22 Surprising Secrets About “Gilligan’s Island” You Need To Know
20. There Was Originally Going To Be A Fourth Season
OMG. Could you imagine if there was another season? Maybe they would have been rescued finally! The idea was scrapped in order to make room for ‘Gunsmoke,’ after the cast had already purchased homes in the Los Angeles area in preparation for the fourth season.
19. The Coast Guard Reported Receiving Letters From Viewers Asking Them To Rescue The Cast
I can’t make this stuff up! When ‘Gilligan’s Island’ was originally airing, people would write in requesting the Coast Guard rescue the castaways. Apparently, the show seemed a bit too real!
18. Gilligan’s First Name Was Willy
Creator Sherwood Schwartz said he planned on ‘Willy’ as Gilligan’s first name, however, it was never actually used in the show. According to Snopes, it’s up for debate whether or not Gilligan was the first mate’s name. “To this day, almost every time I see Bob Denver (Gilligan) we still argue. He thinks Gilligan is his first name, and I think it’s his last name. Because in the original presentation, it’s Willy Gilligan. But he doesn’t believe it, and he doesn’t want to discuss it. He insists the name is Gilligan,” Schwartz said.
17. Actor Jerry Van Dyke Turned Down The Role Of Gilligan To Star In ‘My Mother the Car’
Another thing I couldn’t make up, beloved actor Jerry Van Dyke was first approached to play Gilligan but turned the role down to star in a show about a mother being reincarnated as a car. Not the best move of his career, obviously.
16. The S.S. Minnow Was Named After The Head Of The FCC, Who The Creator Strongly Disliked
Creator Sherwood Schwartz reportedly named the shipwrecked boat after the 1961 FCC chairman Newton Minow, who he strongly disliked. Schwartz credited Minow with “ruining” television as the chairman was notorious for calling TV a “vast wasteland” during a speech.
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