Steven Helmer Publications

As someone who loves classic movies and classic television, it shouldn't be a surprise to learn I've seen every episode of Gilligan's Island at least a couple dozen times and the made-for-TV movies based on the series at least a half dozen. While I will stop short of saying I can recite the episodes word-from-word, I can recall most details from those episodes without seeing them. Anyone who knows the show also knows it was cancelled after just three seasons and less than 100 episodes, forcing it to rely on the movies, which were made more than a decade later, to bring closure. That may or may not be the reason the series/movies left quite a few unanswered questions. Here are five that have always nagged at me: Was Ginger ( Tina Louise ) psychic? I am asking this question based solely on the episode "Ship Ahoax" which features Ginger pretending to be a psychic at the Professor's ( Russell Johnson ) request to fend off island madness only to have her prediction...

Synopsis: The bored wife of a successful theater critic decides to write her own play. She is able to get it produced but a drunken, negative review written by her husband threatens both the show's success and their marriage. Who's in it? The movie stars  Bob Hope , Lucille Ball , Marilyn Maxwell , Jim Backus and Rip Torn . Review: I am taking a bit of a lazy day today and, while my wife and youngest daughter were attending a play at our local high school, I ended up searching for a movie to watch. It had been a while since I last saw Critic's Choice and since it was available, I decided to give it a re-watch. My opinion of it was basically the same one I had the first time I watched it, it was OK but not as good as I had expected. I'll start out by saying the film's premise was a good one, mostly because it created a no-win scenario for the critic, Parker Ballentine (Hope). It was clear he didn't want to review his wife, Angela's (Ball) play because, base...

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: The crew of a World War II American submarine are given orders to transport an underwater demolition team to Bikini Atoll so they can destroy a sunken American sub before the Japanese are able to salvage its advanced radar system. The already dangerous mission becomes even more complicated when they discover a Japanese fleet has already located the sub and started salvage operations. Who's in it? The movie stars Tab Hunter, Frankie Avalon , Jim Backus , Scott Brady and Eva Six. Review: I came across Operation Bikini a few days ago and wasn't completely sure I wanted to give the war movie a try until I saw it starred Jim Backus. I figured I hadn't seen him in too many pre- Gilligan's Island films, so I gave it a try. Overall, it proved to be a good choice. I think one thing I found I really liked about this movie was the way it focused on the psychological effects of war as much as the patriotism and action. The trip to Bikini Atoll was as intriguing as t...

Synopsis: Still recovering from the mental breakdown caused by her pilot boyfriend's death, Nell is given a second chance when her uncle, an elevator operator, lands her a babysitting job at the hotel he works for. However, things quickly begin to unravel when one of the hotel's guests, also a pilot, mistakes her for a wealthy patron and takes a romantic interest in her. As Nell begins to blend her past with her present, she becomes confused and violent. Who's in it?  The movie stars Marilyn Monroe , Richard Widmark , Anne Bancroft , Jim Backus and Elisha Cook, Jr. You can read my review here:  Movie Review: Don't Bother to Knock (1952)

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: 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: 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: 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: Wealthy socialite Erika Tiffany-Smith ( Zsa Zsa Gabor ) arrives on the island with the intention of buying it and building a resort. The Skipper ( Alan Hale, Jr. ) is smitten with her, but she is romantically interested in the Professor ( Russell Johnson ). My Thoughts: I think this is one of my favorite guest characters on the show. In particular, I liked the way she managed to interact with the various characters individually (something that isn't always the case), whether it was the catty exchange with her "friend" Mrs. Howell ( Natalie Schafer ) or completely ignoring Mary Ann ( Dawn Wells ) because she was distracted by the Professor. I would have liked to see more of a rivalry between the Skipper and the Professor. Considering neither was right for her, I think a rivalry could have had some potential for both comedy and maybe even a little drama. At minimum, I felt like Skipper just backed off without a fight, something that honestly seemed a little out o...

Synopsis:  Touched by the way the other castaways cared for him while he was ill, Mr. Howell ( Jim Backus ) decides to add them to his will. However, after a couple near misses, Mr. Howell begins to believe the castaways are trying to kill him so they can collect on their inheritance. My Thoughts: I will start out by praising the execution of this episode. Ultimately, as expected, this turned out to be a big misunderstanding (the castaways were planning a surprise party). However, up until that information is revealed, those misunderstandings could legitimately be perceived as attempts on his life, especially since they came pretty close to killing him by accident on a couple different occasions. I feel like the Professor ( Russell Johnson ) got a raw deal with his inheritance. Mr. Howell originally planned on giving Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) until Mrs. Howell ( Natalie Schafer ) reminded him the railroad lost about $1 million per year. So, he gives it to the Professor instead? What ...

Synopsis: Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) saves the live of a native woman ( Midori ) and, in accordance with her tribe's customs, she insists on becoming his slave. Gilligan is reluctant to be her master and soon finds his life in danger when members of her tribe arrive with the intention of winning her back by killing him. My Thoughts: I lost a lot of respect for the castaways when watching this episode. Instead of being offended by the idea of someone being someone else's slave, as any good American should be, it seemed like Gilligan was the only one who was opposed to the idea. They were even willing to buy her services from him. With the exception of maybe Mr. Howell ( Jim Backus ), it seemed out of character for them. The episode glosses over the fact the natives speak English . That seemed like something that would be a pretty big deal considering the other natives they've run into while on the island haven't. It is an indication that tribe has contact with the outside ...

Synopsis: When Mr. Howell ( Jim Backus ) learns there is an imposter pretending to be him and selling off his assets, he offers the rest of the castaways a $1 million reward to help him get off the island. The reward turns out not to be necessary when the imposter falls off a yacht and winds up on the island. My Thoughts: I have always thought this episode would have been a good setup for a Gilligan's Island s pinoff. One of the things that sets this episode apart from the series' other "doppelganger" episodes is we never learn the imposter's real identity. That, combined with the imposter not being caught at the end, could have potentially set up a new series with Backus playing a con man.  OK, I'll stop bringing up the raft now. After re-watching this episode, I now have my answer regarding why they didn't just attempt to build another raft and leave the island. Based on how quickly the boat they built for Mr. Howell sunk, I am now convinced they just ...

Synopsis: After Gilligan ( Bob Denver ) discovers a sunken ship in the lagoon, the castaways salvage costumes and a movie camera and decide to make a silent movie in an attempt to finally get rescued from the island. My Thoughts: I'm no expert on this,  but if that camera equipment was submerged in salt water with nothing but a wooden crate protecting it, shouldn't it have been unusable by the time Gilligan discovered the ship? I have a very hard time believing that wooden crate was perfectly waterproof this entire time. Heck, I would think even the costumes would be water damaged. I feel like the castaways tried too hard in this episode.   I mean, let's face it, all they really had to do was make a short film showing a rescue note. I'm not really sure why they felt the need to make a full-length silent movie that left everything up to the viewer's interpretation, especially since their attempt to show the location of the island was an absolute failure. Despite what...