Steven Helmer Publications

Along with classic movies, I am a big fan of (some) classic television shows and there are few more classic than Gilligan's Island . I never miss an opportunity to watch a rerun and there isn't an episode of that series, which went off the air eight years before I was born, I haven't seen at least a dozen times. One thing that has always bothered me about the show, however, is the perception the title character, Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) is the reason the castaways went three seasons and a movie without being rescued. While this is true some (most) of the time, the other castaways made their share of mistakes as well, unjustly not receiving their share of the blame. Here are some examples. Gilligan wasn't the one who sunk the raft with gold ( The Big Gold Strike ). OK, maybe Gilligan deserves part of the blame for discovering the gold mine in the first place. However, when the Professor ( Russell Johnson ) said no added weight in the recently repaired raft, even he didn...

Synopsis: Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) reels in a World War II mine and accidentally starts its timing mechanism. Due to the island's underground gasses, there is no safe place to hide from the impending explosion. My Thoughts: The Professor's ( Russell Johnson ) raft idea is a good one, so why do the castaways give up on it so quickly? It's not even as though they lose the raft in this episode. Gilligan brings it safely ashore at the end and all they'd have to do is figure out how to make an anchor. Speaking of which does it need to be made out of metal? I kind of feel like there are a number of other ways they could make that anchor that would be just as effective and wouldn't require them to melt down all their personal belongings. Of course, this is where that gold they found would come in handy . Yeah, the previous episodes aren't supposed to matter on a series that rarely sticks to established facts/storylines. However, there was more than enough gold to make ...

Synopsis: When a famous movie producer, Harold Hecuba ( Phil Silvers ), crashes his plane on the island, the castaways see an opportunity to be rescued. When he insults Ginger ( Tina Louise ) and she refuses to leave the island, they attempt to remedy the situation by putting on a musical version of Hamlet . My Thoughts: I know I've said this before but why don't they have a signal fire already built? Ultimately, it didn't make any sort of difference this time around since Hecuba's plane was crashing but, under normal circumstances, the time they spend trying to gather up firewood seems like a good way to miss out on being rescued. It's also not as though it would hurt anything to keep one burning at all times, just in case they don't see a plane or boat as it passes. I am going to take a moment to give a shout out for the legendary Phil Silvers. This was a character that had to be memorable and enjoyable to watch while, at the same time, not be something tha...

Synopsis: When a crate full of moldable plastic washes up on the island, the castaways come up with a variety of uses for the substance, including fixing Gilligan's ( Bob Denver ) teeth. What they don't know is the clay becomes explosive once it hardens. My Thoughts : That scientist ( Kirk Duncan ) sure was nonchalant when holding that explosive ash tray. If I knew it could blow up the entire room if dropped, I'd definitely make sure I had two hands on it and certainly wouldn't risk handing it to someone I just met. In fact, the whole idea seems a bit impractical when you think about it. It would be different if you needed a heat source or some sort of detonator to set it off. Something that can explode just because you drop it seems like it would result in a lot of accidental secret agent deaths. Wow, the Skipper ( Alan Hale, Jr. ) sure is a snob all of a sudden. I am, of course, basing this on his complaint about Gilligan finding a crate full of clothes "reje...

Synopsis: With a bad storm approaching the island, the castaways prepare to shelter in a cave. While stacking supplies, the Skipper ( Alan Hale, Jr. ) accidentally smacks Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) in the mouth and temporarily turns him into a radio receiver. This becomes important when the real radio is accidentally damaged. My Thoughts -  Given the various dangers they have encountered on the island, ranging from storms to headhunters, wouldn't it be wise to keep a couple of the caves stocked with supplies ahead of time? They got an advanced warning of the storm this time around, that isn't guaranteed. I like how the episode managed to gloss over the scientific explanation for Gilligan's condition. The Professor ( Russell Johnson ) was about to give it in detail when the Skipper cut him off. I can't think of a better way of explaining something ridiculous than "there's an explanation but I was told not to give it." Wow, they sure can get a lot of radio s...

Synopsis: Forced to ration their food because of a blight, the castaways are thrilled when a duck lands on the island. However, the Professor ( Russell Johnson ) thinks the migratory bird will give them a chance at rescue if they let it fly home with a note on its leg.   My Thoughts: While I maybe can buy into the idea of a mysterious blight that "shrinks" the island's fruits and vegetables, I'm just not buying the effect it has on their supply of fish. It's a freaking ocean. You can't tell me every single fish has been affected. If nothing else, just build a small raft and go a little further away from the island. Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) once again proved he is smarter than he is given credit for. OK, so his duck decoy sunk because he forgot about a hole in his shoe, but it was still an idea that worked and definitely more than anyone else came up with. I mean, let's face it, Mr. Howell ( Jim Backus ) would have suggested something to do with bribing t...

Synopsis: The castaways find themselves under attack from an unknown assailant possessing machine guns and grenades.   My Thoughts -  This is one of those episodes where a defined chain of command would make sense. Mr. Howell ( Jim Backus ) declaring himself general ultimately was pointless but also unnecessary. There is no reason why who is in charge in a crisis should ever be up for debate, especially since they've had this debate before. The castaways sure went through a lot of effort to develop a nurse's corps and a USO performance but didn't make much of an effort to actually defend themselves from the attacker. It seems like putting up some sort of barricade and arming themselves (even with primitive weapons) would have been the best first choice. Have I ever mentioned how much I love Mrs. Howell ( Natalie Schafer )? The way she put Mr. Howell in his place after he claimed to be her superior was fantastic. I kind of feel like, had the show not kept to the traditio...

Synopsis: When an experimental robot lands on the island, the castaways try to program it to help with their rescue. However, when they are unable to get it to help even with simple chores, rescuing them seems to be even beyond its reach. My Thoughts: The Skipper ( Alan Hale, Jr. ) not believing in a lucky rabbit's foot seems a bit out of character. He has to be one of the most superstitious characters in television history but still draws the line at Gilligan's ( Bob Denver ) good luck charm? This is the same guy who quickly blamed thefts from the supply hut on voodoo. The Skipper and Professor ( Russell Johnson ) seriously did not see that robot standing there? Gilligan couldn't have walked away more than a few dozen feet in a straight line before bumping into it. I think a pair of castaways need to get their eyes checked. Gilligan at least had an excuse; his nose was buried in comic book. The Air Force sure gave up on searching for their missing robot awfully quick. ...

Synopsis: The castaways have an opportunity to escape the island after finding the Minnow's life raft. However, Gilligan's (Bob Denver ) discovery of a gold mine on the island leaves the castaways with a dilemma as they all develop gold fever. My Thoughts: How did Gilligan and Mr. Howell ( Jim Backus ) get out of that cave? It seemed fairly deep with no signs of another way out and it wasn't as though they had any ropes or vines nearby. They weren't even dirty when they did get out. I was surprised to see Ginger ( Tina Louise ) and Mary Ann ( Dawn Wells ) fishing. This show normally has some firm and outdated gender roles on this series, I would have thought it would be one of the men. In fact, I'm a little curious why it wasn't Gilligan considering he apparently had enough free time to be Mr. Howell's caddy. In fact, now I'm wondering if they actually managed to catch any fish. This episode has one of the show's funniest sight gags. Mr. Howell s...

Synopsis: The lack of citrus fruits in their diet has led to a severe vitamin deficiency for the castaways. Their only hope is to grow trees from the last orange on the island. My Thoughts: The Professor's ( Russell Johnson ) death order seems a bit off. Maybe he was right about people dying in order of their overall weight and was probably right about the order the men would die in. However, I'm not convinced Mrs. Howell ( Natalie Schafer ) is heavier than either Ginger ( Tina Louise ) or Mary Ann ( Dawn Wells ). If anything, I would describe her as the smallest person on the island. What about pineapples? Maybe they aren't technically citrus fruits, but I am fairly certain they are just as full as vitamin C as an orange. And, they had one sitting right in the middle of their table at one point in this episode. The orange tree idea seems a bit unlikely. Just how fast does the professor seem to think orange trees grow? Unless they happen to be from those radioactive seeds ...

Synopsis: When a strong storm washes up a telephone cable, the castaways see an opportunity to call for help. However, even though the Professor ( Russell Johnson ) constructs a primitive phone, they can't seem to find anyone willing to take their call. My Thoughts: I don't know a whole lot about phone cables, but doesn't it seem a bit odd one would be so close to an uncharted island that is nowhere near the shipping lanes?  I also find it hard to believe there would be enough slack in that line to for it to be washed ashore from any great distance. I'm not so sure the Ginger Grant movie would be worth buying a ticket for. I mean, had Ginger ( Tina Louise ) gotten off the island and shared her survival story, then maybe it would be worthwhile. However, without that part of the story (and Hollywood wouldn't know it), how interesting could that film really be? Maybe that's why this is the only time anyone hears about it. Speaking of her movie, the castaways sure ...

Synopsis: When Mr. and Mrs. Howell ( Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer ) discover the minister that married them was a fake and their marriage is invalid, the Skipper ( Alan Hale, Jr. ) attempts to correct the situation by conducting a wedding ceremony on a raft. However, an argument causes the couple to call the whole thing off. My Thoughts: The more I watch this show , the more I realize just how many themes the series recycled plot devices in its three seasons. In this case, it was the radio announcer reading the wrong name, similar to what happened in an earlier episode involving the Howell's thinking they lost all their money. That being said, I liked how this episode threw in a new wrinkle. It was very clever how the writers mixed things up a bit with the raft building scene. I fully expected (as I'm sure was intended) some sort of injury to the Skipper and loved how he narrowly avoided it multiple times. I was a nice change up to what would have normally been a predictabl...

Synopsis: The castaways are on edge when the island appears to be haunted by a ghost ( Richard Kiel ). When the same ghost leaves them a boat, they don't know if it is an opportunity for them to finally get off the island or a trap. My Thoughts:  For starters, I was surprised the Skipper ( Alan Hale, Jr. ) was one of the skeptics. Yes, he fell in line with the rest of them once he also saw the "ghost," but the fact he doubted both Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) and the rest of the castaways seemed a bit out of character for him. After all, he is normally the most superstitious one in the group. Didn't anyone think to check for footprints? The agent playing the ghost was a fairly large guy and I find it hard to believe he didn't leave noticeable footprints wherever he went. Frankly, I'm a little disappointed in the Professor ( Russell Johnson ) for not thinking of that. Someone pretending to be a ghost was a lot more plausible explanation than his floating sheet theor...

Synopsis: A dispute between the Skipper ( Alan Hale, Jr. ) and Mr. Howell ( Jim Backus ) results in the castaways holding an election to name a president. Everyone is surprised when Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) wins as a write-in candidate but share the blame when the island's new government goes south from there. My Thoughts:   Why does the Professor ( Russell Johnson ) receive no love in this episode? I can understand why the castaways would be reluctant to vote for either the Skipper or Mr. Howell but the Professor seemed like a much sounder third choice than Gilligan. If anything, he seems like the person who ends up acting like the de facto leader in most of the episodes. That being said, Gilligan wasn't the problem. If anything, he was actually making quite a bit of sense as president, pushing for a new well to be dug as soon as possible to prevent the castaways from dying of thirst and, when they offered no help, doing it himself. As much credit as he gets for being the ...

Synopsis: While attempting to turn tree sap into pancake syrup, Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) accidentally invents a substance that appears to be stronger than glue and the Professor ( Russell Johnson ) believes he can use it to repair the Minnow. However, Gilligan soon discovers his glue isn't permanent. My Thoughts: I've mentioned this before but why doesn't the Skipper's ( Alan Hale, Jr. ) toolbox have the things he needs to repair his ship? He has a hammer and apparently some boards (or at least the tools to make boards) but no nails? It seems like something that would be a staple in any toolbox. That being said, couldn't they have just salvaged nails from something else? The Minnow is a fairly large boat and pulling a half dozen nails or so from less important parts of that boat would have solved their problem. I feel like that should have been the first thing they should have tried (other than stopping by a hardware store before setting sail). I'm still a bit c...

Synopsis: The castaways are surprised to discover an ape man ( Denny Miller ) on the island and, fearing for the safety of the women, capture him. When they discover he is actually an actor practicing for an upcoming role as Tongo the Ape Man, they see and opportunity for rescue. However, they first must rescue him from a gorilla. My Thoughts:  Why does nobody ever believe Gilligan ( Bob Denver )? When he tells the Professor ( Russell Johnson ) and Skipper ( Alan Hale, Jr. ) about Tongo, they once again chose to believe he was making things up. Isn't this the same island that also had one real jungle boy ( Kurt Russell ), three doppelgangers and a host of other strange things? At some point, you think people would just take him at his word based on previous experiences. I'll say it again, Mrs. Howell ( Natalie Schafer ) is fierce. She's not always the most likable character on this series but she's also the one person you don't want to mess with, especially if you a...

Synopsis: A radio show contestant ( Strother Martin ) is dropped on the island with a shortwave radio. However, he refuses to call for help for the castaways because he is afraid of losing a $10,000 prize. My Thoughts: I don't want to sound like a broken record but how could a radio show drop off a contestant without noticing the island was occupied? Didn't they at least see the huts, especially since they delivered/picked him up with a helicopter? Of course, once again, this is a good reason for having a signal fire burning at all times. I think George Barkley's motivation was less about forfeiting money and more about just being lazy. I don't know how he could be disqualified for being dropped on an island that wasn't deserted (it's not like he picked it). It seemed more like he wasn't interested in earning the money honestly when he had help from seven reluctant people. The castaways are too nice. I'm not saying they needed to do anything violent, bu...

Synopsis: After a misunderstanding leads Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) to believe the Professor ( Russell Johnson ) has been murdered, the castaways decide to make the Skipper ( Alan Hale, Jr. ) sheriff and Gilligan his deputy. However, Gilligan takes his job a little too seriously and ultimately puts everyone in jail. My Thoughts: I remember the castaways having a gun but where did they get the blanks? And, if they had blanks, why didn't they use them to scare off the variety of unsavory characters that have landed on the island? I am assuming the Professor made them somehow, but it would have been nice to get some sort of official explanation. Even if Gilligan hadn't been one of the people in charge, having a sheriff still seemed like a bad idea. Maybe   the Skipper would have had a cooler head, but the castaways were still effectively letting one person make all the decisions regarding the law and issuing a sentence. There's a reason why civilized countries have a court syste...

Synopsis: When a briefcase containing government documents washes up on the island, the castaways think it might lead to their rescue. However, when they sneak a peek inside, they become concerned about their lives being in danger. My Thoughts:  The Professor ( Russell Johnson ) sure was optimistic about being rescued. A little too optimistic, in my opinion. I mean, the United States government didn't exactly bend over backwards trying to retrieve a missing robot, missing space capsule, or top-secret missile and they even knew when the last of those was. What happened to the secret agent that was carrying the briefcase? We know two things about the case. It had top secret documents and those handcuffs were impossible to open without the keys (which were still inside the case). Shouldn't have been attached to a body or at least a severed arm? This episode has one of my favorite dream sequences. It's one of the few dream sequences that doesn't have Gilligan ( Bob Denver ...

Synopsis: With the island under the threat of a headhunter attack, the castaways prepare to defend themselves. However, when the Skipper ( Alan Hale, Jr .) is almost killed by a falling tree, he feels it is important to find a second in command. He reluctantly picks Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) and his first mate is thrust into duty sooner than expected when the Skipper goes missing. My Thoughts:  It's interesting the Skipper thinks he's the one in charge.  Not only has that never actually been established at any given point in the series (if anything, it's been challenged), Skipper has never even acted as though he was the one calling the shots. If anything, I think the Professor ( Russell Johnson ) makes more decisions for the castaways than anyone else. The timing of his second-in-command training is also questionable . With the castaways facing an imminent threat, it seems like his time would be better served focusing on their defenses. The training seems like more of a dist...