Deep-cut followers of Sherwood Schwartz’s 1964 sitcom “Gilligan’s Island” will seemingly be capable of let you know all in regards to the present’s authentic pilot episode, “Marooned.” Thought-about a “dry run” of the sequence, “Marooned” featured the identical premise — seven whimsically mismatched castaways are trapped collectively on an uncharted desert isle — however the characters have been reshuffled a bit bit. Gilligan (Bob Denver), the Skipper (Alan Hale), and the Howells (Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer) have been current, however the Professor (Russell Johnson), Ginger (Tina Louise), and Mary Ann (Daybreak Wells) hadn’t been invented but.
Of their locations have been fully totally different characters performed by totally different actors. The unique Ginger was performed by Package Smythe and was a sardonic secretary. Mary Ann was initially a personality named Bunny, Ginger’s ditzy finest pal, performed by Nancy McCarthy. The Professor, in the meantime, was initially a highschool trainer performed by actor John Gabriel, in all probability finest recognized for showing in 726 episodes of the cleaning soap opera “Ryan’s Hope.” The unique theme track to “Gilligan’s Island” additionally wasn’t but the superb sea shanty everyone knows and love, however an upbeat calypso quantity written by John Williams.
Schwartz felt the sequence wanted some fine-tuning, and he made the suitable alterations, re-forming sure characters and utilizing the (fairly frankly higher) new theme track. The brand new Professor (actual identify: Roy Hinkley) was performed by Johnson, and he offered the present with a straight man, offering clear-thinking and good judgement amongst different characters that have been incessantly buffoonish. It was essential for the dynamic of “Gilligan’s Island” that an “grownup” be included.
Which can be a big motive why Gabriel was changed. Evidently the younger actor was far too energetic and youthful for his personal good.
The community did not like Gabriel
Understand that Russell Johnson was notably older than John Gabriel. In 1964, Johnson had simply turned 40, whereas Gabriel was a wee bairn of solely 33. One can turn out to be a professor at a a lot youthful age than that, however Gabriel was in all probability finest recognized on the time for his a number of roles on “77 Sundown Strip,” and exuded a type of “romantic lead” power, greater than a professorial vibe. Gabriel was hardly boyish — he was tall and robust and placing — however he wasn’t precisely “professorial” both. He was extra just like the gruff jock in your science class you not-so-secretly have a crush on, or a T.A. you are distracted by. One can’t fault Gabriel for intercourse attraction, however … nicely, he was simply unsuitable for the half.
You’ll find the unique “Gilligan’s Island” pilot simply sufficient on-line, and Gabriel’s presence is certainly a bit off. And that is not simply because we’ve spent many years watching Johnson because the Professor in reruns. Gabriel’s character did not improve the comedy of the sequence.
Johnson, whereas serving as a straight man on the present, clearly had higher comedic chops than Gabriel, coming throughout as a extra affable, wiser, and approachable character. Johnson additionally had a extra prolific movie profession than Gabriel, making him a extra pliable actor. The alternative was the proper selection.
Today, it is onerous to image anybody apart from the core seven solid members in any of the roles, proving that Sherwood Schwartz knew what he was doing. “Gilligan’s Island” had branded itself onto the pop consciousness extra so than some other sitcom of its period. Johnson will be credited for serving to.