “That’s what I like! Syrup with a lot of body!”

[@nicktaylor2657]

Interesting fact In the cartoon Gilligan's Island Dawn Wells did the voice for both Mary Ann and Ginger

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

For awhile, Jane Webb did the voice for Ginger and Mary Ann

[@eloiseockert9233]

Tina Louise wanted to expand her performing career. But did she?

[@WhyKnot-lr1kk]

Tina Louise is still alive while the rest are dead. Unfortunately she had some bad plastic surgery done.

[@pumbaaj]

4:30 "Moonlighting" was listed as a drama for the Emmy, but it was clearly a comedy .

[@KevinGeeksOut]

Definitely! Good call

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

Cybill Shepherd's jealousy of Bruce Willis, ruined the show.

[@guardiane]

Gilligan's island was WAY before my time, but even so, I definitely heard of it and maybe even watched an episode here and there. But I had ZERO idea that so much stuff happened beyond the main series. That there were so many movies and remakes, etc. But this is definitely one of those series they need to leave alone now...meaning, we don't need a dark remake with modern tones...but, like with everything else, it's inevitable. It'll happen eventually...unless it has and I missed it?

[@catchphrase_jones]

This whole backdoor spins topic is GOLD there will be channel’s soon to hop on this band wagon

[@KevinGeeksOut]

Thanks very much.

[@eloiseockert9233]

???

[@DennisTheInternationalMenace]

3:14 When reboots became popular in the 20th century before streaming services!

[@atrocchia]

In 1978, I was in 4th grade, and a non-major network in NYC would regularly run The Little Rascals, The Brady Bunch, Gilligan's Island, and I Love Lucy. This sequence would run for a few years.

[@eloiseockert9233]

...and???

[@oldmanonyoutube]

Man, I loved Gilligan's Island. I remember watching the re-runs and then later the movie.

[@KevinGeeksOut]

I loved it, too. There's a weird and wonderful novel called GILLIGAN'S WAKE, which I loved.

[@ThreeToesofFury]

Great video, thanks! Also: OMG the premise for Murder on Gilligans Island is AMAZING. It could have been a wonderful mystery/comedy!!!

[@STho205]

There was The Spear gun crime mystery episode. Take a look at one of the last Ma and Pa Kettle films set in Hawaii. Russell Johnson is a conman at the marina, pulling a job on Pa Kettle....maybe that's why he boarded the Minnow.

[@binxthebinx6575]

I'm a big Gilligan's Island fanatic, haha. In college, I studied and made essays about the show because it fascinated me so much. I only watched the movie and three specials only once. Yet I had a pretty good understanding as to why they failed. 1. They made this movie fifteen years later. Not five, not ten, FIFTEEN YEARS! The main reason why doing the GI movie this late was a bad idea is because of the fact that most of the actors were now too old to do any of the shows stunts effectively (I think Russel Johnson was pushing 60 when this hit theaters just for perspective, but I haven't checked in a while. So I could be wrong.) Even though Denver could do SOME stunts. It was clear he wasn't as nimble and athletic as he used to be. Along with the rest of the cast which greatly hurt this movie a lot through no fault of their own. 2. The writing was just...awful. Terrible. I felt that the "getting off the island" plot should have been the focus of the last third of the film which, hopefully, would have had a suspenseful, touching, and satisfying conclusion. The cast being in the parade and saying their goodbyes was, to me, the best part of the film because you felt that the characters were a family. Which was the intent of the original series. When I have friends who are interested in giving the film a shot. I tell them to stop after the parade as I feel this is where the series should have ended. Sure, the comedy and writing weren't perfect, but at least the goodbyes from all the cast members after all this time were one hundred percent worth it. The problem was...after the fact. You could tell the writers were struggling to make this ninety minutes long when it was clearly designed to be an hour special or, dare I say. A thirty-minute episode. You felt that with the shark scene which was clearly meant to pad out the run time. Everything after the parade was just a "lets check in with how they're doing" scene with two agents following Gilligan and Skipper everywhere they go. The Professors scene hurt me the most (you probably have a sense of who my favorite character is now, haha) because the writers thought it was a good idea to have obnoxious cheerleaders crush and dance around a sixty-year-old man because that was his shtick. He never understood the idea of being romantic, but that's what made him charming to me. So to see him be pretty much harassed by teenagers that are much younger than him just comes off as cringe more than anything else. Stuff like this happens with every character, and to have the cast land back on Gilligan's Island, in the end, was clearly set up for the specials they were planning behind the scenes. (Not good ones, honestly.) But it was not necessary. Just make a good movie. A good send off, and were good. 3. Ginger. Everything that has been said about her has been said. Tina was not fond of the show or cast members in any way. So much so, she didn't return for the movies or two specials. That being said, the actress that they chose to replace her just couldn't pull off what Tina did. Everything she said and did felt forced and unbelievable. Even though I don't like Tina as a person, she did her job well and she made a fantastic Ginger. That being said, I will say the funniest part of the movie was when Ginger threw a chair at the director. Maybe it was unintentional, but I felt like that scene was a nod to how Tina would treat the idea of the show during her time on GI. Just something to think about. 4. *The Title Of The Show Is A Lie* I have been thinking about this for many years now. If the show is called Gilligan's Island. Why didn't Gilligan get the island in the end? It practically writes itself. Hell, I wouldn't even mind if the island was given to the Skipper, or Mary Ann, or even the Professor. Instead, they gave it to Mr. and Mrs. Howel. The characters who already have everything and can pretty much buy an island of their own if they wanted to (at least that's what the show hinted at anyway with how much money they made.) It's so interesting. I cannot think of a single tv show where the title of the series is a lie. When you create a movie or a show, or even a video game. The title in some way has to follow through in the end. Imagine if The Hunger Games movies came out and never focused on The Hunger Games? That's what this feels like. It's such an anomaly that I'm surprised it's not talked about more. 5. Lastly, the themes of these specials don't make sense in any way. I don't know how many people nowadays ship characters when it comes to this show in particular (Though I read a lot of people wanted Mary Ann and The Professor to be together back then. Something I still feel iffy about due to their age difference). Yet, I almost felt that writing a marriage between two of it's characters would have been better than the "The Globe Trotters." Like, WHAT? Was someone high when they thought of that? I barely even remember the second special other than the fact that the group got off the island for the final time. I won't go much into it because that's another essay in itself, but there was evidence to support that Mary Ann and Gilligan might have been together. Especially in the first season where she clearly crushes on him. That being said, not focusing your Gilligan Island specials on Gilligan, you know? The title character? Was also a big mistake as well since he barely gets any screen time during the last two specials in the series. Haha, ok I'm done. I had a lot of this on my chest for a while, and yes my friend. The Gilligan's Island theme does slap :)

[@atomicabe]

thanks for giving this so much thought!

[@binxthebinx6575]

@@atomicabe No problem! It's hard to find people my age (in my twenties) to nerd out about this. So I just wanted to do it now when I still had the chance, haha :)

[@melissacooper8724]

I'm still in shock that the rescue movie ended up with the castaways back on the island! I was like, "You've got to be kidding me!"

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@@atomicabe Saved By The Bell, Married With Children, Family Matters and Step By Step did the murder mystery type episodes!

[@Dog_Is_My_Copilot]

Some really good observations. It doesn’t really bother me about the title being a misdirection but I can see your point. I’ve only seen the specials once each as well, although I’ve seen every episode in the series proper at least 15-20 times. One of the wildest things to me was that when I watched it as a kid in the 80’s I had no idea the show was already 20 years old. I didn’t realize for quite some time that the actual series had come and gone 10 years before I was even born.

[@kyleellis1825]

I watched the "reality" competition show about the people trying to become the cast of Gilligans Island. It's the reason I went back and actually watched the show.

[@georgeshelton6281]

It was Ruth Bandelli who was the actress who played as Ginger Grant in "Rescue from Gilligan's Island." Do you ever fantasize about the Gilligan's Island castaways who find themselves in Calgary, Alberta, Canada? I was thinking that it was the 8th castaway: the 5 ft. 6 blonde hair crystal blue eye black woman named Teresa Dortch who sent them there. ⚫️ 🐈‍⬛️ ◼️ ⬛️ ♟️ ▪️ ⚫️ 👁 🧐 🥽 🙄 🙈 🤩 👁 👱🏻‍♀️ 👸 👱‍♂️ 🇨🇦 🤔 😀 😄 😉 😳 🇨🇦

[@tobysgamingworld1550]

I’m currently rewatching Miami Vice. Crockett and Ginger would’ve been a problem 😂

[@NottyGurlStyle]

I loved this show so much as a kid. Older now Funko just released all the characters and I pre ordered all. I need them in my collection ❤

[@quad5186]

Just got my Howell’s , completing the Castaways !

[@MoonjumperReviews]

I was going to mention that, yes, they DID get off the island, but not before ending up on another planet. But your comment towards the end beat me to it. I remember fondly having seen all of the Gilligan reunion movies they produced - and most of the others you mentioned as well. I also recently purchased DVD copies of the “Man From U.N.C.L.E.” reunion and the two “Wild Wild West” reunion movies. Haven’t seen those yet, so I can’t wait to spin those disks.

[@melissacooper8724]

I remember that the actor who played the Skipper did an episode of Wild Wild West as a substitute when Artemis Gordon was absent.

[@MoonjumperReviews]

@@melissacooper8724 - I’m actually watching “Wild Wild West” on DVD, so I’ll look forward to that episode.

[@CopperNoir]

I recall also seeing the Globetrotters on the White Shadow.

[@eloiseockert9233]

???

[@stonerbrospresents9368]

Lucy Desi Comedy Hour was great also.

[@cabellero1120]

Eight Is Enough is a good example of an hour long sitcom.

[@robgronotte1]

Eh, I watched it a few times as a kid and didn't find it very funny, it was much more a drama.

[@maxshea1829]

That worked because 8IE could work in many scenes of sentiment and drama which more slapstick sitcoms, such as G.I., could not.

[@Attmay]

I thought that was the show that got *Silver Spoons* and *Punky Brewster* bumped down to first-run syndication and *Futurama* bumped down to cable.

[@WorldFilmGeek]

Let's not forget Gilligan and the Skipper returned in the 1987 film "Back to the Beach". Gilligan was the bartender (although he wasn't called Gilligan) who kept giving Frankie Avalon's Big Kahuna "stunned mullets" and asking if he wants to hear stories about what happened on the island and the Skipper comes in the final scene. LOL

[@atomicabe]

Yes, BACK TO THE BEACH is the original legacy sequel -- but unlike other examples it has a great sense of humor about the original material. Also: cool musical numbers.

[@tamaraclaw]

Also Denver and Hale appeared in an episode of "The New Gidget"

[@KeepingtheMagicAlive]

Fascinating video. I never heard of Murder on Gilligan's Island! Crazy! I know you included the Jeffersons, but they did another murder episode and Russell Johnson was in it! It was the first of many times I visited the Jeffersons set and I was excited to see him because I was a big Gilligan's Island fan. I accepted the stupidity of the show, but when I saw that first reunion movie and they held up that sign of Minnow 1, I remember thinking why would it say Minnow 1? They had no reason to think they'd ever make a Minnow 2. And why wouldn't that piece of wood float away? The clip you showed reminded me of that. Anyway, another fun and interesting video!

[@chuckcalkins5184]

Rescue of Gilligan's Island is my favorite TV movie

[@jaengen]

It’s my favorite movie period. Nothing else comes close.

[@ladwigs]

The script for murder on giligans island, would be an iteresting read

[@RabbiJoeInJerusalem]

There was a Benson murder mystery, Death in a Funny Position. A two-parter!

[@harperstacey9604]

There was also a funny murder mystery episode of the Jeffersons that featured Russell Johnson, who played the professor on Gilligan's island. Ms. Harper Stacey.

[@eloiseockert9233]

???

[@Shishio28]

Keep doing what you doing. I love it, just bring the videos out more frequently.

[@KevinGeeksOut]

Thank you. More videos are coming soon.

[@Derpy1969]

I remember these shows. I never want to see them again.

[@erinmalone2669]

As a Gen Xer, I love seeing the Harlem Globetrotters in something. When I saw them on Futurama, I had the Scooby Doo feels all over again.😊

[@oldmanonyoutube]

I would have loved to see a Murder, She Wrote crossover with Gilligan's Island. Maybe on the resort island. If anyone could make that work it would be Angela Lansbury and the writers of Murder, She Wrote. It's like a comic fan imagining Spider-Man teaming up with Batman, lol. Wait... I looked it up and it's already happened in the comics. In Spider-Man and Batman: Disordered Minds published in 1995.

[@Attmay]

There’s an interview with her where she said she turned down a pilot from Embassy Television where she would have played the maid because the script was, in her words, “dreadful.“

[@andrewharris7517]

Abe your channel is Electric!! I’m 54 years old and I remember everything you feature on channel. Either in reruns or when they were broadcast. How about a video on the 2 Sanford and Son spin offs Or How the networks watered down My childhood hero. “SHAFT “with those 7 TV movies on CBS some where pretty good. Keep up the Fantastic content…. “Can you Dig it….”

[@atomicabe]

Thank you Andrew! Very glad to hear you remember all this stuff, too. More to come, there are so many backdoor pilots to revisit.

[@amcaesar]

I love Matt Glasson's edit here, always top notch stuff.

[@KevinGeeksOut]

He made a silk purse out of an elephant's ear. #BadLighting

[@mglasson]

Thank you sir!

[@shoresean1237]

The (would-be) killer would be: Eva Grubb! Her attempt to steal Ginger's career ended in ultimate humiliation and she blamed those she scammed. Eva: I was forced into the sleaziest activity imaginable, just to stay in show business. Gilligan: Not...porno? Eva: No - even worse - HOLIDAY MUSICAL VARIETY SPECIALS!!! I had to laugh at Paul Lynde seventeen times!!! Ginger: Let her go - she's suffered enough.

[@atomicabe]

ha

[@shoresean1237]

@@atomicabe Eva was the original Fake Ginger!

[@illegal_opinions]

Awesome awesome awesome video

[@KevinGeeksOut]

Glad you liked it, thanks! 😀

[@Lisa-je5bb]

Dawn wells ended up having a business. Her mother had bad arthritis and couldnt fasten her clothes so dawn designed clothes with velcro. It was hidden so well that women could wear evening gowns. Her company was called "wishing wells"

[@atomicabe]

that's very cool. Dawn Wells' boyfriend (or maybe her husband) negotiated her contract on GILLIGAN'S ISLAND and saw to it that she got paid for re-runs. No other cast member had that in their deal. So she did very well, business-wise.

[@amada5966873]

5:48 at the time she would have been known for being the receptionist on Bob newhart.

[@jerseytomato100]

That’s how I remember her. Not from the dumb Simpsons

[@KasumiKenshirou]

@@jerseytomato100The Simpsons didn't even exist at the time. The Simpsons was a great show. Key word: "WAS". It should've ended at least 20 years ago.

[@kennygoat7384]

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND IS ICONIC.♾️

[@WarriorSmurf]

That would've been cool. The detectives from either network would've worked. Have Wrongway Feldman turn out to be the would-be killer who learns that his attempt(s) ended up getting botched because he did things, uh, the "wrong way"..... ...wait for it...

[@atomicabe]

One of the proposed reunion movies involved the Castaways coming home -- and then tracking down people like Wrongway Feldman and the Mosquitoes and all the other visitors who could've helped them get rescued, but didn't.

[@WarriorSmurf]

@atomicabe That would've been interesting. Even having some of them appear at the island resort had the potential for some interesting ideas.

[@MultiSmartass1]

There was also a two part episode of BENSON set on a yacht where Benson solves a murder. That was watchable though tacky. You are right though. Murder mysteries and sitcoms usually don't fit snugly together.

[@atomicabe]

I had wanted to include the Benson episode in the examples but I couldn't get a good copy of the video. Glad to see someone remembers it! Thanks.

[@yeslets6049]

I’m watching Gilligan’s island right now. So funny!

[@atomicabe]

Re-watching the show now I'm really impressed by Jim Backus. His timing and delivery are excellent.

[@julieporter7805]

There's also another Gilligan reunion.. sort of that I recommend, the novel, Gilligan's Wake by Tom Carson. It tells the supposed back stories of thr castaways and is a mega crossover with several other real and fictional people. Its published fan fiction but I enjoyed it. It makes you look at the Castaways differently. For example Giligan is never referred to by that name. In fact, he's Maynard G. Krebs, Bob Denver's character in Dobie Gillis (I think it's implied that the G stands for Giligan which is his middle name). At one point he gets sent to a mental hospital and one of the other patients is Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye and another is implied to be Chief Bromden from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The Skipper is of course in the Navy and serves with McHale from McHale's Navy and encounters Kennedy in his PT109. Mr. Howell of course knows a lot of wealthy people and at one time befriends Alger Hiss while he is spying on the U.S. Mrs. Howell is a flapper who is close friends with Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby (even attending many of Gatsby's parties) and marries Mr. Howell for financial security rather than love. Ginger left a redneck Southern family behind to become an actress and after achieving stardom goes with her sister to a party to meet the Rat Pack and makes out with Sammy Davis Jr. The Professor is involved in the Manhattan Project and MK Ultra and creates an experiment in which he and six others are stranded on an island. He can get off any time but he sabotages or outsmarts the other's attempts to get off. Mary Anne is from a small town in Kansas and attends the Sorbonne where she has an affair with director, Jean Luc Goddard (implied to inspire his movie Breathless). She later temporarily moves to New York after the people of her town want nothing more to do with her after she's had several romances abroad. There are also some neat running gags such as the name Gilligan repeated in each story as an anagram for a person or character (Algiglin as one of the Skipper's crew members, Gliaglin is a friend of Mr. Howell's and another spy, Lil Gagni as Mrs. Howell's mother's maid, Al Gligin is a sleazy agent who forces Ginger to make adult films,The Lili Gang are a team of safecrackers present while Mary Ann is in Paris, the Professor is addicted to a drug called lagglin) and the presence of a character named a variation of Susan (Maynard's girlfriend is named Suze, The Skipper knows a prostitute named Susie, The Howell's son has a girlfriend named Suzanne, Daisy Buchanan gives Lovey a dog named Soo Soo, Ginger's sister is named Susannah, The Professor has an affair with a student named Sue, and Mary Ann has a roommate named Susan.) Like I said, it's definitely fanfiction and it's weird but also interesting too.

[@atomicabe]

Wow! You're the only other person I've meet who read GILLIGAN'S WAKE. (I had to track it down after reading Tom Carson's incredible analysis of STAR WARS in an essay for the book A GALAXY NOT SO FAR AWAY.) It felt like the book was written for me. You summed it up beautifully. I especially like that each chapter is longer than the previous one, so by the end we get a novella about Maryanne. Also it gave me a new appreciation for Mrs. Howell. Such a brilliant, weird and funny book. Just the fact that it exists is wonderful. I was surprised to learn that Mr. Carson is not especially a fan of the original series. You'd think he'd need to really love it to make something like GILLIGAN'S WAKE.

[@julieporter7805]

@@atomicabe Well, I am guessing since Susan in the final story acted as Carson's mouthpiece more or less explaining why he wrote it and there is kind of a darker jaded tone throughout, almost mean to them but not quite, I'm not surprised that he didn't like the series. Just that it was always "there" and since they were a microcosm of different levels of society in the 60's, it would sense that they wou be involved in the important events. Yeah, Mary Anne's was my favorite and The Professor's as well. (I love how it slyly answered the "if he's so smart why couldn't he get them off the island" query.) I mean I am a confirmed Gilligan/Mary Anne and Professor/Ginger shipper but still their stories were fascinating. Actually, I am a book reviewer and I read it for my blog because I was curious but unfortunately I ran out of time to review it. 🤔 I may have reason to reread it and review it now. juliesaraporterbookworm.blogspot.com/?m=1 Now I must read Carson's Star Wars essay.

[@toweypat]

That's amazing. I might have to track down that book.

[@stevebragg4256]

I had heard Martin Short might play Gilligan in a movie. John Goodman as the skipper. But this was 25 years ago when I hear the rumor.

[@atomicabe]

That's fascinating! We see John Goodman as the Skipper towards the end of the video. I don't know if Martin Short ever donned the white hat and red shirt.

[@bjbell52]

I heard that the producer wanted Jerry vanDyke as Gilligan but he turned it down to star in My Mother the Car (not the best career choice).

[@MrChupacabra555]

Stupid Aside: I was never much into the show "LOST", but I always had a 'Head Canon' about the show: The island that the gang ended up on was actually the same as the one from this show, which explained a lot of the 'weirdness' of the island: Impossible things were ALWAYS happening on Gilligan's Island, and yet the island just didn't seem to exist in the same 'universe' as the rest of us. I would have given all the money if they could have arranged for Russel Johnson to appear as one of the scientists behind it all, as he was still alive during the shows run 😂

[@bitterspice5525]

Glad to have stumbled upon your channel. This is the first I have watched. Just subbed/liked. I look forward to watching more. Great job!

[@atomicabe]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@eddiedutra3359]

There was of also an episode of "The Howard Stern Show" with Gilligan.

[@jamesbeachem2003]

I loved all those movies growing up.

[@KevinGeeksOut]

Which one is your favorite? I like the Globetrotters one best.

[@jamesbeachem2003]

@@KevinGeeksOut that's my #1 also.

[@Centauri27]

This is the most informative and entertaining "Gilligan's Island" video I've seen on KZbin. Well done! 👏

[@atomicabe]

Thank you. It was such a fun research project, glad you liked it.

[@stillaboveground2470]

"GI" was my favorite show as a kid.

[@chemistryguy]

I guess it shouldn't be surprising, but most of the cast have passed away. Only Ginger, Tina Louise, is still around. There can never be another reunion special.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

Not one that anyone would want to watch, anyway. Don't you think that Hollywood wouldn't still do it if they thought it would make money, even if everyone else in the world could tell it was a terrible idea.

[@tamaraclaw]

Of course, the irony is that Tina Louise didn't want to be associated with the show.

[@Shorty_Lickens]

Boston Legal is a dramedy and one hour long. Also much funnier than a lot of the sitcoms it went up against at the time.

[@atomicabe]

ooh, BOSTON LEGAL is a good one!

[@patrickperalta59]

Dawn Wells who played Mary-Ann was the youngest Cast member I believe she was in her early 20's when Gilligan's island was on the air....which would make her in her late 30's / early 40's when Rescue From Gilligan's Island came out. she had a youthfull look compared to the rest of the cast. Tina Louise was on several episodes of Dallas as JR's Secretary.

[@behindthescenesphotos5133]

Dawn Wells was born in 1938, she looked great in the reunion movies in her forties.

[@hydrolito]

JR's Secretary ran from guys chasing her and accidentally fell off roof of building in an episode of Dallas in the story of course she didn't really.

[@harperstacey9604]

Tina Louise appeared in the 1975 film, the stepford wives. Ms. Harper Stacey.

[@TimCarter]

I consider Love Boat a hour long sitcom.

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

Russell Johnson was the only cast member, who didn't appear on the Love Boat.

[@davidscheuer8091]

Good, fun video. The proposed ‘Murder on Gilligan’s Island’ bore a more-than-passing resemblance to the 1980 TV movie ‘Murder Can Hurt You!’ (which itself was a knock-off to the 1976 theatrical film ‘Murder by Death’). The former starred 70s TV stalwarts such as Jamie Farr, Gavin McLeod, Tony Danza. The writer of the TV movie? Ron Friedman, who penned three different GI episodes, including the ‘murder mystery’ episode ‘And Then There Were None’ where the castaways start disappearing and Gilligan thinks he’s killed them.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

I just saw that Friedman has a GoFundMe for medical expenses. :( Friedman also wrote for GI Joe and the first draft of Transformers: The Movie. (His autobiography is even called "I Killed Optimus Prime".)

[@davidscheuer8091]

@@KasumiKenshirou Wow. Thank you for sharing that. May God be with him and his family.

[@dmnemaine]

The reunions didn't fail. That's why there were four of them. They were very successful. Tina Louise lost out on a lot of money because she refused to participate in them. Her loss.

[@hydrolito]

Tina Louise was also not in cartoon Gilligan's planet and Dawn Wells did voice of both Mary Ann and Ginger. While other actors did the other voices.

[@KenLieck]

@@hydrolito Which makes for a killer trivia question: "What show featured Dawn Wells as Ginger the movie star?"

[@Garsons-oq4lh]

Not a total loss because people still remember the show not those forgettable reunion films.

[@Wintersoldier73]

I loved all the Gilligan's Island movies as a kid & I watched that CBS lineup, so Jessica on GI? Yes, please! And my youngest son has marathoned Murder, She Wrote like 3 times already. He used to watch all those legal dramas with my mom when she was still alive.

[@Attmay]

Now that would have been something to see.

[@katespe]

Obviously, the best returning villain would have been Dr. Boris Balinkoff. Maybe it would have turned out that the castaway was actually murdered but the doctor had switched their brain with someone else and somehow had a duplicate body for them to inhabit once these shenanigans have ended

[@KevinGeeksOut]

I love this! Yes!

[@hydrolito]

Waltons had 6 full length TV movies after their show ended which were each twice as long as a regular episode. Which had historically events of death of John Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald in one of them. Very Brady Movie sequel had Gilligan Island crossover but with different actors for the characters and Mrs. Brady's 3 daughters father was the professor and actor that played Higgens on Magnum PI played Gilligan's father.

[@Morgatronbot]

great vid, was hoping you'd talk more about the cartoons, they seem like a fever dream to me

[@MysteriousStranger42]

Gilligan and the Skipper are also in the movie Back to the Beach with Frankie Avalon

[@harperstacey9604]

Gilligan and the Skipper also appeared in a episode of Alf. Ms. Harper Stacey.

[@SuperMarioBrosIII]

@@harperstacey9604 And they both appeared on The New Gidget back in 1987!🏖🏝🥥📺

[@hydrolito]

They can call Gilligan's island the next generation or Ginger's island as only one left, with the children of the original characters. Four guys and three gals they would be likely have children. They had two different Lone Rangers on show, two different Superboys between 1988-1992 although kept the same Lana Lang. Two different Hannible Haye's also called Joshua Smith on Alias Smith as Jones as Peter Duel committed suicide. Actress that played Mrs. Cabople was also Secretary on Bob Newhart show.

[@iunderstanphotography2780]

I saw that rescue and how they ended up back on the island. I NEVER would have got back on the boat again

[@jimmyju76]

i still watch whenever it's on. honestly i liked the premise of the Castaways

[@Orfeus3000]

For lack of a better compliment, you are really good at this. New subscriber

[@MrShortWhiteGuy]

You forgot "Surviving Gilligan's Island" (2001) with Bob Denver, Dawn Wells & Russell Johnson. It was interesting as Dwayne Hickman was also in the movie and Dwayne & Bob starred together in Dobie Gillis. If they were to make another Gilligan movie in the 1980's it's doubtful that Jim Backus would be in it, as he wasn't well enough to do the Harlem Globetrotters movie. He just makes a brief appearance near the end. It seems to me it was just as well that they ended the show when they did, because Tina's contract would be up and she wouldn't renew it. It sounds like the season 4 plans was to get rid of Ginger somehow and have 2 new single women stranded on the island to replace Ginger. This would've butchered the show.

[@hydrolito]

Would depend on who the women were and how they did it. MASH TV series replaced almost all of the actors from the movie but kept Radar. MASH TV series later replaced a bunch of characters and was successful. Colonel Potter replaced Colonel Blake, BJ Honeycut replaced Trapper John, Winchester replaced Frank Burns, Radar left and Max Clinger took over his job. Some of the nurses also left but don't recall the characters names except of course Margret Hullihan played by Loretta Swit which was different than actress in movie.

[@hydrolito]

Trapper John MD TV series they got Pernell Roberts to play role which was different actor from both MASH the movie and MASH TV series.

[@jimminybunkwhack5706]

Bob Denver was also in a series called Dusty s Trail which is basically Gilligan's Island in the Old West

[@atomicabe]

Right. And there's also FAR OUT SPACE NUTS where Chuck McCann is his Skipper.

[@TheRetroDepot]

Great video! Murder in GI? I’d assume they’d all hang up on Gillian for always ruining their chances of getting off the island. Then it would be a nightmare by Gillian in his sleep. By the way the Harlem globetrotters had a cartoon in the 70s.

[@atomicabe]

thank you. And yes, the Globetrotters (like Gilligan's Island) had TWO cartoons. One about the team as themselves. And another cartoon where they were superheroes. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera, hence the cross-over with Scooby-Doo.

[@TheRetroDepot]

@@atomicabe oh cool, I had no idea they had 2 cartoons, thanks! Ionly knew the superhero ones.

[@hydrolito]

They figured out guy was killed by accident with spear gun and none of them did it. Gilligan also dreamed of being a sheriff and Skipper, Mr. Howell and Professor were gunslingers also in another one Mrs. Howell was his mother and he bought magic beans from Mr. Howell and giant Skipper was out to get him after he climbed bean stalk.

[@snesguy9176]

I imagine a gritty early law and order sort of episode. Gilligan loses it and kills the professor in cold blood one night, then plays it off by being the normal goofball he is. 😂

[@professorskye]

Love these videos

[@myautobiographyafanfic1413]

I think the Columbo one would work especially well, because you'd have a guest star as the murderer, and not have it a big deal that you know who did it.

[@lynncalado5735]

Crushing on you, Abe!

[@waddlesdpuffin]

They probably would have done detective parody characters like in tv movie Murder Can Hurt You also Benson had a murder mystery episode and it wasn’t a fake out

[@atomicabe]

Damn you really know your TV! We weren't able to get a copy of that BENSON so we didn't include it. And an early draft mentioned MURDER CAN HURT YOU with the speculation that they would've done similar detective spoofs.

[@atomicabe]

p.s. just subscribed to your channel!

[@waddlesdpuffin]

@@atomicabe And mom said I was wasting my time in front of the tube

[@jons.6216]

Always got a kick out of the fact that Mr Howell had more modern glasses for the reunion than the black horn rims he wore on the show! A bit of lost cargo from LensCrafters washed up in the lagoon, I suppose! Haha!

[@StorytellerStudios]

Nice video! Thanks! I still enjoy these corny episodes.

[@flowingafterglow629]

I think the murderers would have been the Mosquitos. We didn't get to see enough of them.

[@3DJapan]

I know one successful one hour sitcom but it was British, the show was Green Wing, about workers in a hospital.

[@Shoegoddess260]

I would have loved to see that Murder on Gilligans Island Movie but if it were done by ABC it could have been Baretta, Starsky and Hutch and (this would give Ginger some competition) Charlie's Angels. One thing I do have to say about sitcoms and murder mysteries, is what about Soap? There was a regular cast member as the victim (Peter Campbell played by Robert Urich) and he didn't return from the dead and the murderer (Chester played by Robert Mandan)was a regular cast member.

[@insertrandomnamehere764]

Gilligan's island was genius. It was the same 3 episodes for 3 seasons. 1) Gilligan discovers a way off the island then screws it up. 2) someone comes to the island, the castaways wine and dine that person and tell them about a great money making scheme and the person leaves them on the island and the castaways hear on the radio the person used the scheme. 3) a dream sequence where a fairytale is acted out.

[@hydrolito]

Cannibals invaded from another island, a lion in a crate washed up on shore and was stalking them, hunter came to island and hunted Gilligan, Japanese soldier from World War 2 captures most of them. In another story Gilligan locks the rest up.

[@hydrolito]

There was also story about hurricane coming toward island and they hid in cave but not room for all so they came out of cave and cave was wiped out.

[@jasonmack2569]

I would be down for a Gilligan's Island Murder Mystery with a group of other TV detectives done in a "Murder By Death" style. PS I would consider "Love Boat" to be a 1 hour sitcom.

[@hydrolito]

Little House on the Prairie was sometimes done as an hour long sitcom counting commercial breaks as part of the hour. Other times it was action adventure and other times family drama.

[@williammitchell4417]

Correct me if I'm wrong, when a lot of these "reunion shows" was also in the middle of a writers strike??

[@trk1973]

I saw the Globetrotters movie as a kid and I remember Jim Backus pretty much just cameoed at the end of the movie. He looked really old and frail then being in his late 60s at the time

[@atomicabe]

Yes, apparently he was in bad shape but wanted to appear in the movie. And after they filmed his scene people had tears in their eyes.

[@sammydingdong4540]

Debbie does Dallas on Gilligan Island .......now that I would watch............🤠

[@mauriceortiz8817]

Fun presentation

[@russ7868]

Maryanne was the Mila Kunis of that era. I had a huge crush on her!

[@darkmask5933]

There's the old rumor that Tina Louise accused Bob Denver of sexually harassing/assaulting her, and that also played into why she didn't want to return, although at this point I don't know if that is fact or urban legend.

[@GeminiladyJackson-xq6hc]

There was a rumor that Tina Louise and Bob Denver had a brief affair.

[@edreid7872]

Benson did a murder mystery episode where the governor was “supposedly” murdered..it was disturbing to see a major character whacked, even if it wasn’t real, so I can see why it’s not a popular sitcom plot ploy..

[@Attmay]

That explains why *The Golden Girls* held back from that with the season 7 episode “The Case of the Libertine Belle,” since instead of a major character being “supposedly” murdered, they made Blanche the primary suspect. Meanwhile, the penultimate season of *the Facts of Life* saw a dream sequence/Twilight Zone parody where characters get offed one by one. George Clooney’s character, such as it was, is one of them.

[@williammitchell4417]

Castaways with Tom Bosley and Marcia Wallace was the best of them.

[@TwinRiver100]

5:04 hey I've heard of this series! I was kind of curious about the set up and kind of wanted to see this when learned about it and knew a little bit about Fantasy Island and The Love Boat with the whole weekly guest thing a new visitor every week.

[@bluebaron6858]

Tv executives... Really are craazy

[@hydrolito]

According to another source Dawn Wells got the most fan mail.

[@Caylee319]

Just to add to your list of guest appearance shows, in 1987 Bob Denver and Alan Hale Jr appeared as "Gilligan" and "Captain Hale" in an episode of The New Gidget. I watched that episode, and they pretty mush just played themselves.

[@atomicabe]

Oh man, I need to see that!

[@CartoonTriper]

if they make this special today would be "Glass Onion: Murder on Gillingan's Island "

[@atomicabe]

Would watch!

[@krantzbucks]

Murder on gilligans island sounds a little like a reworking of the episode where the castaways find out that a man had been murdered on the night they set sail. Gilligans and the skipper have to investigate to see which of the passengers was the murderer. They do a reenactment and find out it was an accidental death.

[@PaulLeary]

Fantastic!

[@TheMYERSFAN25]

"Murder on Gilligan's Island" sounds cool.

[@robshimer]

On Crossing Jordan, there was one episode That the Jerry O'Connell character met a bunch of EXPERT cops. The Lt. offered him a job.

[@jeffjones3040]

Ginger was absolute FIRE!!!!

[@cabellero1120]

There was an episode of Roseanne where much of it was a tribute to Gilligan's Island! ( look it up)

[@harperstacey9604]

Bob Denver, Tina Louise, Russell Johnson and Dawn Wells, appeared in a cameo as members of Roseanne's family. Ms. Harper Stacey.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

It was mentioned in the video.

[@yell0wberry]

I’m sure the accountant for Tina Louise was looking at her funny after seeing the ratings for rescue from Gilligans island With all the old time sitcoms being revived for movie specials, the narrator did leave out one of my favorites, the 6 million Dollar Man The honeymooners also did a brief come back when Ralph was finally promoted to traffic manager, while being old and gray

[@howtubeable]

There's not enough money for an actress to return to a show she had grown to hate.

[@STho205]

She didn't hate the show or the cast...however she did HATE Sherwood Schwartz, and said she would never help him earn another penny off her.

[@yell0wberry]

@@STho205 I can definitely believe that, however, she did negotiate with him and the production team on how much money she wanted to be on the show, so that’s probably not totally accurate. That guy is definitely a whack job and probably cheated a lot of folks out of a bunch of money over the years

[@STho205]

@@yell0wberry yeah CBS was ready to carry the show another year....syndication was just more clear no effort profit for a producer. Notice how many highly syndicated shows of the 60s has exactly 3 seasons or 75 episodes: GI, LIS, Star Trek Big Valley had four

[@markelijio6012]

They were three made for TV movies from 1978 to 1981, starting with "Rescue from Gilligan's Island" - one of the most successful made for TV movies in the 1978-1979 season.

[@jaredjlinden]

I had to laugh that they used the font from Sherwood Schwartz’s other TV show, The Brady Bunch, for the Gilligan reunions.

[@r.jackson7162]

Don't forget the Wish version of Gilligan's Island, Dusty's Trail.

[@robgronotte1]

The Dukes Of Hazzard was an hour long comedy / action show that was very popular. Not sure if it fits the definition of sitcom or not.