Gilligan Theory

[JJM]

I was watching an episode the other day, Gilligan stopped another plan to get off the island and I came up with a theory. Maybe Gilligan was a very lonely man on the mainland and when they were shipped wicked he decided that he could make the others stay there with him, he will have friends.

[Torgo]

Nah, Gilligan had friends (he mentions them several times), and a brother (whose shirt he is wearing)

[PhoenixAcres]

I'm sure Gilligan had plenty of friends back in Honolulu. He's always talking about Skinny Mulligan and others. And of course there's his buddy the Skipper! You can tell from some of their dialogue that they've been friends for a long time.
As for the castaways as a whole, I have to doubt whether they REALLY wanted to leave their island of paradise. They had probably the best friends anyone could ask for, who could live alongside each other for years on end, through hardships and good times, and still sit down together for dinner every night! Not to mention there seemed to be an endless supply of food and water and other clothes and things they needed washing ashore at just the right time (generally off-camera though ).

[Alex Cooper]

Originally Posted by phoenixAcres16

I'm sure Gilligan had plenty of friends back in Honolulu. He's always talking about Skinny Mulligan and others. And of course there's his buddy the Skipper! You can tell from some of their dialogue that they've been friends for a long time.
As for the castaways as a whole, I have to doubt whether they REALLY wanted to leave their island of paradise. They had probably the best friends anyone could ask for, who could live alongside each other for years on end, through hardships and good times, and still sit down together for dinner every night! Not to mention there seemed to be an endless supply of food and water and other clothes and things they needed washing ashore at just the right time (generally off-camera though ).

I agree. At many times, none seemed particularly eager to get rescued. In fact, in one episode it took Mr. Howell's promise of a substantial reward for them to start thinking about serious rescue plans. One could indeed say each had what they really wanted on the island:
Gilligan: to be liked, wanted, and hanging out with his best buddy
Skipper: to be in charge
Professor: to be the smartest
Mr. Howell: to be the richest and have people to lord over
Mrs. Howell: people to teach social graces and be the main social organizer
Mary Ann: as a nurturing person, she enjoyed cooking, gardening, and generally taking care of the others
Ginger: a captive audience

And Gilligan had everything he could need in the other castaways (this isn't my idea; if I could remember where I heard it I would give credit):
Skipper: a best buddy
Professor: a teacher
The Howells: parent figures (not traditional, but parental nonetheless)
Ginger: a fantasy love interest
Mary Ann: a realistic love interest

What more could a guy want?

[Flying Dutchman]

And then there was the real reason. If they'd gotten rescued, there would have been no reason to continue the series. Unless of course they changed the name of the show to "After the Rescue on Gilligans Island" Also there were real people writing the Navy to rescue those people, thinking they were a real group of people stranded on an actual island.

[Alex Cooper]

Originally Posted by Flying Dutchman

And then there was the real reason. If they'd gotten rescued, there would have been no reason to continue the series. Unless of course they changed the name of the show to "After the Rescue on Gilligans Island" Also there were real people writing the Navy to rescue those people, thinking they were a real group of people stranded on an actual island.

Good point! And I think they attempted that with the second and third TV movies, with the former castaways making the island a resort paradise,with a flimsy "Love Boat" like premise, eliminating the original premise and appeal.
I heard that too that the Navy and Coast Guard actually got calls and telegrams from people to please rescue those poor stranded people! Did they think a laugh track comes with being stranded?

[um]

I have heard that there were viewers who apparently thought that the TV show depicted real people stuck on an island who wrote to the US government or the Navy.

You have to wonder how anyone could think that there were actually real people such as Gilligan and the Skipper and the Howells and The Professor and Ginger and Mary Ann who's personalities are so made up even though they may have a bit of an "everyday person" to them at times.
Gilligan was such a bumbling person and the Skipper always trying to get him to do things right made them seem so much like Laurel and Hardy. The Howell's were so stereo-typically spoiled and used to luxury. Ginger was such a self-important movie star. Mary Ann was such a simple country girl with a checkered shirt cut-short jeans and pigtails. The Professor was the one who, at least eventually, had all the answers when complicated situations came up.

Also how can people think that these stranded people's lives had an adventure that started at a certain hour and by the end of the hour, the particular adventure was over and the problem was solved; or the disagreement came to an agreement; or whatever was planned at the beginning of the hour was finally carried out to the betterment of those involved, or maybe if the plan involved getting off the island, that plan was not carried out for some reason, and it seemed as if the castaways were meant to stay on the island just by fate.

I remember there was an episode (and the exact details may be a bit off) in which a man who was dressed in a loincloth like Tarzan arrived on the island and the castaways thought they came upon a "wild man" on the island but they found out he was an actor who was practicing his role in an ultimate way, and when the castaways found out, they wanted him to take them back to civilization when he leaves the island but by the end of the show, the actor just left a note stating something to the effect that he is going back to civilization and not taking them back because he wanted to keep it a secret that he was practicing his role as "Tarzan" on an island.

It seems that in reality several people stranded on an island may eventually plot on killing each other or certain others.
Things could get serious and dark and the survival-of-the-fittest instincts could emerge under such situations which would probably not be so ideal so that there is never really a scarcity of food or supplies and don't forget the castaways all managed to build very elaborate huts out of leaves and bamboo and grass and vines and the Howells had a particularly fancy hut to themselves.
And things were going on that were always funny. No one died. No one suffered from serious illness.

[Alex Cooper]

Originally Posted by um

I have heard that there were viewers who apparently thought that the TV show depicted real people stuck on an island who wrote to the US government or the Navy.

You have to wonder how anyone could think that there were actually real people such as Gilligan and the Skipper and the Howells and The Professor and Ginger and Mary Ann who's personalities are so made up even though they may have a bit of an "everyday person" to them at times.
Gilligan was such a bumbling person and the Skipper always trying to get him to do things right made them seem so much like Laurel and Hardy. The Howell's were so stereo-typically spoiled and used to luxury. Ginger was such a self-important movie star. Mary Ann was such a simple country girl with a checkered shirt cut-short jeans and pigtails. The Professor was the one who, at least eventually, had all the answers when complicated situations came up.

Also how can people think that these stranded people's lives had an adventure that started at a certain hour and by the end of the hour, the particular adventure was over and the problem was solved; or the disagreement came to an agreement; or whatever was planned at the beginning of the hour was finally carried out to the betterment of those involved, or maybe if the plan involved getting off the island, that plan was not carried out for some reason, and it seemed as if the castaways were meant to stay on the island just by fate.

I remember there was an episode (and the exact details may be a bit off) in which a man who was dressed in a loincloth like Tarzan arrived on the island and the castaways thought they came upon a "wild man" on the island but they found out he was an actor who was practicing his role in an ultimate way, and when the castaways found out, they wanted him to take them back to civilization when he leaves the island but by the end of the show, the actor just left a note stating something to the effect that he is going back to civilization and not taking them back because he wanted to keep it a secret that he was practicing his role as "Tarzan" on an island.

It seems that in reality several people stranded on an island may eventually plot on killing each other or certain others.
Things could get serious and dark and the survival-of-the-fittest instincts could emerge under such situations which would probably not be so ideal so that there is never really a scarcity of food or supplies and don't forget the castaways all managed to build very elaborate huts out of leaves and bamboo and grass and vines and the Howells had a particularly fancy hut to themselves.
And things were going on that were always funny. No one died. No one suffered from serious illness.

I totally love this show, but yes, it's hardly realistic, which is part of its appeal. The characters are types, but so well done, most can't help but like them! The realistic germ, then carried to extremes, is that no matter when or where, each individual will create his or her own "reality."

How anyone could think it was all for real is beyond me! Yeah, same time, same channel next week, but these are real people?!?

BTW, your synopsis of "Our Vines Have Tender Apes" was spot on!

[Babalu]

Originally Posted by um

I have heard that there were viewers who apparently thought that the TV show depicted real people stuck on an island who wrote to the US government or the Navy.

You have to wonder how anyone could think that there were actually real people such as Gilligan and the Skipper and the Howells and The Professor and Ginger and Mary Ann who's personalities are so made up even though they may have a bit of an "everyday person" to them at times.

Did any of these geniuses at home who thought these people were really stranded on a desert island wonder who was filming all this?

[PhoenixAcres]

Maybe those people in 1964 had really blurry TVs, or Gilligan came on right after their local news and they were in the bathroom during the transition?

Even so it's actually comical that some people took this show as fact. It's almost worth it to make another comedy show about the people watching this show