Today in History : Gilligan's Island premieres

This show was first introduced long before I was born but was still in heavy rotation well into the 80's. It was one of the guaranteed "after-school" shows that came on 5 days a week. While it was popular during its initial run - regularly ranked in the top-30 shows overall, it actually gained in popularity 10 and even 20 years after it originally premiered. Considered quite a gamble at first, Gilligan's Island remains an American cultural icon.

The year was 1964

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There hasn't been a single year since the show was broadcast that this show wasn't in the lineup of some broadcast network. It was originally on CBS and has passed down the line from various others in syndication such as Warner, MGM, TBS, TNT, Nickelodeon, and The Hallmark Channel. There are not many TV shows in existence that can claim they have always been on the air, at least in some capacity, for 55 years.

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The show was a comedy about a group of people who end up stranded on a tropical island after a shipwreck. They build a community of sorts and the objective in every episode is for them to obviously, get off the island. This is predictably botched by the comedic bumbling actions of Gilligan, who is the first mate on the S.S. Minnow and as the name would suggest, primary character of the series.

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There was some controversy surrounding this show as Ginger and Mary-Ann were frequently sexualized and featured in rather revealing outfits. Looking at the above photo and how people thought that was "too much for TV!" I would imagine the censors or puritans of the 60's would have a heart attack if you were to show them a Rihanna video.

The show was filmed primarily in CBS's studios in Los Angeles and I think this is relatively obvious in most of the episodes. However, many scenes were filmed on a location in Hawaii and there were actually a few mistakes made during filming such as speedboats visible in the background and in once scene it is possible to see a large hotel in the distance. This is rare, but kind of funny that it made it to the final cut.

On a bit of an ominous note the final day of filming the pilot was November 22, 1963 - the same day that J.F.K. was assassinated.

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you have to look very closely, but the flag in the background as the Minnow leaves port is at half-mast because of the death of the President}

While the show was reasonably popular when it first aired in the 60's, it reached its highest level of popularity a decade later. There was only 3 seasons ever produced, but they were very long seasons at more than 30 episodes each. The decision was made to begin production on a 4th season but it was quietly axed at the 11th hour while all of the cast members were on vacation. This was a very dirty move as some of the cast members had recently purchased houses near the set once they received confirmation of a 4th season.

Truly an iconic show, Gilligan's Island was prominently featured in my own living room every afternoon when i got home from school. I really wouldn't say that this show was particularly epic, but it was a piece of Americana right up there with The Brady Bunch and is likely one of the most well-remembered shows for anyone over 35 years of age.