Gilligan's Island: Our Vines Have Tender Apes

Gilligan's Island: Our Vines Have Tender Apes
CBS
January 30, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Both Denny Miller and Janos Prohaska return in this second collaboration between Sidney A. Mandel and Roy Kammerman.  This time Miller is an actor pretending to be Tongo the Ape-Man, while Prohaska is again an Ape, although this costume looks more like an orangutan than the gorilla the script claims it is.  I find it a bit much for Tongo to be carrying around a tape recorder in his simple costume, although I guess it's supposed to clue in the audience more easily than if he had a diary.  And he has to leave something behind to give away that he speaks English.

Gilligan's Island: Lovey's Secret Admirer

Gilligan's Island: Lovey's Secret Admirer
CBS
January 23, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B

The last of the Herbert Finn and Alan Dinehart collaborations, this starts out as a farcical mystery about who the title character is, becomes another episode where the Howells have a spat, and then turns into a rare dream sequence for Lovey.  Along the way, Ginger and Mary Ann pretend to argue over who's more interested in the Skipper, and the poor man is still clearly hung up on Ginger.  The major ship here though is of course Thurston/Lovey, and the moments where they kiss (including her hand kissing back) are sweet.  Note, the Skipper is the wicked stepmother, the same season he was Gilligan's mother in another dream.  And Bob Denver looks good in a goatee and mustache.

That Girl: Time for Arrest

That Girl: Time for Arrest
ABC
November 3, 1966
Sitcom
DVD
B-

When Ann is arrested wearing a cave-woman costume, she understandably doesn't want to call her parents, so she calls Donald.  This is another episode told mostly through flashback, although I think it works better than the "traffic accident" episode.


Dick Balduzzi played Mr. Corella on Gidget and his role as a Police Sergeant is his first of three on TG.  Jackie Joseph, who's Margie here, was a different friend on the Pilot.  Johnny Silver, who plays Joey, would be back twice as Siegfried S. Newman.  Milton Selzer, who's Al Morgenthaler, would also return twice, but in different roles.  The most recognizable guest though is Herb Edelman, later of Golden Girls.