History Trivia / GilligansIsland

** For many years, the entire first season was an OldShame in regards to syndication, since it was in black & white (Seasons 2 & 3 were in color) and thus episodes from it were rarely aired because of a perceived preference for the later color episodes. TBS' efforts to "colorize" the first season episodes allowed many viewers to see them for the first time.

* RetroactiveRecognition: The pilot was scored by [[Creator/JohnWilliams Johnny Williams]], who would go on to compose [[Film/{{Jaws}} quite]] [[Franchise/StarWars a few]] [[Film/{{Superman}} memorable]] [[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk film]] [[Film/JurassicPark scores]]. Also he has music credit on several first-season episodes, but he didn't do have anything to do with the theme song.

* RetroactiveRecognition: The theme was composed by [[Creator/JohnWilliams Johnny Williams]], who would go on to compose [[Film/{{Jaws}} quite]] [[Franchise/StarWars a few]] [[Film/{{Superman}} memorable]] [[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk film]] [[Film/JurassicPark scores]].

** Several, due to the common plot of someone discovering the island, then leaving without the castaways. Particularly memorable were [[Series/ThePhilSilversShow Phil Silvers]] as movie producer Harold Hecuba and [[Disney/WinnieThePooh Sterling Holloway]] as Burt, a prisoner who raised a carrier pigeon that drifted off course and landed on the island.

* OldShame: Tina Louise was ''not'' on this show. Don't even try to talk to her about it. She was the only surviving cast member to refuse to participate in the animated series or the reunion movies, which naturally resulted in her being portrayed as a vapid bitch while everyone else had no negative traits at all.

* [[TalkingToHimself Talking To Herself]]: Jane Webb voicing both Mary Ann and Ginger in ''The New Adventures of Gilligan''. Dawn Wells would do the same for ''Gilligan's Planet''.

* CaliforniaDoubling: The harbor the ''Minnow'' is seen sailing from in the opening credits is really the harbor at Newport Beach. The cave Gilligan sometimes hid in is located a little south from there, at Corona del Mar, and is still known today as 'Gilligan's Cave' by locals.

** Instead of MaryAnn, the cast in the first pilot included a blonde secretary named Bunny.

* {{Determinatorl}} : A meta example in Creator/SherwoodSchwarz. Everyone hated the show when it was first pitched, right up to the original pilot, which was rejected by CBS. Schwarz plunged ahead despite all the negativity, and the show became one of the most popular comedies of all time.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Carroll O'Connor tried out for the Skipper. Jerry Van Dyke was approached for the part of Gilligan.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Carroll O'Connor tried out for the Skipper.

* [[HeyItsThatGuy Hey, It's That Lagoon!]]: Schwartz used the lagoon set and space capsule prop for his series ''Series/ItsAboutTime''.

* HeyItsThatVoice: What's WesternAnimation/MrMagoo doing trapped on a desert island?

** In both animated series, Ginger and Mary Ann were both voiced by one actress -- Dawn Wells (the original Mary Ann) in "[[RecycledInSpace Gilligan's Planet]]," and Jane Webb in "The New Adventures Of Gilligan".

* RetroactiveRecognition: The theme was composed by [[Creator/JohnWilliams Johnny Williams]], who would go on to compose [[Film/{{Jaws}} several]] [[Franchise/StarWars other]] [[Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk memorable]] [[Film/JurassicPark themes]].

* TheOtherDarrin: Ginger in the reunion movies was recast with Judith Baldwin, and then Constance Forslund. She was played by Jane Webb on ''The New Adventures of Gilligan'' and Dawn Wells in ''Gilligan's Planet''.

* [[TalkingToHimself Talking To Herself]]: Dawn Wells voicing both Mary Ann and Ginger in ''Gilligan's Planet''.

* WordOfGod: Erika Tiffany Smith, played by Zsa Zsa Gabor, explained about the island and the Castaways, but couldn't offer the exact longitude nor latitude, plus no one could decipher her diary (which was written in Hungarian, which nobody in the Navy could read). The sailor who brought her could have told people but apparently, he "suffered a major coronary and died."

** Louise seems to have mellowed out though over the years. On Twitter she occasionally makes jokes and references to the show, and she did occasionally attend reunion specials, and seemed to be having a good time. It's been theorized that the real reason she didn't take part in the biography special was because it was co-produced by Dawn Wells. The two actresses never got along well.

* OldShame: Tina Louise was ''not'' on this show. Don't even try to talk to her about it. She was the only surviving cast member to refuse to participate in the reunion movies, which naturally resulted in her being portrayed as a vapid bitch while everyone else had no negative traits at all.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Originally intended to have a fourth season, the show was cancelled at the last minute to make room for ''Series/{{Gunsmoke}}''. The latter was supposed to be cancelled, but was renewed at the last minute at the insistence of then CBS chairman William S. Paley, as it was the favorite program of Paley and his wife, Barbara Mortimer.

* WordOfGod: Erika Tiffany Smith, played by Zsa Zsa Gabor, explained about the island and the Castaways, but couldn't offer the exact longitude nor latitude, plus no one could decipher her diary (which was written in Hungarian, which nobody in the Navy could read.). The sailor who brought her could have told people but apparently, he "suffered a major coronary and died."

** Several, due to the common plot of someone discovering the island, then leaving without the castaways. Particularly memorable were [[ThePhilSilversShow Phil Silvers]] as movie producer Harold Hecuba and [[Disney/WinnieThePooh Sterling Holloway]] as Burt, a prisoner who raised a carrier pigeon that drifted off course and landed on the island.

* OldShame: Tina Louise was ''not'' on this show. Don't even try to talk to her about it. She was the only surviving cast member to refuse to participate in a 1999 TV movie about the show, which naturally resulted in her being portrayed as a vapid bitch while everyone else had no negative traits at all.

* EditedForSyndication: Syndicated repeats in the 1970s-80s had the ending theme with "each week" edited out, leaving "So join us here — my friends, you're sure to get a smile..." Supposedly people would be fooled into not knowing the show would be on again the next day, otherwise.
** In the late 1980s, Ted Turner colorized the black and white Season 1 for airing on TBS. Both versions are shown in syndication and cable.

* DescendedCreator: Harold Hecuba was played by Phil Silvers, whose production company Gladasya ("Glad to see ya," do you see?) made the series.

** HeyItsThatGuy: Several, due to the common plot of someone discovering the island, then leaving without the castaways. Particularly memorable were [[ThePhilSilversShow Phil Silvers]] as movie producer Harold Hecuba and [[Disney/WinnieThePooh Sterling Holloway]] as Burt, a prisoner who raised a carrier pigeon that drifted off course and landed on the island.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Carroll O'Connor tried out for the Skipper.

** HeyItsThatGuy: Several, due to the common plot of someone discovering the island, then leaving without the castaways. Particularly memorable were [[ThePhilSilversShow Phil Silvers]] as movie producer Harold Hecuba and [[Disney/WinnieThePooh Sterling Holloway]] as Burt, a prisoner who raised a carrier pigeon that drifted off course and landed on the island.