ALL ABOUT EVA

[lm]

I have mentioned this elsewhere on board--what's up with Gilligan in this
one? When he brings Eva in to meet the rest of the group, what should
be a happy moment, he looks mad at the Professor. Also, at the party,
he looks totally out of it--not drunk but, again, upset.
Did it ever occur to anyone that it's not really odd for the madeover Eva to
resemble Ginger (well, maybe not identically...). When women offer to
give a friend a makeover, they often pass on their own preferred
makeup and hairstyles--what they know how to do themselves--they tend
to wear what they, themselves, think looks good as makeup, hair, clothes.
I think Maryann looks very pretty in the makeover scene but what's with the
turtleneck and hats in the other scenes (if I remember right)--do you
ever really need a sun hat and a turtleneck at the same time?
I think the bit about Eva thinking she was a "good actress" after the hoax is
a good idea--it would make little sense for her to assume she could
take over Ginger's career just like that! Again, does anyone have any
idea as to just what the status of Ginger's career is? Sometimes it seems
as if she is very famous already and sometimes as if she just wants to be.
Hey, this is for the MAG fans--how do you account for Ginger's egging Eva on
to try her charms on Gilligan if Ginger is aware (wouldn't she be?) of
Maryann's feelings for Gilligan? Or do you think maybe Ginger's prompting
was much less than what Eva actually did?
Also for MAG and GAP fans: why aren't your favorite couples dancing
together? Don't Maryann and the Professor seem to be having a grand
time together here? Also, doesn't Maryann seem to smile at the Professor
in the "meeting Eva" scene? (re-watch it)
I always thought the garlandy thing on the table at the party was some kind
food--it looks like those fancy gourmet potato chips strung together (I
knew it wasn't that, though). Then I realized it's probably flowers. The
spread at the island parties (and here a rescue one!) has degenerated--
there's hardly anything there--same with Reuben Kincaid's party.
Remember all the gourmet food they had for Gilligan's inauguration?
I love the way the Skipper suddenly breaks through with his Ginger-lust once
again when the music is changed to a fast song--it's always there!
Were they really all going to fit on Eva's small boat (8 people)?
Tina Louise does an amazing job as Eva--she looks and acts so un-Ginger.
Why is Maryann assisting the Professor with his spark plugs rather than
Ginger? That happens in another scene, as well, in "Gilligan's Personal
Magnetism," where she is the science (here, again, electrical work)
assistant while Ginger feeds Gilligan (a more typical Maryann task).
That's a very astute observation on Ginger's part--that when Eva returns
home, she will probably go back to her old self? It is food for thought
about people changing, or perhaps changing in certain ways or as a
result of certain influences. Do you agree with Ginger? If Ginger
thought this would be the case, do you think she should have cautioned
Eva on this possibility and urged her to "keep it up" back home?

[Teebs]

Hi there! I've only seen this episode twice. I wish I could comment on everything you mentioned, but the main things I like about this episode are-
the fact that Tina Louise got an extra credit for playing her double
The way Eva attacks Gilligan while he's innocently eating grapes, and the utter fear in his eyes when he realises what's about to happen.
Gilligan's eagerness to dance with Ginger (he was never one for dancing, was he, but he's on his feet in an instant, even though Ginger normally scares him witless).
Yes, Mary Ann always dances with the Professor. She probably fears for the safety of her toes! In The Kidnapper Gilligan makes a valiant attempt to ask her to dance, but she blows him off in favour of that cad Wiley. Her loss.
Also, back to All About Eva, the scene where Professor, Skipper, Mary Ann, Gilligan and Ginger are discussing Eva's looks and making Gilligan feel bad about himself. Bob Denver looks like he has a black eye. I've paused the DVD and I'm convinced of it.

[old grouch]

When Eva is telling Gilligan and Skipper about her first date, you can see a few strands of red hair peaking out from her black wig. Otherwise, this is a great episode and Tina Louise did a great job at making Eva different from Ginger even when she looked exactly like her.

[Teebs]

Originally Posted by old grouch

When Eva is telling Gilligan and Skipper about her first date, you can see a few strands of red hair peaking out from her black wig. Otherwise, this is a great episode and Tina Louise did a great job at making Eva different from Ginger even when she looked exactly like her.

Plus, it highlights the bitterweet truth that a woman will always get more attention if she looks like Ginger than if she looks like Eva. One can argue that it's because Eva has a glum personality but anyone who is ignored because of their looks is going to be glum about it, aren't they? Tina made Eva a sympathetic character, and it's a shame that Eva had to turn on Ginger instead of working on trying to become a little more happier in herself. but hey- it's Gilligan's Island- evil doubles abound! *sighs and goes back to Spy!Gilligan fantasy*

[littlesoprano]

Originally Posted by lm

I have mentioned this elsewhere on board--what's up with
Again, does anyone have any
idea as to just what the status of Ginger's career is? Sometimes it seems
as if she is very famous already and sometimes as if she just wants to be.

She may be called "the movie star" in the credits, but from the information we get from many different episodes, she seems to be more of a B-movie starlet. She's had some breaks, but she hasn't "made it big" yet.

Hey, this is for the MAG fans--how do you account for Ginger's egging Eva on to try her charms on Gilligan if Ginger is aware (wouldn't she be?) of Maryann's feelings for Gilligan? Or do you think maybe Ginger's prompting was much less than what Eva actually did?

I don't think Ginger knew Eva was going to take things that far! She probably just intended to prompt what she would consider innocent flirting.

And now for random thoughts:

This is one of my favorite episodes. It has my favorite Gilligan line of all time - "Wanna grape?" !!!

It also brings out something very complex about Ginger's character. Especially in S1, we see her as a very shrewd, street-smart woman who knows how to play people (granted, in a relatively innocent way) to get what she wants. In "Eva," however, (and in other episodes) she is shown as tolerant, forgiving and optimistic about human goodness, to the point of naivete. She forgives Eva easily even after having been (presumably) left for dead, and believes that she will reform.

What I get from this is that the shrewdness and opportunism is something she learned for "survival" in Hollywood, not something innate in her personality, and the longer she is on the island, the more those traits fade. It is my personal theory that Ginger is actually more naive than Mary Ann in some ways - Mary Ann, as Sherwood Schwartz has said - is innocent out of determination, and knows what is what. Actually, Ginger and Mr. Howell are similar in this way - both are shrewd and cunning but with a seemingly contradictory innocence about how people and the world really are.

[JWood201]

Originally Posted by littlesoprano

It also brings out something very complex about Ginger's character. Especially in S1, we see her as a very shrewd, street-smart woman who knows how to play people (granted, in a relatively innocent way) to get what she wants. In "Eva," however, (and in other episodes) she is shown as tolerant, forgiving and optimistic about human goodness, to the point of naivete. She forgives Eva easily even after having been (presumably) left for dead, and believes that she will reform.

What I get from this is that the shrewdness and opportunism is something she learned for "survival" in Hollywood, not something innate in her personality, and the longer she is on the island, the more those traits fade. It is my personal theory that Ginger is actually more naive than Mary Ann in some ways - Mary Ann, as Sherwood Schwartz has said - is innocent out of determination, and knows what is what. Actually, Ginger and Mr. Howell are similar in this way - both are shrewd and cunning but with a seemingly contradictory innocence about how people and the world really are.

I really like that and think you hit it right on the money. Ginger really was much more complex than we give her credit for and people tend to write her off as bitchy or annoying.

Not my favorite episode, but I haven't seen it in a long time, so I'm due. I just wanted to applaud you, haha.

[callensensei]

Ginger certainly shows herself to be a tremendously kind and compassionate person in this episode, and my heart breaks for her at the end when she's so cruelly betrayed by the person she both helped and forgave. In fact, I think it's the saddest moment in all GI.

Eva was one of the darkest villains on GI, and yet she is oddly sympathetic, in that it's her own deep pain that's driven her mad. Her plan to spend all her money to travel to Hawaii and buy a little boat so that she could go off and live by herself definitely sounds deranged, if not suicidal. She is certainly bitter and deeply insecure, yet starving for love if her "wanna grope...uh, grape" scene with Gilligan is any proof. The scene where Eva looks in the mirror at her "new self" and starts to cry is very moving. I think Ginger had it right, though: they'd only fixed Eva's outside, not her inside. Whatever trauma it was that caused this truly beautiful woman to hide herself from the world in general and men in particular, was one day going to catch up with her.

It seems, though, that Eva never did go through with her plan to impersonate Ginger back home. When Tongo arrives, he recognizes Ginger, but believes her to have been lost at sea.

A weakness in this episode is Tina Louise's performance. Not as Eva, where she's marvellous, but as Ginger. In an effort to accentuate the contrast between the two characters, Tina changes Ginger too much. She speaks in an annoyingly breathy voice which she generally doesn't use, bats her eyelashes incessantly, and even wears an obvious wig in a style she wears in no other episode, making Ginger not seem like Ginger. Compare Bob Denver in "Gilligan vs. Gilligan." (Teebs, stop salivating on the keyboard! ) His Gilligan is still Gilligan, while the spy comes off as a completely different person.

The double that they cast for the long shots is also very poor. The girl is skinnier than Tina, has a very knobby spine, and has a completely different voice which they actually use in a voiceover!!! What were they thinking?

Hmmm. Not my favourite episode. Just too depressing.

[Teebs]

Compare Bob Denver in "Gilligan vs. Gilligan." (Teebs, stop salivating on the keyboard! ) His Gilligan is still Gilligan, while the spy comes off as a completely different person.

Spy!Gilligan! Spy!Gilligan!
I could compare those two all day.

[callensensei]

Originally Posted by Teebs

Spy!Gilligan! Spy!Gilligan!
I could compare those two all day.

Where are you finding these icons? They're a riot!

[Teebs]

Originally Posted by callensensei

Where are you finding these icons? They're a riot!

I could tell you, but den I vould haf to kill you.

Lol- see where it says 'more' under the smiley box? click it and you get a magic page full of great smileys.

[biffbronson]

Originally Posted by callensensei

The double that they cast for the long shots is also very poor. The girl is skinnier than Tina, has a very knobby spine, and has a completely different voice which they actually use in a voiceover!!! What were they thinking?

This was a common problem to so many series -- I guess so many of our favorite stars had distinctive looks that it wasn't easy to find doubles that matched them well. And it was even harder to find stunt doubles with good resemblances. But remember that most viewers' TVs back then were smaller and/or not picking up as sharp of images as we're now used to...!