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As many TV historians can tell you, Sherwood Schwartz’s 1964 sitcom “Gilligan’s Island” was as popular as it was reviled. Critics dismissed “Gilligan” as cartoonish, unrealistic, and frivolous, an estimation that stuck to the series for generations. Even into the 1980s, when “Gilligan’s Island” was merely surviving on reruns, some critics (well, my mom) considered it the nadir of culture. At the same time, however, “Gilligan’s Island” was always popular, fetching huge numbers throughout its initial three seasons and drawing new generations of fans throughout its eternal syndication. It may have been the nadir of culture, but no one turned it off.
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However one judges “Gilligan’s Island,” it has left an unwashable gravy stain on the tablecloth of the American consciousness. The seven stranded castaways have become new archetypes in a 20th-century American version of Commedia dell’arte, and the theme song can now be considered just as vital an American standard as “Rhapsody in Blue.”
It was popular with kids, and parents felt safe letting their children watch “Gilligan’s Island” because there was no violence beyond the slapstick and no sexuality beyond the mere attractiveness of the cast. It was also popular with adults, though, and one cannot credit its PG-friendly rating for that. Indeed, members of the show’s cast — interviewed by the Akron Beacon Journal way back in 1966 (transcribed by MeTV) — noted that the silliness and kid-friendliness of “Gilligan’s Island” was the exact reason grown-ups also enjoyed the show. It provided, by the cast’s estimation, the perfect kind of fluffy escape that many adults sought in the mid-’60s.
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Adults liked it because it was silly, not in spite of it
Recall that “Gilligan’s Island” aired during a time of increased national turmoil in the United States. Indeed, in the opening sequence for the show’s first season, one can see flags lowered to half-mast, as the footage was shot immediately after the assassination of President Kennedy. The Harlem Riots took place in New York only a few months before the first episode of “Gilligan’s Island” aired, and the Watts Riots happened during its second season. There was an increased sense of political activism at the time as well, and the Selma-to-Montgomery marches took place in March of 1965. Into this world dropped the silliest, most frivolous sitcom imaginable. And it seems the public was ready.
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Bob Denver, who plays Gilligan, said, “It’s silly, yes, but children laugh and adults can if they want to. […] It’s aimed at the vast everybody.” Alan Hale, who played the Skipper, noted that kids did indeed watch it, but that he had just as many parents tuning in. “You know, a lot of grownups have started watching our show, too. […] Actually, we get quite a number of comments from parents. You know, the kids turn us on, the parents watch a bit at first, and then they like us.” Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann, praised the sitcom’s frivolity. She said, “It’s really quite an escape show. […] People just sort of fall back and relax when they watch it.”
The show’s featherweight qualities certainly helped its popularity, although Schwartz had a broader view of the show’s appeal. He once noted that “Gilligan’s Island” was actually a subtly presented ideal of American democracy. All of the castaways came from different classes (the intelligentsia, the working class, the rich, the Hollywood establishment) but managed to live in peace on their island, surviving amiably. Perhaps with images of riots on the news, “Gilligan’s Island” provided childlike images of people getting along.
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