Gilligan's Island: Wrongway Feldman

Gilligan's Island: Wrongway Feldman
CBS
October 24, 1964
Sitcom
DVD
B

Written by Lawrence J. Cohen and Fred Freeman, this is a definite step up from "Two on a Raft."  In fact, it's easily the best episode so far.  Director Ida Lupino does another fine job at the helm.  Special guest star Hans Conried plays the title character, who crashed his plane, The Spirit of the Bronx (a Lindbergh parody), on the island 33 1/2 years ago.  Not only is he wonderful to watch, but the impact of the first "outsider" is strong.  Gilligan hero-worships him, making the Skipper jealous, and he flirts with Mrs. Howell, making Mr. Howell jealous.  While mostly asleep, he withstands Mr. Howell's and Ginger's attempts to take each of them along as his passenger (one offering money and power, the other "glamorous moonlit nights"), although he does almost whisk Mary Ann on board after she kisses him goodbye.  Not a young man when he landed (he served in World War I), he's surprised to hear some of the technological and other changes in the past third of a century.  He finds his way back to the Bronx, but the authorities dismiss his tales of the island as just that, tall tales.  Fortunately, we haven't seen the last of him.