Gilligan's Island (season 2)

Gilligan's Island (season 2)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	32
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 16, 1965 – April 28, 1966

The second season of the American comedy television series Gilligan's Island commenced airing in the United States on September 16, 1965 and concluded on April 28, 1966 on CBS. The second season continues the comic adventures of seven castaways as they attempt to survive and escape from an island on which they had been shipwrecked. Most episodes revolve around the dissimilar castaways' conflicts and their failed attempts—invariably Gilligan's fault—to escape their plight. The second season, unlike the first season, was filmed in color. The season originally aired on Thursdays at 8:00-8:30 pm (EST).

Production

Executive producers for the second season of Gilligan's Island included William Froug and series creator Sherwood Schwartz.^[1] Filming of the season took place at the CBS Radford Studios complex in Studio City, Los Angeles California.^[2] This complex contained 17 sound stages, as well as special effects and prop departments.^[3] On one part of the studio lot, a lagoon had been constructed by the production company "at great expense".^[4] According to Bob Denver, the crew would spend half of their days filming scenes in the lagoon. Scenes involving the castaways' huts and or the jungle, were shot on a soundstage.^[4] After the series' cancellation, the show's lagoon was not dismantled, and it remained in place until 1995, when it was converted into a parking lot.^[2][4]

Cast

The series employed an ensemble cast of seven main actors and actresses.^[5] Denver played the role of the titular First Mate Gilligan, a bumbling, naive, and accident-prone crewman who often messes up the castaways chances of rescue. Alan Hale, Jr. portrayed The Skipper, captain of the S.S. Minnow and the older friend of Gilligan. Jim Backus appeared as Thurston Howell III, a millionaire, and Natalie Schafer played his wife, Eunice Lovelle Wentworth Howell. Tina Louise played the role Ginger Grant, a famous movie star. Russell Johnson portrayed Professor Roy Hinkley, Ph.D., a high school science teacher who often uses his scientific background to try and find ways to get the castaways off the island. Dawn Wells played Mary Ann Summers, wholesome farm girl from Kansas.^[6] Charles Maxwell was the uncredited voice of the radio announcer, to whom the castaways would often listen via their radio.^[7]

Broadcast history

The season originally aired Thursdays at 8:00-8:30 pm (EST) on CBS.

DVD release

The DVD was released by Warner Home Video.

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by[8]	Written by[8]	Original air date[9]
37	1	"Gilligan's Mother-in-Law"	Jack Arnold	Budd Grossman	September 16, 1965
A native family arrives on the island looking for a husband for their ample (overweight) daughter. They choose Gilligan, but soon a native suitor shows up to challenge Gilligan to a duel. Jim Backus's real-life wife has a cameo as the wife of the chief. Jim Backus impersonates entertainer Ted Lewis in this episode.
38	2	"Beauty Is as Beauty Does"	Jack Arnold	Joanna Lee	September 23, 1965
After each of the other men nominate a different woman as the fairest on the island, Gilligan suggests a beauty contest to decide Miss Castaway. With the other three men each backing a different woman, Gilligan finds himself in the uncomfortable position of judge. The men attempt to sabotage the other women's chances by pouring glue on the stage, blowing sneezing powder towards the contestants, and spitting spit balls. Gilligan chooses an island ape as Miss Castaway, as she is the only truly qualifying island native.
39	3	"The Little Dictator"	Jack Arnold	Bob Rodgers & Sid Mandel	September 30, 1965
When El Presidente Pancho Hernando Gonzales Enrico Rodriguez of Ecuarico is exiled on the island, he foments a revolution and convinces Gilligan to become his puppet leader. This episode is in effect a satire of the military politics of many Latin American countries during the 1960s, and is series creator Sherwood Schwartz's personal favorite. Nehemiah Persoff guest stars.
40	4	"Smile, You're on Mars Camera"	Jack Arnold	Al Schwartz & Bruce Howard	October 7, 1965
A Mars Lander accidentally crashes on the island instead of landing on Mars. However the camera doesn't work until -thanks to Gilligan-the castaways are covered in glue and feathers. The castaways are then mistaken for chicken people on Mars. As punishment for messing up another rescue, Gilligan becomes a human cuckoo clock bird!
41	5	"The Sweepstakes"	Jack Arnold	Walter Black	October 14, 1965
Gilligan wins the lottery, joins the Howells' club, and then loses the ticket.
42	6	"Quick Before It Sinks"	George Cahan	Stan Burns & Mike Marmer	October 28, 1965
The Professor mistakenly believes that the island is sinking when Gilligan uses the Professor's high water measuring stick to mark the lobster traps.
43	7	"Castaways Pictures Presents"	Jack Arnold	Herbert Finn & Alan Dinehart	November 4, 1965
Gilligan discovers a sunken ship in the lagoon. The ship is only half there, but the cargo is intact: two crates of movie production equipment and costumes from Exit South Seas Film Productions and Castaways Pictures. The group uses the equipment to make a movie about themselves and their predicament in hopes that it will spark a rescue. Instead, the film wins a Cannes Film Festival Award.
44	8	"Agonized Labor"	Jack Arnold	Roland MacLane	November 11, 1965
The Howells are broke, or so the radio says. After the rest of the group stops Mr. Howell's suicide attempts, they try to train them for other lines of work for after they are rescued.
45	9	"Nyet, Nyet -- Not Yet"	Jack Arnold	Adele T. Strassfield & Robert Riordan	November 18, 1965
Two Russian Cosmonauts land on the island. The castaways hope it will lead to a rescue. For once Gilligan does something right when he switches water for vodka, but in the end he still messes things up as usual.
46	10	"Hi-Fi Gilligan"	Jack Arnold	Mary C. McCall, Jr.	November 25, 1965
Gilligan's mouth becomes a radio when a filling in a tooth is knocked loose. Just in time too, as the regular radio is broken and a monster typhoon is on its way.
47	11	"The Chain of Command"	Leslie Goodwins	Arnold & Lois Peyser	December 2, 1965
The Skipper wants to train Gilligan to take charge should anything happen to him. Gilligan's mettle is tested when the Skipper disappears, apparently kidnapped by natives.
48	12	"Don't Bug the Mosquitoes"	Steve Binder	Brad Radnitz	December 9, 1965
In a parody of The Beatles and Beatlemania, the music sensation "The Mosquitoes" land on the island for much needed peace and quiet. What they get instead are the girls having formed a group of their own, "The Honeybees".
49	13	"Gilligan Gets Bugged"	Gary Nelson	Jack Gross, Jr. & Michael R. Stein	December 16, 1965
Gilligan has been bitten by the dreaded, and deadly, Mantis Khani. Now he has 24 hours to live. The problem is, the Mantis Khani only travels in swarms of thousands of bugs. Soon everyone is bitten.
50	14	"Mine Hero"	Wilbur D'Arcy	David Braverman & Bob Marcus	December 23, 1965
Gilligan catches a WWII mine while fishing. Now they must get rid of it before it destroys them all.
51	15	"Erika Tiffany Smith to the Rescue"	Jack Arnold	David P. Harmon	December 30, 1965
Socialite Erika Tiffany-Smith (Zsa Zsa Gabor) arrives on the island, looking for a place to build a resort. But instead she falls in love with, and becomes engaged to, the Professor. Once she returns to civilization, however, Smith's logbook can't help the castaways - not only are the directions hopelessly vague, but it's written in Hungarian.
52	16	"Not Guilty"	Stanley Z. Cherry	Roland MacLane	January 6, 1966
Who killed Randolph Blake? According to a newspaper that washed ashore, one of the castaways did it the night before the fateful 3-hour tour. So they recreate the crime in order to find out who among them is the murderer. Well-known Cincinnati news anchor Al Schottelkotte has a off-screen cameo as himself as the radio announcer.
53	17	"You've Been Disconnected"	Jack Arnold	Elroy Schwartz	January 13, 1966
A storm washes an international underwater telephone cable onto the shore of the lagoon. So naturally they try to call for help.
54	18	"The Postman Cometh"	Leslie Goodwins	Herbert Finn & Alan Dinehart	January 20, 1966
Gilligan and the Skipper hear on the radio that Mary Ann's boyfriend is getting married. Wondering how to break the news to her, the two go to the Professor and Mr. Howell. Gilligan, Skipper, and the Professor attempt to woo her, but Mary Ann believes they are trying to tell her she has eaten poisonous mushrooms!
55	19	"Seer Gilligan"	Leslie Goodwins	Elroy Schwartz	January 27, 1966
Gilligan has found a bush that provides seeds that enable anyone who eats the seeds to read people's minds.
56	20	"Love Me, Love My Skipper"	Tony Leader	Herbert Finn & Alan Dinehart	February 3, 1966
The Howells are planning a cotillion, but Mr. Howell accidentally loses the Skipper's invitation.
57	21	"Gilligan's Living Doll"	Leslie Goodwins	Bob Stevens	February 10, 1966
A robot lands on the island, and the castaways must figure out how to use him to get rescued. Watch out for Gilligan's lucky rabbit's foot, which will magically reappear in episode 3.05.
58	22	"Forward March"	Jerry Hopper	Jack Raymond	February 17, 1966
Someone is shelling the castaways with hand grenades. It turns out that a gorilla has found a stash of WWII weapons in a cave.
59	23	"Ship Ahoax"	Leslie Goodwins	Charles Tannen & George O'Hanlon	February 24, 1966
When "Island Madness" threatens to destroy harmony on the island, Ginger uses a crystal ball to give everyone something to hope for.
60	24	"Feed the Kitty"	Leslie Goodwins	J.E. Selby & Richard Sanville	March 3, 1966
A cage carrying a lion washes off a ship and onto the island. Gilligan befriends it by pulling a thorn from its paw. The castaways then decide to stage a circus. Note: During filming of this episode, the lion tried to attack Bob Denver. The lion's trainer asked the cast to keep this a secret from his employer, fearing he would be fired.
61	25	"Operation: Steam Heat"	Stanley Z. Cherry	Terence & Joan Maples	March 10, 1966
Gilligan finds a thermal vent and soon everyone has piping hot water. But the Professor isn't so excited because this means there is an active volcano on the island.
62	26	"Will the Real Mr. Howell Please Stand Up?"	Jack Arnold	Budd Grossman	March 17, 1966
Mr. Howell has a double back home spending his money. When the gent goes on a cruise, guess where he lands? The real Mr. Howell twice attempts to swim the Pacific to stop the impostor. Jim Buckus played both Mr Howell and the imposter
63	27	"Ghost a Go-Go"	Leslie Goodwins	Roland MacLane	March 24, 1966
A ghost is terrorizing the castaways, so the castaways decide to terrorize the ghost. Richard Kiel guest-stars as the "Ghost"
64	28	"Allergy Time"	Jack Arnold	Budd Grossman	March 31, 1966
First the Skipper, then the rest of the castaways develop an allergy to Gilligan.
65	29	"The Friendly Physician"	Jack Arnold	Elroy Schwartz	April 7, 1966
Mad scientist Dr. Boris Badenov (Vito Scotti) "rescues" the castaways. But in reality he kidnaps them to his own nearby island for mind transfer experiments.
66	30	"'V' for Vitamins"	Jack Arnold	Barney Slater	April 14, 1966
Gilligan must guard the last precious orange when the Professor determines that the castaways are in need of vitamins. (Bob Denver's real-life son Patrick plays small Gilligan in the dream sequence.)
67	31	"Mr. and Mrs. ???"	Gary Nelson	Jack Gross, Jr. & Michael R. Stein	April 21, 1966
The radio announces that the minister who married the Howells was a phony, so they aren't really married. When they attempt to get remarried by the Skipper in a ceremony "at sea" in the middle of the lagoon, havoc ensues and they break up instead. So Mr. Howell takes Ginger on a date, while Miss Wentworth dates the Professor; each in an effort to make the other jealous.
68	32	"Meet the Meteor"	Jack Arnold	Elroy Schwartz	April 28, 1966
A meteor crashes into the island making everything near it age very rapidly, including people.

Footnotes

1. Berard and Englund (2009), p. 126.
2. "CBS Studio Center". Seeing-Stars.com. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
3. "CBS Buys Republic Lot". Broadcasting. February 27, 1967. Retrieved November 18, 2013. (subscription required)
4. Walstad, David (August 7, 1995). "Civilization Takes Over 'Gilligan's' Lagoon". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). Retrieved November 18, 2013.
5. Tucker (2010), p. 89.
6. Schwartz (2009), pp. 49–64.
7. Chance (2011), p. 546.
8. Schwartz (1988), pp. 291–299.
9. Gilligan's Island: The Complete Second Season (booklet). Arnold, Jack, et al. Warner Home Video.

References

• Berard, Jeanette; Englund, Klaudia (2009). Television Series and Specials Scripts, 1946-1992. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786454372.
• Chance, Norman (2010). Who Was Who on TV, Volume 1. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1456821296.
• Morowitz, Laura (2003). "From Ganguin to Gilligan's Island". In Morreale, Joanne. Critiquing the Sitcom: A Reader. Syracuse University Press. ISBN 978-0815629832.
• Schwartz, Sherwood (1988). Inside Gilligan's Island. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312104825.
• Stoddard, Sylvia (1996). TV Treasures – A Companion Guide to Gilligan's Island. St Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0312957971.
• Tucker, David (2010). Lost Laughs of '50S and '60S Television: Thirty Sitcoms That Faded Off Screen. McFarland. ISBN 978-0786455829.