Not many people know this. Gilligan's Island was actually renewed for a fourth season for fall 1967. The programmers at CBS had decided to cancel Gunsmoke. While the series still had reasonable ratings, the audience watching on Saturday nights at 10pm didn't fit the required demographic. When Bill Paley returned from vacation, after scanning the fall schedule, he asked where's Gunsmoke. It was his wife's favourite show. In September Gunsmoke returned in a new timeslot and new night [Monday 7:30pm]  The series finished 4th that year and would run an additional seven seasons. Because the durable western was an hour long show, an extra 30 minutes had to be trimmed from the schedule. It was decided Gilligan's Island would be the sacrificial lamb.

Gilligan's Island's theme song is said to be the most well known title tune in TV history. I suspect most of us can sing the words without even thinking about them. But I'm not sure how many know it wasn't the original one. The pilot episode features a terrible calypso song that's about as memorable as the full conjugation of "Pi."

It's not a surprise it was changed. (In fact, the pilot version says it was for "a six-hour ride" and not the now well known "three hour tour.") 

And one more thing. As many remember, two prominent cast members were never mentioned in the first season lyrics. Apparently it was Bob Denver who went to the producers and demanded the words be changed from "and the rest" to "The Professor and Mary Ann" in the later versions. Class act. 

Is it just me or does that 1964 theme song have a vague resemblance to the Chiquita banana ad.

TV Morning Show host mourns the loss (see what I did there?)  of the creator of the Gilligan's Island theme...




 

Last edited by Glen Warren (October 26, 2020 11:38 am)

Billionaire investor? Maybe it was Thurston Howell III!