What is everybody's opinions on this? The TV Movies were pretty bad, especially the one with the Harlem Globetrotters. Did these movies hurt the legacy of the original show?

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Probably not. I agree the third one was pretty awful, but the first one was nice and nostalgic, and the second was...OK. In any event, the whole series was corny to begin with so a few corny TV movies really didn't damage it at all IMO. By the time they were released I think everyone was just happy to see their old friends again.

The first one was about as good as you could expect, the others I don't remember. Half hour shows just don't translate to movies very well.
That being said, I don't think the movies did anything at all to the series in a negative way. The series stands on its own as a true classic.

Not at all. Of course, as much as I like the original show, it's not such a "classic" work of art that anything could have possibly ruined it. To me, they were both about equal in quality. Or, if anything the original show was only SLIGHTLY better.

Besides, the only people watching the movies were fans of the show. I know, because I was still a kid when the movies came out. And I can remember jumping around my house in joy when I first saw the previews for the first movie.

What is everybody's opinions on this? The TV Movies were pretty bad, especially the one with the Harlem Globetrotters. Did these movies hurt the legacy of the original show?

Not for me. The movies are a little dumb, but they're goodnatured enough and they don't detract from the superior quality of the show itself.

The only thing that jars with me about the movies is the character of Gilligan himself. In the show, Gilligan has this magical, indefinable quality that was missing from the movies. Perhaps it came from youth- Bob Denver was still a young man then.

In the movies Gilligan acts at times as though he's actually regressed in his behaviour- you'd expect a man approaching 40 to have grown up a bit- after all, Gilligan wasn't mentally challenged, he was just awkward and self-conscious. But then I guess that's just how he was written. There wasn't any emotional development in any of them in the movies, whereas in the show they all came across as real, three dimensional people. That's another reason why the movies are fairly forgettable.

But it never put me off.

No.... the series and TV movie reunions go hand in hand. Only wish Tina was in them. That would have been a REAL reunion with ALL the cast.

Nah, everyone knows reunion movies are never as good as the original. Return to Mayberry might be the one exception.

The only one I remember is the first one, which I got on a dollar DVD years ago. I saw all three on TV back in the day, and I recall liking the first one best. I don't think they were a comedown from the original series, and I believe the third one was supposed to be a pilot for a new GI series that failed to sell.

Rescue from Gilligans island was the only good TV Movie IMO. Allot of people tuned in to the original broadcast, The scene where they were parting ways after their rescue and going to their separate lives, was very touching and emotional.

The movies weren't as good as the series, but I found them entertaining enough. Been hoping for a legit release of them on DVD, to round out my collection. I have the dollar DVD of the first movie, but it's substandard quality, and the opening/closing credits are missing. Must have fallen into public domain.

Question would be, who ACTUALLY owns the rights to the TV movies? I think I read somewhere that Sherwood Schwartz put his own money up to get the first one made, so I'm guessing the rights wouldn't be with Warner with that one.

They actually should have stopped after the second movie. The first movie was good in the fact that they were actually truly rescued...only to end up BACK on the island at the end. The second one was good in the fact that they turned the island into a resort so that even though they were stuck on the island, at least the outside world knew where they were.

They never should have made that last movie. What were they thinking?

I think the movies were terrible. At the same time they complete the picture in a weird way, adding a kind of tangent to the legacy rather than damaging it. I mean, at least we get to know what happens to these people, right? I think Fran Fine of The Nanny sums the movies up best. Her boss asked her:

"Does this poor Gilligan chap ever get off the island?" To which she replied,
"Yeah, but they go back with the Harlem Globetrotters."

It ads a quirkiness to the story that's invaluable. Think about how you'd think of GI differently today if you never knew that they eventually get off the island. Pretty different, huh?

They actually should have stopped after the second movie. The first movie was good in the fact that they were actually truly rescued...only to end up BACK on the island at the end. The second one was good in the fact that they turned the island into a resort so that even though they were stuck on the island, at least the outside world knew where they were.

They never should have made that last movie. What were they thinking?
The Skipper said when he saw the Coast Guard Helicopter. "I don't believe it! After 15 years we're finally being rescued" What he should said was. "I don't believe it! After 15 years we're finally getting a vacation"

The Skipper said when he saw the Coast Guard Helicopter. "I don't believe it! After 15 years we're finally being rescued" What he should said was. "I don't believe it! After 15 years we're finally getting a vacation"

The skipper's math is a bit off.:)

I like the fact that we get to see where home is for everyone! Love The Howell Mansion and Lovey talking about being tnvolved w/ the ballet. proabably borad of directors. That was realistic! but that stupid thing w/ the spies and the discs, grr.