Created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz, Gilligan ‘s Island is an American comic sitcom aired for three seasons on the CBS network from September 26, 1964, to April 17, 1967, and it ran for 98 episodes. All of the first season was filmed in black and white and was later colored. The series revolved around the comic adventures of seven castaways shipwrecked on an island. Most episodes show conflicts and unsuccessful attempts of dissimilar castaways, for whose failure Gilligan was mostly responsible.
The show received solid ratings when released but gained popularity during the 1970s and 1980s. Today, the title character of Gilligan is recognized as an American cultural icon.
Facts you never knew about the sitcom Gilligan ‘s Island
- The name “Gilligan” was taken from a phone book. When Schwartz created the show he had concept and characters in his mind but faced some difficulty while coming up a title for the show. He knew that “Island” and the name of the lead character had to be a part of it. He considered many names for the plucky first mate and then decided to go through the phonebook and he found the name “Gilligan” quite amusing so it stuck with him.
- Jerry Van Dyke was the first choice to be Gilligan. When Schwartz came up with the idea of the show he had Jerry in his mind for the role of Gilligan and jerry was also sent a script to read but he called it the “worst thing he had ever read” and rejected it and the role went to Bob Denver, rest is history.
- Natalie Schafer was not an admirer of Gilligan ‘s Island. Natalie who played the millionaire socialite Lovey Howell wasn’t a fan of the show however her performance as Lovey caught many laughs on the show. her facial expressions and dialogue delivery created the show.
- Thurston Howell is one of the Richest fictional characters ever. in the show Thurston Howell III has shown showcase his wealth and is really rich for that fact. Wealth like that gets you noticed as The Forbes magazine decided to honor Mr. Howell. the character was frequently mentioned in the Forbes fictional 15 lists of wealthy millionaires.
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