Search - Gilligan's Island: The Complete First Season on DVD

VanNessa B. from INDIANAPOLIS, IN
Reviewed on 8/22/2012...

Loved it! 3 stars

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

A must have for Gilligan fans

T O'Brien | Chicago, Il United States | 02/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gilligan's Island The Complete First Season is a must have for fans of the 1960's comedy. Everything you could want is here. The 3-disc set includes all 36 episodes from the first season presented in standard black and white. The episodes look great in black and white rather than that awful color that was inserted into them while on TBS. The DVD also includes the lost pilot episode with three different cast members alongside Gilligan, the Skipper, and the Howells. Also on the DVD are tropical tidbits about certain episodes, profiles on how the cast was selected, and a tropical island survival guide. The excellent cast really made this show what it was. Bob Denver as Gilligan, Alan Hale JR as the Skipper, Jim Backus as Thurston Howell III, Natalie Schaefer as Lovie Howell, Tina Louise as Ginger, Russell Johnson as the Professor, and Dawn Wells as Mary Ann made up one of the best ensemble casts in television history. Fans of this much loved show should run out and buy Gilligan's Island The Complete First Season. You will not be disappointed!"

The History of Gilligan's Island 1964 to 1967 on CBS.

Alan Vallazza | Kansas City, USA | 01/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Cast
--------
Backus, Jim Thurston Howell III
Denver, Bob Gilligan (some say Willy Gilligan)
Hale Jr., Alan Skipper Jonas Grumby
Johnson, Russell Professor Roy Hinkley
Louise, Tina Ginger Grant
Schafer, Natalie Lovey Wentworth Howell
Wells, Dawn Mary Ann Summers
Maxwell, Charles radio announcerA ship's captain, his first mate, an actress, a professor, a farm girl, a millionaire and his wife, all stranded on an uncharted desert island in the South Pacific. Seven random people thrown together by fate, united in search of an exit. A Twilight Zone episode, you say? An existential play by Jean Paul Sartre, perhaps? No, nothing quite so cerebral. It's the central plot line of Gilligan's Island, one of the most popular and most referenced sitcoms in television history.In September of 1964 the S.S. Minnow set sail on a three-hour tour that would last three years in prime time. Although Gilligan's Island, the brainchild of Brady Bunch creator Sherwood Schwartz, was one of the worst reviewed shows ever broadcast, it was always a favorite with the viewing public. Millions of people tuned in to see the comic antics of the inept Gilligan and watch each week as the castaways inevitably failed to get off the island.Gilligan was the boat's sole crew member, aside from the skipper. He was well-meaning but inept in his attempts to find a means of returning to civilization. As a result, and perhaps even more because this simple-minded farce became a top hit, the little band was stranded on that island for three full seasons. One question that never got answered, however, concerned the luggage. In the first episode, and in the theme song, it was pointed out that the cruise was only supposed to be for three hours. How, then, did the passengers have enough clothing to last three years?Gilligan's biggest fans were kids, and when the series finally went into repeats on local stations and on cable TV such as Nick at Nite they made it one of the biggest rerun hits of all time. Even though the reruns were colorized, for a while, whereas they were all black and white when originally aired in the 60s. By the way, The Hallmark Channel now shows them in black and white as opposed to when they were on TNT. Anyways, an animated cartoon version called The New Adventures of Gilligan was produced for ABC, and ran on that network's weekend daytime schedule from 1974 to 1977. Then in 1978 NBC had the bright idea of bringing the original cast back together for a reunion special, in which they were finally rescued. All agreed to appear except Tina Louise (who wanted too much money, and so was replaced by Judith Baldwin). "Rescue From Gilligan's Island" aired in October 1978 as a two-part special, and was a phenomenal hit. They did finally get off the island, and returned to a triumphant homecoming. But then they made the mistake of going on a reunion cruise on the Minnow II, only to wind up stranded back on the same island--the result of another freak storm! "Castaways on Gilligan's Island," a folow-up special aired in 1979, had them converting the island into a tourist resort. And in still another sequel in 1981, The Harlem Globetrotters dropped in! There was a talk of reviving the series, but audiences for the 1979 and 1981 sequels were not very large, and the plans never materialized.One of TV's great bits of trivia is Gilligan's first name. None was ever revealed on the show, but years later on a talk show Bob Denver claimed that he had talked the matter over with the show's creator/producer Sherwood Schwartz, and they had decided that if Gilligan ever did need a first name it would be "Willie."Also did you know that Jayne Mansfield turned down the role of "Ginger"; Carroll O'Connor tested for the role of The Skipper; Raquel Welch auditioned for the role of Mary Anne; Dabney Coleman tested for the role of The Professor and Jerry Van Dyke, Dick's Brother, turned down the role of Gilligan. Bob Denver had a character on The Many Lives of Dobie Gillis playing Maynard G. Krebs. Jim Backus,aka Thurston Howell III, appeared the year before Gilligan's debut in the 1963 movie It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World as the pilot of a plane which had Mickey Rooney and Buddy Hackett on board.Natalie Schafer also was on the short lived drama series The Survivors with Lana Turner, Ralph Bellamy, Jan Micheal-Vincent, and George Hamilton in 1969-70.The original pilot was filmed in November of 1963 but never aired until October of 1992 on TBS. In the original pilot, the characters of the Professor and Ginger were played by a different actor and actress. There was no character of Mary Ann. In the pilot, there was a character called Bunny. Bunny was the buxom blonde and Ginger was a practical brunette. In the pilot, Ginger and Bunny were both secretaries. The music for the original pilot's theme song was written by (a young) John Williams. This music had a Latin sound and the lyrics were sung with a Spanish accent. In the pilot, it was a six-hour trip, not a three-hour tour. The three man folk singing group, The Wellingtons, sang the theme song for the first season, but were replaced by a similar sounding group, The Eligibles, for the following seasons. However, The Wellingtons (plus one) also portrayed 'The Mosquitoes' in a classic episode of the series.Originally slated to return for the 1967-68 television season it was instead canceled at the last minute by CBS head William Paley, to make room for Gunsmoke.The Music
---------
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,
a tale of a fateful trip.
That started from this tropic port,
aboard this tiny ship.
The mate was a mighty sailin' man,
the skipper brave and sure.
Five passengers set sail that day,
for a three hour tour, a three hour tour.
The weather started getting rough,
the tiny ship was tossed.
If not for the courage of the fearless crew,
the Minnow would be lost; the Minnow would be lost.
The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle,
with Gilligan, the Skipper too,
the Millionaire, and his Wife,
the Movie Star, and the rest,
(the Movie Star, the Professor and Mary Ann,)
here on Gilligan's Isle.So this is the tale of our castaways,
they're here for a long long time.
They'll have to make the best of things,
it's an uphill climb.
The first mate and his skipper too,
will do their very best,
to make the others comfortable,
in their tropic island nest.
No phones, no lights, no motor car,
not a single luxury.
Like Robinson Crusoe,
it's primitive as can be.
So join us here each week my friend,
you're sure to get a smile.
From seven stranded castaways,
Here on Gilligan's Isle."

It's funny precisely because it's so incredibly ridiculous

Kai Lu | Beverly Hills, CA | 05/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gilligan's Island has often been an object of ridicule for both professional critics and self-annointed intellectuals alike, most of whom point out the various implausibilities in the show (i.e., the Professor is an "idiot" because he can cause nuclear fission using coconuts but can't build a raft, the unliklihood of the Howells taking a "three hour tour" on an obviously inexpensive charter boat, let alone taking along three season's worth of wardrobe and costumes with them, ad nauseum), but chances are these same critics have also seen many -- if not all -- the show's episodes, and have enjoyed at least a few guilty laughs for their trouble.

One of the reasons why Gilligan's Island is such a great show (it is the most re-run show in the history of television, and that INCLUDES I Love Lucy) is precisely because it is so wacky, nonsensical, and flat-out ridiculous.

In Gilligan's Island -- The Complete First Season, viewers are treated to 34 original episodes, uncut, including the rare pilot episode that contains three castmembers not included in the actual show as seen on television. The episodes are in black and white, but this doesn't detract from the fun.

The complete list and brief synopsis of each episode have already been written by other reviewers so I won't waste your bandwith in repeating them, however I will say one thing: seeing these episodes brings back many fond memories for me, and I didn't even realize how much of a fan of the show I was until I watched this 3-DVD set.

I remember coming home from school in eigth grade each day and seeing Gilligan's Island on TV, and that was over ten years ago. I hadn't seen an episode of Gilligan's Island in the intervening years until I bought the DVD set. It's amazing, but I -- and probably countless other people -- could actually remember everything about the episodes, and my memory comes flooding back with the viewing of each one, right down to the manner in which a character pronounces certain words, and the way the Skipper cries out "Aeuph!" whenever Gilligan accidently hits his captain in the breadbasket, or inadvertantly drops something on his vulnerable feet, or the way Tina Louise's mouth twitches in an oddly fascinating way when her picture is shown on the program's opening credits.

Gilligan's Island is one of those shows that you can watch today and enjoy, even if you've never seen it, as long as you don't expect it to make sense or follow any logic. It's one of those show's you can LOVE if your viewing of that show is connected to fond memories of your own past -- as for me, it includes summer vacation, playing Sega Genesis, playing nerf football with my best friends Howie and Art, and watching Gilligan's Island.

My friend Art has since become a lawyer, and Garth became an architect. I teach in a middle school. We all grow up, but Gilligan stays with us all along the way. It's wise to pick this set up, especially if you're a fan of the show, because it's one way you can relive and continue to live a pleasant part of your own history."