We know Mary Ann is from Winfield, Kansas, and that Gilligan was born in a small town in Pennsylvania. What else can we infer about the castaways' geographical origins?

I'm going to suggest that while Gilligan was born in Pennsylvania, he grew up in New Jersey. That would explain his slightly New Yorkish accent (says "mistah" instead of "mister," for example) and his copy of "A Boy Scout's Guide Through New Jersey." And as wikipedia notes, the names of his best friends (not to mention his own) certainly suggest that he grew up in an Irish-American neighbourhood.

Ginger also sounds as though she has a New York accent that she's tried to flatten in Hollywood. Her r's give it away, such as when she says, "Of course." It sounds more like "Of coahs." Her accent is different from Gilligan's, though.

The Howells' accent sounds quasi-upper class English. Where is that accent from? Boston?

Help me out here, guys! I'm not from the United States! I'm just guessing!:(

They never really did tell us anything about the castaways background, so I guess we have to guess.

I gleaned some background info on the Professor from Russell Johnson's book,
Here on Gilligan's Isle (1993):

ABOUT THE PROFESSOR

Name: Dr. Roy Hinkley
Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio
Education: Six degrees in all, including a B.A. from USC, a B.S. from
UCLA, an M.A. from SMU, and a Ph.D. from TCU (all achieved in 25 years)
Area(s) of Expertise: medicine; dentistry; biology; agriculture; astronomy; marine biology; geology; anthropology; botany; psychology;
physics; law; zoology; chess.
Occupation(s): Professor and high school science teacher; noted Boy
Scout leader (he was the youngest Eagle Scout in Cleveland), and writer
Reason for taking three-hour tour: To write his book, Fun with Ferns.

I think those are good guesses, callensensei!

For the Howells, Boston makes sense, or perhaps Connecticut or New York. Definitely the East Coast. The Professor I think is from Ohio, as noted above. Ginger is likely from New York, though she might also be from the South. Every now and then she speaks with a bit of a Southern accent. In those days, one of the first things the studios would do with a potential starlet would be diction classes to get rid of an accent, so that explains why it's mostly gone (plus many years living in CA and NY). Skipper could be from California, though it seems like he was in Hawaii for a good part of his life.

And as wikipedia notes, the names of his best friends (not to mention his own) certainly suggest that he grew up in an Irish-American neighbourhood.


Skinny Mulligan -- definitely Irish-American! :lol:

I think those are good guesses, callensensei!

For the Howells, Boston makes sense, or perhaps Connecticut or New York. Definitely the East Coast.

Thurston Howell III attended Harvard and would say derisively, "Heavens a Yale man!" as if it were savage behavior. So probably not Connecticut for his origin, as he likely wouldn't be so hard on his home state's top university...!

Thurston Howell III attended Harvard and would say derisively, "Heavens a Yale man!" as if it were savage behavior. So probably not Connecticut for his origin, as he likely wouldn't be so hard on his home state's top university...!

Good point! It makes a strong case for Thurston's being from Boston. Can anyone place his accent? It isn't Jim Backus' real accent. Where in the U.S. do people actually sound like that?

Well, U.S. accents are a real mish-mash, so it's tough. Plus, Mr. Howell is a character voice with its own unique characteristics. I pulled out my accents and dialects guide for actors, and the closest match I can find is upper class Massachusetts. There are some definite differences in inflection and "r" pronunciation, but those could be regional differences or the character voice. The high society events and culture described by the Howells are consistent with Boston in that time period.

We could play it safe and just say upper class Eastern New England. A good example of that kind of accent would be Katherine Hepburn, though I think she was from Connecticut.

Well, U.S. accents are a real mish-mash, so it's tough. Plus, Mr. Howell is a character voice with its own unique characteristics. I pulled out my accents and dialects guide for actors, and the closest match I can find is upper class Massachusetts. There are some definite differences in inflection and "r" pronunciation, but those could be regional differences or the character voice. The high society events and culture described by the Howells are consistent with Boston in that time period.


Great detective work, LS! Sounds like Massachusetts is a pretty good bet. And I presume Mrs. Howell is from the same area.

We could play it safe and just say upper class Eastern New England. A good example of that kind of accent would be Katherine Hepburn, though I think she was from Connecticut.
I think another example would be William F. Buckley. He also has that upper-class New England accent. Buckley was raised in Connecticut, and (as Mr Howell would say) was "a Yale man". :lol:

Mr. Howell was definitely a New England Brahmin. Mrs. Howell was born Eunice Wentworth, which sounds very WASPish and upper crust. Definitely a Newport connection, what with his yachting hat!

Where did Ginger come from? Hollywood, of course! :lol:

She probably grew up in a factory town with a name like Betty Jo Daniels and was re-invented by a studio boss who give her an alliterative name with a last name from a U.S. president. Sound familiar? ;)

The Skipper was probably from California . . likely Orange County. :D

Great insights, Steve! Mr. Howell does sound very similar to the New England Brahmin examples from my actor's dialect guide CD. Not an exact match, but close.

We share a similar view on Ginger's background. I'm working on a fanfic in which we see how she was "manufactured" by the studio system. I don't go into the specifics of where she's from, only that it was a small, "one-horse, no hope town" and that she originally had a fairly thick accent. A washed-up factory town would work really well. She doesn't sound at all like a native Californian.

Had never noticed the name alliteration and the Monroe - Grant connection before. Very clever of you! I've never thought "Ginger Grant" was her real name, either.

I also like the idea of Skipper being from SoCal, though I might be a bit biased as I hail from there myself. (: Some parts of Orange County might work for him, or some of the harbor cities in LA County like San Pedro, Wilmington, Long Beach, etc.

I see the Skipper as being from the Pacific Northwest. He probably grew up on fishing boats which is what made him interested in becoming a sailor.

Great insights, Steve! Mr. Howell does sound very similar to the New England Brahmin examples from my actor's dialect guide CD. Not an exact match, but close.

We share a similar view on Ginger's background. I'm working on a fanfic in which we see how she was "manufactured" by the studio system. I don't go into the specifics of where she's from, only that it was a small, "one-horse, no hope town" and that she originally had a fairly thick accent. A washed-up factory town would work really well. She doesn't sound at all like a native Californian.

Had never noticed the name alliteration and the Monroe - Grant connection before. Very clever of you! I've never thought "Ginger Grant" was her real name, either.

I also like the idea of Skipper being from SoCal, though I might be a bit biased as I hail from there myself. (: Some parts of Orange County might work for him, or some of the harbor cities in LA County like San Pedro, Wilmington, Long Beach, etc.

Thanks, it took me awhile to notice the similarities between Ginger and Marilyn. I think the episode in which Ginger sings "I Want To Be Loved By You" to lift the castaways' spirits (and Mary Ann then hits her head and thinks she's Ginger) rang the alarm bell in my head. :lol:

I always thought the Skipper had a streak of the Old West in him, and John Wayne lived in Newport Beach, so I guessed Orange County for him. But Washington State works just as well. :-)

Thanks, it took me awhile to notice the similarities between Ginger and Marilyn. I think the episode in which Ginger sings "I Want To Be Loved By You" to lift the castaways' spirits (and Mary Ann then hits her head and thinks she's Ginger) rang the alarm bell in my head. :lol:

I always thought the Skipper had a streak of the Old West in him, and John Wayne lived in Newport Beach, so I guessed Orange County for him. But Washington State works just as well. :-)

Ginger actually impersonates Marilyn in "The Producer," doesn't she? And is the Italian character she plays just before that supposed to be Sophia Loren?

I keep thinking I hear some New York in Ginger's accent, especially her "r's," like when she says "of course." It sounds a little more like "of cohas." Perhaps that little nameless town of hers might be near the Big Apple.

Great call on the Skipper, Steve! He does say he always wanted to be a cowboy. I quite agree that he grew up on the coast somewhere and was always "messing around in boats." The Tops trading cards (though I don't know how canonically accurate we can call them: they say Gilligan is 15! Whoops!) puts his hometown as Seattle.

Anyone care to tackle the Professor? Not much to go on there, unless we use his degrees.

Ginger actually impersonates Marilyn in "The Producer," doesn't she? And is the Italian character she plays just before that supposed to be Sophia Loren?

I keep thinking I hear some New York in Ginger's accent, especially her "r's," like when she says "of course." It sounds a little more like "of cohas." Perhaps that little nameless town of hers might be near the Big Apple.

Great call on the Skipper, Steve! He does say he always wanted to be a cowboy. I quite agree that he grew up on the coast somewhere and was always "messing around in boats." The Tops trading cards (though I don't know how canonically accurate we can call them: they say Gilligan is 15! Whoops!) puts his hometown as Seattle.

Anyone care to tackle the Professor? Not much to go on there, unless we use his degrees.

Yes, Ginger's impersonations in "The Producer" are Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren.

As for her way of speaking... there are several American regional accents that are "non-rhotic" - the "r" is not pronounced in certain instances or it is pronounced lightly. This occurs in some of the New England regions and also in some Southern regions. The lightly pronounced "r" could also be an effort on Ginger's part to sound more sophisticated, glamorous and "upscale" as it were. Add that to the fact that the studio system would have rid her of any regional accent she might have had... and it gets hard to narrow down where she's from.

The Professor has a standard American accent - no real regional characteristics. I'd go with Ohio for him.

Wasn't the Professor supposed to be from Cleveland? I read that somewhere.

Alan Hale was working on a Western when Schwartz sought him out to play the Skipper, so he clearly had a bit of the cowboy in his acting. :)