The Castaways on Gilligan's Island
Encyclopedia
The Castaways on Gilligan's Island is a television movie
that continues the adventures of the shipwrecked castaways from the 1964-1967 TV series Gilligan's Island
and the first reunion movie, Rescue From Gilligan's Island
, featuring the original cast from the television series with the exception of Tina Louise
, who was replaced in the role of Ginger Grant
by Judith Baldwin
. Written by Al Schwartz
, Elroy Schwartz and series creator Sherwood Schwartz
and directed by Earl Bellamy
, it was first broadcast on NBC
May 3, 1979.
. The castaways are once again stranded on the same island that they had been on for so many years. The storm has contaminated all of the underground springs, and they are desperately searching for fresh water. Gilligan
stumbles upon a couple of planes that are hidden in the jungle that they had somehow managed to overlook during all their time on the island. It is revealed that the island was a base of operations for the Army Air Corps
during World War II
, and the hangar was abandoned and overgrown by jungle brush. The tidal wave destroyed the foliage and exposed the hangar. The Professor believes that he can combine the two planes into one and fly them all back to civilization. He combines the planes and, dubbing it Minnow III, they head back. This occurs despite the fact that in the original series it is established that the Professor cannot fly a plane in not one but two different episodes with the character "Wrong Way" Feldman.
However, during the attempt to fly back to Hawaii, the plane has engine trouble. The professor orders Gilligan to jettison some weight, and in doing so, Gilligan falls out and has to parachute down to the island. Against their better judgment, the gang decides to return to the island to get him. They find him stuck in a tree. After a little while, the engines of the plane fall off. Fortunately for them, the engines collapse after they land, meaning that although they are still stuck on the island, going back to get Gilligan saved them from plummeting to their deaths as the engines would have fallen off in midair. But now they are dismayed because the plane was their last hope of rescue. Their despair is quickly dispelled when a U.S. Navy captain appears saying that their plane was detected on radar long enough for them to follow it to the island. The castaways are once again returned to civilization and to ensure that Gilligan's Island gets charted, the U.S. government pinpoints the location of the island to prevent future castaway incidents. This closed the first half of the two-part episode/movie.
The second half—which was originally intended as a pilot for a Love Boat
type of weekly series—picks up a year later, with the island now a tropical resort spot fully linked to civilization and owned by Mr. Howell (who makes Gilligan and the others castaways silent partner
s in the hotel). The rest of the castaways work as the staff of the resort. Gilligan and the Skipper deal with being unable to locate a little boy's parents; it is later revealed that he ran away from his parents to get away from their constant pressure on him to excels in athletics and in school, and Tom Bosley
plays a workaholic
whose wife, played by Marcia Wallace, is trying to get him to forget about work.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
that continues the adventures of the shipwrecked castaways from the 1964-1967 TV series Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island
Gilligan's Island is an American television series created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz and originally produced by United Artists Television. The situation comedy series featured Bob Denver; Alan Hale, Jr.; Jim Backus; Natalie Schafer; Tina Louise; Russell Johnson; and Dawn Wells. It aired for...
and the first reunion movie, Rescue From Gilligan's Island
Rescue From Gilligan's Island
Rescue from Gilligan's Island is a two-part television movie that continues the adventures of the shipwrecked castaways from the 1964–1967 TV series Gilligan's Island starring Bob Denver and Alan Hale, Jr. The film first aired on NBC October 14 and October 21, 1978...
, featuring the original cast from the television series with the exception of Tina Louise
Tina Louise
Tina Louise is an American actress, singer, and author. She is best known for her role as the "movie star" Ginger Grant on the television situation comedy Gilligan's Island .-Early life:...
, who was replaced in the role of Ginger Grant
Ginger Grant
Ginger Grant is a fictional character in the 1964 to 1967 television sitcom Gilligan's Island.-Career:...
by Judith Baldwin
Judith Baldwin
Judith Lee Baldwin is an American film and television actress who replaced Tina Louise in the role of Ginger Grant in Rescue From Gilligan's Island and The Castaways on Gilligan's Island . Baldwin amassed 46 screen credits between 1969 and her leading role in 2005's Every Secret Thing.- Early...
. Written by Al Schwartz
Al Schwartz
Al Schwartz was an American Emmy Award-winning screenwriter, television producer, and director. He was the brother of Sherwood Schwartz, the creator and producer of Gilligan's Island.-External links:...
, Elroy Schwartz and series creator Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Schwartz
Sherwood Charles Schwartz was an American television producer. He worked on radio shows in the 1940s, and created the television series Gilligan's Island on CBS and The Brady Bunch on ABC...
and directed by Earl Bellamy
Earl Bellamy
Earl Arthur Bellamy was an American film and television director, producer, writer, and set decorator.-Biography:...
, it was first broadcast on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
May 3, 1979.
Plot
The movie picks up directly after the end of Rescue From Gilligan's IslandRescue From Gilligan's Island
Rescue from Gilligan's Island is a two-part television movie that continues the adventures of the shipwrecked castaways from the 1964–1967 TV series Gilligan's Island starring Bob Denver and Alan Hale, Jr. The film first aired on NBC October 14 and October 21, 1978...
. The castaways are once again stranded on the same island that they had been on for so many years. The storm has contaminated all of the underground springs, and they are desperately searching for fresh water. Gilligan
Gilligan (fictional character)
Gilligan is a fictional character played by Bob Denver on the 1960s TV show Gilligan's Island and its many sequels. It starred Bob Denver as "Gilligan", the bumbling, dimwitted, accident-prone crewman of the S.S. Minnow...
stumbles upon a couple of planes that are hidden in the jungle that they had somehow managed to overlook during all their time on the island. It is revealed that the island was a base of operations for the Army Air Corps
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and the hangar was abandoned and overgrown by jungle brush. The tidal wave destroyed the foliage and exposed the hangar. The Professor believes that he can combine the two planes into one and fly them all back to civilization. He combines the planes and, dubbing it Minnow III, they head back. This occurs despite the fact that in the original series it is established that the Professor cannot fly a plane in not one but two different episodes with the character "Wrong Way" Feldman.
However, during the attempt to fly back to Hawaii, the plane has engine trouble. The professor orders Gilligan to jettison some weight, and in doing so, Gilligan falls out and has to parachute down to the island. Against their better judgment, the gang decides to return to the island to get him. They find him stuck in a tree. After a little while, the engines of the plane fall off. Fortunately for them, the engines collapse after they land, meaning that although they are still stuck on the island, going back to get Gilligan saved them from plummeting to their deaths as the engines would have fallen off in midair. But now they are dismayed because the plane was their last hope of rescue. Their despair is quickly dispelled when a U.S. Navy captain appears saying that their plane was detected on radar long enough for them to follow it to the island. The castaways are once again returned to civilization and to ensure that Gilligan's Island gets charted, the U.S. government pinpoints the location of the island to prevent future castaway incidents. This closed the first half of the two-part episode/movie.
The second half—which was originally intended as a pilot for a Love Boat
Love Boat
The Overseas Compatriot Youth Formosa Study Tour to Taiwan, informally known as the Love Boat, is currently a four-week summer program for about 400–600 college-aged Overseas Chinese. In Chinese, it is also colloquially referred to as mei-jia-ying - America and Canada Camp, a reference to where...
type of weekly series—picks up a year later, with the island now a tropical resort spot fully linked to civilization and owned by Mr. Howell (who makes Gilligan and the others castaways silent partner
Silent partner
Silent partner may refer to:*An anonymous member of a business partnership, or one uninvolved in management*The Silent Partner, the name of several films*Silent partner , a piece of climbing equipment...
s in the hotel). The rest of the castaways work as the staff of the resort. Gilligan and the Skipper deal with being unable to locate a little boy's parents; it is later revealed that he ran away from his parents to get away from their constant pressure on him to excels in athletics and in school, and Tom Bosley
Tom Bosley
Thomas Edward "Tom" Bosley was an American actor. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days. He also was featured in recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote, and Father Dowling Mysteries...
plays a workaholic
Workaholic
A workaholic is a person who is addicted to work.The term generally implies that the person enjoys their work; it can also imply that they simply feel compelled to do it...
whose wife, played by Marcia Wallace, is trying to get him to forget about work.
Cast
- Bob DenverBob DenverRobert Osbourne "Bob" Denver was an American comedic actor known for his roles as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island and the beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the 1959–1963 TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.-Early life:Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, and raised in...
- GilliganGilligan (fictional character)Gilligan is a fictional character played by Bob Denver on the 1960s TV show Gilligan's Island and its many sequels. It starred Bob Denver as "Gilligan", the bumbling, dimwitted, accident-prone crewman of the S.S. Minnow... - Alan HaleAlan Hale, Jr.Alan Hale, Jr. was an American film and television actor, best known for his role as Skipper on the popular sitcom Gilligan's Island. Hale was the lookalike son of popular supporting film actor Alan Hale, Sr....
- The SkipperThe SkipperThe Skipper is the title and nickname of Jonas Grumby, a fictional character from the 1960s situation comedy Gilligan's Island. Played by Alan Hale, Jr., the Skipper was the owner and captain of the S. S... - Russell JohnsonRussell JohnsonRussell David Johnson is an American television and film actor best known as "The Professor" on the CBS television sitcom Gilligan's Island...
- The ProfessorThe Professor (Gilligan's Island)- External links :*... - Jim BackusJim BackusJames Gilmore "Jim" Backus was a radio, television, film, and voice actor. Among his most famous roles are the voice of Mr...
- Mr. Howell - Natalie SchaferNatalie SchaferNatalie Schafer was an American actress, best known as Eunice "Lovey" Wentworth Howell on CBS's sitcom Gilligan's Island .-Early life and career:...
- Mrs. HowellLovey Howell- External links :* *... - Judith BaldwinJudith BaldwinJudith Lee Baldwin is an American film and television actress who replaced Tina Louise in the role of Ginger Grant in Rescue From Gilligan's Island and The Castaways on Gilligan's Island . Baldwin amassed 46 screen credits between 1969 and her leading role in 2005's Every Secret Thing.- Early...
- GingerGinger GrantGinger Grant is a fictional character in the 1964 to 1967 television sitcom Gilligan's Island.-Career:... - Dawn WellsDawn WellsDawn Elberta Wells is an American actress known for playing Mary Ann Summers on the sitcom Gilligan's Island during its run from 1964 until 1967.- Early life :...
- Mary AnnMary Ann SummersMary Ann Summers is a fictional character in the television sitcom Gilligan's Island which ran on the CBS network from 1964 to 1967, and has run more or less continuously since in reruns.- Role :... - Tom BosleyTom BosleyThomas Edward "Tom" Bosley was an American actor. Bosley is best known for portraying Howard Cunningham on the long-running ABC sitcom Happy Days. He also was featured in recurring roles on Murder, She Wrote, and Father Dowling Mysteries...
- Henry Elliott - Marcia WallaceMarcia WallaceMarcia Karen Wallace is an American character actress, comedienne and game show panelist, primarily known for her roles in television situation comedies...
- Myra Elliott - Ronnie ScribnerRonnie ScribnerRonnie Scribner is an American actor. A professional child actor and model since the age of 11, Scribner is best known for his iconic role as the child vampire, Ralphie Glick in the 1979 CBS mini-series Salem's Lot...
- Robbie Sloan - Judith Searle - Mrs. Sloan
- Rod Browning - Dr. Tom Larsen
- Joan Roberts - Laura Larsen
- Peter MacLean - Fred Sloan
- Natasha Ryan - Little girl
- Mokihana - Naheeti
External links
- The Castaways on Gilligan's Island at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...