Skip to content 
One of the show’s most famous changes concerned the opening theme. During the first season, Russell Johnson’s Professor and Dawn Wells’ Mary Ann were not named individually. Instead, the song referred to them as “and the rest.” Bob Denver reportedly pushed for both cast members to receive proper recognition. Beginning in season two, audiences heard the familiar line identifying “the Professor and Mary Ann.”
Even the name S.S. Minnow carried an inside joke. The boat was reportedly named as a reference to Newton Minow, the former Federal Communications Commission chairman who famously criticized television as a “vast wasteland.” Series creator Sherwood Schwartz apparently enjoyed the irony of using Minow’s name for the vessel that stranded the characters.
The show’s practical effects also look especially charming on today’s sharper screens. In an episode featuring a Japanese sailor arriving in a small submarine, Gilligan eventually appears to move the vessel around the lagoon. In reality, there was no complete submarine traveling beneath the water. The effect was reportedly achieved by having a diver guide the periscope. Careful viewers may notice signs of the person and equipment beneath the surface.
Of course, Gilligan’s Island lasted because of more than production mistakes. Much of its appeal came from the chemistry among the cast, including the contrast between Ginger Grant and Mary Ann Summers. Tina Louise gave Ginger classic Hollywood glamour, while Dawn Wells made Mary Ann warm and approachable.