The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island

"Court jesters" is funnier than any joke in the actual program.

The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island
NBC
May 15, 1981
TV-Movie
VHS
C

Yes, I'm giving this the same grade as I gave the first reunion.  (As I said, I'm missing the middle movie, but briefly, they all get rescued for good and then the Howells open a resort with guests like Tom Bosley and Marcia Wallace.)  Let me just list the people involved before I try to unpack this:

• The entire original cast, except of course Tina Louise, and with Backus's role reduced due to illness;
• Yet another Ginger, 30-year-old Constance Forslund (note, since the Professor claims they've been on the island 18 years, this would make her 12 at the time of shipwreck, or really well preserved here)
• 32-year-old David Ruprecht as the previously very much never mentioned (in fact his existence contradicted by an episode or two) Thurston Howell IV, and it's one of the better performances;
• Yes, the Harlem Globetrotters, whose plane goes down, but they wash up ashore on the island, and I guess they're playing themselves, like they did in their cartoon and other places;
• Scatman Crothers as their coach and pilot, and accompanist (it is cool to hear him do "Sweet Georgia Brown")
• Since this isn't enough plot, we get villains played by then husband-and-wife Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, as respectively a wealthy man intent on cornering the market on a mysterious ingredient called Supremium, and a blonde live-action version of Natasha Fatale;
• Not technically people, but their comic relief sidekick robot George, and a team of basketball-playing robots
• Bob Denver's wife Dreama as the Southern belle receptionist for the Howells (actually given more to do than Wells);
• 23-year-old Rosalind Chao, around the time she started teaching Arnold Jackson but before she married Klinger, as the Hotel Clerk;
• Sportscasters Stu Nahan and Chick Hearn (the latter played Announcers on Gilligan's Island) as, well, sportscasters;
• Not only the Schwartz Bunch (Sherwood and his brothers Al and Elroy) but Brady and Gilligan writer David P. Harmon, and Schwartzian newbie Gordon Mitchell (who did however write for a lot of other sitcoms, including Mork & Mindy; 
• and Peter Baldwin, who directed The Brady Girls Get Married and some episodes of Bunch, but not any previous rendition of GI.

Now, I noted with BGGM that it was playing to the fans, so the cheesiness and all could be forgiven.  But this doesn't really have any of the feel of the original show.  Yes, it's slapsticky but GI was never just about slapstick.  Rescue allowed for some sentimental moments, but here hardly any of the original cast interact with each other, beyond the Skipper and Gilligan.  And when they do, it's not terribly interesting.  It's in fact Space 1999's Landau and Bain who have chemistry and cheese.  This reunion does have more fanservice than previously, in the sense that Wells and Forslund do an aerobics routine and there are scantily clad guests that the Skipper flirts with, although they're about one-third his age.  I would say as I did of Rescue that this is only for completists, and it is after all the last time that the three oldest cast members would act together.  This is by no means the end of Gilligan's Island though, thanks to, for instance, ALF.

Whitney Rydbeck, who does the voice of George the Robot, was a Page on The Brady Bunch and Sgt. Hondo McKee on M*A*S*H.  Wendy Hoffman, who was Sheri, on Mork & Mindy, plays Jackie, one of the bikini-wearing guests.  This program finally allows Dawn Wells to reach her 100th TV show in my collection, the rest of the castaways (except Tina Louise) already having passed this milestone.

Rescue from Gilligan's Island

Fanservice hadn't changed
 much in a decade or so.

Rescue from Gilligan's Island
NBC
October 14, 1978
TV-Movie
DVD
C

First of all, I have to say, this was a big deal in '78, and not just to me.  It was a ratings smash, since a lot of people wanted closure for the castaways.  Unfortunately, the script in particular-- written by the three Schwartz brothers with five-time GI contributor David Harmon-- has not aged well.  There's too much emphasis on the slapstick side of GI, which feels weird with an older cast and no laugh track.  There are literally dozens of continuity errors from the original series, and that's not even counting 32-year-old Judith Baldwin as Ginger Grant.  The weakest aspect of the writing though is probably the totally unneeded thread about the Russian spies, Dimitri (Vincent Schiavelli, who'd make a memorable appearance as a creepy Motel Manager in a Who's the Boss? two-parter) and Ivan (Art LaFleur, who'd be an MP on M*A*S*H), which is wrapped up in seconds by previously unmentioned FBI men.  (Or was it CIA?)

There are moments when the cast, notably Johnson, rise above the material, and there's definitely warmth and camaraderie among the characters even after all this time.  It is good to see them.  But I almost wish that, since they were going to make this corny anyway, they'd gone full out into camp, like have Gilligan accidentally win a disco contest or something.  As it is, there are topical references but only the most obvious ones, like Watergate and R2D2.  Completists should watch and even own this, but others should probably stay away.

Snag Werris, who was on That Girl as well as four episodes of The Brady Bunch, is a Cameraman here.  Mario Machado, who played himself on BBunch, is an unnamed Reporter here, while Studio Guard John Wheeler had three roles on BBunch.  Barbara Mallory was Helen on What's Happening!!  and is Cindy Smith here.  Marcus K. Mukai is a Hawaiian Man here and would be on both M*A*S*H and Soap.

Note, this counts as the 100th tag for Gilligan's Island, although it's not an episode per se, and it's also Alan Hale's 100th credit on this blog.  I've seen but don't currently own the second movie, where they actually escape the island for good but then open a resort.  I do have the third and best/worst movie, Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island.

The Bob Newhart Show: Of Mice and Men

Bob Newhart as a mouse (with Dean
Martin, Nipsey Russell, and Petula Clark) 

The Bob Newhart Show: Of Mice and Men
CBS
January 22, 1977
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This is the third and last BNS script written by Bruce Kane, and considering he gave us the "Moo Goo Goo" episode, it should be much better than it is.  Even when Howard thinks that the role-playing game is like charades-- with Mr. Peterson as himself, Mr. Carlin as Mrs. Peterson, Mr. Herd as Mrs. Peterson's mother, and Emily as Barbara Walters-- it's just not that funny or insightful.  I couldn't help thinking that if this were a second or third season episode, it would've been a B or even B+.

Waitress Flo (not to be confused with the one on Alice) played Mrs. McCarty on That Girl, and was in fact married to Lew Parker, as well as Jim Backus. Bonerz directed.

Man About the House: The Last Picture Show

Man About the House: The Last Picture Show
ITV
4 September 1975
Sitcom
DVD
B

This is one of the more risque episodes, and not just with individual lines, as George is trying to hide dirty magazines from Mildred (and we get a glimpse of a very suggestive centerfold), while Larry buys what he thinks is a "blue movie."  It turns out to be a Mr. Magoo cartoon, which is why I've tagged Jim Backus.  I think this is an episode that adapted very well for Three's Company, but I do like having the additional scene at the film museum.  Note that Chrissy's home movie is in black & white, several years after Greg Brady was using color for his school project, but the Bradys had much more money than Chrissy and friends.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus
ABC
December 6, 1974
Cartoon
VHS
C+

It's a little hard to believe this won an Emmy, with its sub-Peanuts animation (from Bill Melendez et al.) and corny, rambling story.  Yet there is still some small charm to it more than 40 years later and criticizing it feels a bit like kicking a puppy.

Peter Haas, who had a nameless role in the After School Special "The Eighteenth Emergency," here provides the voice of Tommy.  Ken Samson, who does Papa's voice, would be an Expectant Father on Welcome Back, Kotter.  And, yes, that's Jim Backus as the Narrator, giving a Magoo touch to the "ho ho ho."

The Brady Bunch: Grand Canyon or Bust

The Brady Bunch: Grand Canyon or Bust
ABC
September 24, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Tam Spiva wrote this second part, where Jim Backus returns, everyone forgives him, and the Bradys go on to some great scenery at the Grand Canyon.  Then Bobby and Cindy get lost.  I'm still not clear why I enjoyed these travel episodes so much as a kid, but maybe I was just glad to see new settings.

Michele Campo makes a brief appearance as Jimmy Pocaya and would have more to do in the next episode.

The Brady Bunch: Ghost Town, U.S.A.

The Brady Bunch: Ghost Town, U.S.A.
ABC
September 17, 1971
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is the only Brady episode written by Howard Leeds, who was primarily one of the show's producers.  It kicks off the middle season, as the first of three parts.  (And since I don't have anything else for the '71-72 season, we're going to be watching nothing but the Bunch for awhile.)  I really liked the travel episodes of the series when I was a kid, but now I think this episode takes awhile to get going, with the highlights being of course Jim Backus's guest shot as the old prospector (his 100th appearance in my TV blog), and a harmonica and guitar duet when the family is in jail.  One thing I don't remember in syndication is Greg shooting a movie (I don't know if it's the same camera for his Pilgrim project) about a stagecoach robbery, with saloon girls Jan and Cindy flirting with robber Peter!  Note that Mike considers Greg, at not quite 16, to be a man who can protect the women and the younger kids.  Oscar Rudolph directed this and the other two parts.

Gilligan's Island: Gilligan, the Goddess

Gilligan's Island: Gilligan, the Goddess
CBS
April 17, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This, Bob Rodgers's second GI script (he also did "The Little Dictator"), is very third-season, with cross-dressing and natives who arbitrarily speak English.  It ends with the Skipper hitting Gilligan with his cap.  No one knew that this would be the last of the regular series, not until it was cancelled to make way for Gunsmoke.  Definitely no one could've predicted that this show, hated by the critics, would become so entrenched in American culture, and indeed become famous worldwide.  I grew up with it in syndication, like so many Gen-X kids did.  It was always there, and I took it for granted.  In fact, I only bought it on DVD because the complete series for $30 was such a bargain.  (I'd originally planned to just review the handful of episodes I have on VHS.)  I've forgotten much about the show but I am pleased that it holds up as well as it does.  This season, like the first two, averages out to B-.  And this won't be the last we'll see of the cast in my TV collection....

Gilligan's Island: Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gilligan's Island: Bang! Bang! Bang!
CBS
April 10, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-


This episode is a bit de va ju--wasn't there another episode where Gilligan's little monkey friend was throwing explosives around or have these all blurred together?-- but still enjoyable.  My favorite aspect is actually the inventions they come up with for the plastic.  And we again have scenes off the island, involving the government.

Gilligan's Island: The Pigeon

Gilligan's Island: The Pigeon
CBS
April 3, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

I remember being frustrated by this episode as a child, that Burt (Sterling Holloway) thought that the castaways' messages--even the $1000 bill!--were fake.  And speaking of fake, the ridiculous yet still creepy spider boosts this episode from a C+ to a B-.  That the women almost rescue the men is a nice touch, although I could've done without Mrs. Howell describing them as helpless.  Note this must be the episode with the most miniskirts, not just on Mary Ann but also Ginger, who seems to have kept the Mary-Ann-shortened dresses from "The Second Ginger Grant."

This is the second of two GI episodes for Jack Raymond (story) and the last one for Brad Radnitz (teleplay).  Michael Kane would also direct a Brady Bunch episode.  It's the 100th show of mine to air on CBS, the Burns & Allen episodes giving that total a little boost.

Gilligan's Island: It's a Bird, It's a Plane

Gilligan's Island: It's a Bird, It's a Plane
CBS
March 27, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

While this episode is pretty funny, including things I'm impressed they got by the censors (Mr. Howell scolding the Professor for saying the word "potency" in front of Mrs. Howell, Ginger kissing Gilligan into a stupor), it does bother me that the girls and the Howells try to trick Gilligan into risking his life with the jet-pack.  This is, by the way, another of the episodes influenced by the space race.

It's the last collaboration of three by Sam Locke and Joel Rapp.  Chick Hearn plays the Radio Announcer this time.

Gilligan's Island: Slave Girl

The Professor translates as needed.

Gilligan's Island: Slave Girl
CBS
March 20, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
C+

I went back and forth on this one.  On the one hand, the idea of Gilligan having a slave girl is pretty noxious, even if it's not his choice.  On the other, the actress's performance, and that of her chief, are actually pretty good.  Furthermore, I like seeing how the castaways are so loyal to each other.  Well, except when the girls and the Howells are competing for Midori's services.  And we again have natives who sometimes speak English and sometimes don't, and it's very arbitrary.  But then I do like the band that some of castaways form, and Ginger's veil-dance.  So C+ it is.

Gilligan's Island: The Secret of Gilligan's Island

Gilligan's Island: The Secret of Gilligan's Island
CBS
March 13, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Another of those "implausible even for Gilligan's Island" episodes, here with everyone trying to find fragments of a tablet that the Professor immediately upon seeing one piece decides is the key to getting off the island.  In Gilligan's dream sequence, the girls are unsuccessfully trying to catch husbands, but Ginger does vamp "Chief Howell," leading to some passionate kissing!  And the bat special effects are just as bad as they were at the beginning of the season.

This is Bruce Howard's fifth GI episode, although here he's collaborating with Arne Sultan, who would go on to most significantly Too Close for Comfort.

Gilligan's Island: The Second Ginger Grant

Gilligan's Island: The Second Ginger Grant
CBS
March 6, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B+

In some ways, this Ron Friedman script (his third of three) seems like it would've made more sense in the first season, since Mary Ann is idolizing Ginger Grant the movie star, and they've been living as roommates all this time, seeing each other as ordinary people.  (And the title is a misnomer if you count Eva Grubb.)  On the other hand, because they've been living together so long, it's easier for them to imitate each other, as they do through most of the episode.  And then, at various points, we get all the men imitating Mary Ann, including a bathing Gilligan!  Mrs. Howell even imitates Thurston's Hahvahd accent.  So there's gender-bending, several renditions of "I Wanna Be Loved by You," and wardrobe modification.  (It's never explained how Mary Ann's clothes fit Ginger perfectly.)  The shipping is complicated because of all the switching, but Mary Ann as Ginger wants to rehearse a love scene with Gilligan, who tries to flee from the kissing, until the Skipper sends him back because they need to distract Mary Ann while Ginger is transforming into Mary Ann.  Gilligan bravely goes back, lays his head in Mary Ann's lap, and makes the sacrifice.  Elsewhere though, Gilligan does show great concern for Mary Ann.  It's the Skipper, however, who gives her a kiss on the cheek when she recovers.  And it could be argued that Mary Ann has a girl-crush on Ginger, platonic or not.

Steve Binder also directed the "Mosquitoes" episode and seems to have been mostly a director of variety shows, bringing something different to the show than the other GI directors.

Gilligan's Island: High Man on the Totem Pole

Gilligan's Island: High Man on the Totem Pole
CBS
February 27, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
C+

This is Brad Radnitz's third of four GI scripts but I don't know if he's to blame for the fact that these natives speak both Kupaki and English, although not at expected moments, e.g. they speak English among themselves.  I remember that as a little kid I thought it was amazing that they could make a sculpture that had Gilligan's face, but I don't remember if I was crediting the natives or the production crew with this accomplishment.  Anti-shipping note, Ginger fails to distract Gilligan from his likeness.

Gilligan's Island: Splashdown

Gratuitous cheesecake scene.

Gilligan's Island: Splashdown
CBS
February 20, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

John Fenton Murray's second GI script has quite a bit of "implausible even for Gilligan's Island" about it, but it is interesting to see the girls and the Howells try to sneak aboard the space capsule.  And it's an overall typical but entertaining episode.  But, no, I don't know why they can't use the phosphoric rocks from the earlier episode to spell out SOS, or why Gilligan doesn't know what SOS means, or why....

James Spencer, who plays Ryan, was Copilot earlier, while George N. Neise is a NASA Official here and was an interviewer earlier.  Sportscaster Chick Hearn is a Commentator here and would be a Radio Announcer later, although it's his appearance in the final GI TV-movie that I really remember.

Gilligan's Island: Gilligan's Personal Magnetism

Gilligan's Island: Gilligan's Personal Magnetism
CBS
February 6, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
C+

Bruce Howard's fourth GI script is kind of forgettable, although I will say the special effects have improved over even the beginning of the season, except for the cheesy, cartoonish sparks in white.

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.

Gilligan's Island: The Hunter

Gilligan's Island: The Hunter
CBS
January 16, 1967
Sitcom
DVD
B-

This is a darker than usual plot for Gilligan's Island, with the title character trying to hunt down Gilligan.  As usual, Mr. Howell tries to appeal to the visitor's greed, and Ginger to his lust, but he doesn't care about money, and Gilligan drinks the sleeping potion she tries to give the hunter.

This is the only GI episode for either Ben Gershman or Bill Freedman, but they'd write eight and eleven respectively for The Brady Bunch.