Gilligan played host to some of the
biggest stars
of movies and television.
On this page, meet Don Rickles, Kurt Russell, Phil Silvers, Zsa Zsa
Gabor, Vito Scotti, Hans Conried, Rory Calhoun, and Ida Lupino -
just a few of the stars who surfed in to share
some island fun with Gilligan and the gang.
"The Kidnapper"
The first day of shooting the castaways awaited the arrival of Don Rickles
with a sense of dread. The King-of-Insults was on his way and, goodness knows, Gilligan's Island was the perfect candidate for some really good put-downs. The first two days of shooting, Don was a perfect gentleman, but then on
the third and last day, having lulled the cast into a false sense of security, he let 'em rip. The insults flew from 8 o'clock in the morning until five-thirty that
afternoon with Don barely taking a breath. The cast took it in stride, but at the end of the day, total exhaustion set in!
"Gilligan Meets Jungle Boy"
In his pre-Goldie Hawn days and before making his mark in feature films, Kurt Russell played the jungle boy
that Gilligan finds - where else? - in the jungle on the island. He shows Gilligan a natural helium outlet in the jungle, which means the Professor (who STILL can't build a boat) decides to make a balloon out of the
castaways' raincoats, glued together with tree sap. As it ends up, the jungle boy takes off in the balloon and lands on a Navy carrier. Since he can only mime, he can't tell them where he's been - the series rolls on!
"Wrongway Feldman" &
"The Return of Wrongway Feldman"
Hans Conried was the first guest star on
GI, not to mention one of Bob's favorites -
a real pro, who was also a true gentleman. Hans loved playing Wrongway and felt
there should be more Gilligan-type comedy on TV. Likewise, Bob loved working with Hans, finding him so funny that'takes' were sometimes
difficult to get through. Another plus on the Wrongway episode was Ida Lupino as director. A huge talent in her
own right, Miss Lupino's acting credits went all the way
back to her childhood and included both stage and screen. She was the first director Bob ever worked with who had
an actor's experience - a real bonus!
"The Producer"
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while on a worldwide talent search. The castaways decide to impress him
with a musical version of Hamlet, hoping to get off the island. Of course, he
thinks it stinks and sneaks off the island without them. Back in Hollywood, he
produces a major film - the musical version of Hamlet.
The Island cast:
Hamlet - Gilligan
Polonius - Skipper
Claudius and Gertrude - Mr. and Mrs. Howell
Ophelia - Ginger
Laertes - Mary Ann
(the Professor wasn't in it)
"So Sorry, My Island Now"
"Diogenes, Won't You Please Go Home"
"The Friendly Physician"
The second and probably most frequent guest star on GI
was Vito Scotti, an actor's actor, whose credits 'must be
as big as the LA phone book', according to Bob. As a
character actor, Vito was always in demand because
he could literally play any part, making each character
totally unrecognizable from the other.
When watching "Lucy" episodes on Nick (after you've watched GI, of course), you can sometimes spot Vito -
he never stopped working!
"Erika Tiffany Smith to the Rescue"
Zsa Zsa played this socialite and old acquaintance of the Howells, who arrives on the
island, looking for a husband and a place to
build a hotel. She falls for the Professor, but he
barely notices her since his academic mind
leaves no room for romantic notions. She
promises to send help when she leaves the
island, but is never able to relocate it!
Thanks to Erika, the series continues!
"The Hunter"
Jonathan Kincaid, a big-game hunter played by
Rory Calhoun, comes to the island in search of
game, but ends up on a maniacal manhunt with
Gilligan as his prey. He gives our favorite
castaway 24 hours to escape his bullets, and in
his own stumbling-bumbling way, Gilligan
manages to do just that, making him our hero!
