posted
Thanks, Scott. I had no idea the pilot had ever aired. I wish I had seen it.
John Gabriel is a little too good looking for the Professor. I don't think he could have pulled off the aloof indifference to sex that Russell Johnson did so well.
If you hadn't captioned the photos, I would have assumed that Ginger was Bunny and vice versa. Kit Smith was quite attractive, but possessed none of the larger-than-life glamor of Tina Louise. Nancy McCarthy looks a little too mature for the "girl next door" image of Mary Ann, though maybe they were going in a different direction with Bunny.
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
Here's a link to download the opening credits in MPEG style. And here is a wav of the original opening song. More of a calypso tune telling the tale of the skipper, two secretaries, a high school teacher and two millionaires on a six hour ride. And of course Gilligan.
posted
Even putting aside my bias -- the fact that I'm used to seeing the Professor, Ginger, and Mary Ann as we know them -- I still objectively think that they were a MUCH better choice than that other professor, Ginger, and Bunny.
"Two secretaries," indeed! The Hollywood starlet-innocent farm girl dynamic was classic.
Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
I've also seen this show called (I believe) Dusty's Trails, which was basically Gilligan's Island set as a Western. It was about a small Wagon train that had gotten permanently lost on their way out West. It had characters corresponding to the characters in Gilligan's Island (and I believe Bob Denver was Dusty), and featured dialogue/jokes recognizably in the same style as GI.
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by Eryk Davis Ester: I've also seen this show called (I believe) Dusty's Trails, which was basically Gilligan's Island set as a Western. It was about a small Wagon train that had gotten permanently lost on their way out West. It had characters corresponding to the characters in Gilligan's Island (and I believe Bob Denver was Dusty), and featured dialogue/jokes recognizably in the same style as GI.
Yep. Dusty's Trails it was. Bob was Dusty and Forrest Tucker was Mr. Callahan. It also starred Ivor Francis as Mr. Carson Brookhaven, Jeannine Riley as Lulu McQueen, Lori Saunders as Betsy, Lynn Wood as Mrs. Brookhaven and William Cort as Andy. Ran for 26 episodes in 1973.
You'd think they'd at least run some episodes on Nick at Nite or something...
Registered: Jul 2003
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Eryk Davis Ester
Created from the Cosmic Legends of the Universe!
posted
It really was a kind of "Elseworlds" Gilligan's Island. I think the couple of episodes I've seen were on TVLand. I'd always assumed it was a forerunner of GI, rather than a rather oddly-conceived attempt to follow-up its success.
What struck me is howly recognizably Gilliganesque it seemed, even ignoring the presence of Bob Denver and the one-to-one correspondance between the characters on it and the castaways.
[ November 18, 2003, 10:31 PM: Message edited by: Eryk Davis Ester ]
From: Liberty City | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
"It really was a kind of "Elseworlds" Gilligan's Island."
And all these years, I thought LOST IN SPACE was a GILIGAN'S ISLAND "Elseworlds" (or is that the other way around???). After all, in both, you have a group that's stranded somewhere, one major IDIOT causing trouble, an eternal wish to get back home that NEVER happens, and both shows ran the SAME 3 years without being resolved.
In fact, incredibly, BOTH shows were renewed for 4th seasons-- but cancelled AFTER-the-fact, which meant neither cast was able to have "farewell" parties at the end of their final seasons. (But at least Sherwood Schwartz fought like hell for years to do the reunion/finale. Irwin Allen STOOD IN THE WAY of several attempts to do a similar sequel with LIS, saying "If anyone's gonna write a script for it, it'll be me." He kept saying that until he, like Guy Williams, had passed on...)
Registered: Aug 2003
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quote:Originally posted by STU: Thanks, Drake! I'll post my thoughts after I've had a chance to watch all the TV episodes -- there aren't that many of them, I think...
There aren't. Only ran for two seasons, IIRC. Ended becasue they finished the story they wanted to tell.
posted
Speaking of alternate universe Gilligan's Islands, I once had a dream about one ...
It was a TV show in which Alan Hale played the title role, "Skippy" -- he looked exactly like the Skipper, but, instead of wearing a captain's hat, he had a mane of shoulder-length black hair. Instead of commanding a boat, he flew a small charter plane.
Gilligan was his first mate.
There were several passengers on board, including a seamstress with long black hair with a white streak (looking somewhat like Lily Munster).
Inevitably, the plane crashed on a deserted island, and "Lily" made the most of it by sewing an American flag.
Strange that I remember that after all these years. I must have had a Gilligan obsession. Or a long, black hair fetish.
Any other Gilligan dreams or alternate realities?
-------------------- The Semi-Great Gildersleeve - writing, super-heroes, and this 'n' that
From: The Stasis Zone | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by He Who Wanders: Thanks, Scott. I had no idea the pilot had ever aired. I wish I had seen it.
John Gabriel is a little too good looking for the Professor. I don't think he could have pulled off the aloof indifference to sex that Russell Johnson did so well.
If you hadn't captioned the photos, I would have assumed that Ginger was Bunny and vice versa. Kit Smith was quite attractive, but possessed none of the larger-than-life glamor of Tina Louise. Nancy McCarthy looks a little too mature for the "girl next door" image of Mary Ann, though maybe they were going in a different direction with Bunny.
Don't know if you are still interested in seeing the original pilot Greg but today they released the first season of Gillagan's Island on DVD and it include's the pilot.
From: Utah | Registered: Jul 2003
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posted
My favorite T.V. finales are from the eighties. One changes everything; one doesn't change a thing.
Magnum P.I.: Magnum rejoins the Navy to support his daughter, who he thought was dead. Rick gets married, and Higgins admits that, yes, he is Robin Masters.
Hill Street Blues: A fire damages the precinct house, raising the possibility that it could be razed and replaced by a new building. Crimes are solved, Furrilo fights Daniels, and at the end of the day, business continues as usual. The last shot of the series is Laurence Tierney, as the night sergeant, answering the phone with a gruff "Hill Street." Absolutely perfect.
A few others some to mind as well: Barney Miller: The detective squad at the old "one-two" is reassigned after the city announces that the building has been condemned. Wojo ends up on the canine squad. the last shot is Barney briefly remembering the various detectives who have worked there (in quick flashbacks), then shutting off the lights and leaving the now empty squadroom.
Homicide: Life on the Street: Bayliss murders a murderer, packs his desk, and leaves the squad.
Cowboy Bebop: I won't spoil the actual story, but the ending is mindblowing.
I love series finales. I absolutely hate it when a series ends with no resolution. In the seventies and eighties that seemed to happen more often than now, though.
From: Los Angeles, CA | Registered: Nov 2003
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