Welcome to Gilligan's Island Faq Page
Entertainment Weekly picks Gilligan's Island as one
of top 100 shows of all time!

Click here for the Gilligan's Island Trivia Contest

Click here for the 1st Episode Radio Announcement of the Missing Castaways

1.) When Did Gilligan's Island Premiere?
Gilligan's Island first aired on 26 September 1964
and ran until 17 April 1967. (Not including re-runs! It's
the longest continuously running program in syndication!)

2.) What was Gilligan's First name?
Gilligan's name was never mentioned in the series - not even in the pilot,
but years later Sherwood Shwartz, the producer, mentioned that if he had
to give Gilligan a name, it would be "Willy."

3.) What were the names of the other Castaways?
Jonas Grumby   (Skipper)
Roy Hinkley   (The Professor)
Thurston Howell III   (Mr. Howell)
"Lovey" Howell   (Mrs. Howell) (aka Eunice Wentworth)
Ginger Grant   (Ginger)
Mary Ann Summers   (Mary Ann)

4.) How many Episodes were there?
98 Episodes total (36 were filmed in black & white but many of these
were later colorized by Ted Turner.)

5.) Who was supposed to play Gilligan before Bob Denver was cast in the part?
Jerry Van Dyke. (Carrol O'connor was the first choice for the Skipper, Jayne Mansfield was
the first choice for Ginger, and Raquel Welch auditioned for the part of Mary Ann.)

6.) Why was the boat called "the Minnow"?
It was named after Newton Minnow, then Chairman of the FCC - who called television a "vast wasteland."

7.) What are the birthdates of the Cast Members?

Bob Denver (Gilligan)
Date of birth: 9 January, 1935. Born in Rochelle, New York
Died: 2 September 2005, Princeton, WV

Alan Hale Jr. (Skipper)
Date of birth: 8 March, 1918. Born in Los Angeles, CA
** Died: 2 January 1990, Los Angeles, CA
Ashes Scattered at Sea. (Cancer of the Thymus)

James Gilmore Backus (Jim Backus) (Mr. Howell)
Date of birth: 25 February, 1913. Born in Cleveland, Ohio
** Date of death: 3 July 1989, Los Angeles, CA. (Pneumonia and Parkinson's disease.)
Gravestone picture Westwood Memorial Park

Natalie Schafer (Lovey Howell)
Date of birth: 5 November, 1900. Born in Red Bank, New Jersey
** Date of death: 10 April 1991, Los Angeles, CA. (Cancer)

Tina Blacker (Tina Louise) (Ginger)
Date of birth: 11 February, 1934.
Born in New York, New York

Russell D. Johnson (Professor)
Date of birth: 10 November, 1924

Dawn Wells (Mary Ann)
Date of birth: October 18, 1938
Reno, Nevada

Unfortunately Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr., Jim Backus and Natalie Schafer are no longer with
us. Our warmest wishes are with them along with millions of viewers. 

8.) How can I write to the cast of Gilligan's Island?

Dreama Denver (Wife of Bob Denver)
c/o The Denver Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 931
Princeton, WV 24740

Russell Johnson (Professor)
Russell Johnson
PO Box 3135
La Jolla CA 92038

Dawn Wells (Mary Ann)    
4616 Ledge Ave.
North Hollywood CA 91602

Tina Louise (Ginger)  
310 E. 46th St. #18T 
New York, NY 10017

Sherwood Schwartz (Producer)
Sherwood Schwartz  
865 Carla Ridge Dr. 
Beverly Hills,Ca 90212

9) Where is Gilligan's Island? Click here

10.) Where can I watch "Gilligan's Island"?
Click Here! (Enter Gilligan's Island in the search field)