Gilligan's Island followed the misadventures of a group of castaways stranded on an uncharted tropical island in the South Pacific. The story began as a small boat, The Minnow, was washed ashore on the island during a freak storm, on what was supposed to be a three hour tour. The Minnow's colorful group of passengers included eccentric millionaire Thurston Howell III (played by Jim Backus of Mr. Magoo fame) and his ditzy wife Lovey, Glamorous movie star Ginger, corn-fed farm girl Mary Ann, and inventive genius The Professor. The crew of the Minnow consists of the gruff but lovable Skipper, and the goofy and constantly lit first mate Gilligan, who acted out like a homoerotic version of Laurel and Hardy.

Every week, the group would make a new attempt to escape the island. These attempts would usually result in some kind of elaborate comic disaster, with the ganja-head Gilligan usually taking the blame. Despite being stuck on a deserted island, the castaways did without none of the modern conveniences, thanks to the Professor, who could seemingly build anything out of a stalk of bamboo and a couple of coconuts, including cars, electric generators, hot air balloons, and more. Despite the original cruise of the Minnow only being scheduled for three hours, they managed to pack along enough supplies to last them for three years. The Howells, in particular, had trunks and trunks packed full of clothes, valuables, and riches.

While the series was a popular hit during it's three seasons on network television, it became even more popular when it went into syndicated reruns. The series spawned three TV movies in the late 1970's and early 1980's, including Rescue From Gilligan's Island, in which the castaways are finally rescued (only to become stranded on the same island again at the end), and one in which Gilligan and the gang meet the Harlem Globetrotters. The series also spawned a cartoon version called The New Adventures of Gilligan in 1974, featuring animated version of the castaways first on the island, and later launched into outer space(?!).

CAST:
Bob Denver as Gilligan
Alan Hale, Jr. as The Skipper
Jim Backus as Thurston Howell III
Natalie Schafer as Lovey Howell
Tina Louise as Ginger Grant
Russel Johnson as The Professor
Dawn Wells as Mary Ann

The series ran from 1964 - 1967 on CBS

CATCHPHRASES:
"Gilligan!" and "Little Buddy"

GILLIGAN'S ISLAND RESOURCES ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB:
-Gilligan's Island
-Gilligan's Island Fan Club
-Gilligan's Island Page of Goodies