https://www.metv.com/stories/while-many-didnt-like-eva-grubb-tina-louise-thought-the-character-was-interesting

Why have one Ginger when you can have two: the real one and a look-alike?

Ginger and the group were so close to finally leaving the island, but a special guest had other plans. Tina Louise perfected the role of Ginger on Gilligan's Island. Yet, the actress got to play a different character, Eva Grubb, in the episode "All About Eva."

In an interview with The Atlanta Constitution in 1966, Louise revealed that she looked so different as Eva that the actors' union required the show to give her special credit. "Viewers won't even suspect that I'm playing both characters unless, of course, they pay close attention to the credits," she began. "[I] look so completely different as Eva Grubb that the actors' union required [that I] be given a special credit stating that I play both parts."

How exactly did Louise pull this new character off? It was simple. "They simply left off the mouth, the eyes, the hair-do, and they photographed me from my bad side," she said.

A network executive wanted the castaways to escape Gilligan's Island after the first episode

Ginger had her moments on the show, but she never hit someone on the head with a coconut, tied them up and tried to steal their identity. Eva Grubb did, however, and she wasn't ashamed of it. Grubb was the first dramatic role on Gilligan's Island, which leaned more toward comedy. Louise felt that the character was interesting.

"They finally gave me something interesting to do," the actress said. "I play an unhappy, very plain school teacher who is very neurotic. She comes to the island to escape from reality, and she is very depressed to find Gilligan and his gang there. All she wants to do is sit in the shade of a coconut tree and dream dreamy thoughts. Meanwhile, Gilligan (Bob Denver) and crew plot to ride her [little] old boat to freedom."

Some viewers didn't like the role, and was happy she only appeared in one episode.

The interviewer, Paul Jones, wrote in the article that he'd known Louise for years and couldn't wrap his head around why an actress of her status would be on a show like Gilligan's Island. He asked "how she got trapped" in the show, and she told him that she didn't like the part of Ginger particularly but enjoyed the steady employment.

Ginger and the group were so close to finally leaving the island, but a special guest had other plans. Tina Louise perfected the role of Ginger on Gilligan's Island. Yet, the actress got to play a different character, Eva Grubb, in the episode "All About Eva."

In an interview with The Atlanta Constitution in 1966, Louise revealed that she looked so different as Eva that the actors' union required the show to give her special credit. "Viewers won't even suspect that I'm playing both characters unless, of course, they pay close attention to the credits," she began. "[I] look so completely different as Eva Grubb that the actors' union required [that I] be given a special credit stating that I play both parts."

How exactly did Louise pull this new character off? It was simple. "They simply left off the mouth, the eyes, the hair-do, and they photographed me from my bad side," she said.

A network executive wanted the castaways to escape Gilligan's Island after the first episode

Ginger had her moments on the show, but she never hit someone on the head with a coconut, tied them up and tried to steal their identity. Eva Grubb did, however, and she wasn't ashamed of it. Grubb was the first dramatic role on Gilligan's Island, which leaned more toward comedy. Louise felt that the character was interesting.

"They finally gave me something interesting to do," the actress said. "I play an unhappy, very plain school teacher who is very neurotic. She comes to the island to escape from reality, and she is very depressed to find Gilligan and his gang there. All she wants to do is sit in the shade of a coconut tree and dream dreamy thoughts. Meanwhile, Gilligan (Bob Denver) and crew plot to ride her [little] old boat to freedom."

Some viewers didn't like the role, and was happy she only appeared in one episode.

The interviewer, Paul Jones, wrote in the article that he'd known Louise for years and couldn't wrap his head around why an actress of her status would be on a show like Gilligan's Island. He asked "how she got trapped" in the show, and she told him that she didn't like the part of Ginger particularly but enjoyed the steady employment.

This is the polar opposite of constructive feedback:

"The interviewer, Paul Jones, wrote in the article that he'd known Louise for years and couldn't wrap his head around why an actress of her status would be on a show like Gilligan's Island."

What status?

She was a working actress who was making a living, take a look at her IMD credits up to that point in her career. She wasn't in the Oscar or Emmy category she was lucky to get the part of Ginger. It's too bad she had people like Paul Jones around her instead of people who might have given her some straight talk.

Here's a list of some well known actresses born between 1933-35:

1933: Elizabeth Montgomery, Jayne Mansfield, Kim Novak, Joan Collins, Julie Newmar, Carol Burnett, Kathleen Nolan, Jackie Joseph, Hope Lange, Barbara Feldon


1934: Shirley MacLaine. Shirley Jones, Joanna Moore, Rue McClanahan, Joyce Van Patten, Joanna Barnes, Inger Stevens, Florence Henderson, Ann Wedgeworth, Louise Fletcher


1935: Diane Ladd, Lee Meriwether , Ruta Lee, Sharon Acker, Madlyn Rhue, Collin Wilcox Paxton, Nancy Malone, Marian Mercer, Lee Remick

Is Tina Louise more talented than some of them, maybe, is she that much better looking than some of them, maybe, but the point is there were a lot of very talented actresses born in that three year period and objectively speaking talent/looks combined she is nowhere near the top. And again we are looking at a very short three year span.