Gilligan's Island: The Postman Cometh

Gilligan's Island: The Postman Cometh
CBS
January 20, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B+

Co-written by Herbert Finn and Alan Dinehart, this has a dream sequence, lots of celebrity impersonations, a parody of radio soap operas, and tons o' shipping.  It does seem odd that Mary Ann has been bottle-mailing a letter to her non-boyfriend all this time and it hasn't come up, but once you get past that there's a lot of fun to be had, with Gilligan's Boyeresque mustache as probably the funniest thing.

As for the shipping, note that Mrs. Howell is actually sitting on Mr. Howell's bed with him, but that's the only definite relationship here.  When Ginger suggests that the three bachelors romance Mary Ann to make her forget Horace's engagement (to a rich society woman with Mrs. Howell's maiden name), the Professor says he's never shown the slightest romantic interest in Mary Ann, while the Skipper sees himself as acting like the girl's big brother, but Gilligan has no such clear objection.  And he's the one to kiss her hand.  The other three castaways train the bachelors, including Mr. Howell holding the Skipper's hand.  (Would their ship be "Skowell"?)  Gilligan sweet-talks Mrs. Howell, listing off her physical features but not getting past her nose.  Ginger's "charm school" for the Professor is more successful.  She again is the assertive one, pretending to be Cary Grant for him to imitate later.  (Yes, good thing she didn't choose her other crush, Rock Hudson.)  He remarks that "Cary" smells nice.

Then in Mary Ann's nightmare, she imagines that the three men are much more interested in sexy nurse Ginger, even though Mary Ann thinks she's dying.  Everything is cleared up when she wakes, and things presumably go back to normal, till next episode.

Oh, and note that Gilligan has a sister as well as a brother.