The Gilligan's Island vs. Gunsmoke Battle

[icecream]

The CBS president in 1967 allegedly cancelled Gilligan's Island because his wife insisted on bringing back Gunsmoke instead. Whether this was true or not, with all the flops they had for new shows on the fall lineup, in hindsight there would have been room for both. The only new fall shows that were renewed are Mannix, which hit having a long run, and Gentle Ben, which was cancelled the next year after the 2nd season. What's My Line, the longest running primetime game show in broadcast history, was also cancelled the same year as Gilligan's Island. Plus Danny Kaye's variety show was cancelled after four seasons, only to be replaced by the quick western flop Dundee and the Culhane. Even in the decade that had so many good sitcoms, that year CBS seemed to be favoring westerns more. Cimarron Strip was their 90 minute knockoff of The Virginian that also didn't last long. The two new comedies on the schedule were a Dick Van Dyke knockoff He and She, and Good Morning World. Both of them were also one season flops. I have not seen He and She but the cast probably didn't have anywhere near the talent of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Good Morning World I saw a few times on Antenna. It wasn't terrible but nowhere near Gilligan. The real reason Gilligan's Island was probably cancelled though was if Tina Louise really wouldn't return as Ginger.

[Mr. Television]

I voted Gunsmoke but I do like both shows. Watched them both when I was a kid. CBS could have saved both shows if they wanted to. I think the real problem was that the higher ups at CBS never liked Gilligan's Island and they were shocked it turned into a hit.

[CosmicCharlie]

just my opinion ...

Humor (YES)

vs Fake Western US Cowboys that often specialized in killing Native Americans or anyone else for that matter ... (NO)

the casting of Gilligan's Island was a great fit - Sherwood Schwartz was great at finding the Americana we were actually part of !

Sorry - but I'm not a fan of Fake Drama & Killings

[BigManMike]

Gilligan’s Island all the way! Don’t care for Gunsmoke or really any western for that matter

[CosmicCharlie]

Fun Fact ? - (google)

How many men did Marshal Dillon kill in the Gunsmoke series?

During the 20-year span of CBS’s Gunsmoke series, the count ranges from 138 men and seven women to 303 people. If you add in the ones U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon capped in the made-for-TV movies, the total is 407.

Some of those bad guys might have only been wounded, and some might have died of their wounds later.

[treky]

it was Bill Paley; the CBS president who insisted that GUNSMOKE be renewed not his wife.

[AMackII]

I pick Gunsmoke for main reasons: it & Gilligan’s Island are two of greatest shows from the 1960s but it was first aired nine years before GI Debuted & eight years after GI went off the air.

[MA]

Gunsmoke

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by CosmicCharlie

Fun Fact ? - (google)

How many men did Marshal Dillon kill in the Gunsmoke series?

During the 20-year span of CBS’s Gunsmoke series, the count ranges from 138 men and seven women to 303 people. If you add in the ones U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon capped in the made-for-TV movies, the total is 407.

Some of those bad guys might have only been wounded, and some might have died of their wounds later.

Another question that came up over the years, how many times was Dillon shot. Add to that hit over the head with a gun.

[Duster76]

Originally Posted by catsrule

The CBS president in 1967 allegedly cancelled Gilligan's Island because his wife insisted on bringing back Gunsmoke instead. Whether this was true or not, with all the flops they had for new shows on the fall lineup, in hindsight there would have been room for both. The only new fall shows that were renewed are Mannix, which hit having a long run, and Gentle Ben, which was cancelled the next year after the 2nd season. What's My Line, the longest running primetime game show in broadcast history, was also cancelled the same year as Gilligan's Island. Plus Danny Kaye's variety show was cancelled after four seasons, only to be replaced by the quick western flop Dundee and the Culhane. Even in the decade that had so many good sitcoms, that year CBS seemed to be favoring westerns more. Cimarron Strip was their 90 minute knockoff of The Virginian that also didn't last long. The two new comedies on the schedule were a Dick Van Dyke knockoff He and She, and Good Morning World. Both of them were also one season flops. I have not seen He and She but the cast probably didn't have anywhere near the talent of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Good Morning World I saw a few times on Antenna. It wasn't terrible but nowhere near Gilligan. The real reason Gilligan's Island was probably cancelled though was if Tina Louise really wouldn't return as Ginger.

I'll cover this topic issue by issue.

Gunsmoke:

The series was the number 1 show on TV for 4 years beginning with the 56-57 TV season, by 66-67 (season 12 of the series) it was out of the top 30, headed for boot hill. Whoever decided to save it and program it on Monday nights deserves the award for most valuable programmer. The show rebounded in a way no series before or after ever did, for the next 6 season the show was a top 10 smash peaking at number 2. That is nothing short of amazing.


Gilligan's Island:

By season 3, the series had fallen to 49th place (down from 22nd place a year earlier), that's a significant drop and it would be reasonable for the network to assume the series had run its course.

He and She:

First, this series was not a Dick Van Dyke show knock off, it is arguablably the best TV series cancelled after one season. As far as cast is concerned, it had 5 very talented stars who worked very well together, Richard Benjamin, Paula Prentiss (real life husband and wife), Jack Cassidy, the great Kenneth Mars and Hamilton Camp. Allan Burns moved the character Jack Cassidy played Oscar (Jetman) North to another series he was involved with, gave him a new name, Ted Baxter, and the rest is history. When the character of Ted Baxter was created the hope was Cassidy would play it, but he turned it down, he didn't want to be typecast. When you think of what happened to Cassidy in the years that followed... .


Good Morning World:

Now this series was a DVD knock off, created by the same people, all the talent in the world behind the camera, but the rest is a long sad story. Biggest mistake, Carl Reiner and Sheldon Leonard not realizing until it was too late that they had a major star on their hands when Goldie Hawn first auditioned.


Dundee and the Culhane:

Apparently the network executives loved the pilot, bought the series, and then the first set of scripts showed up, they instantly realized a major mistake had been made and actually decided to cancel the series before it started airing.

Network program schedules are a lot more complicated than they look. Gilligan's Island might have done better on Monday if it hadn't been up against The Monkees. Programmers viewed the series as one that was best scheduled for the earlier part of prime time (7:30-9:00). He and She and Good Morning World were both scheduled for 9:30, and both were considered to have great potential. As a sidenote, both series may have been adversely effected by illogical scheduling decisions, both were urban oriented comedies geared more towards the younger end of the 25-49 demo, yet He and She was scheduled after Green Acres and Good Morning World was scheduled after Red Skelton. You mentioned Gentle Ben, but the series was matched very well with the lead in show, Lassie.


As far as Tina Louise was concerned, who knows if she actually would have left the series. If she did, the part would have been recast, end of story. How many actresses played the daughters on Petticoat Junction? Tina Louise wasn't even the most popular female on the series (Dawn Wells received a lot fan mail).

[Bonniegirl]

Gilligan's Island

[Edward216]

I like them both. But to say one is better than the other is kind of ridiculous. Gilligan's Island is a silly half hour comedy and Gunsmoke is an hour long Old West drama. It's basically comparing apples to oranges.

Ed.

[mandyrenee]

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

How many people did Howell Industries kill through pollution and penny pinching manufacturing processes? Thousands!

The question of the poll is, "Which show is better?" not "Do you like sitcoms better than Westerns?"

CosmicCharlie has a right to his opinion.

[mandyrenee]

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

Gunsmoke is a great show

The only people who think that Gunsmoke and other westerns are great shows are rednecks and old people.

[SitcomsHeydayfan]

Gilligan all the way! Gilligan's Island's cancellation has to be the WORST cancellation in TV history!

Imagine how much fun a season 4 of Gilligan's Island would've been? One of the scripts they had for season 4 was mini Gilligan where Gilligan shrinks!