It Really Seems Sad & Unfair What Happened to Dawn Wells After 'Gilligan's Island'

[Brian Damage]

Yes, I know the whole cast was basically typecast and basically made most of their money by rehashing their GI characters, but I especially feel bad for Dawn Wells.

She was such a beauty and still is. I think she could offer a lot to a cast of a current tv series. Agree?

[JWood201]

She apparently was keeping busy over the years in theatre in some really good roles, which is fantastic.

And when I sell my sitcom pilot, I have a role for her (and one for Barbara Eden, lol).

[stanwyckfan07]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

Yes, I know the whole cast was basically typecast and basically made most of their money by rehashing their GI characters, but I especially feel bad for Dawn Wells.

She was such a beauty and still is. I think she could offer a lot to a cast of a current tv series. Agree?

I agree Dawn Wells is and always was a lovely woman and a very pleasant screen personality. I think the problem is back in the 1960's most tv stars were famous as their character moreso than as themselves as an actor/actress. Most of them rarely worked outside the show during the series run so that's all people saw. I don't think that really changed until the 1970's and Farrah and the Charlie's Angels became famous as "names" rather than tv characters.

The intriguing thing about Dawn is she apparently is more famous for GILLIGAN's ISLAND AFTER the show's run rather than while she was actually filming it. I wasn't old enough to see the show in first run but I collect a lot of old tv and movie magazines and have NEVER seen an article on Dawn once in the hundreds that I own from this era. She appears to have gotten very little publicity back then.

After the show's ending she has built a pretty nice career for herself in the 70s and 80s in regional theatre and guest tv appearances - and in the 80s and 90s she seems to have made more guest appearances on talk shows than she ever did back in the 60s.

[stanwyckfan07]

Originally Posted by JWood201

And when I sell my sitcom pilot, I have a role for her (and one for Barbara Eden, lol).

You probably know it but many others here might not but Dawn and Barbara have been great friends since the 60s, I once saw Barbara on NASHVILLE NOW in the 80s mention she came to Nashville all the time to visit her "best friend" Dawn (who was living there at the time).